But the thought of having something that can help me log and track the daily events of my life is something that I've been meaning to do for some time. I'm hoping that this blog will help me do that. So I apologize in advance, if this blog is a bit on the selfish side, as I'm doing it more for me than anyone else.
With that said, here's a little "Intro" (as Crush, aka Mr. Turtle, would say): Let's see, where do I begin? Well, I am currently 32 years old (what?), married (happily), and have two little boys. Garrett is 4 (almost 5), and Isaac just hit the big ol' 19 month mark. I know I say this often, but time really does fly by. I swear it was just yesterday that Jeff and I met for the first time (a whole 'nother story), and look at us now!
I was born and raised in the Salt Lake City/Sandy area and graduated from Brighton High School in 1993. Three days after I graduated, my family moved to Gainesville, Florida. At the time you would
have thought we had moved to Mars. We were so "out of place," with the LARGE bugs, humidity and all... But after going to two years at Ricks and a year at Utah State, I moved back with my parents and lived in Gainesville for a good year and 1/2. Although the decision to move home, at first, wasn't at the top of my "most-desirous" list, the time spent in Florida became some of the greatest years of my life. I met so many good friends and became really close with my family (GO GATORS!). I never wanted that time to end.
But....my education had come to a standstill and there was still a little someone that I was destined to meet...again...
So, I moved back to Utah and lived with my oldest brother, Kevin, and his family in Highland. Kevin had recently started a marketing company called North Point and had merged his marketing company with a book publishing company called Woodland Books. Which is where I met my husband-to-be, Jeff. And like I said, that's a whole nother story. I'll save that one for later.
Jeff and I were married in April of 2000 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Roughly 10 months later, we moved to Dallas, Texas. Neither of us had ever been to Dallas, but once the opportunity was presented to us, we both immediately felt as though it was a good decision to move here. And even though the first two years were tough (can you say newlyweds, near-poverty, and beyond homesick?), we eventually moved up to the Frisco/McKinney/Allen area and have loved it ever since.
Jeff is currently working at Countrywide Home Loans as a Vice President, Sales Leader. More specifically, he is a manager of about 17 Spanish-speaking Loan Officers in the MultiCultural division. Having served his mission in Spain, it's quite a blessing that he is able to keep his Spanish fluent by working with his employees, as well as the customers who call in.
For the past 3 years, I have been working for The Empower Network, a recruiting agency. Before we had Isaac, I worked full time, but after he was born, I quit to stay at home. That lasted for about 6 months before they called me and asked me to come back. I told them there was NO way I was going to put 2 kids in day-care and work full time. But they told me that as long as I came back, I could work from home, and wouldn't have to put in more than 20 hours a week. What, are you serious!? In that case, heck ya! I'll come back! Actually, it's a little harder than it sounds. I've masterd the art of typing with one child on my lap, taking phone calls in the bathroom, and sleeping with my Blackberry under my pillow...just in case. Then again, it's been such a blessing to be able to keep up the skills I've worked so hard to learn. Not to mention, the extra money is nice, too!
Garrett, who was born on Thanksgiving Day, fills the shoes as our independent, dramatic, and perfectionist eldest child. It's highly entertainig to watch your children grow and wonder, "where did he get that from?", then quickly realize, "oh, from me!" That's how it is with Garrett. So, when I see Garrett at the age of 2 and 1/2, lining up his cars in a perfect row, or making sure we say the same thing every night before we go to bed ("love you, sleep good, goodnight"), I can't blame him for the display of OCD. 'Cuz he got it from ME!
But I must say that Garrett does have a lot of Jeff in him, too (not to mention he looks EXACTLY like Jeff). He is calm, has an amazing memory for a 5-year old, and is always comfortable being himself (um, Jeff?). He thinks everyone is his "best friend" and has so many goals and dreams.
His latest passion is drawing, which he has become quite good at. Then again, with two grandmas who are artists, it doesn't surprise me. In fact, I'm actually jealous! I've always said that if I could have one talent, it would be to draw.
We are also working on teaching Garrett to read. He is doing awesome! Two days a week, after preschool, Garrett goes to a Phonics class which is teaching him so much. I love to read. Always have. I think I got that from my Dad. So if there is any (good) quality that I can pass on to my kids, it's the love of reading! So far, it looks like I'm doing something right!
Isaac, on the other hand, is our happy, opinionated, social butterfly. Again, me. From day one, Isaac has looked, acted, and thought NOTHING like Garrett. And I'm sure like other first-time parents, we were expecting a "cookie cutter" 2nd child. I mean, what else could Jeff and I make, but another little Garrett? Seriously though, for the first 6 months of his life, 
I kept thinking, who does this kid look like? (Since then, I've thought a lot of other puzzling questions, but none that I'll admit to.) I'm telling you, this kid has NO fear. None. He'll climb on anything, go to anyone, and stop at nothing. I seriously think the word "no" to him, translates into, "yea! you go boy! keep it up! you're doing awesome! and whatever you do, don't stop!" And to top it off, he's stinkin' cute! All that kid has to do when he's in trouble, is bat his eyes, smile, and I'm done for. Man, are we in trouble!
