Last post for a few days...

We are right in the middle of boxing everything up, so just wanted to let you all know that there won't be a post (probably) for a little while until we get settled again in our apartment. We're living in Andrew's grandparents' basement for five months and then will try to get into Wymount in the summer unless we find somewhere cheaper.

Things are crazy here right now. Thanks for offering your cars. We were able to borrow Andrew's grandma's car for the next few days until our Chevy Nova is fixed. We're renting a moving van on Saturday. So things should work out. Once we get everything moved out, then we will finish a few things on the house we haven't done yet (painting trim, etc.)

Have a nice week!!

Close Call: Thankful to BE ALIVE

Well, our Thanksgiving trip to Colorado to stay with Andrew's mom was great. Our trip back wasn't so much. It's about a four hour trip to Grand Junction, CO--where Andrew's mom lives. We left around 6pm and were about 3 hours into our trip--an hour from Provo. Andrew stopped at a gas station to take a break (as he had driven both ways). I felt bad and offered to drive the last hour. He, of course, took my offer and went to the back seat to play with Kate (who, by the way, did very well for her first road trip).

The last hour of this drive is mostly winding around in Price Canyon at 60 mph. I was probably only driving for 20 minutes when out of nowhere a GIANT deer was right in front of me!! I don't think I had time to even scream, but I know my foot went to the brake pedal (not sure how much I was able to slow down. Andrew said he didn't notice anything wrong until I hit the brakes). For any of you who have been in a big car accident (I had been in one when I was 16), there's this strange moment right when you realize what's about to happen and then it happens. But inside that moment is a lot of surreal slow motion and feeling like this is your last moment alive. Luckily, the deer did not go through the windshield! Thank goodness we have a Saturn with a hood that has a sharp high to low curve and not a gradual one. The windshield cracked, but didn't break.

I don't remember pulling off to the side of the road, but somehow I was there. We were all frozen in a state of shock, breathing heavily, and Kate was crying (she was fine--thank heavens!). The deer didn't make it, though. The person driving behind us stopped immediately to see if we were all okay. It took me a minute to realize that we were. Luckily, our car was still drivable and we weren't stranded in the middle of nowhere an hour from home. I switched back with Andrew and he drove the rest of the way. Our main headlights were out, but the brights on one side worked.

I'm a little sore today, but that's all. I couldn't even think about our damaged car until I got home. As I sat back with Kate in the back seat, tears filled my eyes---I was just so grateful no one was hurt. As we had left Colorado, we had forgotten to say a prayer together (Andrew, me, and Andrew's brother), so I just said a little one to myself and prayed for safety. Heavenly Father definitely answered my prayer. Not only were we unharmed, but our car was able to get us back home again.

After we got home, Andrew said that maybe it was a good thing because he wouldn't be able to work this week (with the car broken) and so he'd be able to work hard on us getting packed up and moved (we'll need to borrow a car to move, though...). We have to be out this Friday (assuming everything goes through). If we didn't have the money coming in from the sold house, we wouldn't even have any money to get the car fixed.

Anyway, hope everyone had safe Thanksgiving travel! I'll post a couple pictures from our trip later.

Shirt Play

Hee hee. So Kate loves putting blankets and clothing of any kind on her head. Whatever she can find, really. The funny thing is, she doesn't just do it to play "peek a boo." Most of the time, it seems, she just enjoys going about her other business with a shirt on her head. Maybe she thinks of it like a cape or something. Too cute.

By the way, we'll be in CO for the long weekend visiting Andrew's mom. So I'll blog later. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Our Cute Little Baby Boy??

Today, we had our heater repaired and the repairmen were really taken with Kate. I wasn't here, but Andrew said they went on and on about what a cute little boy we have. Andrew said they were so nice, he didn't have the heart to tell them. So when they came back later (and I was there), Andrew reminded me NOT to say anything about her being a girl, since he had let them believe she was a boy. I thought it was pretty funny, but played along. One of the men told me, "You have a very cute boy. And he's a REAL boy--he loved playing with my tools earlier." I just smiled and gave Andrew a look. Hee hee. The guy had asked Andrew "his" name, but Andrew somehow avoided answering. Heh, heh.

This is what she was wearing when they saw her--I'll admit it's kind of boyish. But still--I think she has such a girl face and voice. But that's just me!

SOLD!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After biting our nails all day waiting to hear--we finally got the call at 8:30pm! They accepted our counter offer!! Woohoo!!!!!!!!!! The blog is one of the first to know! :)

So...since we just have a couple weeks to move out--anyone know of a place? Heh, heh...

Peek a boo!

One of Kate's favorite activities is to play "peek-a-boo." There have been a couple of times where she will put a blanket over her head when I'm not in the room. I'll come back several minutes later and she will still have the blanket on her head! Ha! She patiently waits for me to return. So fun.

The Smile That Keeps Growing...

Kate's smile is just the cutest thing, I think. It seems to be getting bigger and bigger each day. It doesn't just affect her lips--no way. Her entire face erupts--sometimes her body does, too. She likes to throw her arms around when she's really feeling good. What a sweetheart! It's impossible to be in a bad mood with that face around!

