Christmas Morning ...

Christmas morning of course was exciting for everyone! The kids were so excited and as soon as Max heard Justin and Mark standing outside his door saying, "Come on - let's go see if Santa got here!" Max had no problem rushing down the stairs! (at 7 am - not bad at all!) Once again we were blessed to celebrate the season with gifts and I am so thankful for so many things this year. The blessing of employment brings tears to my eyes and probably will for the rest of our lives. Mark and I always sit together on Christmas Eve after the kids are in bed and reflect on the year gone by and the upcoming year. We are thankful for our families and friends who mean so much to us. Here is our little 4' tree ... and some images of the morning.

Family Fun - Christmas 2009

Hiking Snow Canyon

We woke up to the most beautiful weather ... sunny and 55 or 60 degrees on December 23rd. We called over to Grandpa & Grandma Bridges house to see who wanted to go up Snow Canyon to do some hiking. We gathered everyone up and headed up the canyon to enjoy the day and take advantage of our freedom to explore safely! Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Grandpa Bridges, Uncle James, David & Mark

Aunt Maloa, Jatae, Glenn, Max & Nakiya

Jenny's Canyon

Mark's Homecoming

Hooray! Mark finally made it home on December 22nd at 10:30 pm! What a crazy nightmare it was for him and for us! I was so happy when we found him in the airport. Mark's dad and brother drove down to the airport with Max and I to pick him up. Here are some pictures of his homecoming. Might I add the wind was blowing SOOO hard on the way down to Vegas and at the airport. It was a bit crazy to drive in but, as you see we made it!

My luck ... Part V

So today is our BIG DAY! Talked to Mark this morning and told him that I was finally able to get him a ride to the airport. Shuttles were booked up and friends were working, but thankfully he should be getting picked up here shortly. Hopefully he will arrive at the airport with hours to spare. I told him to go buy a good book!

In the meanwhile, I am trying to stay busy with more cooking and baking, laundry, reading books to Max, playing with our cousins and uncles across town.

Guess what I managed to do this morning? OK - I'll tell you. I washed my pants that had my cell phone in them! The only way I can communicate with others via long distance and of course with Mark! Ughh ... my luck has been so bad lately. Seriously, I need my phone! So I have been on the phone with Verizon trying to see what I can do. Currently, I have my phone and battery separated out and in a bag of white rice ... a suggestion from Verizon. Maybe that will help but, they need to dry out as long as possible before attempting to put them back together. What dumb luck!!!

So, I am praying that Mark gets out of Virginia tonight and lands safely and on-time in Las Vegas. I can't wait to give him a big hug and kiss! Neither can Max for the record!

Part IV...

So last night we were able to confirm Marks newest flight information. Tomorrow night 12/22 direct fight, changing airports now to Washington National Airport, changing airlines to US Airways, first class, arriving in Las Vegas at 10:38 pm. I'm going stir crazy waiting once again and upset that our days together is getting shorter and shorter. But, I have to have faith that he will get here safely which is really the most important thing.

Max and I have been able to spend some time with Mark's brother David and James and their families over at Grandpa & Grandma Bridges' house. Max absolutely loves his cousins and is excited to play with them.

I've been baking, cleaning and eating ... of course to pass the time. Hopefully I don't gain all the weight back that I have lost this past month. No gym time has also been hard - do I dare say, I miss the gym?

Part III ... I'm SOOO Sad ...

So Mark was able to spend yesterday with the LaPointes in McLean. They went sledding and I am so grateful that they were willing to trek out in the snow and pick him up. Mark called me last night once he was back to the hotel and was worried about how he would get to the airport this morning. Thankfully, the shuttle was up and running to get him there.

Once he was at the gate, apparently they cancelled his fight once again. Even though there is no snow coming down now. I just burst in to tears. I've been crying all morning. Things seem so unfair. The only thing that is keeping me going is at least he is not in harmsway, here in the states, warm and dry.

The current flight plan is for Tuesday evening to arrive on Wednesday morning. Justin is also suppose to fly in on Wednesday evening so we'll probably be making a couple of trips to Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Just when you think you have a plan ... but, hopefully they'll make it for Christmas.

