Playing catch up--this time for real!

Alright, enough already. I am... after OVER a year now REALLY going to update our blog. Black Friday seemed to be a more appropriate time than any to finally add a new post. So, here I go...

Tai and I purchased our first home last November in Lincoln, CA. We went from living in just a couple of bedrooms to a 3,279 sq ft home! Needless to say we had A LOT to purchase and a whole lot of house to fill up (which is still pretty bare)! As soon as we could we started painting because we simply couldn't deal with the crayola yellow and brown paint motif on the walls. Thankfully, other than the paint, the house was in great shape.


In December of 09, right after Tai's interview with Sacramento County we went to the Sac county animal shelter which has an OUTSTANDING facility and purchased Ace (see pic on the left). Ace is my smoky gray little snuggler and a wonderful friend for Bronco. They are great friends and it was a wonderful relief for me to find a friend for Bronco while it was just the two of us living in our big house all alone.

Last February Tai started working for the water department as a Sr. Operator/Engineer for the county of Sacramento. After living apart for almost six months I was missing Tai desperately. But, my excitement about living in the same state as my husband again was short lived. A few weeks after Tai started his job I hut my left ankle tumbling one night. Thinking (or at least hoping) I had sprained it, I walked around on it for a couple of weeks until I finally went to the doctor for something unrelated. I casually told the doctor that I thought I had sprained my ankle but didn't want to do any x-rays or anything, I just asked her to take a look at it to make sure it was healing okay. So, the doc felt around my ankle and then pinched my Achilles and could quickly tell by the look on my face that perhaps my issue wasn't really a sprain. Once I got in to see a specialist...he took one look at it, pinched my calf and said "yep, you've totally ruptured your Achilles, we need to get you into surgery right away." Thus, 24 hours later I had my tendon surgically re-attached was sent home with painkiller and a large splint. To make a long story short, I was in a splint for a couple of weeks, then a cast, then a walking boot and banned from running or tumbling for 6 months (which I interpreted to really mean 3). Thankfully, I am back to all of my normal activities with just a nasty scar and a more painful awareness that my body isn't quite as durable as it used to be!

A few weeks after the tendon rupture, my older sister Sarah gave birth to beautiful twin boys, Bretlan and Ashton. I got my cast off just days after they were born and was elated to have mobility so I could see them in the hospital. They were premature (of course) but are now ADORABLE, energetic, special little boys.

Right before Tai moved from Texas he (without my knowledge) bought Bailey our sweet little boxer. However, when Tai moved to Cali Bailey was still too young to make the trip so, she stayed behind until April when Tai's parents brought her out via airplane. She actually rode underneath Tai's parents seat as a carry-on for 3 hours without making a sound!

This past summer we were lucky enough to have most of Tai's family out to visit us! We had so much fun with Tai's sisters, Cody and Kacee, and even got to have Kacee's family stay with us for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately for them they came in the middle of July just in time for an intense heat wave. During their visit we detoured to Southern California for Tai's grandma's 90th birthday...I got to meet many of Tai's family members for the first time and had a very fun trip!

Then, in September Bo, Tai's younger brother and his family (Julie, Kaylee, and Cooper) came out to see us. They too came to visit right in the middle of a heat wave so we sweat a lot, went to Apple Hill, and before we knew it--it was time for them to leave. Bailey was beside herself with excitement having such fun kids around to entertain her she was so sad to see them go.

Since then, things have calmed down a bit. We dedicated our only downstairs bedroom as my "craft room" and now I have two desks and an awesome closet with tons of shelves Tai put in for me to hold all of my craft supplies (which is a lot). Lately, I spend most of my time on the computer creating Christmas cards or mixing music for the teams I coach. I still love to knit but haven't been able to dedicate as much time as I would like to it over the past year.

And...I think this brings us to now...a very chilly November in Northern California. We are all healthy and happy! We love our home, our neighbors, our ward and feel very blessed. Although California is completely different from Texas, Tai is adjusting well and I think is even learning to love some things about this state. Hopefully Tai will be able to snowmobile at least a few times this winter and then the move will be a little more worth it!

Since I have been so out of the blogging world please update me with new blogs, our privacy settings so I can be better about keeping in touch with everyone. I glanced at a couple of blogs today and realized that nearly everyones lives have already changed so drastically that I'm totally and utterly behind!

