Small Things

Before we left for Iraq we decided to put our belongings into storage to save money. Since we were sent home earlier than planned I started looking for a place to live before we left Iraq. On the second day of being back in the states I was house hunting all day. We found a house with a great back yard for my dog and finally moving in this weekend I am so excited. We have been in a hotel room since we got back and I can't wait to have my own bed back.

I know what the military has taught me, don't take the small things for granted. Your own bed, taking a shower by yourself and just being able to spend time with family. Even though my husband and I are sent to the same location for deployments we really can't act like we are married. We are not allowed to live together, hold hands, hug or even kiss. So I try not to take even the smallest thing for granted.

Joseph Smith???

According to an email I received from a friend, the Church is seeking to
authenticate this picture, but they are fairly sure that this is a true
picture of Joseph Smith around the time that he was in/or released from
Liberty Jail. It may be the only reported daguerreotype ever made of the
Prophet and was buried in the archives of the RLDS Church until they
recently found it and released it.


This is from an e-mail going around, kind of interesting. Jan

A Recipe from Christy's kitchen

I was going to list this before Easter, but got busy. These are delicious. Try some!

Lemon Poppy seed Muffins
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup nonfat lemon yogurt
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tsp. of lemon juice

1. Preheat ove to 400 degrees F. Grease the bottoms only of 12 muffin cups.

2. Beat the milk, oil, lemon yogurt and egg together. Stir in the flour, white sugar, poppy seeds, lemon zest, lemon oil, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups.

3. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with glaze immediately and let cool on racks.

4. To make glaze: Stir the confectioners sugar with the lemon juice and mix until smooth and of drizzling consistency. Add drops of milk if thinning is necessary.

These muffins disappear quickly. You might consider doubling the batch if you're making them for company. ENJOY!!!!!!

Vacation Pictures!

Here are some pictures from my recent vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I went there with my boyfriend, Chris, for 6 days. And yes, the water really is that blue. We had a wonderful time laying on the beach. I guess a quote from Office Space sums it up best "I did nothing...and it was everything I hoped it could be." We snorkeled a bit, which was my favorite part. A fish that I dubbed "Crusty Fish" especially liked me and followed me around the whole time. We also saw a little octopus!

So now it's just back to the grind.

A job opportunity fell into my lap recently that is turning out to look very promising. I just applied this past Thursday, they responded within the hour by e-mail and I got a call Tuesday. Wednesday they posted the job so that I could officially apply, and next I will be going in for an interview.

Other than that, life is as usual. Work, eat, sleep....
Happy Easter!
Heidi

We're growing!

HI EVERYBODY!!!!

Hi everybody as you read from Mom I just got back from Iraq for the third time and not sure if we will be heading back. There is not much to tell about Iraq except it is extremely HOT!!! When we left it was 100 degrees in March and then we came home to 40 degree weather. It's crazy. It is nice to be able to talk to you all. Talk to you all later.

My a.m. and p.m. class photos

i love my job and i love these kids. period. thank goodness for them.


Katie put this on another blog, so I hope she doesn't mind that I put it here. She is a teacher's aid for special needs pre-schoolers, I know she does a great job with them. She is working on getting her Sp.Ed. degree.

Random thoughts

Wow Christy what an incredible day you had today!! We are so glad to hear that Jennifer and her husband are back home safe and sound! Have they finished all there tours of duty in Iraq? We would love to hear from you Jennifer. Tell us all you can about Iraq, the war and your opinions.

We are so thankful for Jeanette and all she is doing for Dad. We appreciate all of you in Idaho who help take care of him. It's hard being so far away. Bruce is looking at the calendar to figure out when our next visit will be.

It is so fun to hear from the family. I have noticed there are some of you who have signed on but haven't posted anything yet-- we would love to hear from you-- even if it's just to tell us what you ate for breakfast.

GREATEST SUPRISE EVER!!!!

Mike called me at work this afternoon and asked me to go to lunch. I had just taken off for lunch and was in town running errands. He seemed determined to take me to lunch, and to pick me up at the hospital, so I returned to the hospital and told my boss that I would work until he got there. He usually calls me about a half a mile away, but this time he called me and told me he was out front. I walked out of the main office and there stood my DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW!!! They certainly surprised me!! They flew in from Iraq on Tuesday and wanted to surprise us! Boy, did they ever!! We have continued the surprise all through the family, picking up each of the kids at school. What a great day!!! They will return to Mt. Home, to life as usual. We are just glad that they are home safe and sound. Thank heaven for answered prayers.

Visit to the Glen McBrides

Last weekend I visited Dad and Jeannette in Rupert. We had a pleasant though short two day visit. Dad is trying very hard to stay positive and doing what he is supposed to do to care for his health. On Mon., Wed. and Fri., his dialysis days, he rises early (for him anyway) showers, dresses up in nice clothes and prepares for being picked up for dialysis. Others go to the center in sweats and grubby clothes, but not our dad and grandpa, he dresses up. He has been faithful in going without complaint even though it is so long (4+ hours)and the last hour gets so uncomfortable not being able to move. His biggest trial at the moment is extreme pain in his back which is being treated with pain killers but not giving him sufficient relief. We could all help him by mentioning him in our family and personal prayers.
Jeannette is a wonderful and concerned care giver, but working at capacity now. She needs prayers also that her energy level will hold out and she needs our praise and thanks. Happily they have fun together watching Jazz games and talking about sports and politics, but avoid stock market discussions at the moment!
Remember that their birthdays come up soon!!! (March 17 and 24) They don't need gifts, but cards and letters, and pictures or photos from kids, grandkids and great-grandkids would be wonderful. Family means everything to them and is their greatest joy!

Grandpa's 80th Birthday

Suns Cheerleaders

I always wondered what Bruce did at work.

Winter fun in Illinois

In Feb. Sally, Robbie and Marissa came to visit. That's a strange plan I know, we should be going to Arizona in Feb. We had a fun time together going to the children's museum and playing games at home. Robbie spent lots of time outside sledding and playing in the snow. We took Marissa to have her 2 year old portrait taken. What a cutie!
Last Sat., March 1st, we had a fun day with the Stone grandkids who live in Plainfield. 4 out of the 6 in the family, including mom and dad were on antibiotics for strep throat. Shelley and Aaron were pretty wiped out after a week of sickness in the family, so grandpa and grandma brought Ryan, Katherine, and the twins, Nathan and Lauren over to our house for the parents to have an afternoon of rest. We put a blanket on the family room floor, started a fire in the fire place and roasted hot dogs and had a picnic! That's the only way to picnic in Illinois, still snowcovered on the 1st of March!! We tried out strawberry flavored marshmellows in our smoors and it tasted great! We played games, read books and dug out an old Snapp family favorite movie which the kids of course had never seen, "Swiss Family Robinson". They loved it!