Fit to be Tied

Mini Cheer Camp 2010

2010-05-25T16:08:00.001-07:00

January has been a crazy month! Jayni got to participate in our Mini Cheer Camp at Columbia High School this past week. She had such a fun time! She learned a dance, practiced tumbling, learned a chant and got to try stunting. She was the flyer in her stunt group and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Last night the kids performed at our varsity basketball game and did such an amazing job!

2009-07-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my friend Ryan Hess and his family. He was my best friend as a little kid. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in June of this year and is the sole-provider for his family. He is on an aggressive chemo regiman that is preventing him from working, and he may not be able to return to work for at least the next 4-6 months, maybe longer. He is rapidly running out of paid leave, leaving no income for his family. If you are a federal employee click here to see how you can help:

http://teamryanhess.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-help-ryan.html

The Big-5

2009-03-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

On March 6th, my little Jayni celebrated her 5th birthday! She's officially gettin' old.

We celebrated right after lunch, opening some awesome presents and eating cake! Thank you to all of you who called and/or sent her a gift.

Anyway, back to turning 5. Jayni still loves her Barbies, and I decided to chuck the store-bought cake idea and made her a Barbie cake. Yes, siree! It took quite a while but was fun to do. Grandma Clark helped with her "dress", thank heavens!

Here are some pics:

Just Chillin'

2009-03-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

While Nate has been on "bedrest" these past 2 weeks, he's managed to find ways to stay semi-occupied. Jayni has taken advantage of his short-term handicap and helped herself to perfecting her styling skills. Afterall, if it can be done with her hair, it can be done with his!

Playing some wii....

Addicted to his cold-therapy...but not his hydrocodone!

Scoping out the new digs for the scars that will be moving in soon....

What a Pain!

2009-02-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

The shoulder, that is...just to clarify.

Nate went in for shoulder surgery today. After about 2 years of graduated pain we finally decided to have it checked out, and my only advice to you all is this: Don't wait! I don't think his shoulder would have been so messed up had we gone to the doctor much earlier....

We spent the morning cleaning up and getting the kids packed up to go spend the day at Ashley's house. Ashley is one of Jayni's favorite friends, and her mom was a life saver! In exchange for taking the kids for the day, we took Ashley's older sister to school on the way to the surgical center. Not exactly an even trade, but we do what we can! :) We'll make it up to them.

Here's Jayni waiting so impatiently for the moment she can go to Ashley's. She was dancin' around all morning singing about spending the day at the Merrills.

....in the meantime, Nate tried to calm his jitters by watching an episode of "Spiderman" with Aleks. He was a bit touchy this morning, and really didn't want to admit to being nervous. Plus he was starving. Nothing makes a person hungrier faster than being told he can't eat anything!

Ahhh...the drugs. The moment I walked into Nate's recovery room there was not a doubt that he was "feelin' good". If it's possible, he was a bit crazier than normal and his sense of humor was very much intact. Then the nausea hit. A quick shot in the leg fixed that and a little while later we were off.

This is the smile he mustered for the camera. I can't wait until tomorrow, when hopefully he will start remembering things. I feel like a broken record!

Here are the facts:

Nate had surgery at 1pm until about 2:15-ish. Dr. Johnston came out for a quick visit to let me know things went really well. Then he got this grim, half-apologetic look on his face and told me that Nate is way too young to have that much damage in his shoulder.

The Damage: He had a torn labrum (called a SLAP tear) that went from top to bottom, which was worse than what they estimated from the MRI. But it's fixed! There was also damage to his rotator cuff that Dr. Johnston said might call for a formal repair. But alas, it was only torn about 20%; he also cut off part of bone (can't remember what it's called--acromion, maybe?) that curved down and was an active participant in the ruin of the tendon. Anyway, long story short, the labrum has been repaired and the rotator cuff should repair itself now that it's not being poked at. :)

What's next? A sling for 4 weeks, PT for about 5-6 months.

I guess there won't be any golfing for a while....

Pretty Princess (Bridal Show Pictures Finally)

2009-02-23T22:15:00.000-08:00

Fashion Diva

2009-01-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

Jayni is so excited to announce her first modeling gig!

'Tis the season for bridal/wedding shows. Nate had one last weekend and another this weekend, then another one in February. MW has a great relationship with the folks at David's Bridal--they help sell our tuxes, and we help sell their dresses. Since the two go hand-in-hand, they supply the clothing for the fashion shows at the bridal shows. Well, Jayni was asked to be one of the models for David's Bridal! She probably won't be in the fashion show portion, however she will be a fixture for the entire day. She even has someone who will do her hair and makeup!