Back in the Saddle Again!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

What a year for us...new jobs, new pets, new house, new friends...it's been a monumental year. And I will have to admit that amid all of the craziness, I just got too overwhelmed to possibly blog it all! After a nice long sabatical, I think I'm ready to re-enter the blogging world and catch up with all of my friends out here in blogging cyber space. Check back soon for an a new and improved blog.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy!

Miranda

Changing, Rearranging

It can't possibly be July yet...although considering the weather we've had lately...I shouldn't sound so shocked. It has been MISERABLE!

Speaking of miserable situations, we are still missing our teenager Screech. Thanks to everyone who has commented on our sad situation! We call him our teenager because we believe that he is out doing exactly what teenagers do---rebel--and torture their parents. Going on day 34 of his disappearance we're trying to stay hopeful. We have had several different sightings from our neighbors that seem to be quite reliable. Thus, we think he's running around with a bad crowd and will come home when he returns to his senses (at least this is what we're praying for).

Searching for Screech, houses, and jobs have kept us really busy! We just recently put an offer on our third home in the California house search, but this home is a short sale...so we are going to have to be patient while we wait to hear back from the bank. Home prices are great, but the inventory is really lacking, and home are not staying on the market for long. We're hoping that the third time's the charm because to be honest, I'm tired of house shopping.

I will be leaving to start my job in California in a little over two weeks now! Tai, however is going to stay behind until we have a house secured, which hopefully won't be long. We are also still in the process of finding him a job and have some good leads, but as of today don't have a position for him. Thus, Tai's going to stay in Texas and keep earning money for a little while longer. I am definitely NOT looking forward to this temporary seperation, but I have faith that things are going to work out for us and we won't have to be apart for too long. :(

In the midst of all of this upcoming change we've had some fun too! Tai's sister Kacee and her three kids came to visit for a couple of weeks and we got to spend some time playing with them.

This is 9 month old Dane. He is so precious...this poor kid hasn't had it easy, he was born with Hydrocephaly...but if you spend anytime with him you wouldn't know anything was wrong except that his head his larger than normal. He is happy and as handsome as can be! We had such a great time with him!

Come Home Screech!

To all you animal lovers out there...we need your prayers! Screech our beloved California transplant has been missing for almost two days now and we are heartbroken. Screech is extremely resourceful, athletic, and an excellent hunter but he has never stayed away from home longer than a day. Tai and I are so distraught to not have him home, so as silly as it may sounds we need your prayers! We have searched everywhere we can think of and feel like now all we can do is stay hopeful. Screech has become an invaluable member of our family and we are hoping that he will soon return home to us. Thanks everyone.

"Awwwww" Moments

Tonight I went to the gym to coach, like I always do on Monday's, but what was unusual about tonight was that I had an "awww..."moment with some of the girls. Monday night's I coach the younger team (ages 7-12) at Ultimate Cheer and after two hours I usually feel like pulling my hair out. However, the girls had their last competition of the season on Saturday so today we played games and gave the girls free reign to do whatever they pleased for a whole hour. After a lot of trampoline jumping a group of the girls decided they wanted to play American Idol on the balance beam. So....for about thirty minutes the girls took turns "performing" for the "judges" on the balance beam. I sat and watched as a quiet observer and as they played and dance and sang in their adorable Texas drawls I began to see these girls in a new light. For a little while they weren't obnoxious or clumsy, they were just little carefree girls who love Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers. Awww.....cute.

Here's a few other things that make me saw awww...
The Jones' new puppies we got to meet last week

Aww....








Cute Puppies + Cute Husband (who has recently lost 20 lbs and is hotter than ever---go Tai!)







Super cute pictures taken by the super talented Jillian Goulding that help me attempt to make super cute announcements....awww.....










And, "CAMO" bear. My second knitted teddy bear, I love him.

Fur Cut

Last week Tai surprised me by stealing Bronco for a few hours and taking our somewhat sloppy looking kitty to the groomer. And although it took me a few hours to get used to it, the end result has been great. We were amazed at what was underneath all that fur----a pretty slender looking cat! For the longest time we just thought that Bronco was overweight, but ever since his "fur" cut...we've seen a new Bronco emerge! His sleek new look makes him more aero-dynamic and since his transformation he hasn't wasted anytime lounging around.



Thanks Tai for making Bronco so happy!

