BUGS - by Brian

So we are almost completely moved in. Most of the boxes are unpacked. The ones that aren't will probably stay hidden until the baby comes. As we have been unpacking we realized we have guests (I mean pests) in our house.

Meet the Scutigera Coleoptrata; Also Known As the House Centipede.
Although I have been told they are not poisonous/dangerous to humans (unless you have a rare alergic reaction to a bite; and they rarely bite humans) I get chills down my back everytime I see one run. With 15 PAIRS of legs this thing can run 16 inches per second...who wouldn't be a little squeemish! I bought a bunch of insect killer but have now read that this won't kill them. It seems the only way to get them is with sticky traps. I guess the upside is that they are carniverous. They will keep the spiders and other small bugs away. So...anyone want to come visit? You can stay for dinner!

Missing in Action

Well, Atlanta has found Brian, Kyler and I all healthy and happy. We are still unpacking a few boxes but we are starting to see the corners and floors which is really exciting. Our camera however is still missing in action. So until it decides to show itself posts will be boringly only text. Sorry. Our place is nice, and in a good part of the city. The second day we were here the air conditioner broke and we spent one HOT night in the Atlanta humidity, but thank heavens it was nothing serious and was up and running the next morning.

Kyler is adjusting well, we had a few rough nights, but he's now adjusted to the time change and sleeping through the night. He's had fun rediscovering all the toys that have been boxed up for the last 6 months. I thought of keeping them boxed till his birthday, and re gifting them, but they've been invaluable in the unpacking process. We went to visit Phillip and Jamie yesterday, he LOVES playing with their kids. Life without cousins would be rough. I'm glad we have some family close, even an hour drive is worth it to see cousins.

Brian and I are enjoying the extra time we have together. Brian will officially start on Aug 3rd while we wait for his Georgia Licensure to go through. Mean while I'm slowly, and I mean slowly getting to know the streets in the area. It's absolute madness out here. There is no such thing as a straight street, and none of them keep the same names for long. Plus there are so many trees and bushes, good luck seeing more then 100 feet in any direction. Brian has been really patient with me as we've driven around. Driving in places like these pretty much terrifies me, so he's been really nice. I did finally drive to the grocery store and back without a hitch on Saturday, I was pretty proud of myself (pathetic I know).

Our ward is pretty eclectic, Georgia Tech University is in our ward boundaries, so we have quite a few young families which is nice. We have three sets of missionaries assigned to our ward, which pretty much includes all of the major Atlanta city area. It's definitely NOT a Utah ward, but hey, we're not in Utah anymore are we. :) I'm excited for the change.

Anyway, hopefully we find our camera soon and then I can post pics of our place and the area, it really is beautiful, it reminds me of Oregon, green and huge trees. We miss all of you, hope things are going well!

Ready, Set, GO!!

Well, everything in our life is about to change. We have accepted the position in Atlanta, GA and will be leaving within the week. CRAZY HUH!!! We have everything ironed out and feel like this is a great career move for Brian. Brian and his Dad will be driving our car and truck full of stuff across the country starting this Thursday the 9th. Kyler and I will follow on an airplane (thank heavens) the following Tuesday the 14th. The job is for a one year fellowship, then we'll re-evaluate at that time. We'll look for rehab openings in Utah again, if nothings available we may stay in Atlanta (if they want us) for a few more years, or find something a little closer to home (ie Colorado, Arizona, California). Brian is nothing but excited for the new experience and to be working with the amazing people at the Shepard Center, I'm a little nervous because...

I'M PREGNANT!

Our next bundle of joy is due to enter the word on Christmas Day (trust me we didn't plan it that way) :) I've been doing pretty well, but am nervous to be away from friends and family when the baby arrives. My "mothers" have been very supportive and both will visit in December, so I'm sure everything will be fine.

We love and will miss all of you! Feel free to come visit us in Atlanta, we'd love to see you!

It's Official!!!

Wahooo!!! The weight has finally been lifted. Brian has officially passed his board exam and is now an official Physical Therapist. I have waited to see this face for 3 years!!! When ever we'd finish some difficult time, like finals, I'd always be so excited for him to come home and be done, but he'd always reply " I still have......a year of school....another semester....to pass my boards." BUT NO MORE!!!! We are officially done with tests!!! Thanks to all of you who prayed for Brian on this test. He was really nervous about it, the practice tests weren't going very well and the doom cloud overshadowed him for most of the last week. He's happier then I can remember seeing him now. Thanks to everyone for your support!

An update on where we are in life. We are currently living with Brian's parents until we accept a job offer. We had two potential offers and now are just working on one. Utah Valley Regional Hospital offered a full time position in acute care, but we ended up turning it down because Brain really feels like he need to be in Rehab. So our current offer is from The Shepard Clinic in Atlanta, GA. It's a one year fellowship opportunity working specifically with Spinal Cord injury patients, which is right up his alley. It's really his dream job....minus the salary. We really would love the opportunity to work there, but we have to meet our basic necessities, so Brian has been working with them on housing and such to see if we can make it work. We hope to hear from them sometime in the next week. So, we're just waiting right now. Hopefully I'll keep you all posted!

Finally! The Zoo

I have been totally absent lately. It's hard not living in your own place, partly because your routines just get all messed up. But I'm starting to get a little better at getting back to the things I use to do. Life has slowed down now that Julia's (Brian's sister) is married and almost all of the family has headed back to their respective homes. So now I have some time to Blog! Yea! Last week we went to the Zoo before Kylers cousins headed home. We had a great time. Kyler loved the Elephants and could have watched them all day.

The Rhino's were a little scary because they were so close, but he was brave.

All the cousins, minus Kennidee, plus Grandma and Kiki. Kyler even looked at the camera!

Kyler loved the Carousel, until it started moving, good thing I got the picture first!

On our way to ride the train it started to rain, hard! But that didn't stop the kids from having a blast, thanks Kiki for humoring Kyler, he loves puddles!

The 8th Day Lament

I know some of you will think this is pathetic, but today I have have been away from Brian more days in a row then all the other days we've been apart in our marriage put together. He comes home tomorrow AND I CAN'T WAIT!!! He's flew to Atlanta last Saturday to interview at the Shepard Clinic. He stayed with Phillip and Jamie and is now driving across country with their family to get here for Julia's wedding. It's been a really long week, and I've missed him terribley. Kudos to all you wife's who have husbands in the military or have jobs that take them away often. I couldn't do it! I LOVE YOU BRIAN!! Come home to me safely.