I promise....

Okay, I am not going to be that person who blogs about their pets but I have to say that this past week with our little Ash has been great! He's such a great fit with us.... he does this really cute thing that Rene calls 'commando' where he crawls towards you on his belly with his front paws out. Rene just loves it and they are really cute when they play together. And tonight before bed he got all excited and decided to attack me!! He cornered me and wouldn't let me pass, snipping at my feet every time I moved no matter what direction I went. ^_^ Anyways, I promise not to do a lot of blogging about him!!

An update on Rene: He's been training for the last week - actually talking to planes - and it's been great!! His trainers have praised him on his work so that's always great. It's been tough, he'll be the first to tell you that it's not easy and when he's done he's mentally drained. But he really has been doing a wonderful job. Just to give you a quick idea, one day the traffic was super busy and his trainer gave him a heads up that he may pull Rene off the 'scope' and take over. Well, he never had to take Rene off. Rene was able to keep up with all the traffic! :) (can you tell I'm proud of him??)

Me.... nothing much to say. Oh, I did get a call this week from a potential employer. He saw my resume online and called me to come in for an interview! I was so excited and apprehensive. With unemployment so high right now I know there are a lot of people out there fighting for jobs. I wanted to make sure that I was prepared and looked the part. The interview went well but as I was driving home I thought to myself that it may not be the right fit for me. Actually, it came down to pay.... they were going to pay me a little over minimum wage with a huge work load. I know I shouldn't be too picky in this market, but it just so happened that I didn't have to be. I never received a call back but it's all good. I wasn't really feeling the position and I didn't want to leave our pup after such a short time. Who wants to get a dog and then leave him alone all day???

The Newest Member of Our Family

:) Today, Rene and I went to a local furniture store for their grand opening... they were having some type of drawing where the winner gets up to $2000 to furnish a room. I wanted that prize, but we didn't win :( However, we got something better!!! Next door was a PetSmart and they were having adoption day. We decided to check it out cause we both love dogs and enjoy seeing all the pups. What we didn't expect was to fall in love with one of them. He's a 3 yr old Shih Tzu... his previous owners were both fairly old and ended up dying. No one in the family wanted to keep the little guy so he was sent to the animal shelter. Upon arrival, he was so covered in fleas he didn't have much fur on his back going to his behind and his tail. :( In the picture you'll see how his tail is black and pink... this is from the fleas and because he wasn't feed well or groomed often. We were told this would go away after a while of proper caring. He's already looking soooooooo much better. As soon as we got home he got a bath which helped out a ton. Oh, and his name was Roscoe...... ya, we didn't really care for that so his new name is Ash (the tips of his ears are gray and look like they were dipped in ash ^_^) So, here's our little guy. He's been wonderful, he really is a great fit. We couldn't have asked for a better pup!!!!!

After his bath

First time in his new bed :)

Aaron and Ginny's Wedding

This weekend, Rene and I went down to Evansville, IN for Ginny Fischback's wedding. She married Aaron Wiles in the Louisville, KY Temple. It was a wonderful weekend!!! It was such a treat to spend this time with them, plus Lee was able to come home for it! :) It's been a long time since we've seen him so it was nice to spend some time with him and his family (We LOVE the Fischbacks!!!). However, it was super hott! That was not so great but, Ginny still looked beautiful and everything went great. I was slightly disappointed because I forgot my nice SLR at home along with my chargers, so although I did have my point and shoot I didn't get many pics. I tried to save the battery for the reception since the happy couple didn't have a photographer. (and not that I'm great or anything, I just thought it'd be nice to get a few candid shots) Here are a few....

The Louisville Temple

Aaron and Ginny - First Dance

Cutting loose - Anya & Hannah, Dad Fischback & Ginny

Cousins - Lindsay and Bonnie

Happy Anniversary...

...to us! :) 4 years ago today, Rene and I were married in the Anchorage Alaska Temple. We cannot believe how fast time has flown by. It really doesn't feel like it's been 4 years.
We've enjoyed a lot of adventures, from moving cross county to taking a beautiful cruise. What a joy it's been to share all these memories with each other! Tonight we will be celebrating by going to dinner at the Melting Pot. :)

Gray hair

Does anyone else fret over a few gray hairs?? Well recently I have discovered my 3rd, permanent, gray hair! What's permanent? It's the fact that I stopped pulling out the occasional gray years ago and have lived with 1 and then 2, and now....3. Some may think, 3... really?? all this fuss over just 3? Yes!! To me that is a lot. Gray hairs, to me, are a sign of old age... old age is a sign that the ole' biological clock is ticking (tick, tick, tick...). Sure, I'm only 27 and on the verge of 28 and it's still kinda young but not when there are so many odds stacked against you. It just makes me feel old, not having any kids yet makes me feel old so this just makes me feel doubly old. :( Oh, and Rene pointed out his first gray to me the other day as well!!

