23rd Birthday...

Well a couple days of ago I turned the big 2-3! Crazy to believe, I know! It was a fun relaxing day and Clint sure made it great.  He spoiled me rotten as always. A couple weeks before my birthday he asked me what I wanted and I told him I wanted him to make me my birthday dinner. He was a very good sport and did so. It turned out soooo wonderful. I figured out that he really can cook. He has been holding out on me this whole time.I think someone is going to have a weekly cooking night. (We will see about that.. he still claims he can't cook). It is weird how time keeps flying by. I can't believe I am 23 already. I still feel like I just graduated from high school not to long ago. I feel very blessed to be where I am at 23 and thank all  those people who help me get here and helped me to become who I am today! :) P.S. Thanks to all those who sent me birthday wishes via card, email, gift, etc. They made my day.

Clint surprised me the night before my birthday and took me to a really nice Italian restaurant

My man cooking in the kitchen. Not a sight I see everyday! :)

My birthday dinner. It was really yummy!

Birthday gifts from Clint!

He bought me this beautiful bracelet

The big 23!

Whoops! Forgot to take a picture until after it was half eaten.

Set up my profile Mormon.org...

In Coby's letter last week, he told us that the church wants everyone to set up a profile on www.mormon.org. I think it is a great missionary tool, especially for us that are not on missions. I just went on and set up my profile and sent it in for approval. It takes like 15 minutes and it is super easy. I would like to ask you all to do it as well to help the church in its missionary efforts. I think it will be well worth it. So get to it.. ;) 

P.S. Coby's mission President's wife has set up a blog for the mission and there you can find more information about what Coby is up to. 
 Click here to check it out!

Remembering September 11th...

"People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way." - President Thomas S. Monson

Yesterday everyone was reflecting back on September 11th and where they were. I remember I was in 7th grade just getting ready to go to school and on the news they were showing what they thought was an "accidental" plane crash into one of the World Trade Centers. Being in 7th grade I wasn't too concerned about it and turned the t.v. off to head to school. By the time I had gotten to school and walked into my first class of the day, all the school's t.v.'s were on and my teachers were glued to them. It was there I found out that another plane had hit the second tower. There at school we all watched the events of that day unfold and I remember being terrified. I went home that night and we watched that second plane hit the World Trade Center over and over and over again. Even in 7th grade I understood what a historical day that was going to be and for the rest of my life people were always going to ask each other "where were you that day?"

Clint and I had the opportunity in July to visit Ground Zero and see the new skyscraper they are erecting. There was such a spiritual feeling there that one just cannot describe. We took some time to sit on a bench just outside the construction fence and take it all in. The emotions overcame me as I though about that place and how truly sacred it was. There thousands of Americans died and there America came together as one.  Watching the memorial service yesterday broke my heart. What a tragic day that was, but also what a renewing of the sense of American pride was born that day as well. What a beautiful memorial they have built to those people's honor. Clint and I are hoping that we will be able to go see it soon.

Being here on the east coast and only a couple hours away from New York has made a difference to how I connected with September 11th yesterday. People in Connecticut were directly affected and many people here lost loved ones that were in the World Trade Centers.  I felt so proud yesterday driving around and seeing all the flags in honor of those that lost their lives that day and also for those that have lost their lives since then fighting for our freedom.  In church yesterday, we sang America the Beautiful. I was hit by emotions in the last couple verses (ones that I had never paid attention to much) that went like this:

"O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea."

When singing these verses, the tears in people's eyes began to collect. Those people that died that day and also those that are fighting or have fought for our freedom are heroes. They loved their country more than themselves and many people have given their lives for it.  I am grateful for our country and for those men and woman who are fighting to keep everything our country stands for. God Bless America!

Layla comes to visit...

Oreo has a doggy buddy named Layla that is a two year old Yorkie. She came and stayed with us this weekend. Here are some pictures from their weekend adventures.

They love sharing the same food and water bowel

Finally updated Coby's blog...

I have been slacking the last few months at posting Coby's letters. I just updated his blog and now all his letters and pictures should be up there. Check it out.

We have cabin fever...but we survived Hurricane Irene...