Our So-Called Lives

January flew by, just and February seems to be going at the same pace! The highlight of the month was our trip to California...but it went by so fast and we were so busy most of the time we missed out on seeing a lot of friends we wished we could have! Our apologies. But, we are doing all we can to get moved there ASAP...and with real estate prices the way they are we are very excited about the great deal we know we're going to get on a home ;)

On the plane ride I had the good fortune to knit without distractions and work on this little guy:





Other than our trip, life has been pretty uneventful. We work...come home...and play with our cats...

It's sad, but true!

My Etsy Shop

This weekend I put together some pics of my DARLING new nephew, Cooper on a few different birth announcements and posted them on etsy.com

I had so much fun doing Holiday cards this year that I decided to make a little business out of it. If you think you or a friend might be interested, check it out! My shop name is: mjccustomdesigns

I will be posting different digital photo card designs for different events i.e. baby announcements, holidays cards, save the date, invites, etc. I'm doing this in my spare time so whenever I can steal a few hours I plan on updating my shop. So... there's not a ton of stuff at my shop today but...check back daily for updates!

I will also be posting some knitted items with the help and talents of Tai's mom, Jan, (knitting extraordinaire) and will have a few items like this:

How cute is he?! Isn't Jan awesome?

I am also open to designing custom cards if you have something very specific in mind.

I hope everyone is enjoying their January!

Miranda

More Cards

Busy, busy

I have certainly been keeping myself busy with projects! I've been having a blast designing Christmas Cards for family and friends.

I've also been doing a lot of knitting! Baby hats are my favorite things to make right now. I love this pattern I used a couple of weeks ago. It was tricky but turned out really cute. The picture doesn't do it justice!

Last month we got our pictures taken by Tyan Jacox (http://www.tinybirdphotography.com/). Besides having to endure the FREEZING weather, we had a lot of fun working with her. She's super talented, adorable, and just one extremely cool chick! Here's a few highlights from our session, but I will only include a few... I don't want to give away what's to come on our Christmas card!

Holiday fun here we come!

Favorite Things

Who doesn't love fall? The weather starts cooling off and the leaves start changing signaling the beginning of the LONG holiday season. Aww...it's the best!

Here in Texas we've just been working and taking the time to enjoy some of our favorite things. For Tai, that means spending some quality time watching football. Last week we went to the TCU/BYU game. Apparently, the Conlin's are bad luck for the Cougars. At least I was semi entertained by the cheerleaders. But, college football games are too long for my taste and with TCU stomping the cougars, we left before the beginning of the fourth quarter.


While Tai is watching football I try to devote some time to my new favorite hobby, knitting. Tai's mom is an excellent knitter and she is slowly but surely teaching me the tricks of the trade. I really enjoy it...even if Tai calls me an "old lady". It gives me something to do while I am watching TV.The rest of our spare time is spent tormenting our cats. Bronco is especially fun to torment. I got him this little hat at Target purely for the fact that I knew that we would be entertained by making him wear it.
We hope everyone is gearing up for a Happy Halloween!

Birthday Vacay

Last Wednesday Tai and I returned home from our mini-vacation to San Antonio. In short we... ate too much ice cream, were astounded by the home prices (so cheap), leisurely enjoyed the riverwalk, chilled at the alamo, toured the temple grounds, slept in late, went to the imax, and relaxed by the pool. We accomplished a lot in two days. But now it's back to the daily grind...darn...is it time for another vacation, yet?

Y'ike's Part II: The Aftermath

This past weekend, Hurricane Ike was a little bit less friendly to our neighborhood than Hurricane Gustav had been over labor day. When Ike swept through Longview it was only a tropical storm, but it was unlike any storm I had ever seen. Honestly, if I had known it wasn't causing so much devastation, I may have actually really enjoyed it.

Everyone enjoyed watching the storm. Especially Screech. He decided he needed to experience the hurricane first hand and ran out in the front yard, sat under a tree for a few minutes, and then sprinted back inside.

We lost Power about 5pm on Saturday. Still, this was only a minor setback for Tai...there was NO way he was missing the BYU/UCLA game. Before I knew it he had hooked up the generator and had the TV in our bedroom up and running. The power was completely off in the rest of the house, but the TV was spared. Tai is such a dedicated fan.

Church was completely cancelled on Sunday due to the large number of evacuees taking up shelter in our building. (Another Sunday School lesson skipped-yes!) As far as our trip to Galveston next week is concerned---it seems IMPOSSIBLE we will still be able to go-- even though yesterday expedia told me that our hotel plans to be up and running by Friday. After looking at pictures like this, I would have to say that statement was...amiss.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Houston.

Yikes!