An Offer!

Over the weekend, Andrew and I decided to lower the price on our house a little bit more. We really just want to sell fast so Andrew can go to school full-time next semester (which is quickly approaching). So we had our agent call the people back that had come to see it, and within an hour the couple that had come most recently was at our house. After a LONG weekend, they made an offer today. They really came in pretty low, so we made a counter offer this afternoon. We won't go any lower. We'll just wait it out until next year. So, we'll see! I guess they are really in a hurry to move in because their apartment contract is up Dec. 1st. I guess they haven't even pre-qualified yet for a loan--which is kind of weird. So, we hope they accept our offer and qualify for a loan!

It's pretty exciting. It's not as much as we had hoped (in the beginning) to get, but it's still enough that we can pay off our debts (phew!), Andrew can finish school, and I can stay at home (wherever that may be now--we'll need to find a place in a hurry!) with Kate. :) I know a kid at work that just got a job as a proof reader for BYU Independent Studies. It's a part time job that he can do from home. Sounds perfect for me! If we move soon, I will probably apply. That would be nice to have a little more income.

The Music House

We had another showing tonight. It was already pitch black outside, so at least they couldn't see the neighbors. I decided to leave some classical music on (my sister said a lot of people have music on when showing their house). But when I came back, I realized the music was really loud. Oops! I had had it on while I was cleaning, so I didn't realize how loud it was. They'll probably refer to it as the "Music House." Oh well. I'm trying my best here!

Happy Birthday to ME :)

Technically, it's no longer my birthday and logically, I should be in bed right now--but the birthday fun must live on (well, for a few more minutes anyway--I really am tired).

Phew. 28. Huh. That's old. A friend at worked teased me about being 30--but let's face it--I might as well be. On the other hand, the night before my birthday I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for how long I've had so far. I've been able to do and see a lot already and look forward to a lot more when people way back in the day would be wrapping things up right about now.

Anywho, today was pretty great. Work gave me the day off and Andrew had the day off, too. So we went up to SLC and saw the Joseph Smith Restoration movie at the Legacy theater. I've been wanting to see that for a while now. It was kind of tough with Kate, but we were able to see most of it. We really enjoyed it. Then our friends, Stephanie and Mike, were sweet enough to watch Kate while Andrew and I went out on a date. Our dates are few and far between--so we really appreciated it! Such good people.

We went to Shoots (a really yummy Chinese restaurant in Provo) and then saw Dan in Real Life (pretty predictable, but still enjoyable and funny). Andrew and I laughed harder in that movie than we have in a movie for a long time. And to top it all off--Andrew gave me Seinfeld Season 9 (the final season--sniff sniff). It actually came out today! Perfect timing.

Thanks to everyone's calls and cards (Paul--your message really made us laugh). You're the best!

WATCH OUT!! Jenn's on the CRACKdown!

I made my first 911 call today (on purpose--I have called them on accident before). There were some gang bangers right in front of my house passing a joint around (it wasn't a cigarette--I guess there are other possibilities). I was slightly perturbed by this (we have someone coming to look at the house in a few hours) as they were looking all around all suspicious (uh, one hint to ya fellas is to not stand in front of a house with open windows in the middle of the street--but whatever) and decided to call 911. I felt kind of stupid as I was talking to the operator--as it's not really an emergency...but I figured if they had a cop car nearby--which they usually do--then they could drop by. Ha--as I'm writing this the cop car has just arrived. Sadly, I already saw the 6 guys drive away in their hooptie. Oh well. I tried!

We want to sell our house--so if I have clean this neighborhood up by myself--that's what I'm going to do. This could just be the start of a beautiful relationship (between me and the cops). :)

Nostalgia

Kate and I went on a fun Fall walk yesterday. The Provo River Trail is such a gorgeous place! Fall has always been my favorite time of year: the crisp afternoon air, the thick smell of fallen leaves, the satisfying crunch beneath my feet, and the rich colors swirling whimsically with every breath of wind. Wow. Does life get any better than that?

For Kate, the experience was sweetened by prolonged sucking on a stick (I knew she had a stick--I didn't realize for a while that she was eating it...).

Halloween Fun!

I got a pumpkin at last minute yesterday thinking that Kate might enjoy playing with all the gooey insides. I was way off. She barely touched the stuff and was pretty much really freaked out by it. I carved it in like 3 minutes because she was not happy. I mean, I've never been that great at carving pumpkins--but this one was terrible!

So here's Kate's costume...any guesses as to what she is? Well, I'll just tell you. She's a friendly Target employee! :) Heh, heh, heh. She was going to be a Pizza deliverer, but Andrew got home too late (I was going to give her a tiny pizza box and his hat)--so Target employee. :) I should have gotten her a pumpkin costume--she would have made a great Jack-O-Lantern with those teeth!

We finally had Trick-or-Treaters this year. We've been here two years and no one has ever come. But a Mia Maid in my class said she was going trick or treating--so I made her promise to come to my house with the kids she baby sits. Yay! Kate snickered the whole time they were at the door.