Job search

For the past few days I have been searching monster.com for jobs for Luis. I am looking for jobs here in the valley but I'm also searching specific types of jobs with any location. I've been looking a lot in Washington, of course... but we aren't having very much luck there... most of the construction jobbs they have available are asking for 10 years experience or they are heavy civil jobs (bridges, dams, freeways), which Luis isn't really the best qualified for. (I just saw an ant crawl under the keys of the keyboard so if my post ends abruptly it's because the ant ate the inside of this computer!) On another random note... Xela, the inside dog, loves to chew ice. So if ice ever drops out of the maker or someone gives her a piece, she runs to her rug to eat it. Many times I have found Jackson at Xela's rug eating the ice leftovers! Nasty! I just thought of that because I just saw him do it! Okay, back to the job hunt, So, guess who is hiring??? MATT Construction, the company Luis worked for in LA. We have very mixed emotions about this because we HATED Los Angeles. We had a lot of good friends and it was a great company, but it wasn't his favorite job and of course, it's LA! :( I feel like if he takes that job we will be rewinding the last 2.5 years of our life! Like they never even happened! Luis called the office today to talk to the HR director who he was good friends with, but it turns out Tim retired. So, there is someone else in his place who thankfully also had a good relationship with Luis way back when. When he was let go, they told him in a few years if they are hiring again that he should reapply. Did they mean that, or were they just being nice? I don't know. Either way, they are interested in him Luis wants them to hire him as a contracted employee so he can make a lot more money. He also applied to one local construction job and a training/development type job that is also local. He has many more applications to send out... We are also looking into Boeing in WA. I found some interesting positions there but Luis does not think he is qualified. We are keeping our options open so if you want us to come nearby you, keep your eyes out for a good job! He has a degree in Construction management and one in communications and is just about done with his MBA... if that helps! Oh, Aubry, I checked Qualcomm's website and I don't know if Luis will fit what they are looking for! It's all very technical stuff! Anyways, I will keep updating on the status of all this! Just keep us in your prayers that we will find what we need!

Wish we were there!

Isn't it sad that my last entry was "see you in Sequim" and now here we are, still in hot, miserable texas! First, I'm sorry about the lack of blogging or emailing. We have been without internet for a few weeks! We are back up and running now, so I am really enjoying catching up on everyone's blogs. Kaylee, keep the pictures coming! It is my lifeline to the family reunion, although I almost cry when I look at them because I want to be there so badly. Poor Luis is taking it really hard. He REALLY wanted us to be there... we actually had a pretty good income last month, but with so many unexpected expenses, we just weren't able to recover in time... not to mention the week he was gone for Scout Camp!

About Scout Camp, you know, I was actually really bitter at first while he was gone because I knew we would be missing out on a lot of money from a whole week of work missed! Unfornately he can't take a paid vacation! But every night while he was gone I would watch a dvd biography of the prophets since the restoration of the church. The dvds are awesome. They are the series "Modern Prophets" from The Living Scriptures. Buy them! They are so cool to learn so much about the prophets that we love! Anyways... I was bitter... but as I watched those dvds I was hearing all about the sacrifices the early saints made for the gospel and for their callings and missions. It is so incredible! Many men left their wives and families in very desperate situations so they could serve a 3 year mission and things like that! And the attitutes of the families was inspiring! They knew it was a righteous purpose! Bottom line... I was humbled and although Luis left me :) for a week in not the best financial situation, it is his calling to be there with the Boy Scouts and I'm glad he went. The boys bonded and based on some of the experiences he told me, their testimonies were strengthened in a big way... and they are all on track to get their Eagle!!! Anyways, that was just a good change of heart for me and I wanted to share...

Back to Sequim. We are doing our best to make the money to get us out there before the end of the month and we will see how finances look as it gets closer. Have fun while you are all out there. I wish my boys were running around playing with you guys, especially their little cousins. Keep posting pictures and stories!

See you in Sequim!

We are excited for the family reunion. Today, Jax and I put together the chain and since Kaylee posted a picture... I had to! This was Jackson's first experience with a stapler and he was kind of scared of it, so he just told me what color to add and I did the rest.

I've had a lot of questions lately, so let me just calm everyone down. Yes, all four of us are planning on going to Sequim. However, we won't be able to buy our tickets until RIGHT before. Not ideal, but that's how it goes. We have had a lot of unexpected expenses come up... so many it's not even funny! Very bad timing. But, Luis and I have been working really hard, going out on a lot of appointments to cover all these expenses and SEQUIM!!! So, by the end of the month we should be able to buy our tickets. Just keep us in your prayers that all will go according to plan from here on out!

My Boy Scout

Luis is the Assistant Scout Master for our troop and he LOVES it! His family is very BIG on scouting. Lew was an Eagle scout, Lew's Dad was an eagle scout, Luis is an Eagle scout... but not just that... I'm told that they pretty much got every merit badge in the book, and then some! It was fun to hear about all the things they did. Scout camp is coming up and Luis is preparing by getting his new uniform together and sewing on patches. He pulled out his old (can't remember the official name for it...) thing that goes around the chest with all the badges... which he no longer fits into :) and showed me his badges. I wanted to take some pictures so Ethan can see, because I remember when Eth called me to tell me all about his new uniform! So here is my wonderful Eagle Scout husband! Oh, and unfortunately, my nature loving scout has had to accept that I will never WILLINGLY go camping with him :)




And this is how I found Jax the other night when I went to check on him before we went to bed. :) Boys...

