The Castillon Family

It's A Girl!!!

2012-01-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

Broke the Castillon Tradition on this one!! Can you believe it? It took us a couple of days, but it has sunk in...a sweet, precious, little baby GIRL!!

As most of you know at my initial appointment to find out the gender, littlER critter wouldn't open those legs! The Dr. didn't even have a guess! I wasn't really upset, just anxious!! After all it was just so exciting to see the baby moving around in there!! I would have had to have waited another month to find out the gender, and by this time I just wanted to know!

So I immediately called fetal photos in Green River, and setup an appointment for the following evening to try again. Finding out the gender with baby number 2 was completely different than with Elijah for some reason. Jamie and I had told our friends and family we were rooting for a boy again. Girls kind of freak us out! ;O)

However when we discussed getting pregnant this time around, and all throughout this pregnancy thus far we have talked privately about our hopes also for a girl. We have been so back and forth on it! We have never discussed wanting a girl like we have this time around.

So I don't get why I was so nervous at this appointment? I was going to be happy either way right!? 5 minutes into the ultrasound there was a glimpse! The tech said I'm pretty sure that was a girl. My eyes immediately weld up with tears...I felt relief, excitement, astonishment, and unbelief. We got 5 great looks at HER, she was definitely a girl!!!

I went home and just stared at my pictures, wanting to scream it to the top of the world, that we were going to have a GIRL!!! I just couldn't believe we were going to have a girl. I guess for some reason I thought because of this Castillon Tradition, that it just was not in the cards for us this time around?

Then my phone rings, and it is my husband. He wasn't able to come with me to my first appointment, nor was he going to be there for the checkup in February, so we decided to just have the ultrasound regardless without him. He was talking so fast, I could hardly process what I was about to tell him!

So what is it? What are we having? Did you find out? I excitedly told him that we were going to be blessed by our Heavenly Father with a sweet, precious, little baby girl. He paused for a moment.
"nu uh" he said, "are you serious?!"
"yes" I replied.
"for real you aren't joking around?"
"dead serious love, its a girl, we are having a GIRL!"

Jamie was as excited, but as baffled as I was. He was home minutes later, and greeted me with a big pick me up hug with a twirl and a kiss, grabbed Elijah and explained to him how he was going to be a big brother of a sister!

He then wanted the proof, so we all sat and watched the dvd together, and looked over our photos of little miss critter! Jamie then told me how he felt that maybe he wanted a girl more than he led on, I agreed to that too :O) but I really think we would have been just as excited if it were a boy! I mean heck it is a baby, any parents would have been as excited either way right!?

As for names, we have been talking girl names for years. We have it narrowed down to 2! Penelope and Elliette (pronounced Elliot). As much as I loved Penelope for YEARS for EVER...I think we are actually leaning towards Elliette!! Ellie and Eli...doesn't get much cuter than that!!!!

Gaming: Children, and Ourselves.

2011-12-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

We are all familiar with video games and Gaming- the act of playing games. I grew up with consoles my entire life. Atari, Nintendo, SNES, Gameboy, PS etc. I am a fan of video games myself. I have a passion for Mario, just take a look at my son Elijah's Nintendo Nursery.

So I guess I have been a gamer pretty much my whole life. However I do not play video games everyday..nor all day. My husband is a gamer too, he and I are on the same page about video games, but we really limit our time with them. We think they are a great pastime, but something to seriously be monitored. In reality there are far more important things for us to be doing than gaming all day.

We do have the occasional day here and there where we will game most of the day, but usually the weather is crummy, or we are taking a day for relaxing, we haven't played VG's for a few weeks, and all our chores and priorities are taken care of.

I have been thinking a lot about Elijah, and when we will let him begin gaming. My husband and I have been back and forth on this many times. Our agreement that is when he is able to actually play them, we figure 4ish? Now we won't let him sit down and play Modern Warfare no doubt. I am so thankful for our PS3 Motion, and Xbox 360 Kinect. Keep the kid more active and obviously non violent!!! Games like Disney Adventures, Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster, those are the games we will let him play, and with US no doubt! It would be such a fun and active pastime.