A Serious Note

Is there ever such a thing as too serious?? Well, I may just cross that line this time. When I blog I usually just update what Rene and I are up to. I don't go into specifics about ourselves or into deep thoughts. I guess it's because I'm a pretty private person and there are certain areas in my life I just don't share... sometimes out of shame. But, I've been thinking for a while about changing this. Every once in a while I sit down at the computer and type out this big blog with what's going on in my head/heart and then I delete it. Why you may ask? I have no idea... I guess I worry about other's knowing my personal thoughts and feelings. Now, before I go into the depths of my soul here's some great news on Rene and his job.

Back in June Rene started his final stage of training as an Air Traffic Controller. Without going into the specifics I'll just say this, there are 2 stages of his training and he completed his first stage back in November. Since then he's been working in that particular area alone. Now he's into the 2nd and last stage which is the most difficult. He most likely wont be done with this part til next April or May, which I don't think are coming soon enough for him. LOL Oh, and the other week his supervisor gave him his yearly evaluation and with that he gave Rene a bonus!! Yay Rene!! His sup' told him that normally trainees don't get these bonus' but because of his spectacular work, he was the exception. :) I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work!!

That's Rene right now... work, work and more work. When he's not working he hangs out with me and relaxes on the computer :) I on the other hand still have yet to find a job. I don't know what is going on. Back home in the great state of Alaska I never had problems finding work but here... it's a whole new story. When we first got here a little over a year ago I had the hardest time finding work. I eventually took a job as a nanny and then got a job through a temp agency. I have now been out of work 2.5 months and the only prospect I had was going to Korea to teach English! Rene and I have talked about what type of job I should look for since I reached the desperate stage and we've decided that I will continue to hold out for a good job, something that doesn't include minimum wage, fast food and retail. I know there's something out there I just have yet to find it.

Anyways, this isn't really what I had in mind when I spoke of serious... or shame. As some of you may have noticed I have changed the background of our blog again. I tend to do this for all the holidays that arise. You may be thinking, what holiday is coming up?? To answer that very silly question, it's our 4 Year Anniversary!!! Can you believe it? I know we can't! These past 4 years have really flown by. Rene and I have enjoyed a lot of laughs, adventures, and of course... tears. (as Rene would tell you, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't cry at least once - no joke!) So although I am so happy and grateful for these 4 years together they also bring tears... tears of joy and tears of sadness. The tears of joy should be pretty self explanatory but tears of sadness... why you may be wondering? Who could ever be sad when they've been married to the love of their life... their partner in crime? One simple answer... babies. If there was one thing we are missing, one thing that would make us happier and more of a family it would be children. For a reason unknown to us, we have yet to be blessed with children, with the joys of parenthood.

Here's the shame in it all... I don't like to talk about our not having babies. I feel ashamed that I can't give Rene babies the conventional way... that without the help of modern medicine or a Divine miracle, I will never be able to give Rene beautiful babies. I'm still not to terms with this I guess and I struggle with it every day. Even now as I type I'm crying and wanting to erase everything I just wrote. I cannot believe I'm actually putting my heart out there for everyone to read on the world wide web, but maybe, just maybe these words may help someone else. I've seen some blogs about infertility and the struggles of wanting and not having children and sometimes it helps to read about someone else. To feel like there's someone else out there who gets it... who understands, really understands. Anyways, this was not what I had in mind when I started this post.... all I wanted to do was follow through with what I had started. For some reason I've wanted to share this with you for a reason unknown to me... I have failed countless times but here goes. I may just delete it after an hour, a day or a week... but for now here it is - The Longest post ever!!! :)