Your heart's about to melt!

Jacob Emerson... too cute for his own good and way too grown up looking with his new haircut! I think I am getting better at it each time I do it! Don't worry, his curls will be back soon enough! The last picture is the damage caused by the dresser when Jackson fell off the bed this morning! OUCH!




Jake put this hat on all by himself :)

Jokes for Izzy

Last week I was substitute teaching at a middle school and, of course, Lady Gaga came up! One guy told me 2 jokes and I had to post them for Izzy!

How do you wake up Lady Gaga?
You poke 'er face!
How does Lady Gaga like her meat?
Raw, Raw, Raw, Raw, Ra-aw!!!

:)

Random Update

SO many things have happened lately... most totally random, but equally blog-worthy. Let's start with the most recent.

I had mentioned how I have been putting Jax to nap on our bed... well he finally fell off. Not at nap time though, he got in bed with me this morning and almost immediately fell off. He went down and cracked the back of his head on the dresser next to the bed. This is the first injury like this I've ever seen so I didn't really know waht to do. The bleeding stopped with a wet washcloth, but it is quite a gash. When Lew got up I showed him and he said it should heal pretty quickly and shouldn't need stitches... thankfully! It is a big fight though to get Jax to hold still so I can put neosporin on it. Hopefully when it's not as fresh in a few hours it won't be such a struggle. He got some tylenol and is doing much better now.

Um, I have been in the habit of finding things lately. Things I don't want to find... for example... a mouse. I almost stepped on a live mouse in the pantry (I was barefoot at the time) But thankfully I avoided it. I still freaked out though, I have never seen a live mouse before! Then, the other night, all the lights were out and everyone was in Silvia and Lew's room talking, so I went to join them. Well, on my way in, I was again barefoot (You'd think I'd learn my lesson) and I stepped on something cold and crunchy... I turned around and looked, yup, a cockroach!!! You should have seen me FREAK OUT! The whole family was cracking up laughing at me and I was just totally disgusted! Turns out, about 5 seconds earlier Danny had walked into the room and stepped on it, with tennis shoes on, and killed it. So I came behind him and stepped on the squished cockroach. Not cool! I am wearing shoes today... lesson learned. Especially since there have been a lot of scorpions around lately! Scary huh?

Let's see, what else? I had a pretty bad infection in my gum/tooth that I've had for almost 3 months. Nobody at the densist office could believe I wasn't in excrutiating pain! But I was experiencing NO PAIN at all! I guess I'm lucky in that way. I got a root canal on Thursday. Well, half of one. When you go in to get a root canal, you generally don't want to repeat the experience... but I was in the dentist's chair for 2 hours with him working on my without interruption and he was only halfway done, so we had to stop. He filled my tooth with cotton and put a temporary filling over it. Thank goodness it was Brother Brann doing the work, he has this amazing way of keeping you calm. He said he was having trouble because my roots are very curved and it was difficult for him to clean it all out. The good news is the awful infection I had going on in there is gone... thank goodness. So next week I get to go repeat the whole thing while he builds it up and caps it again. My jaw was very sore from holding my mouth open and he told me his fingers were very sore... :) Not a good day for anyone! They are being so generous and allowing me to pay in lumps... it is an $850 procedure (not including the crown! yikes!) so hopefully I can have it payed of within the next 2 months. So many expenses right now! I have determined that I am the absolute worst person not to have health/dental insurance. So many things are wrong with me. Nothing serious or life threatening though so I know I'm blessed.

I know this post is long and jumping all around, but I just need to say how thankful I am to have Jesus Christ in my life. I was thinking about that yesterday, about how I would overcome the trials I am going through without him. I simply can't imagine it. I am thankful for the constant reassurance I have that I am not alone and someone understands everything I feel, whether I express it or not. I just started visiting teaching a wonderful sister who hasn't been to church in a long time. She lost her husband 4 years ago and she and her kids haven't really recovered. We had an amazing visit yesterday, my companion couldn't come with me so it was just me and her. I feel very connected with her. I think we in some ways are meant to help each other, even though I haven't gone through what she is experiencing. I just feel so much love for her and I want her to come back to church so badly. She does too. She needs the companionship of the other sisters... It's so sad that's she's been trying to recover from her loss all on her own. When I left her house, I felt stronger in my own faith too... so I know we will be very good friends!

Lastly, Becky's dog, Cindy, died this week. It was very sad but it was also a good thing. Poor Cindy had been in so much pain. She would just lay there and cry! The vet didn't know what was wrong with her. He ruled things out, but didn't diagnose anything. He gave her pain medication though, which helped for the last few days before she died. I have never been in this situation, losing a pet. I didn't really know what would happen. Like, do you have a funeral service, or somekind of official good-bye. But no, Luis and Silvia dug a grave on the other side next to Alsatian's and we buried her. Jackson just asked today, "Where's Cindy?" Silvia had explained that she was gone, with Jesus. He seemed fine with that answer. He knew she was sick and hurting. Poor Alsatian (the third) is lonely now. We still don't know whether Cindy will be replaced. But I'm just glad she isn't hurting anymore.