She is on cloud 9, as you can imagine. Today we took her in to pick out a dress and get it fitted, and I think she would have stayed the rest of the day if we would have let her. She was so cute, quietly drifting from one dress to another, trying to decide which one had the most sparklies. We narrowed it down to a pretty little dress that will match her daddy's tux. He is wearing "watermelon", so she has a matching sash.

We'll add some more pictures after Saturday!

This was Jayni's first pick. It was beautiful!

Here's the winner with the watermelon sash. Can't see very well, but there are all sorts of glittery, sparkly things on the tulle skirt, which equals perfection in Jayni's opinion.

Reverse Chronology of Christmas in Pictures

2009-01-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time (was) Here

2009-01-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas!

We had a great time this year, spending our holiday with our dear cousins: Tommy, Sierra and Josh. Determined not to be bored and to have a great time, we pow-wowed about a week before Christmas to plan. It took us all night because the boys were a little rebellious and goofy, but fortunately Sierra and I know how to take charge of our men! So here's what we did (and didn't do):

Three days before Christmas, Sierra and I tackled the task of shopping for our Christmas dinner items in one of the busiest stores ever...Walmart!! It was absolutely insane, but we made it out of there in record time!

Sierra and I started cooking early in the morning on Christmas Eve--we decided to have our big dinner that night instead of Christmas night. We had a humongous turkey that took forever to cook, but it was sooooo worth it. Things went very well until I burned the yams, which I've never done before! So sad because it's my favorite part of the meal.... However, everything else was delicious and we had a great time with lots of laughs at dinner.

Oh! I forgot. We came up with a fun little possibly-new-tradition idea. During our planning meeting we were split in half over whether or not to open a gift on Christmas Eve. In the Jorgensen family it's tradition. In Sierra's and my family it's not. So we compromised and came up with a super-fun activity. We drew names right before dinner and kept that name a secret. Then we piled into our van and went to Walmart, each of us with five dollars. The goal: dash into the store and find a $5 gift for the person whose name you drew as fast as you can. It was a total blast! We opened our gifts after dinner, and you'd be amazed at the awesome things you can get for only $5!!

Okay, so anyway, after dinner we all gathered at our house, where everyone slept to elimnate "commuting" for Christmas morning. The kids were up bright and early as usual, so we started opening presents right around 6-ish. The kids were so excited! (not to mention the adults)

We had a yummy breakfast of Aebelskivers (a super-tasty Jorgensen tradition) and Ziploc omlets (also very tasty and so simple!). Then came the laziness.... We watched a couple movies, ate our weight in treats and snacks, napped a little bit...you get the idea! We were supposed to make sugar cookies to take to a few of our friends, but discovered the day before that none of them would be around. So we decided enough of the laziness! Let's go play in the snow! We did and we had a blast!!

So even though we were stranded for the Holidays, we ended up having a great time, mostly because Tommy, Sierra and Josh were stranded too. It was so nice to have some family to celebrate with. We are so lucky to have them close by!

Holy SNOW!

2008-12-23T14:46:00.001-08:00

Good 'ol Boise.... Part of the reason we moved here is because of the fabulous weather--especially the mild winters. To quote from the realidaho website: "The Treasure Valley sees very little snow. What snowfall we do get usually comes at night and early morning and is typically melted by noon. Every six to ten years we get a heavy snow year that can leave an inch or two of snow on the ground for several weeks. Because there is so little snowfall, roads are mostly dry all winter long in the valley. In fact, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) does not own a single dedicated plow truck!"

Yep, you read that right! NO snowplows!! Now these two pictures are from the very first snowfall of the year. See how visible the ground is? That's usually the max--give or take an inch. So imagine our surprise when we received a snow storm! The first one gave us about 6 inches that started to melt the next day, but quickly iced over once evening hit (no plows), making morning commutes verrry interesting. They DO have trucks that spray liquid icemelt, but by my count, I'd be surprised if they have more than two of them.

Last night we received another few inches of snow. So unfortunate. However, it's been cloudy enough that there is no additional ice. But it doesn't stop there! We are expected to receive another 4-6 inches between tomorrow and Christmas Day.

Here are a couple pictures of our current status:

*Note: Yes, the toys are outside because the kids are usually still able to play with them.

Now, I know that for many of you who live in much colder, snowier places, this is no big deal. In fact I bet you'd be laughing in my face. But you have to remember that people out here don't even own shovels. It has been very interesting to watch everyone battling over the 10 shovels that Walmart has in stock, and it's not even close to over. In fact, as I finish this post, the snowflakes are beginning to fall...again.

Halloween--Yeah, it's been that long!