Last month, Tai and I made plans to take a two-day mini vacay to Galveston/Houston on the 22nd of September (my birthday). With Hurricane Ike moving right through, it should be interesting to see what our trip has in store! ;)

Seven Years Later

It really amazes me that it has been seven years since September 11th, 2001. The images of that day are still so fresh in my mind, so vivid, it seems almost impossible that it is nearing a decade since our country was so dramatically forced into an era of heightened security.

My mom woke me up the morning of 9-11. I was attempting to sleep the day away until I had to go coach cheer practice at the high school that afternoon. Four days earlier I had broken my ankle doing a pyramid on my college all-star team...and needless to say...I was feeling quite sorry for myself. I was still in a lot of physical pain, not to mention suffering from a lot of the emotional distress that comes along with temporary immobility. In short, I was feeling like life had just dealt me a tough hand. Little did I know that my entire perspective was about to be changed forever.

"Miranda, New York City is being attacked!" Trying to shake off the mental fog that accompanies a fitful nights sleep, I slowly opened my eyes. My mother was sitting on the edge of my bed, eyes wide with disbelief. As my mom began to relay the details of the first plane hitting the WTC, 'this is a strange dream', I thought. Yet, as she continued to talk and I began to feel the familiar tug of the cast on my leg I realized that I was, in fact, awake. My first coherent thought was one of panic, "where's dad?!" I asked.
My dad had been taking quite a few trips to New York lately and he had a business meeting scheduled in New York that very day. The night before, September 10th I had wished him a nice trip and safe return home and then took no more thought in the matter.

"He's at work," she said. "His plane never took off."

With a sigh of relief I sat upright, adjusted my crutches, and pushed off the edge of my sleigh bed in order to give my arms a little extra assistance. As I hobbled into my parents bedroom to the nearest television I paused, transfixed by the horrific image of a fiery plane thrust into the side of one of the World Trade Center Towers like a spear. In the hours to come I sat glued to the television fearing I was watching the end of the world unfold right before my tired eyes. I watched as the second plane struck, as desperate men and women jumped out of the towers. I watched as those magnificent buildings crumbled into a tsunami of ashes and smoke that encompassed the whole city like an atomic bomb unlike any scene out Hollywood's highest grossing action film. I watched as newscasters cried as they interviewed survivors and family members searching for loved ones...I cried too. I cried tears of joy that I was so unaffected but I also cried tears for my generations' lost innocence. Kids my age had seen relatively so little conflict. We assumed that America was loved by nearly everyone, everywhere. We had never seen real war. We had only read about it in our history books in sepia-toned pictures and fancy computer generated charts.

At that point in time, things felt like they might never be the same. In many ways, they haven't been the same. They won't ever be the same. But, September 11th, 2001 was not the end of the world. After the media stopped showing the images of the planes crashing and the anthrax scares began to die down, life began to restore itself. The radio stopped playing audio clips of the president's rousing speeches and promises to retaliate against terrorists. My cast came off and I returned to my college team. Life was restored to its usual ebb and flow...but I was forever changed. I will never forget the events of that fateful day. Seven years later I am so thankful for the blessings I enjoy and for the way my outlook changed on a sunny September day from a surly eighteen year to that of a concerned, patriotic citizen.

My First Hurricane

Since we are only about an hour away from the Louisiana border here in East Texas, this weekend we have been sharing the experience of Hurricane Gustav with our neighboring states. Thankfully, the Hurricane has been slightly less powerful than originally expected...and Tai and I live far enough out of the hurricane's path that we will likely only have heavy rain and wind.

Yesterday in church, we only met for sacrament meeting. For the time being, our building is acting as a temporary shelter for evacuees, and all the rooms (except the chapel) are housing people evacuating from the hurricane. I must admit it's really interesting to see how the church responds in this type of a crisis. And...the upside was that I got out of teaching a Sunday School Lesson :) Things like this just don't happen in Northern California!

The Birthday Boy

Tomorrow is Tai's 25th Birthday! It's time to celebrate!

Umm...okay, okay, so he might be a day or two over twenty five...but really, who's counting?

Vacation Pics

Waving a Fond Farewell to July

July was certainly a busy month! Wednesday night, Tai and I returned home from our much anticipated 9 day vacation to California. It was a blast! The week was filled with fun activities, among the highlights...BBQ-ing with friends, swimming, celebrating my sister Sarah's birthday, and cooling off in Monterey. Thanks to everyone for fitting us into your schedules. We LOVE YOU!