So, that's our family in a nut-shell. Stick with me, and along the way, I'm sure I'll have more kid(s) to speak of and more (hilarious) stories to tell, but for now, I'm all blogged out. I'll let Shrek close it up for tonight, with one of my favorite Shrek quotes, "That'll do, Donkey, that'll do."
have thought we had moved to Mars. We were so "out of place," with the LARGE bugs, humidity and all... But after going to two years at Ricks and a year at Utah State, I moved back with my parents and lived in Gainesville for a good year and 1/2. Although the decision to move home, at first, wasn't at the top of my "most-desirous" list, the time spent in Florida became some of the greatest years of my life. I met so many good friends and became really close with my family (GO GATORS!). I never wanted that time to end.But....my education had come to a standstill and there was still a little someone that I was destined to meet...again...
So, I moved back to Utah and lived with my oldest brother, Kevin, and his family in Highland. Kevin had recently started a marketing company called North Point and had merged his marketing company with a book publishing company called Woodland Books. Which is where I met my husband-to-be, Jeff. And like I said, that's a whole nother story. I'll save that one for later.
Jeff and I were married in April of 2000 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Roughly 10 months later, we moved to Dallas, Texas. Neither of us had ever been to Dallas, but once the opportunity was presented to us, we both immediately felt as though it was a good decision to move here. And even though the first two years were tough (can you say newlyweds, near-poverty, and beyond homesick?), we eventually moved up to the Frisco/McKinney/Allen area and have loved it ever since.
Jeff is currently working at Countrywide Home Loans as a Vice President, Sales Leader. More specifically, he is a manager of about 17 Spanish-speaking Loan Officers in the MultiCultural division. Having served his mission in Spain, it's quite a blessing that he is able to keep his Spanish fluent by working with his employees, as well as the customers who call in.
For the past 3 years, I have been working for The Empower Network, a recruiting agency. Before we had Isaac, I worked full time, but after he was born, I quit to stay at home. That lasted for about 6 months before they called me and asked me to come back. I told them there was NO way I was going to put 2 kids in day-care and work full time. But they told me that as long as I came back, I could work from home, and wouldn't have to put in more than 20 hours a week. What, are you serious!? In that case, heck ya! I'll come back! Actually, it's a little harder than it sounds. I've masterd the art of typing with one child on my lap, taking phone calls in the bathroom, and sleeping with my Blackberry under my pillow...just in case. Then again, it's been such a blessing to be able to keep up the skills I've worked so hard to learn. Not to mention, the extra money is nice, too!
Garrett, who was born on Thanksgiving Day, fills the shoes as our independent, dramatic, and perfectionist eldest child. It's highly entertainig to watch your children grow and wonder, "where did he get that from?", then quickly realize, "oh, from me!" That's how it is with Garrett. So, when I see Garrett at the age of 2 and 1/2, lining up his cars in a perfect row, or making sure we say the same thing every night before we go to bed ("love you, sleep good, goodnight"), I can't blame him for the display of OCD. 'Cuz he got it from ME!But I must say that Garrett does have a lot of Jeff in him, too (not to mention he looks EXACTLY like Jeff). He is calm, has an amazing memory for a 5-year old, and is always comfortable being himself (um, Jeff?). He thinks everyone is his "best friend" and has so many goals and dreams.
His latest passion is drawing, which he has become quite good at. Then again, with two grandmas who are artists, it doesn't surprise me. In fact, I'm actually jealous! I've always said that if I could have one talent, it would be to draw.We are also working on teaching Garrett to read. He is doing awesome! Two days a week, after preschool, Garrett goes to a Phonics class which is teaching him so much. I love to read. Always have. I think I got that from my Dad. So if there is any (good) quality that I can pass on to my kids, it's the love of reading! So far, it looks like I'm doing something right!
Isaac, on the other hand, is our happy, opinionated, social butterfly. Again, me. From day one, Isaac has looked, acted, and thought NOTHING like Garrett. And I'm sure like other first-time parents, we were expecting a "cookie cutter" 2nd child. I mean, what else could Jeff and I make, but another little Garrett? Seriously though, for the first 6 months of his life, I kept thinking, who does this kid look like? (Since then, I've thought a lot of other puzzling questions, but none that I'll admit to.) I'm telling you, this kid has NO fear. None. He'll climb on anything, go to anyone, and stop at nothing. I seriously think the word "no" to him, translates into, "yea! you go boy! keep it up! you're doing awesome! and whatever you do, don't stop!" And to top it off, he's stinkin' cute! All that kid has to do when he's in trouble, is bat his eyes, smile, and I'm done for. Man, are we in trouble!So, that's our family in a nut-shell. Stick with me, and along the way, I'm sure I'll have more kid(s) to speak of and more (hilarious) stories to tell, but for now, I'm all blogged out. I'll let Shrek close it up for tonight, with one of my favorite Shrek quotes, "That'll do, Donkey, that'll do."