While some parents worry about whether playing video games is good for young children ( I being one of them!), I think that gaming — when properly supervised and balanced with other activities — can be a great pastime not only for kids but for parents' relationship with their kids.

Lately when my husband decides it's time to relax and play a VG, he plays once Elijah is in bed. Very rarely do we play a video game when Elijah is there to watch ( unless its an active kinect game where he sees us jumping and crouching about). My husband feels that it is in our children's best interest. I agree whole heartily with that. We don't only monitor our VG time but our television watching time, especially with Elijah, about 2-3 hours for him, breaking it up into morning afternoon and evening if possible.

I have seen quite a few families actually have really big issues over video games, Elder David A. Bednar said the following:

"Consider again the example I mentioned earlier of a young couple recently married in the house of the Lord. An immature or misguided spouse may devote an inordinate amount of time to playing video games, chatting online, or in other ways allowing the digital to dominate things as they really are. Initially the investment of time may seem relatively harmless, rationalized as a few minutes of needed relief from the demands of a hectic daily schedule. But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement."

After all these things AREN'T BAD! But something we feel need to be strongly monitored, and not just with our child/ and future children, but with OURSELVES even as adults!!

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorom of the 12 Apostles talk "Things as They Really Are" found in the JUNE 2010 ENSIGN... I truly believe he hit the nail on the head with this one, in part of his talk he says:

( yes this is a bit lengthy, but you should really read EVERY word of this part of his talk..it doesn't just pertain to VG's but all social networks, online technology etc..very good food for thought!!)

"For example, all of us can find enjoyment in a wide range of wholesome, entertaining, and engaging activities. But we diminish the importance of our bodies and jeopardize our physical well-being by going to unusual and dangerous extremes searching for an ever-greater and more exhilarating adrenaline “rush.” We may rationalize that surely nothing is wrong with such seemingly innocent exploits and adventures. However, putting at risk the very instrument God has given us to receive the learning experiences of mortality—merely to pursue a thrill or some supposed fun, to bolster ego, or to gain acceptance—truly minimizes the importance of our physical bodies.

Sadly, some young men and young women in the Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment … : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13).

You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain.

We live at a time when technology can be used to replicate reality, to augment reality, and to create virtual reality. For example, a medical doctor can use software simulation to gain valuable experience performing a complicated surgical operation without ever putting a human patient at risk. A pilot in a flight simulator repeatedly can practice emergency landing procedures that could save many lives. And architects and engineers can use innovative technologies to model sophisticated design and construction methods that decrease the loss of human life and damage to buildings caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters.

In each of these examples, a high degree of fidelity in the simulation or model contributes to the effectiveness of the experience. The term fidelity denotes the similarity between reality and a representation of reality. Such a simulation can be constructive if the fidelity is high and the purposes are good—for example, providing experience that saves lives or improves the quality of life.

Please notice the fidelity between the representation of reality in the computer rendering (page 26) and the reality of the completed room in the photograph on the next page.

In the example, high fidelity is employed to accomplish a most important purpose—the design and construction of a sacred and beautiful temple. However, a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.”

I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.

If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.

In contrast, we need to heed the admonition of Paul: “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).

Consider again the example I mentioned earlier of a young couple recently married in the house of the Lord. An immature or misguided spouse may devote an inordinate amount of time to playing video games, chatting online, or in other ways allowing the digital to dominate things as they really are. Initially the investment of time may seem relatively harmless, rationalized as a few minutes of needed relief from the demands of a hectic daily schedule. But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement.

To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared—all of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body—could be sacrificed for a high-fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value. If you and I are not vigilant, we can become “past feeling” (1 Nephi 17:45), as did Laman and Lemuel long ago.