2008-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,
It's been forever, so I thought an update would be good.
Here's some pictures from Halloween! Jayni was "Super-girl" and Aleks was Batman. We are raising a couple of superhero freaks!
This year instead of going from house to house (we froze last year!) we went to the neighborhood "Trunk-or-Treat" at Seasons Park. The kids came home with quite a haul! We had lots of fun.

Okay, so the picture layout looks retarded, but I'm not going to spend the time to fix it!

Thanksgiving: We spent Thanksgiving with just the four of us, so no pictures cuz they wouldn't be all that exciting! I spent pretty much all day in the kitchen (of course I didn't mind!), Nate spent the day being sick, and the kids spent the day watching movies and bugging Daddy, with a little bit of playing in between. Despite Nate being sick, we had a pretty fun day!

Making History

2008-11-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm so excited!! Heritage Makers has been featured in the December issue of the "O" Magazine, in the famed "O List" section! This is an amazing time!

Egg(less) Nog

2008-10-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you are probably well aware of the fact that a small part of my love for Fall is because that's when egg nog first becomes socially acceptable during the year! I love egg nog. I recently came across a recipe that immediately reminded me of my little sis. She is disgusted at the notion of drinking raw eggs. Well, Jenna, this recipe is for you and for all you nog-lovers out there:

1/2 gallon cold milk, divided
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant French vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 cup milk and pudding mix until smooth. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the remaining milk. Refrigerate until serving.

News Update

2008-10-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am so shamefully behind on posting important stuff--like family announcements, etc.

So here's what we're happy to announce:

On September 11, 2008, Nate's brother Mike finally arrived home from serving a triumphant mission in Missouri! We are so happy to have him back home!!

My sister Heather is getting married to a great guy on November 21st! Now, I've only met him once, but he definitely seems 100% head-over-heels in love with her and seems to makes her genuinely happy. Therefore, I am very happy for the almost-newlyweds, and wish them an abundance of wedded bliss!
Sorry, no picture of them yet.

Okay. Next, and yes, the following information is true and verifiable: Nate's brother, Mike, is indeed getting married to his high school sweetheart, Megan in December. Yes, December!! Holy cow. We are very excited for them, and can't wait to watch them launch into their new life together.

Lastly, my kids are so excited to have 2 new cousins early next year! Nate's sister, Melissa is pregnant with her first, a little boy; my sister, Jenna is having her first girl! We are all excited to get to know them, and watch out, cuz Jayni just wants to play mommy and dress them up.

So I think that's all the super important stuff. If I left something out, I am SO sorry! Just let me know, and I'll be sure to make note of it.

Love to you all!

Jayni's Funny

2008-10-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last night for dinner we took the kids to McDonald's. They each got their standard Happy Meal and headed to the Playland to run off some energy. First of all, I must say that Jayni is a very good big sister. She made sure that Aleks was right behind her the entire time, even though there were other kids there that they quickly befriended (will that last forever?).

Anyway, to our surprise the toys in the Happy Meals were completely overlooked for the first time (EVER!), and neither one asked for them until we got into the car. Now, if you're current on Happy Meal toys you would know that the girl theme is the Wizard of Oz, the boys is Batman. While I was opening Jayni's toy she asked me what it was. I told her "It's the Wizard of Oz." Once unwrapped, I handed the good Wizard to her, and upon turning around heard her say in hushed amazement, "Wow! The Lizard God!"

Oprah Loves Heritage Makers!

2008-10-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, most of you should know by now that I quietly run my own independent business with Heritage Makers, hence the links on our blog.... Anyway, I absolutely LOVE Heritage Makers as a business and especially the products because of the power it has to bring families together. It is a new company, born in 2005, that has grown exponentially over the past few years.

Whether you love Oprah or not, you've got to admire her taste. And guess what Oprah loves now? Her Heritage Makers book! HM Consultant Brenda Kruse made a special book for her and Oprah called. Check out the story at: http://www.buildyourheritage.blogspot.com/

This is just one of the ways in which lives are touched, and changed and comforted through the power of story. As a Heritage Makers consultant, I hear things like this all the time. It's just really fun to hear it from Oprah! Stay tuned in the coming months for even more from Oprah about Heritage Makers....

I love what I do, and I think my Heritage Studio is the happiest place on earth. It's the place where I write my stories in the present, create permanent records that pass MY values on to future generations, and link my children with their past so they know who they are and where they came from. It's a place where I am creative. Pictures without stories are memories lost. Without stories, there is no heritage. Is there something that you need to start creating today?

Heritage Makers is poised to launch a Heritage movement across the country. This company has a vision and a mission like no other company I have seen. I am part of this movement and that vision, but I need help. Heritage Makers is about to go HUGE nationwide and when you logon to your Heritage studio today to create something you will see why, but we need more consultants!

