From Birth to Six Months, These Little Wonders

Early Retirement

It is official, I have finished my last week of work and now I can focus on moving and preparing myself for the rigors of professional school. I want to share with all my family and friends the emotional, physical, and mental hardships of my most recent job. As most of you know, I lost my job working for Sprint Communications because they knew I was moving soon and needed to let someone go. Well, I quickly found a another job working for our neighbor here in Riverton. He owns a landscape maintainace company and hired me onto his crew for the last two months. He told me that it was hard work and that he had three guys that had worked consistanly for the last couple years but that he has others come and go all the time because of how hard it is. I made a personal goal right then and there that I would be able to do it for two months, after all... I had a light at the end of the tunnel and I knew i could endure. I tell you what... after just a few days, I honestly thought that I would not survive. We worked twelve hour days in 90+ degrees. The properties that we mowed and weeded were built on steep slopes and had places that two of us had to lift and carry the lawnmower to even get to. I slipped, rolled and twisted my ankles over and over, tumbled the lawnmowers, sweated, farmer blew, and wore myself down everyday. There were days that I would go to work when the babies were still sleeping and come home after Jess had put them to bed. I wanted to quit so badly and just go work at Dominos Pizza or something just to pass the time. The only thing that kept me going was the personal committment that I had made to myself that I could and would work until we move to Iowa. As I finished my last day this week, I felt an overwheming feeling of great accomplishment. I had done it; I had achieved my goal. I know what you are all thinking... "quit complaining, everybody has hard jobs and you are being a baby Joe." I know you are thinking that. I want you to know that the last two months have been the hardest months of my life. This was much harder that working at the coal mine or tracting in -40 degree weather. This was mentally harder than trying to make a girl fall in love with me or even more emotionally staining than a bitter break up. I tell you, I was on the brink of total and complete exhaustion of all types. But I did it. I came out conqueror. And looking back on it I have learned that it is not always easy to accomplish my goals. I guess I have another huge obstacle coming my way the Dental school and maybe this was exactly what I needed to mentally prepare myself and my family for the stresses that are to come. Perhaps I would not make it through grad-school had I not won this internal battle. And someday when I am a dentist, I will stop a landscape crew and give them each a couple hundred bucks or something. The three guys in the picture below were my coworkers. They didn't really speak English so we learned to communicate in other ways. They are my heroes right now. They work this job day in and day out to provide for their families. I am humbled by them.

Rajelio, Juan, and Adolfo

movie time

this is my first attempt to put a film of the boys on the blog. I hope it works. you will be lucky enough to hear Jess and I as we do our baby talk. so check it out. thumbs up Noah.

Evolution of the belly

For a long time i have been wanting to share these pictures of my prego belly last year. i finally have them all in one place so i can put them on my blog. i only have a few, but they are the important ones.

This picture was taken October 12th 2007

This was taken exactly one month later on Nov. 12th! Can you believe the difference?!

And this was taken December 30th, only 16 days before i delivered. This was me only 6 1/2 months pregnant! I can't imagine what i would have looked like had i gone full term.

John Mayer!!!

Monday Joe and I went to the John Mayer concert-the tickets were Joe's Fathers Day gift. the concert was so awesome and joe was totally geeking out about what a fantastic guitar player jonny m really is. we had such a blast! The best part was at the very end of the concert before he left the stage he put his hands down on the crowd and let all the girls touch him. Then he took someone's camera and took a picture of himself with it! AAHH! i was so feeling what that girl felt in that moment. what a nerd i am and what a rock star john mayer is! wasn't this supposed to be Joe's gift? oh well!

Memory Tag

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Pictures

Pictures are my favorite part of blogs so i will post some more.

from left to right: Ethan, Noah, Carter, Austen, Jaden, Mason. For those who don't already know, these boys are all cousins and they are all twins from youngest to oldest. Their daddies are my brothers and they were all born in ONE YEAR! Crazy, eh? We call them the six pack.

To John:

I laugh at your meager attempts to minimize my adventure. Just because you have a friend that rafts doesn't mean that you have the know how to determine which rapids are weak and which are totally stinkin awesome. The only whitewater I've known you to raft is the Green River with Ryan Cox. He pretty much is better than any female guide like we had, so he probably did most of your paddling for you. That makes you the girl i guess. hahahaha. Unless you have rafted the Snake River, you have never really rafted. It is loaded with class 4 rapids and your little weak sauce trips down the Green can only produce a possible class 3 rapid. It sound like we need to challenge you to a rafting trip. We will see who is weak. My money is on you being the wet noodle.

YEEEHAAAW!!!!

Joe and I are the two middle people on the far side. Read the 4th of July post before you look at these pictures.

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=566153&item=566160&ps=2&start=6&template=fullsize

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=566153&item=566161&ps=2&start=7&template=fullsize

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=566153&item=566159&ps=2&start=5&template=fullsize

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=566153&item=566157&ps=2&start=3&template=fullsize

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=566156&type=store&category=566153&ps=3&start=2&template=fullsize

https://www.snakeriverphotos.net/findphotos.asp?InfoID=34674
frame 35 is awesome on this site even though you can't see us in it.

4th of July in Jackson

Joe and I spent our 4th of July weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this year. My aunt Kathy has a beautiful home in Alpine, about half hour away. I was so happy to see so many of my relatives that i haven't really seen in years. It was such a blast! I've decided that i would like to spend many an Independence Day in Wyoming because the fireworks are just so much better! We started our weekend with an ATV ride around the lake that Aunt Kathy lives by. We got a little soggy, a little weed whipped, and a lot dirty, but that's what makes it so much fun. One of my cousin's little boys who is only about three approached to later that night, touched his arm and said "I'm going to take you fow a wide in de ATVth". It was really cute. That night we had a BBQ, an adorable dance performance by two of my cousins' daughters who were 8 and 9. Then we watched the fireworks from the driveway. It was crazy to see all of these awesome fireworks that we only get to see in large firework shows, that were just randomly being shot from local homes all around us. The next morning we got up bright and early and drove to Jackson to RAFT THE SNAKE RIVER!!!! That was definitely top five experiences i have ever had including getting married and the birth of my children! I absolutely fell in love with river rafting. I had been intrigued by it in the past, but this trip just blew my expectations out of the water (no pun intended). The water in the Snake River was really high this year so the rapids were pretty awesome, and the water was so cold that we were required to wear wet suits. I got a chance to jump in the river with Joe and my brother Josh, and i just loved it to death. That's right. I love it so much I could die... from so much love... of it. Anyway, after the rafting Joe and I and Josh and his wife Britt grabbed some lunch and walked around Jackson for a while. We bought some souvenirs from a couple of shops and returned back to Aunt Kathy's house. From then on we just relaxed and visited. It was such a great experience altogether and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to go and share some great family experiences before we move to Iowa.