Let me provide another example of disconnecting gradually and physically from things as they really are. Today a person can enter into a virtual world, such as Second Life, and assume a new identity. An individual can create an avatar, or a cyberspace persona, that conforms to his or her own appearance and behavior. Or a person can concoct a counterfeit identity that does not correlate in any way to things as they really are. However closely the assumed new identity approximates the individual, such behavior is the essence of things as they really are not. Earlier I defined the fidelity of a simulation or model. I now emphasize the importance of personal fidelity—the correspondence between an actual person and an assumed, cyberspace identity. Please note the lack of personal fidelity in the following episode as reported in the Wall Street Journal:

Ric Hoogestraat is “a burly [53-year-old] man with a long gray ponytail, thick sideburns and a salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache. … [Ric spends] six hours a night and often 14 hours at a stretch on weekends as Dutch Hoorenbeek, his six-foot-nine, muscular … cyber-self. The character looks like a younger, physically enhanced version of [Ric]. …

“… [He] sits at his computer with the blinds drawn. … While his wife, Sue, watches television in the living room, Mr. Hoogestraat chats online with what appears on the screen to be a tall, slim redhead.

“He’s never met the woman outside of the computer world of Second Life, a well-chronicled digital fantasyland. … He’s never so much as spoken to her on the telephone. But their relationship has taken on curiously real dimensions. They own two dogs, pay a mortgage together and spend hours [in their cyberspace world] shopping at the mall and taking long motorcycle rides. … Their bond is so strong that three months ago, Mr. Hoogestraat asked Janet Spielman, the 38-year-old Canadian woman who controls the redhead, to become his virtual wife.

“The woman he’s legally wed to is not amused. ‘It’s really devastating,’ says Sue Hoogestraat, … who has been married to Mr. Hoogestraat for seven months.”⁵

Brothers and sisters, please understand. I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones. “Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real-life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by … a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers [who responded indicated that] the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world.”⁶

How important, how enduring, and how timely is the Lord’s definition of truth: “things as they really are.” The prophet Alma asked, “O then, is not this real?” (Alma 32:35). He was speaking of light and good so discernible they can be tasted. Indeed, “they who dwell in [the Father’s] presence … see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace” (D&C 76:94).

My beloved brothers and sisters, beware! To the extent personal fidelity decreases in computer-mediated communications and the purposes of such communications are distorted, perverted, and wicked, the potential for spiritual disaster is dangerously high. I implore you to turn away immediately and permanently from such places and activities (see 2 Timothy 3:5).

Now I would like to address an additional characteristic of the adversary’s attacks. Satan often offers an alluring illusion of anonymity. Lucifer always has sought to accomplish his work in secret (see Moses 5:30). Remember, however, that apostasy is not anonymous simply because it occurs in a blog or through a fabricated identity in a chat room or virtual world. Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts (see Alma 41:3). “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming. He has warned us that “the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3).

I have raised a voice of warning about only a few of the spiritual hazards in our technologically oriented and rapidly changing world. Let me say again: neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. Lucifer will encourage you to misuse and to minimize the importance of your physical body. He will attempt to substitute the monotony of virtual repetition for the infinite variety of God’s creations and convince us we are merely mortal things to be acted upon instead of eternal souls blessed with moral agency to act for ourselves. Deviously, he entices embodied spirits to forfeit the blessings and learning experiences “according to the flesh” (1 Nephi 19:6; Alma 7:12–13) that are made possible through the Father’s plan of happiness and the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son.

For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?

2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.”

These eternal truths about the importance of our physical bodies will fortify you against the deception and the attacks of the adversary. One of my deepest desires for you is an ever-increasing testimony of and appreciation for the Resurrection—even your own resurrection with a celestial, exalted body “because of your faith in [the Lord Jesus Christ] according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41)."

Round 2!

2011-12-01T16:37:00.001-08:00

Today I am 13 weeks and 3 days pregnant! This is when most people are announcing LOL. I have felt wonderful yet again this pregnancy! I did have a couple of days of nausea at about 9 weeks. Nothing too crazy though thank goodness! Other than that it has been business as usual, still running 3-4 days a week 3-4 miles +, boxing, kickboxing, yoga, pilates etc. It would be nice to keep this us like I did with Elijah! I have had more cravings this time around, but the biggest difference is the LACK of appetite. I actually lost 13lbs this 1st trimester, I just didnt want to eat really. Everything sounded good, but I wouldn't really eat a whole meal, I would get FULL so FAST! Felt like I was 8 months pregnant rather than a few weeks along!! My OB said that it was normal and not to worry, my appetite is slowly coming back, and I am gaining weight back!

