This morning is just...just...oh gosh, I don't have the words. Brian left a few minutes ago for his new job!! I don't know what it's like to have your husband leave in the morning like normal people. It's kind of weird, but a good weird. I'm so excited for him, and I'm so proud of him! We just hope this job is everything we wanted.
I can't wait till tonight when he comes home!!
Today was an amazing day. For a quite some time now, we've known that our Stake President, President Ostermiller, was going to be released from his calling. Today was the day. We had some great men at the conference today. We had two General Authorities. There was L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, and J. Devn Cornish of the Area Seventy. As they spoke, I could feel the spirit. I know that they are men of God.
As they released our wonderful Stake Presidency, my heart was full of sorrow, and joy. President Ostermiller is an amazing man. My father in law serves very closely to him, so I've been able to get to know him also. I remember one Sunday, a very long time ago, the presidency was there to help our ward with the ward website. Before their presentation, Pres. Ostermiller had to do some setting up. They had a list of names of people in our ward that was displayed. I asked who those people were. He jokingly said, 'oh those are people who are going to the Celestial Kingdom. You don't seem to be on the list.' To that, I replied, 'Well, neither are you!' We both just laughed...and my father in law, who was standing right there listening to our conversation, was cracking up! Thats the kind of person he is...very warm hearted, has a great sense of humor, but a very wonderful, spiritual leader and person. I will miss him as our Stake President.
So, it came time to call the new Stake Presidency. One of the men in my ward was called to be a councilor in the presidency a few months back. I had a hunch that he would be our new stake president. I was right! President Abernathy now leads and guides our ward. His wife is our nursery leader, and I was quick to make sure that she wasn't going to be released. I LOVE her, and so does Ethan. She is brilliant with those little kids. She is staying put! Thank goodness!!
When the conference was over, they had a lunch for the families of the old and new stake presidency. My father in law was, and still is the stake executive secretary, so Ethan and I stayed for lunch. I was so excited because Elder Cornish, and Elder Clayton were going to be there, and I was going to be able to shake their hands. When time came to get all together, we were waiting on just a few things. Elder Cornish came to the table Ethan and I were at, and started talking to us. He is a pediatrician and still practices. Ethan cut his finger earlier in the day, and was showing him his owie. It was so cute. Elder Cornish took his finger, kinda examined it, and told Ethan that he was going to be ok. Phew! I was relieved!
We started eating shortly after that. They had some cake, so when Ethan was done, we went to get a slice. Elder Clayton was at the table, and we met. I told him who I was, and that I was David Richey's daughter in law. He said that they were a great family, and I agreed and told him that I was very blessed to be in their family. Then he said that they are blessed to have me too. I kind of just shook my head, laughed and said, Oh, I don't know about that. But, then he said to me that he knows that because he felt it when he shook my hand. Aww. Wow.
It was so great to meet them. I always love meeting General Authorities, even if I don't know them before hand. I didn't know these men, but I do now. They are amazing and I feel like a better person because I was able to have brief conversations with them.
The way the church works is amazing. It's all done in order, and by inspiration. They both said that when they were done with all the interviews of the men of our stake, they both wrote down on separate pieces of paper who they felt inspired to be called. They didn't talk about it, they just wrote down names. And they both wrote down the same things. Amazing. Just amazing. It's a huge job to be a Stake President, I'm sure, but I think that knowing that the calling is directly from Heavenly Father, makes it more easy to digest...well, thats my opinion.
I'm excited for our new stake presidency. I will pray for them, and their families. It's alot of work, but I have faith in them.
If you haven't heard by now, Brian got a job!! He starts on Monday working in Hartsville at the Heath Department. It's about 27 miles away, so it isn't too bad. Could be worse!
This was long awaited!! There are so many perks to this job. For starters, he doesn't have to work nights anymore...with the exception of just 2 more weekends at Franklin. He gets off the weekends, and every holiday. The best part about it is though, they pay back his student loans!!! That is a HUGE relief for us. He just has to work for them for 2 years, and it's taken care of. I'd say it's a great starter job!!
For such a long time, I've been worrying about all this. I've been complaining that it was taking too long to get everything done, and figure everything out. Believe me, I wanted to just throw my hands in the air and quit! A few months ago though, I had a thought that maybe the reason why it was taking so long was because there was a job that wasn't available yet, and we needed more time. That gave me some comfort, but it was still really stressful. Now that he has this job, and everything seems to be falling into place, I realize that Heavenly Father had a plan all along, and we just needed to be patient. I can't say that I wasn't patient the whole time, but I do think I handled it well. I could have made the whole situation worse, but I chose to have faith and trust Heavenly Father. I'm glad I did.
I'm so excited to have somewhat of a normal life. We don't know what that's like though. When we got married, Brian went straight into school, and he's been there ever since. And then the night shift just threw both of us through a loop. I keep telling Brian that we are going to have to learn how to sleep together again because we are so used to sleeping alone. We both love to sleep in the middle of the bed, with our arms and legs spread all over the place. Hopefully we wont push eachother off the side!!