Part II ... Journey Home & Santa

Marks flight was cancelled again today at 4:30 am this morning. I spent 2.5 hours on hold at 4:30 am waiting to speak with a United Airlines customer service representative to work on getting Mark a new flight. The NEW CURRENT plan is to have him fly out on 12/20 at 10:40 am through Charlotte, NC and in to Las Vegas to arrive around 3 pm. Please oh please let it stop snowing in Virginia!!!

To pass the time, I took Max over to the mall here in town. I think this was one of his first trips to the mall without a stroller (we sold it this summer at one of our garage sales). Anyway, of course he LOVED the freedom to go see everything, run, touch, play on all the "rides" they have in aisles for .50 cents. But, we did get to see Santa which I was trying to hold out until Mark and Justin got here but, I had to do something! I'm going nuts!! Then we headed over to Costco for lunch and to pick up a couple more things.

Max loved seeing Santa ... gave him high 5's and knuckle knocks ... Santa is soooo cool!

Short of the Long Trip Home...

Mark has been working on getting home to St. George from Afghanistan for almost a week now. Traveling within the country is difficult since you can not merely put your thumb out for the next taxi to pull up! Mark left his base by armored vehicle to travel to FOB Apache. From there he had to catch a helicopter ride to Kandahar. In Kandahar, he was met by a buddy whom he has met since being in country on base. He had to stay in Kandahar until he could get his plane ride to Dubai. He was scheduled to leave Kandahar on Wednesday, the 16th and would not be flying out of Dubai until the 18th around midnight.

When Mark was leaving the base in Kandahar, the guards reviewed his travel orders and said to him, since you do not have a Dubai Visa ... you will have to stay in the airport for two days until your flight is ready to go. Hmmm ... this would have been good to know ... since who likes to hang out in airports for 2 days??? But, Mark says, ok. I'll stay in the airport. I believe once Mark got to Dubai and entered the airport, you must go through airport security immediately vs. waiting until you go to the gate, like here in the states. So, traveling with just a backpack, Mark then lost his toothpaste, facewash, shampoo and razor ... hmmm thus begin the stink at the airport. Poor Mark is now sleeping on the airport benches talking to complete strangers (not one of his strong points) and waiting as patiently as he can for his 15 hour flight to leave. Finally the 18th comes and he checks in for his flight with his paperwork from the travel agency. The polite check-in desk attendant from United then informs Mark, "I'm sorry you are NOT on this flight!". Thus you can see where the panic / heart-attach begins! After HOURS of trying to call out from the airport and being unsuccessful ... Mark is back in line at the United desk and calmly requests .... HELP! Turns out the travel agency had put him on the same flight that left the night before (17th) which Mark was at the airport for and could have gotten on ... but, typed up his travel orders for the 18th! Talk about stress! All he was thinking was, I have not seen my family for 4 months and I could be stuck in this airport for 21 days until I have my travel orders to come back! Ughh. Thankfully, and seriously, I know the Lord was watching over him, the agent at United worked with him and was able to get him on the flight stand-by for which he had been waiting on. The flight was full... it was a miracle!

Mark arrives in Washington today, the 18th at 6:30 am. I got his call and helped him find his way to the shuttle that would then take him to the Marriott for the day / night. Thankfully, the Marriott let Mark check in early and finally, Mark has a bed, shower, shampoo, clean running water and all the comforts of American lifestyle.

Later this morning ... I got a call from United Airlines. Mark's flight for tomorrow that brings him from Dulles to Las Vegas is now cancelled due to the potential for 12" of snow! UGHHH! We can not get through to the customer service agents because United is ringing busy and busy, so I called Mark back and had him go back to the airport to stand in the reservation line. He is now booked on a 4 o'clock flight that goes through Chicago and should arrive in Vegas at 11:04 PM!

TO BE CONTINUED ...

DMV - A Christmas Miracle!

Brace yourselves you will NOT believe this story!