I have been wondering when I was going to start showing this time, and the time is here! If you see me out and about you probably won't notice, you have to see the bare belly to see the bumpage, but it is coming in, and a couple of weeks earlier than Elijah this time too! I am so excited to go down this road again, I LOVED every second of my pregnancy with Elijah. I felt amazing, and was just very excited to be a mother. Now I will be a mother of 2!!! I will be a busy mom, my children will be 20 months apart!

Very excited to give my little critter another little critter to play with!!

No bones about it, we're PREGNANT!

2011-10-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well here we go again! Elijah Ames is going to be a big brother, can you believe it!? Our family is very excited for our new addition!

We found out that I was pregnant the MORNING OF ELIJAH'S 1st BIRTHDAY!! Holy Toledo was that one heck of a day! It was very exciting! That same day I ordered this awesome iron on decal to announce our pregnancy for October (MY FAVORITE MONTH). I actually found it about a year ago, but there wasn't a need for it. I had a friend get pregnant a few weeks before me, and I told her she should buy it and announce this way, she by passed on the idea, so I took it on immediately. Such a fun and cute way to surprise our friends and family. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, so this was perfect for us!

As of right now I am due June 5th, that puts me at 9 weeks. However when we went in, the baby was too small, and we could not measure, so we estimated my due date by my last cycle, I'm pretty sure it won't change much, but we go back in on November 7th for another ultrasound and measurement to get a solid due date. Can't wait to see my lil baby up on that screen again like we did with Elijah!

So far I have felt fabulous! No morning sickness thus far thank goodness, as was the same with Elijah. Hope it stays that way. I only felt tired the first couple of weeks. Then I got a cold, and that laid me out for a week, I seriously just slept all day every day! Thank goodness Elijah sleeps 12-14 hours straight through the night, this momma needed her rest. Now my cold is gone, and we are back to our crazy busy hectic schedules!

What is even MORE exciting about all of this is that I have 6 friends that are pregnant, and the furthest apart we are is 5 weeks! Pretty crazy, going to be so much fun !!

Happy Halloween!!!

Castillon style!!

Maple roasted sugar pumpkin, sage, and jack grilled cheese.

2011-10-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Totally a goodie for fall!

Take a sugar pumpkin destem, half, peel, and deseed.

Cut up into 1by1 pieces, add 2 tbs melted butter, and 1 tbs REAL PURE MAPLE syrup. Its a lot more expensive, but tastes so much better, especially when baking/roasting!

Place in a pan and top with fresh crushed black pepper (to taste)

You will also need fresh cut sage. 6 leaves coarsely chopped will do the trick.

For my bread I didn't use regular sandwich bread, I bought a fresh baked loaf of Italian rustic bread, very flavorful bread that is for sure!

Start grilling the bread, and add freshly grated Monterrey Jack cheese, top with roasted pumpkin, layered to fit the bread, then top with some sage, and add more grated cheese, then add your top piece of bread, and finish grilling. The pumpkin, maple, sage, and cheese is amazing flavor in your mouth! WOWZA!

Homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Pecan Praline Topping

2011-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Be sure that ALL of your ingredients are ROOM TEMPERATURE before you begin. It will make your cheesecake nice and smooth, if an item is cold, like eggs, you will have giant cracks across your pie, still edible, but certainly not as pretty!

Ingredients

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 freshly baked and mashed pumpkins (then use 1 and 3/4 Cup of mash) OR
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin ( FRESH IS SO MUCH BETTER THOUGH!)
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan, or if you don't have a springform pan, use a CAKE pan, you CANNOT use a regular pie dish, it will not fit, it will overflow horribly! You need a dish with at leas 2.5 inches tall on sides. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined. Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

For my topping I used a Pecan Praline topping..WONDERFUL and simple recipe as follows

Ingredients

2 cups whole pecans
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine pecans, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Spread into a square baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until coating is dry, and slightly crystallized, stirring once. Remove from oven to cool and stir once more. If not serving immediately, store in an airtight container.

Support my business!

2011-10-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

So a lot of you know of my work in the snowboarding industry, however I am sure a lot of you do not! I do affiliate marketing and advertising for snowboarding shops that are web based. Here is a really easy and quick break down of how it works. You click on my advertisement for a particular board shop, and it takes you to that site, and you order merchandise!