I can't wait to have regular date nights, and to be able to plan something in advance and not have to worry about Brian being too tired. I really feel like we're going to be able to get things back on track and get back to life.
Ethan wont know what to do with Brian home at night. He hasn't known anything else, but I think he'll enjoy having his daddy read him books and put him to bed at night.
So, all in all, this is so exciting. I'll update later next week, or after and let ya'll know how he's liking his job!!
Today we put up our Christmas tree and all the fun decorations around the house!! This is my favorite thing about this season. I love the glitter and sparkles and all the fun and joy that it brings. 
This year, Ethan wanted to help put ornaments on the tree. He found the candy canes, and started hanging them up!
All in the same place...I thought it was adorable and he loved every second of it.
My mom also made me a new stocking this year to match the boys. The other one I have, she made also, but it's really old and I wanted something new for my family. And of course, or Nativity Set. While I was in Idaho, I saw a Nativity that I really really wanted, but of course, I didn't have money or space for them, so I'll have to wait. 
Last year, Brian got me this plate that I've been wanting for a LONG time. The first year we were married, I saw a 'Cookies for Santa' plate at Cracker Barrel, but didn't get it because we were newly weds and didn't have money. I regretted it because I haven't seen that plate since. I have searched year after year for the perfect plate, and couldn't find it...till last year. I almost just bought it myself when I saw it, but I didn't. While I was in Idaho for Thanksgiving, he went and bought it for me. It's the perfect one. It isn't the same one I found many years ago, which is fine because I love this one more! I'm excited to make cookies on Christmas Eve with Brian and Ethan and leave them out for Santa.
So, here we are, all in the Christmas mood. Did I mention I love this time of year!? We made it safely home last night. Early, in fact. We stopped in Salt Lake City, and got there in 30 minutes. We had a nice tail wind. Good thing because we didn't have much time to find our next flight. We got there, and boarded the plane! I was sure Ethan was going to fall asleep on take off, but he didn't. As soon as the seat belt sign was off, he wanted to play. So, he did. It was a nice flight and didn't drag on like a few weeks ago did. When the seat belt sign came back on...when we were descending to land, he fell asleep!! We got in around 8:45pm, 45 minutes early. Nobody was there to greet us. But, we managed to get our luggage, and by the time it came, Brian was there to welcome us. We stopped for a bite to eat, and then headed home. It was sooo good to walk in the door. Brian cleaned the house, and it smelled so good! Sleeping was another issue though. I didn't sleep well, and Ethan woke up early. Looks like naps for all of us.
So, we're home, we're safe, and now on to decorating our home for the Christmas Season!
Because of the controversy I've had with going dark, I decided to meet Brian half way and lighten my hair. We were going to do a heavy weave and put blonde back into it so it wasn't such a shock. Because Jodi said that bleaching my hair (the only way to lighten it) it might do some bad damage. We decided to do a strand test where she just colored a piece of my hair to see what it would do. T.H.A.N.K.G.O.O.D.N.E.S.S. we did that, because this is what happened....
She went to pull out the foil, and my hair came with it.
After she took the foil out, she tugged ever so lightly at my hair, and more started to break off!!! This is what was left of the strand.
SO, if we hadn't of done the strand test, my hair would be about 2 inches long, or should I say short!! And the ends would be in terrible condition, dry, brittle and fried! I am so grateful that I still have my hair. I would have BAWLED my eyes out for a LONG period of time if it all fell out. I don't care if anyone doesn't like my hair...it's better brown then it is GONE! I got out the suitcases this morning to start packing so I'm not running around tomorrow looking like a chicken with its head cut off. Ethan got inside and I asked him if he was ready to go home, and he said yes. Then I asked him if he wanted to go home in the suitcase, and he said YES! Ha..I don't think he'd have much fun in there. 
Yesterday was a really good day! One of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Idaho so bad was because my sister, Jodi, went to the temple yesterday for the first time. She had been thinking about it for a really long time now, and she felt like it was her time. When I first thought that I wasn't going to be able to be here, I was heartbroken. I'm almost never around for my families achievements, or births, or blessings...any of that stuff. So it was just another thing to be bummed out about. But, to my surprise, I am here.
We had to get up early. Jodi had to get up earlier. She had to be there by 7:30am, and they called a few days before and said that if there were certain people she wanted to be there, that they better be there no later than 8am because it was going to be a busy day. My dad and I headed out the door at 7:30am. We waited around for a while until it was time to start. As we entered the room Jodi was in, the spirit hit me. I had to fight back my tears so I could see what I was doing. She was so nervous! It was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by my family and some really close friends. It was a great session.
Afterwards, we took a few pictures. Here is all us sisters.
And then everyone else who came to support Jodi in her righteous decision.