Today I had to take some time to get our truck registered with the state of Utah since our registration would be running out at the end of the month with Virginia. This is one of those chores that falls under "wait till the last minute ... who wants to deal with the DMV?" So, I got online to find out that I would have to get the truck inspected, take our title, fill out an application and then drive to HURRICANE! Hurricane is up the I-15 on the way to Zion and there are no other locations in St. George. So, I got Maxed settled down for "rest-time" as he is currently boycotting naps these days, and gathered up my stuff and headed out for what I thought would be an all afternoon excursion! Amazingly, my trip to the Jiffy Lube where they did the inspections... started out great! I was the only vehicle in the store, drove right in, got the inspection in 10 minutes paid my $17 bill and I was on my way to Hurricane. I drove over the mountain here in St. George, got on 1-15 and was off the highway in less than 15 minutes. I found the DMV, which had three different offices, parked, walked-in, punched a box as to what I was needing at the information desk and I was #464! In less than 60 seconds (no kidding!) my number was called and I was assisted by a friendly woman who knew what she was doing, asked for the appropriate documents which I proudly passed to her, asked which style of plates I wanted, collected my $147 dollars and sent me on my way! I told the woman helping me that this truly was a first for me in 24 years of dealing with DMV's! Next thing I knew I was on my way back to Santa Clara and even stopped in at the dollar store to pick up a card! Who says Christmas miracles don't happen? Not me ... said the very happy resident!

Family Night - St. George Temple

Tonight we drove down to see the lights around the St. George Temple and Visitors Center. We were excited to get out and see the beautiful Christus statue, the lights, the manger scene, see the temple, "touch" the temple for Max, and of course to remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas. I will put this on list of things to do once Mark and Justin get here. While there are not nearly as many lights as there are in SLC or Washington DC ... it is still a fun evening and Max had a great time too!

Thanksgiving Turkey!

For our craft day during the Thanksgiving holiday, I helped Max make some turkeys out of apples using a variety of things we had on hand for feathers. Popcorn, cranberries, colored mini-marshmellows, fruit snacks and raisins all came in handy! We had fun making these and Max enjoyed eating them too!

House is Sold!!

Just needed to make a quick post .... we closed on our house yesterday! What a fantastic Christmas present to Mark and I to have that off our to-do list! Now let the real savings plan begin once again! I am so thankful!

What's Next??

What do these two items have in common?

Answer: Max! Today Max discovered that indeed he could put a lego part up his nose! Of course this happened while I was at the gym but he quickly came downstairs to tell Grandma that he had put something up his nose .... Grandma then called Grandpa down ... and together after a couple of sneezes and a pair of tweezers .... successfully retrieved the lego part!

So, now we have covered putting toys in our mouth ... with the magnetic ball going down the hatch all the way this past January. A lego part going up his right nostril .... and today we clearly defined that NO TOYS or any objects go in our EARS! Hopefully we will miss the ear adventure!

Another Close Call

Last week at the beginning of Max's LAST swim class for Level II part A .... we were waiting for the class to begin and after the kids change and go through the shower, I let him sit and play on the stairs in the pool. I would wait there with Max until the teacher comes - fully dressed, holding the purse, towel, Max's change of clothes, shoes, etc. Well, as Max was playing and jumping on the stairs, he drifted off the stairs and was now to the point where he could not touch the bottom of the pool or the stairs. In less than 5 seconds, I watched him go under the water twice with wide eyes and the look of I can't reach, I can't breathe, HELP ME MOM! Me, scared to death, drop everything I am holding and jump in the pool fully clothed! I scooped him up and as he came up out of the water he was coughing, choking, spewing water everywhere. My heart at this point had stopped ... who would the life guard need to rescue? Then, I quickly realized ... oh my, I am now fully drenched, but who cares, my son is now breathing. The life guard is now over to the side of the pool to help me as I sit Max up on the side and tell him not to move until his teacher comes. The life guard talks to him for a few minutes and then decides to spend most of the lesson down by the little kids vs. watching the swim teams practice! I was a total mess. I came out of the pool and spent the entire lesson sitting along side the pool - called home to have dad bring me a new set of clothes but the remainder of that night along with the next few days, I must of said a hundred times... it was so close as tears came to my eyes. If I had turned my back or gone to put my things down with the other moms, I don't know what would have happened. I'm so thankful that Max is OK. The other good news is that he did continue to have the rest of the lesson and it did not scare him to the point where he did not want to go back in. We have decided to put swim off again until next spring when he can get more arm control. I am proud of our little fish and Max loves the water!