I can get you discount codes, and coupons most times for these particular site, but you just have to click on MY advertisement on my blog, OR when I post the link to facebook, myspace, or google+. Its a win win situation! Some of you might be thinking, well I will just go to the site, and not through Julie and order..the catch is, MY ADS have built in coupons more times than not, so you will be saving money!! Just add my blog to your favorites, and when you want to shop, click on my blog, and then my ad!! Simple!

I just recently got job offers from quite a few shops, I will be adding more soon. Now here is the even COOLER PART. When I re certified my sites, I applied for different types of shops as well. I'm an not only doing snowboard shop based shops. I will and can expand my business with such shops like mammabargains.com littleruler.com etc... baby stores!! That is right! If there is a particular online shop you like to shop at, let me know about them, Ill can send my application into them and possibly get them to employ me. Just let me know if you are interested in coupons, and shops! I greatly appreciate your help!!

<<<<<-------Ill be posting my ads at the top to the left of my blog, it should be the first thing you see!

Video Game Marathon for Charity

2011-09-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

I SN0W GIDGET will be embarking on an annual 24-hour video game marathon that raises money to help heal sick kids at our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital (Primary Children's) !!

I will play 24 hours of video games if you donate to this charity! $1 $5, ANYTHING!! Would love your help and support!!

Click the icon below that is provided, and it will take you to the donation portion of the site. Tax decutible as well! Thank you so much for your donations!

Make a Donation!

If your a Hunter, then you have a hunting story!

2011-09-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

Well we had one heck of a week last week! We were planning on being packed and up at our hunting camp on Monday, however the axle on our camper wasn't ready until Tuesday. So we went and picked it up, then had to put it on the camper, took a bit longer than we expected, it was getting late, so we decided to stay home, and go up Wed, the day before bow hunting opened, we would have plenty of time! However my phone decided to die, and we ordered another one,they over nighted it to us, so instead of leaving in the morning, we waited until the afternoon to go, (after I got my phone setup) We were on the road Wednesday @ 2pm..

We were about half way to hunting camp when Jamie noticed some smoke...he went and checked out the camper, and figured out that we had lost a bearing. CRAP! So we drove a bit further down the road to a Wyoming Memorial site that had a nice truck area off the road. Pulled in and Jamie got to work, Elijah Summit and I cheered him on, and hiked around when we got bored with that lol.

We then decided to unhook from the camper and drive into Labarge, which doesn't have much, and they didn't have an auto shop that carried bearings, we would have to go all the way into Big Piney, another 30 minutes down the road...we started sweatin, it was 4pm, so I used my handy dandy smart phone and BINGed Big Piney Auto parts, and called Napa, they were open till 530! Then I had to call over to the place in RS that fixed our axle, and find out the bearing size they used.

We got it all figured out and squared away, bearing purchased, and back to our "road side camp" Jamie got back to work, after a couple of hours of huffing and puffing, the remaining barrels wouldn't come off!! We needed a hack saw, which was conveniently at home. We lost day light, and decided to camp there!

Early Thursday morning opening day on the side of the road, driving back into Big Piney to go buy a freakin hack saw! We returned to the camper, and Jamie got once again back to work. It took a while, Elijah and I napped, then dad came and woke us up. He told us he had it fixed and were all ready to get to hunting camp!! What a way to spend the opening day of bow hunting season!!

The camper holds, we make it just fine, and get all settled into camp. Elijah and I explore the woods for cool rocks, twigs, and moo cows!!

Elijah just loved being up at camp, sitting in the dirt, playing with the rocks, and hanging out with his Summit boy!

Opening day about 2 in the afternoon, Jame sets up our targets, and we decided to shoot a bit. He then tell me he is just going to go on a quick night hunt, and probably just call and scout out them Elk!

Elijah and I made dinner, and snuggled up to a movie in the camper. We loved it! It felt odd not going with Jamie to hunt, I was missing it, but still enjoying my time at camp. Elijah and I fell asleep. I wake up to Summit barking, and realize its just Jamie driving into camp, it was dark about 10 pm..I wait laying in bed for Jamie to come in the camper. I hear the door open and shut, and then peaks his wide eyed beautiful face around the corner. " I got one Julie, I got one!!"