Poor Jodi had to go to work later that day, but we all met up for dinner. We went to a Chinese buffet and had a great time! Ethan wasn't in the best mood, didn't want to eat and got on my nerves! The only thing that would get him to eat is me telling him that he can have ice cream if he ate.
It was a great day, and a very spiritual experience. I'm so grateful that I was here to be able to support Jodi and watch her make this next step in her life.
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Today in church, my Mom, Jodi, another sister from the ward and I sang. Last week it was decided that because I was home, it would be great to sing. I used to sing in Sacrament meeting all the time when I lived at home. When I moved to TN, I just kinda stopped. I was excited, but nervous. We sang, 'The Lord is My Shepherd'. The words are beautiful. We practiced a few times this past week, but I still wasn't feeling the spirit. As we sang the last verse today, my heart was filled with Joy. I felt it. I almost started crying, but that wouldn't have been the best thing to do, so I kept it in. It felt so good to have that feeling in my heart. I don't know how good we sounded, but that didn't matter to me anymore. I was singing to my Heavenly Father, and I know that no matter what it sounded like, He loved it.
Thanksgiving morning was unlike all the others. My sister and her family showed up last night, so this morning, we had 3 extra kids in the house, and Ethan loved it! They played with eachother until they went down to their other grandparents house for breakfast. I made breakfast for the rest of us, but it didn't turn out as great as I thought it would have. Oh well.
Jodi and I decided a while ago that we were going to cook Thanksgiving dinner and give mom a break from the cooking and cleaning. So, I really wanted to do the turkey. I've never made thanksgiving dinner, let alone a turkey. You hear horror stories about people cooking it too long, and then it's really dry, or it still being frozen and taking hours and hours to get done...so I wanted to make a great turkey and do it right. I spend alot of time looking for recipes and learning about how to make a juicy turkey. The recipe I chose was the right one!! I started to prepare it last night. I rubbed it with kosher salt, and for those of you who know me really well, you know that I H.A.T.E to touch raw meat, so this was actually really hard for me, but I did it. After I rubbed it down, I placed it in a stock pot and filled with water. I set it in the fridge over night to brine it. This morning I took it out of the water, washed it off and started to prepare it. When it was finally ready to get in the oven, I was already pooped!! But, we had alot more to do. I had time to shower while the turkey was cooking, but soon Jodi and I had to get all the other sides started. We made too much...but whats Thanksgiving without ALOT of food?! So, we made ourselves comfortable in the kitchen, making sure Mom wasn't trying to sneak in.
It was finally time for the turkey to come out! I was sooo excited, but really nervous. I wanted it to be good. It looked FANTASTIC...in my opinion. 
So, I started to carve away!
Of course I had to taste it, and it was sooooo yummy!! I was so pleased with myself. Jodi and I were soo tired by the time dinner was ready, but we had to clean up the mess afterwards too. Phew! It was well worth it though...good thing thanksgiving only comes once a year though. 
They were all so excited to be in the old fire truck, that it was hard to get a good picture of all of them. This is the best one I got.
They all got fire hats and stickers. It was really fun for all of us! 
We also had pumpkin pie, and banana cream pie. I gave Ethan a slice of pumpkin and he devoured it!
All in all, it was a great day!!! I am so thankful for all the blessings I have, and for my wonderful family. I'm grateful that Ethan and I were able to be here to enjoy this time with them, and for David and Karen for allowing this to happen. In a few days, I get to go to the temple with Jodi as she goes for the first time. I cannot even start to express how thankful I am to be able to be here with her. Living so far away, I seem to miss alot of events with my family. So, this is just awesome.
I'm grateful for Brian and all that he does for our little family. He just recently found a job, so in a few weeks, he'll be working days...no more nights!!!! I can't wait and I am so excited to be able to somewhat of a normal family. No matter how great this day was though, I missed Brian and wished he could have been here with us.
Yesterday, Jodi and I went to see some friends. This would have happened earlier, but because Ethan was sick, I didn't want to spread all of his germs.
We went and saw Christine first. We've know eachother for many, many years and we're all good friends. She has a little boy around Ethans age, and she's pregnant with #2 and is due in a few months. We had a great time talking, and then we went to the park to let the kids play. She babysits her sisters kids, so adding Ethan to the mix, the house was full. When we went back, I helped her spice up her blog and teach her a few fun things. It was great to see her, and hang out again! Here is a picture of us all. Christine, Amy, Jodi
When Jodi and I got home, we had a few hours to kill before we went out again. We went and got our Thanksgiving shopping done, and did all the running around we needed to. Later that evening, I put Ethan to bed, and we went out with Tashina, and Kimberly. We went to Applebees and got some yummy appetizers. We laughed the whole night, and sad to say, I think we were pretty loud. The couple that was sitting in the booth next to us, asked to be moved. We tried to be more quiet...
We had a good time talking about past experiences and a few embarrassing moments. It was a great night!! I love hanging out with friends and remembering all the fun times we had with eachother!! Here is all of us. Amy, Tashina, Kimberly and Jodi (tashina and kim are sisters).