This last weekend was a little (ok a lot) different than most other weekends. Hurricane Irene came up the East Coast this weekend and caused lots of damage from North Carolina up into Maine.  The Hurricane was projected to hit us sometime Saturday and the government was projecting major floods and power outages that could last up to a week. We have our 72 hour kits and our water supply put together. Just in case things were going to be worse we went to the store and bought some more water bottles and stocked up on food.  I have always seen on t.v. the long lines of people waiting to buy water, batteries, gas, food, etc., but this time we actually experienced it. Every store around was out of water and batteries by Friday or so. Luckily we got our stuff a couple days ahead. There were also way long lines at the gas pump. It was something I have never experienced before. Seeing everyone get prepared got me all nervous and wondering if we were prepared enough. This weekend reinforced for me the importance of food storage. Living in Utah we never really had to live off our food storage, but now I realize how much relief it does bring to you if the situation actually does arise where you will need to use it.  After this weekend, Clint and I analyzed our food storage stuff closer and made some assessments about what we need for the future. Getting these things together will give us many FHE activities to do in the future. :) Well Saturday morning came around and I was slightly freaking out after seeing what was happening further down south.  Clint thought I was a little crazy but he was a good sport. I moved everything off the floor (which wasn't much since we don't have any furniture). I placed all of our necessary documents and are portable hard drive into a backpack by the door just in case we needed to move out fast.  I moved the mattress into the living room and shoved it in the corner away from all the windows. And so on and so on. After doing all of that it was like a waiting game. We had heard that storm was suppose to start hitting us with heavy rains and winds by Saturday, but that didn't happen.  Early Sunday morning around 2 am the hurricane began to roll in. The winds were blowing so hard and it was raining like crazy. I was so worried and scared and Clint just passed out next to me (not worried at all). I couldn't sleep all night and was grateful for the next morning when the sun came out.  We stayed inside all day Sunday (they canceled church because of the hurricane). It continued to rain and be windy Sunday morning, but nothing too bad. By Sunday afternoon the sun started to come out and luckily we had kept our power the entire time, but lost our internet connection.  In the end, 700,000+ people in Connecticut lost power, most of those people were cities close to us since we are only about 19 miles from the coast.  It sounds like we ended up the best out of most of the state. The east and south got hit and are still struggling with major power outages and floods. The west got hit with really high winds.  Since we fall right in the middle, we didn't get a lot of it.  The coast is what is struggling the most. Twenty five houses have fallen into the ocean and many others are ruined because of floods and tree's falling down on their houses.  Four days later, 200,000 people are still without power. Monday morning Clint didn't go into work because of the extensive power outages around us. We had cabin fever so bad from being in the house for 48 hours straight, so we went on a small drive around our neighborhood.  Trees were fallen down everywhere, many of them into the power lines and just hanging a few feet over the road.  Lots of wires were laying down close to people's houses waiting for professionals to take care of them.  The river which flows right next to the major highway was raised 8+ feet and you wouldn't even know there use to be a park by it. All you can see is the remnants of the wooden fence that lined the park.  But nothing was lost that can't be replaced. Clint and I are so thankful that the damage wasn't worse for us and our city. We are praying for the people near the coast who are still struggling and have lost their homes. Please keep them and everyone affected by Hurricane Irene in your prayers. Thanks!

Spider web that had caught raindrops from the storm

We heard a great tip about filling your tub and sinks full of water so if the water goes out, you can use the tub water to flush the toilet and wash up with. Here is our tub full of water.

Our food storage, emergency stuff, and everything else put up on the washer/dryer just in case our apartment flooded.

Sleeping bags ready to go if we needed them.

Clint and Oreo on the mattress shoved in the corner away from windows.

Made some cookies (a hurricane staple).

Oreo watching the news. ;)

The small river that began forming outside our apartment.

The restaurant that sites right along the river. The whole first floor is now flooded.

The pavilion at the park next to the Connecticut River.

The only indication that there was a park along the river is the top of the wooden fence and the trees.

A very normal site right now all over Connecticut. Tree's hanging on power lines.

One of the houses along the ocean that fell in because of the Hurricane.

First an eathquake and now a hurricane?...

Our first stay out here on the east coast is turning out to be more interesting than we ever imagined.  Most of you may of heard of the 5.8 earthquake that hit Virgina on Tuesday and was also felt in Washington D.C. Well that earthquake was reported as being felt here in Connecticut and clear up into some parts of Canada. I was at home at the time and didn't feel it and Clint was at work and didn't feel it either. He must have been so focused on work because many of his coworkers around him felt it and saw some things move around them. Well that was the first interesting thing that happened this week. Now it is being reported that Hurricane Irena will mostly likely blow over Connecticut as well. We got an announcement from our apartment building today to get prepared and what we need to do so.  I didn't even know that we get hurricanes this far up.  Luckily Clint and I have our 72 hour kits set up, some water stocked up, and our candles/matches.  We are going out tonight to get more stocked up.  We will just have to see if this thing actually hits us. Keep you updated...