I NEED people to help me. Have you ever considered doing what I do? Do you know someone who might be? Please call me. I can't think of anything more meaningful than a story under every tree and a book in every home this year for the holidays. Please let me know if I can help you make this happen for your family this year.

I have been tending to other pressing matters in recent months and haven't hit the sales goals I set for myself. Help me do it this month! If you need great Christmas gift ideas, this is the place!

Thanks for reading!

Family Reunion Fun!

2008-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great old time in September rallying as the Clark Clan in Utah. We were very fortunate to have most of the family there! Just missing our dear brother who is serving well in Argentina, and a couple of brothers-in-law. Tim was in and out as work allowed, and Joe graciously offered to stay behind so Mie and the kids come down even though they were up to their elbows in construction deadlines. We were very thankful and delighted to see everyone!!

Lagoon Day. Speaks for itself, doesn't it? Lots and lots of Icees, crazy chaos.... It was pretty fun. I admit that I don't love amusement parks, but it was definitely worth going. Jayni is a ride maniac! She stuck with Grandma and Abby--the daredevils--just so she could go on every ride possible. Aleks, well he gets car sick just driving around our subdivision, so he went on a couple very non-threatening rides, and of course, Rattlesnake Rapids (he loves water).

I still need pictures from everyone so I can make my book of our family reunion. Heritage Makers rocks! Speaking of which, I also had the pleasure of visiting our Grandma Clark in Highland. It was a special trip because we hadn't seen her in a very long time, and also because I made a Heritage Makers book just for her with the help of our extended family. It turned out beautifully, and it was such a rewarding experience for me as I put it all together with the help of my mom and dad. There is so much love for this amazing woman, and it was made so clear to me what a positive impact she has made in the lives of her children and grandchildren as I read through the letters that were submitted for the book. It was a touching experience to watch my grandma sift through the memories on each page, watching her smile and giggle at pictures of her young children. I feel very blessed to represent a company that allows me to make such a difference in the lives of others.

On a different note, we also uncovered some very important information while vacationing with the fam. My big sis is getting hitched! Of course it was off the record at the time, but shortly after our fun-filled week, we received a call from Abby, who was very excited to announce that she is getting a dad. We were able to meet Tige while in Logan, and he is hopelessly devoted to my Heather, and a very nice guy at that. So here's to a great wedding in February '09!

More to come soon! Hopefully.

Trying to Catch Up...

2008-09-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot going on in the last two months or so.... Lots of trips and vacation time!

First, I had the pleasure of visiting my parents in North Carolina, and quickly fell in love with the beautiful community they live in. It was so sad to leave! In the short time I was there we visited the ever-beautiful Biltmore House (an American landmark NOT to be missed!), ventured onto Fort Bragg, where my Dad works, visited with one of my favorite aquaintances (Karen Larsen), hung out with my cute niece, Abby, and so much more! Got some pictures to share:

The Biltmore House, Asheville, NC: contains 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, and a bowling alley! And for all you primpers, it has a healthy number of bathrooms--62, if I remember correctly!

A huge sunflower field on the Biltmore farm.

My Parents' lovely home!

At the marina just down the road (above and below).

Nice golf course, eh? Just a little farther down the road from the marina.
Nate can't wait to set foot on this course.

Hanging out at the swimming pool. Abby is quite the water baby!

This is my favorite picture. Dad and Abby did lots of canonballs and lots of diving.

Caught my dad working so diligently....

and quickly interrupted for this photo op and then LUNCH!

I had an incredible time, thanks to my mom and dad. Can't wait to visit again!

Summer!

2008-07-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe how fast summer is disappearing. In a way, I think I'm ready ready for the Fall season...the only temperatures we've had here are 'hot' and 'hotter'. It's definitely been an adjustment for us this year--I noticed there really isn't much of a Spring here. We went from winter to spring to summer all in the course of about a week! I know it could be worse, and I'm so glad it's not!!

We've had lots of fun between the hot, lazy days and the hotter run-through-the-sprinklers days. We've visited most of the parks in our city, as well as a couple favorites in Boise that, of course, have a huge playground. We've had fun evenings filled with food, family and friends. We even tried "camping" in the backyard (which didn't last because the kids wouldn't go to sleep). Here's some pictures of our summer fun so far:

2008-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our NEW Blog!

2008-07-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Due to recent technical difficulties, we have decided to discontinue our very lonely, poorly kept-up family blog and replace it with this one. It's newer, fresher, need I say cuter, and has a better picture to boot!

We will do our best to keep it up-to-date, but make no promises as we tend to be pretty dysfunctional when it comes to being organized! But we're all about possibility, and you know what they say about possibility....

2008-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00