School Supplies Arrived

This morning when I spoke to Mark, he was happy that he had received 4 packages in the mail today! Three of the boxes were the school supplies that I sent and the 4th package I had sent clear back on October 19th ... so I was so happy when everything arrived.

Mark is going to have one of the women on base speak with the Head Mistress at the school to speak to her about the supplies. Mark can NOT speak directly to her so, he is hoping that he will be able to go with them to deliver and get some pictures. I wish I could be there to see the kids faces!

Mark will be arriving in Las Vegas (if all goes well) on December 19th! He will start leaving to come home on the 16th but, it will take several days to make the commute. Justin will be joining us on the 23rd. I think I am starting the countdown already!

Just Me ....

So a year ago this week, Mark lost his job with Triad Engineering due to the economy. It is no secret that this past year has been one of the hardest years of my life and our marriage. But, thankfully things are looking up with Mark now employed by the Federal Government and working for the Army Corps of Engineers, we have a wonderful support system of family and friends, for the most part we are healthy and we have the gospel in our lives that we strive to live faithfully each day.

For the record .... we are still homeowners in Winchester, Virginia. We are still working with the banks, buyers, title companies, realtors and fax paperwork on just about a daily basis to someone. The time that it takes to monitor and keep going with our daily tasks can sometimes where me out! That is for sure. We are truly praying that we will be done with our home sale by the end of the month. Truly that would be the best Christmas present to us ... perhaps I need to sit on Santa's lap and clue him in!

Max has been sick for the past 5 or 6 days. I kept him home from school and swim lessons a couple of days last week and it really through our schedule off. We had some tough days with no naps and more than usual crankiness and a few more "nos" thrown in to my day. But, today we are back to schedule and he is currently napping, yeah!

My brother-in-law Steven has been in the hospital with emergency surgery this past week on his intestine and colon. He has an uphill battle to face with his health for the next couple of months as he will need to go through chemotherapy. Our prayers are with Steven, Jenn & their family.

I started working out at a gym called Anytime Fitness this past week. Tomorrow it will have been a week since I started. I worked out with a trainer for 2 days and enjoyed it very much. I'm tempted to have him work with me once a week or so just so I can stay on track and see some results that I am working towards. With the exception of Sunday, I've been in the gym for an hour to hour n' half each day. I have enjoyed it and definitely plan on keeping it up! Eating right and working to get healthier is a goal I have and there is no better time than right now.

I'm thankful for all that I have ... it is easy to complain and see the negative but, generally it is much better to look at the positive. I hope everyone has a great week!

Weekend Laugh ....

School Supplies for Afghanistan

Here are some of the pictures of the kids receiving supplies from Mark and or some of the men in on his base. So cute!

This is Shaw one of the interpreters holding a little girl with a new pair of shoes in hand.

Paper & Crayons ... the most basic!

These kids just received new shoes. Hard to see but some are giving a thumbs up!

Ring around the Rosie at the local girls school.

Since Mark has been in Afghanistan, I have been hearing about the children and the schools that he has been working on. In an effort to help the children and keep me busy, I have started collecting basic school supplies to send to Mark to distribute to the two local schools. The childrens schools are segregated and Mark has worked on each one. So far most of the supplies have been donated by us but, this past week while purchasing some of the supplies at a Dollar Tree, the lady behind me checking out asked me what I was doing. She then proceeded to hand me a $5 bill and said please put this towards the shipping. Another lady from our ward was also in the store and saw what I was doing. A few days later, she had gathered up several supplies of notebooks, pencils, pens and some candy and brought them by for me to send. This week I sent three boxes to Mark that include pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, filler paper, large notebooks and some paper folders. As I get the word out about how easy it is to send the packages, I am hoping that others will catch the spirit of service and charity and help to donate items to the children who have so little. Another wife, of one of Mark's co-workers, send shoes over to the children. I am including some of the pictures that Mark sent out this week of the kids and of him. If anyone is interested in donating or sending letters to the military men and women, please let me know. They would be thrilled to get your kids letters or pictures.