Batting cage fun

These past 2 weeks has been a lot of fun spending time with Rene's family. After a week in French Lick, IN with the whole gang Rene's parents came back to Indianapolis with us to spend more time with just the two of us (or more likely, Rene). We spent a lot of time just hanging out playing games together and eating some food... I always like an excuse to cook for others :) We went to the batting cages to hit some balls... something neither mom or Hal had ever done. It was a lot of fun. I really think Hal enjoyed himself and mom liked watching everyone. The last time Rene and I went I pretty much stayed with the slow pitches (40mph) but this time I thought I'd try medium pitch (70mph)... it was not good. I hit a few and oh man did I hurt my hands!!! No wonder those guys wear batting gloves, or whatever they are called. Rene did well on both the slow and medium pitches... he however, did not go to the fast balls this time. Here are some pics:


Here's Rene's mom at bat


This is Hal... pretty good action shot :)


And last, but not least, Rene... go slugger!!!!

Weekend in French Lick

This past weekend Rene and I went to French Lick, IN (2 hrs south of Indianapolis) to spend time with his family. Rene's parents got a place in French Lick for a family get together. All of Mom's sisters came along with Lavada (Rene's sister), Dan (Lavada's now fiance), Rene and I. Vacation's with Rene's mom's family is never boring, and hardly ever quiet! lol Seriously, I've never known a family like this one. We had a great time spending time with everyone. This was the first time I've been with the family when all of Rene's aunts were there, normally there's one or two who couldn't make it.

We drove down on Friday and had a nice family dinner together, spent a long time talking and telling embarrassing stories about one another. On Saturday the girls and guys split for breakfast, although the girls were gone MUCH longer than the guys :) Saturday evening we had our Fashion Show and Talent Show. (Rene's family is big on this, the sisters always put on quite the production) It was this night when Lavada and Dan decided to do an impromptu skit and announce their engagement. Congrats to them!! After all the festivities and fun, we took a group shot... it came out pretty nice


Back Row (L-R) Lavada, Dan, Nancy, Linda, Jean, Cathy
Front Row (L-R) Dave, Joan, Hal, Mom, Rene

Thanks to Mom and Hal for always inviting the family to spend time with them on their vacations! We love and miss you all!!!

Mmmm Mmmmm Good (I hope)

Yesterday I decided to bake a Key Lime Cheesecake. I love cheesecake and I wanted to make something new and something Rene might like (he's not a cheesecake lover which is okay with me cause then I don't have to share mine ;P) Anyways, he enjoys the tart desserts and I make a pretty good Key Lime Pie so I decided to try the cheesecake. I looked at a lot of different recipes and saw somethings I did and didn't like. So, I combined some of them together to make this delicious looking cheesecake.

Doesn't it look yummy??!! I'm so happy it came out perfect too, no cracks! I haven't had a chance to try it yet as I'm saving it for tonight when we have company over. (Although I did taste the batter and it was really good!) It's hard for me to try out new recipes with guests because I always want things to turn out perfectly but I think it might be okay this time. Cross your fingers it tastes as good as it looks, and smells!! I'll let you know if it's any good. :)

A gift for.... Rene???

About a week ago Rene celebrated his 27th birthday. It was pretty low key, just Rene and I at home. He really didn't want to do anything and as we are trying to keep to our very strict budget, we couldn't anyways. However, we did go see his oldest brother, Ramin in Alabama that weekend (19-21). Ramin was down here for some training and since the boys haven't seen each other in over a year, it was really great for them. I think Rene had a pretty spectacular time, probably a birthday wish come true... He and Ramin spent the entire weekend playing computer games :) Anyways, I made him a Lemon Meringue Pie on his birthday. It was my first attempt at a homemade Lemon Meringue and it turned out pretty good. It's not one of my favorite deserts, but Rene loves the tart stuff.



Now, I've been trying to find a storage container for my rice. I like to get the larger bags of rice because they are overall cheaper than buying the smaller bags. Only problem, how to store it. My mom has this fabulous rice dispenser that I've always enjoyed. As a little girl I loved pushing the buttons and listening to the rice pour down. However, I couldn't find anything like it. I was in Wal Mart one day trying to find something cheap when my mom called. I told her what I was looking for and she told me to find one similar to hers and she'd buy it for us as Rene's birthday present. Well, I looked online and couldn't find anything remotely similar and then I called all the Oriental/Korean food stores in Indy I could find and found only 1 place to sell rice dispensers. I went there thinking that it was going to be one of these small little things I've seen on the internet but, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was one just like my moms!!!! (only slightly smaller)



HAPPY BIRTHDAY RENE!!! :)