My Road Trip

We did it. We bought Jeff a new car. Some of us were beginning to think it was never going to happen. Normally I wouldn't have posted about it, but they way it all happened was just so unlike him and it turned into quite the trip for me!

We've been looking for a car for him for a while. He needed one. The Maxima has been good to us and it was the first car we bought together. (insert sigh here) But it was time and he got to the point where he was ready to pull the trigger and be done with it.

After months of looking at dealerships here, looking through the paper, and looking on-line, he decided on what he wanted. He found the car on Ebay. We didn't bid on it, but we watched it. It didn't sell. So Friday afternoon he called the dealer and left a message. A salesguy called him back and said they were closed for the day, but to call him tomorrow . So Jeff did. By Saturday afternoon Jeff sealed the deal over the phone. So unlike him to buy a car that we had only seen pictures of! The catch to the whole thing?

The car was in Columbus, Ohio.

So I made arragements for the kids (thanks again Staci and Cindy!), and bought my plane ticket. Monday morning I got Emilie and Ada off to school, took Sarah to my friend Cindy's and headed to the airport. I landed in Columbus and was picked up by someone from the dealership. I got to drive the car back to the dealership where I signed the paperwork. Then it was just me, the car and a 6 hour drive home.

I think some people thought I was totally crazy to do this for a car. But I will admit I was somewhat looking forward to the whole adventure. I had pretty much the whole day to myself. No one calling "MOM" over and over, no dishes to do, no laundry to do, no cleaning, just me and 6 hours of quiet - ahhhhhh. I checked out of "mommy mode" and just enjoyed the quiet and the fact that I could listen to whatever I wanted in the car. (until my cell phone kept ringing!) :-) The ride was very uneventful and I made it home by 8:15pm.

BACK TO REALITY.

I really debated on somehow stretching out the drive!

Oh - are you wondering what he got? A 2008 Acura TL Nighthawk Black. And yes it was VERY fun to drive!

I think I'm really going to enjoy his car.

I haven't gotten a picture yet of the actual car because it's been too dark to get a good one by the time Jeff has gotten home from work. But this is a good representation of it!

It's Never Too Early

Is it really too early to start thinking about swimsuit season - again?

Okay, not it the sense you are thinking, but if your like me I'm never one to pass up on a cute thing, even when it's not quite the season for it. It's always so hard to find modest swimsuits, so I wanted to share these awesome ones with all of you. There is no doubt these will get you lots of comments because they are HOT HOT HOT!

http://www.wholesomewear.com/page-3.html

If anyone is interested in a bulk order to save on shipping,

do let me know.

Can't wait for summer again!

Our Week in Review

It's been a long week at our house,

so I'm doing a photo essay of our week. Enjoy!

There were times I felt like hitting my head against this or that I would be better off talking to this

(I might have gotten more of a reaction from it)

Too often I felt like this

Gratefully there were times of this

At some point we all felt like this

The girls all had colds, Jeff and I were blessed with strep throat

This is the second time for me in 9 months - what is up with that?!?

There were some times of this

Times I felt like doing this, and times some of us actually did

but not for all the same reasons

There was lots of this

and this

Sometimes the girls were this

and sometimes they were this

We were VERY HAPPY about this

The Utes pulled it out over Airforce

and VERY HAPPY about this
The Cubs clenched the division title

My house is this

We are thankful to have lots of this

and now I'm going to go do this
THE END

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

You all know the song, and over the weekend we pretty much thought everything was going to be washed away. I know it's not Hurricane Ike, but it's being called a Hundred Year storm. Massive amounts of rain fell Saturday and Sunday, some of it was from Hurricane Ike, all over the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana. Anywhere from 6 to 11 inches of rain fell depending on the area. We got around 8-9 inches of rain in our area and there is flooding everywhere. Gratefully our house was spared from any flooding even though our backyard was a bit of a pond, but our sump pump has been able to keep up with all the water draining. Others in our area have not been so fortunate. Everywhere the retention ponds are full of water and some overflowing.

Yesterday during church 20-30 men left to go help a member sandbag their home that is right on the Dupage river. After they finished that house, they went to another members neighbor's house that is also on the river to help her sandbag. After dinner Jeff and I decided to go for a family drive to check out some of the flooding. We went to the members home that they helped sandbag and they don't have water in the house, but their yard is completely submerged. Then we went to the other members house and their backyard is under 3-4 feet of water. When we got there the basement was starting to get water in it, so we went to work helping them move furniture. It was coming through their foundation because the ground is so saturated it has no where to go but into the house.

This morning Staci and I decided to take a drive back over to see it in the daylight. Crazy stuff! We went to the first members house again and the water had risen a few inches from where it was last night, but with the sandbags their house should be fine. We decided to go over to the other members house to see how their basement was and they had more water in it than last night. When we went last night the water was just about to the blue pads on their trampoline and this morning it's almost over it (see picture below), so the water had risen there as well. Staci and I help them rip carpet up and vaccum up some of the water for a while. I feel so bad for them. It's going to at least a week before the water drains from their backyard. We're supposed to have dry weather for the next week which should help.
Here are just a few pictures of what we saw last night and this morning:

(if you click on them it should enlarge them and you can get the full effect)

This is the backyard of the member of our ward. Their house is about a foot behind the sandbags. That is a telephone pole just behind that purplish bush. The river is supposed to be a 3-4 feet behind that.

This is taken from the end of their driveway. You can see their shed which is got about 2-3 feet of water in it.


This is from the bottom tier of their deck which is on the opposite side of the house from the driveway, closer to the river. We were standing on this part of deck last night and the water was right at the bottom of the deck, this morning it was even with the part we were standing on.

A retention pond that is overflowing into a drain

This is the river and it's about 6-8 inches from the sidewalk

This is the other member's backyard that is now a lake

See that in between the trees? That would be their trampoline almost under water

This was part of the riverwalk and bike trail in downtown Naperville

Some contruction they were doing along the river just off the road

The most fitting part of it all is that yesterday was our Stake Conference and all the talks were about being prepared in all apects of our lives so we can weather any disaster or tragedy that may occur. I guess I better get working on my 72 hour kits!

9/11

There are times in our lives that we can remember exactly what we were doing, where we were, even what time it was. 7 years ago yesterday was one of those days. I could probably ask any of you reading this where you were or what you were doing the morning of September 11th and you could tell me. I was 6 months pregnant with the twins. I was sitting at a red light at Rt. 59 and Diehl Road in Naperville, IL on my way to work listening to the radio when at 7:51 am I heard that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Details of what had happened were sketchy at that time. By the time I got into work everyone was watching the TV or listening to radios and they were reporting that a second plan had hit the other WTC tower.

I don't need to recount the rest of the events of that day. I think we all remember what happened. I will always remember. I will always remember those who innocently died that day. I will always remember the feelings and emotions I had and watching our country rally together. I still get those feelings and emotions when I see pictures, hear audio clips or stories from that day. In the darkest day of our nations history, it was also it's finest hour. The stories of sacrifice, charity, friendship and heroism still amaze me and represent the true character of our country. That is why I will always remember. That is why I am proud to be an American.

I am so grateful to live in a country where I am free and I am forever grateful to those who serve our country in the military and preserve the freedom I enjoy daily. I am grateful to those who serve us each day as police officers, fireman, paramedics and those who daily risk their lives to save someone elses.

God Bless the USA

I'm running for President!

Spread the word! I would really love your vote!

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