Happy Anniversary!!!

Today is our 6 year anniversary!!! 6 years ago I definitely married my best friend and the man I'm meant to be with! Each year has brought us closer and I am so thankful for that! Not a lot of couples can say that. Spencer is always there for me. I love the country song, "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton because that is exactly how I feel about Spencer...I could not say it better :)!!! So here's to 6 years and beyond!!! What have we been up to?! Spencer is in school full time for Business Management and just picked up a job on the side...He became a Beachbody coach!! I am so proud of him!! He is doing so well!! I am continuing working overtime preparing for our audit at the hospital, we are reaching the home stretch! They should be coming in the next week or so! I have experienced exhaustion in every aspect, but we keep pushing on because it will be worth it :)!!

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Next, I cannot post without thanking my hubs for the sweet post he wrote about me. I was at work one day and decided to log on and to my surprise found a post that I had not written...real shocker :) It literally brought tears to my eyes! It meant so much to me because I have been so busy these days and here's why~ my hospital is preparing to become CMS certified. That basically means that our hospital is growing and wants to start taking medicaid and medicare patients. To do this, we will have to be audited by Joint Commission...AGAIN, but this time will be more BRUTAL. I have been working overtime like crazy preparing my department and creating and revising policies. I am changing a lot of things up in my nursing department, not because I want to, but because it goes with the new standards and let's just say I am hearing ALL about it from some of my staff who are comfortable in their ways. It is so hard and even brought me to tears when I was telling Spencer about my day the other day...I mean real, genuine tears!! It has been hard, but I am pushing through:) It will be exciting when we have accomplished this for the hospital. I love my job :) AND I love Spencer! He has been so supportive through it all. He is in school full time right now, but he still manages to help clean and he ALWAYS has food prepared for me! He wakes up every morning to make me breakfast and to get my lunch ready. I am one lucky girl! He is the best and he is also picking up work on the side. I think I am the lucky one :) :)

If you don't give up. YOU CANNOT FAIL!

Derek Redmond

My Loving Wife

I am so blessed to have such a loving and supporting wife. Jessica is so amazing. I look forward to the day that she gets to become a mommy and to hold her baby for the first time. She has a wonderful, motherly instinct. Jessica is one of the most loving, caring and passionate people I know. We have three dogs that we love so much and even though these dogs are not humans they are loved just like humans. Jess is a very hard worker. She will go to work, come home clean, even though the house is already clean, and then work out. Even though Jess is so busy through out the day she always makes time for the family. She is very family oriented. She loves to take care and be with them. She is amazing!

                Yesterday, in class one of my instructors showed a video of Derek Redmond, he is a famous Olympic runner. In the 1992 summer Olympics Derek was favored to win the men’s 400 meter race. Half way through the race his hamstring tore, and Derek collapse to the ground in pain. After a minute he gets up and starts hobbling to the finish line. Medical crews kept coming out to help him but he kept telling them no. He never gave up!!

                After watching this video clip, I thought of my wife, Jessica. She is a go getter. I have never seen or heard of Jess giving up on anything. No matter how difficult it may be. The other day Jess had hurt her shoulder while working out. Even though it hurt she didn’t let it get in the way of what she was trying to accomplish, she just kept pushing to the end. Jessica is very driven to always do what’s right. With out fail every day she will read her scriptures and write in her journal. She has been doing this for over 20 years. When she knows it is good for you, she doesn’t give up! Jessica has a lot of amazing qualities that I love so much. I am so grateful that we found each other. I am so happy to be able to adopt and to start a family together.   

                I love Jessica more than anything. She means the world to me. We are so very excited for the blessing to adopt a baby. We pray everyday for birth mothers out there that may be thinking to place their baby for adoption. We pray they will make the best decision that is best for them and their baby.   

                Jessica I love you!



Hoping to Adopt

Just take my hand...together we can do this!



It has been a hard couple of  years. Spencer and I always knew that we wanted a family. Children were quite often the topic of conversation. What would we name them? And yes, Spencer has always like the names I have suggested, score :). We spent countless hours babysitting nieces and nephews and loved every minute. We would always say we could not wait for the day when our little ones entered our home.

 It was one fall day when I was driving home from work when I received the dreaded phone call saying that having children of our own would not be an option for us. I remember the heartache that immediately came and the tears that streamed down my face. Where do we go from here?

