My week in pictures

Thanksgiving with my Mom's family...

...Our Thanksgiving Dinner - just kidding.

Mom and her brothers Eddie and David with Samuel and David's granddaughter Cassie.
The whole clan (minus spouses) Cousin Sarah, Cassie, Grandma, Uncle David, Cousin Jake, Grandpa, Mom, Uncle Eddie, Me, and KeLeiGrandma and Grandpa with their great-grandchildren. (Samuel was content to hang out with Grandpa while a bunch of crazy people tried to get him to smile for a picture).
Me and Samuel at ESPN Gameday. This was so much fun even thought it was freezing! My favorite sign said "Our QB is hotter than yours" - which is so true. We lost but I am still proud of our Cowboys and the fight they put up against the Sooners. Maybe next season - Go Pokes!Samuel tries carrots for the first time. Hahahaha.And last but not least, our Christmas Tree! I absolutely LOVE this time of year. Since we are moving right after Christmas we aren't decorating as much as usual. We have what you see in the picture and a nativity. Enough to feel festive. We had a busy, fun week with Thanksgiving, family and lots of food.

The Things I am Thankful for...

1. My Family
..................Mom - who taught me to laugh at myself
..................Dad - who gave me the confidence to succeed
..................KeLei - who showed me it's okay to cry and to love the little things
..................Dallin - who showed me what sheer determination can accomplish
2. My Beliefs - the foundation on which I live my life
3. My Country - its diversity and breathtaking beauty
4. Smiles
5. Bubble Baths
6. Best Friends - who hear me out, never judge, and love me with all their heart7. A home
8. A job
9. Hot Chocolate and Cookies
10. My husband and my son - who are my everything

Veterans Day

It is Veteran's Day. A day that is often overlooked and many times forgotten. I would feel ungrateful if I didn't take a moment today to honor those who have served for our country. The men and women who fight and have fought in our armed services are some of the most selfless people I know. Literally giving their lives for the future of their families. I come from a long line of those who have served their country. Today I would like to honor my hero and mentor - my Grandpa Helton. My Grandpa served in the army from 1955 - 1976. He retired from the army to continue to serve his country through education, teaching 6th-8th graders. He is honest, hard-working, and patriotic. He has always encouraged and supported me in everything I've done. Through him I learned to love science, history, the army, my country, and chess. He has taught me to never be afraid to stand-up for what I believe in... To never be afraid to fight for those that I love... To always question and always respect those around me. It is because of men like my Grandpa that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today. Thank you.
If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace. ~Hamilton Fish

Good Grief, Charlie Brown!

Don't you just love this time of year? Autumn leaves and Halloween costumes. I realize I haven't posted about day-to-day stuff in a while. For starters, we went to the pumpkin patch. It was great fun picking out our own pumpkins and much cheaper than the Wal-Mart option. Carlin and I have decided we must make this our new family tradition.

We ended up with 4 big pumpkins and one small pumpkin for Samuel. Unfortunately we decided not to carve the pumpkins this year, however, they were used in our Trunk-or-Treat decorations. For Halloween we made it a family affair. I will let the pictures explain...

Yep, that's right - we were Peanuts characters. In this picture we have Sally, Linus, Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the Pumpkin Patch. Here is a better look at our trunk. We had fun taking Samuel trick-or-treating for his first Halloween and even more fun eating his candy.

For other events - Samuel has started eating solids and sits in his own high-chair. Yesterday he sat up on his own without leaning on one of us for support. I have a feeling he will start crawling soon. He sure is trying his hardest. And a Happy Birthday shout-out to my brother-in-law Ben! Yesterday was his birthday. We had dinner and birthday pie. Happy Birthday, Ben!

Last but not least - remember to VOTE tomorrow, November 4th!

And the winner is...

Johnson Controls in Norman! That's right folks... Carlin got a job and we are moving to the Norman area at the end of December. We are SO excited. I am sure all of you can relate to the anxiety that comes with finding a job - especially finding a job as a new college graduate, in a recession, and with a family to support. You can probably imagine the relief that we feel now that we have a job.

I don't even mind moving to Norman - sure it is OU territory, but we will wear our Orange loud and proud. It is still a change from Stillwater, but close enough that our parents can enjoy their grandchild and all future grandchildren. The best part is Carlin is excited about this job. As we were searching for a job I told him to find a job that he would be happy with, because a grumpy husband is a no-fun husband. He did and we are excited to see what the future holds for our little family.