Spencer and I turned to our Heavenly Father. We know it is His plan and we completely trust Him. We prayed, fasted, had a lot of faith and received support from family. We then felt enticed to begin the Adoption process. We began the adoption process in June 2011. The adoption process is not easy. There is a lot of paperwork and it can be emotionally draining, but we kept the faith and kept moving forward. We were approved for adoption on October 26, 2011. We felt a lot of weight lifted off our shoulders and felt complete comfort and peace.

With the comfort and peace, we know through adoption, we will have our eternal family.

2011 in pictures!

Fun pictures we had done this year!

                                   
Our cute niece, Elle, wanted to jump into the picture!!

 BYU/UTAH rivals in our very own home...gotta love it AND we do :) Spencer just HAD to get a pic like this :)

                                                     
 Picture with Sash, Kyndal, and Chade!

Spending precious moments with Paysley before she passed away.

Clint Black concert in our lil city!

Spencer working on my mom's house!

My mom and I working out...my mom is my inspiration!!

Down time with Sash...she's a cuddle bug!

Playing outside in our backyard!

 

Hiking with my mom and our dogs and her dogs in good ol' Idaho!

Working out together is so much fun!!

Running with our dogs! Preparing for our race!

We ran in Recovery Day with my hospital. My hospital had a booth there and we helped manage that afterwards. It was a blast!! My mom made the T-Shirts for our hospital and my Bro-inlaw brought us all sandwiches from his awesome store, Port of Subs!!

HALLOWEEN...We went over to my co worker's house and had a lot of fun. We played a lot of games~one being Michael Jackson Dance on the Wii...Spencer and I kicked butt! Okay, for Spencer's costume...we looked everywhere for Superman, but couldn't find it. He even bought a kid's superman hoping to fit, but nope! So, he just used the cape out of it instead! Awe, memories!!!

                  P90X2 has begun...so excited!!!

The guys in my family including some of my nephews and my cute niece getting the game plan down for hunting!!

  

Spencer and Sash out doing what they love...pheasant hunting!!

We worked out with Chalene Johnson (one of my fav instructors) in Park City the day after Christmas. We are on the right on the back row :) Anyone heard of Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, Piyo, Hip Hop Hustle, or Chalean Extreme?! She's the creator!!

Here we are with Chalene and she signed my book Push (written by her...I got it for Christmas :)...Sorry it is blurry, I think my friend was a little excited taking the picture!

2011 in Review

I hate to say this, but MAN, I'm sure glad 2011 has come and gone. I keep telling myself, I just don't know how things can get any harder! Well, I've learned my lesson and I'm done saying that! Yes, each year since nursing school has been more challenging for us, but we manage to survive and even come out stronger...how does that happen? A lot of faith and prayer! My mom clearly told me during 2011 to quit being so strong and then trials wouldn't come our way...you know the saying...you are only given what you can handle?. Well, that was on my mind constantly in 2011, but He knows mine and Spencer's plan a lot better than we do. Here is our year in review (you don't want to miss this since I was MIA most of the year).

January: I became Director of Nursing for HRH, Spencer started college, and we became primary teachers (we love CTR 5)!

February: I got in a car wreck ( a car hit me from behind while at a stop light) and Paysley was our #1 concern...we had several vet appointments doing anything we could to prolong her little life.

March: Our sweet Paysley passed away. Kyndal Pays joined our family. Spencer and I celebrated our fifth anniversary!! Another car wreck ( a car hit me from behind while at a stop light).

April: Spencer's birthday and Chade's eye surgery.

May: We started Asylum (the level up from insanity-the workout program)! Yes, we are insane and belong in an asylum!! I get asked that all too often unless they really know me!! Spencer finished his first semester!

June: We began the Adoption process (there will be a post all about this coming soon), Spencer started school again, we planted our first flower bed, my cousin got married, we went to Clint Black concert in our very own city!!

July: Spent the 4th in Idaho with my mom, Spencer's family reunion, painted our fence because of HOA :)

August: Trip to Idaho for Spencer to build a fence and Spencer ended school and began again

September: Trip to Idaho for Spencer to do work for my mom, Utah State Fair, and we ran in Recovery Day with my hospital!!

October: My birthday, 10 years since Spencer and I became a couple (Awe), and approved for Adoption!!

November: Thanksgiving with my family in Idaho!

December: P90x2 arrived, Spencer finished fall semester, hunting with the family and Sash, Christmas, and working out with Chalene Johnson!!!

2011 was HARD! I am pretty sure I can say I experienced every emotion possible, but I am ready for 2012...I believe it is our year!!