Oh - and a funny story. When Carlin came home from the interview he said they had Googled his name. They looked at everything, including his blog... which led them to my blog! Yep, that's right, his future employers read my blog before they even interviewed him. Obviously there wasn't anything too incriminating on here because they hired him. ;) So, beware all you bloggers - a future employer just might be looking at your blog.

Dancing with the Stars and Politics...

What - might you ask - do these two have in common? I'm glad you asked. Read on and I will explain.

I happen to be a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars - I've watched it since its first season. It's one of two shows that I watch on a regular basis. This year, there is an 82 year-old, Broadway legend, can't-dance-to-save-her-life woman named Cloris Cleachman. She was funny the first couple of weeks, but now that we are halfway through the competition she is annoying. The competition is getting tougher and this crazy woman is still on there! Why? Because half of the votes come from the viewers and people keep voting her back. I can only come to two conclusions: 1. she has a huge fan-base, especially among the "baby boomers" and they keep voting her back, and 2. she is so crazy that people think she is funny and keep voting her back. Maybe it's both. Either way, week after week I watch in shock as other contestants (who can dance) get voted off while she survives to compete once again.

I am also a Patriot. I love this country, and show my love by casting my vote. I believe everyone should vote and get quite annoyed with those who don't vote but complain about the government. This year we have John McCain and Barack Obama running against each other. This post will remain politically neutral - I just have one point. Let's make sure the man who ends up President this year does so by the true popular vote. I don't want to see John McCain as President because the baby-boomers who watch Dancing with the Stars and keep voting Crazy Cloris back are the only ones who show up to the polls. Nor do I want to see Barack Obama President because the people who think Crazy Cloris is funny are the only ones who show up to the polls. I want to see a man who was voted in by the true popular vote as President. So, I am talking to my age group - the group who stastically does not show up to the polls. Get out there and vote! It only takes a few minutes. Get off your blogs, turn off the TV, squeeze some time in between classes and vote. NOVEMBER 4!

One last thing - since most of my readers are LDS, remember that you would not like a potential investigator to find out about the church by reading anti-LDS literature. The same applies to politics. If you want to know what someone stands for, go directly to the source. Here are some websites to help you out:

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

http://www.johnmccain.com/

http://vote411.org/

Finance Friday

I am almost too embarrassed to write this... Nevertheless, I have learned from my mistakes and hope others will learn from it as well.

Yesterday afternoon a young man came knocking on my door selling magazines for some kind of contest. He said he was from Maine and talked too fast and with too much of an accent for me to understand half of what he said. In my defense I was caught way off guard. First of all, I have a tendency to scare most of the door-to-door sales people away. For example, a few days ago a couple of young ladies came by selling the exact same thing for the exact same reason and I didn't even have to say no before they got the hint I wasn't interested. After they gave the initial spill they said "You aren't interested are you?" I said, "No." This guy didn't pick up on my intimidating nature. Also, Samuel was crying because he was ready to eat and I had my sister over. The young man was smooth, funny, and the next thing I know he is sitting on my couch filling out a receipt. He said he just wanted to "write my name down so he could say he had talked to me and get points for talking to me."

Sadly to say, I was swindled into buying $63 worth of magazines. It was so frustrating and afterward I felt sick to my stomach with dread (I had been saving my money for a gift for Carlin). I just felt like I couldn't get rid of him unless I handed him a check. So, what lessons can be learned? First, NEVER let them into your house! You're doomed the second you let them in. Second, say no firmly and stick to your decision - this guy wouldn't take no for an answer and I eventually caved. Third, these type of things are NEVER good deals - I was very well aware of this when I handed the check over and it was quite depressing. Fourth, always read the fine print. The fine print on the receipt said I was subject to fees if I canceled my check.

So, how does this story end? Well, on the back of the receipt it said I can cancel my order within 3 business days with no penalty. Needless to say, that is what I did. I will also put a stop-order on my check just to be sure. I feel kind of bad because this young man said he was number 2 in the contest and by canceling my order I have also revoked any points he would have gained from my order. However, there is no doubt in my mind that he will win - he was just so, very persistent.