I was in shock! I played it off like he was joking, "nuh uh no you didn't! did you!?"

Jamie then told me his "hunting story" I love his hunting stories!!! We stayed up and talked for a couple of hours about our crazy adventure, and how stressful the situation could have been.

We talked about all the praying we have been doing, on top of our normal prayers. We felt like we prayed all day every day for days straight to get things in order, and have them work out. Because of our faith in the Lord, I know he comforted us, and blessed us with the mentality and patience to get through our trials. We actually had fun, considering our circumstances!

I am SO thankful for my amazing husband, for the knowledge not only that he has in the gospel, but for being the hand man he is! I swear he is am automotive technician, carpenter, electrician, HVAC, plumber, pipe fitter, welder...THE LIST GOES ON!!! Such a hard working man, and not afraid of a little labor! He's a mans man! I believe one of the sexiest things things about him is his skill to PROVIDE, and of course the fact that he is a HUNTER, and can go out and get his family some food with a bow!

He is so perfect for me, I love him so much!! Can't wait to make more babies, and have him teach them all these things :O)

So enough with the mushy gushy and on to the KILL! Here are some photos of Jamie Elk. He shot this fella deep in the basin, and had to quarter him up. Oh yes it’s a job! For one thing; any person going elk hunting alone is nuts!

The first trip out of the basin he brought up the head and a hind quarter. He said that was the hardest part, SO HEAVY!!!

By the time he took the second trip his brothers showed up, and brought Jamie his special pack to put the elk in. He fit the rest of the front and hind quarters and a few other parts of meat. It was heavy as well! He packed out over a hundred pounds of elk out of the basin, one hell of a hike by itself, let alone to add an elk into the mix...I love my buff and strong hubby!!

Elijah and daddy's kill.

All in all a fabulous trip!! Now to get my deer!!

Almost Hunting Season!!

2011-08-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Few things can bring you more joy than to pursue two of your passions at the same time. This is easy to do by taking your children snowboarding with you! However Eli is too small, see it being the off season from snowboarding, my husband and I do a plethora of other outdoor activities, that help keep up in shape, and ready for the following season of snowboarding! Hunting is right around the corner!! Our first trip with Elijah...wow..we took our 6 and a ½ month old son hunting with us for the first time. I have been so excited to get our baby out and about in the great outdoors!

Obviously Elijah wasn’t old enough to be walking, so he wasn’t able to actually get out and hike, and hunt with us. My husband and I took turns on babysitting between hunts. This was made possible by having a 3rd person in our hunting party, we call him Grandpa!

Getting out in the country, on long dirt roads eyeballing turkey’s could not have been any more fun. It was great to take Eli out of his car seat, sit him on our lap, and watch him squeal with excitement at all the new things he was seeing. The trees, the cows, and the old run down Wyoming barns.

When hubby, and grandpa were out on a hunt, Elijah and I would play outside, and feel the leaves of the trees, grab the rocks, and long grass on the ground, and just look at all the wonderful beauty that was surrounding us. Not to forget of course, changing diapers in the back seat of the truck, rushing to make bottles for a fussy wee Elijah, and cuddle and rock my sweet baby to sleep, while settling in for a movie on the DVD player!

Jamie and I would often bring up what it will be like when Eli is 4, and we take him out to actually follow us on a hunt! We imagine it will be a far different experience. One that will include us walking only a few yards, to then “need a break” to sit and rest on a nearby log. Then a few minutes later needing to stop for a potty break, only to then be told he doesn’t want to relieve himself in the middle of the woods, but that he wants to travel ALL THE WAY back home to potty.

Stories about having young children with you usually do not conclude with the description of the trophy buck that you shoot, but the memories of being there with them are better trophies. We can’t wait until we see Eli jump out of his skin when a grouse takes off nearby and scares him, or of his first buck that he shoots!

I loved hearing all the hunting stories that my husband told me over that weekend, of him and his dad when he was younger, and the experiences he had. They truly are precious memories. I absolutely love being out with my little family and creating our own!

As much as I adore hunting, I am surely missing the snow. Not necessarily LIVING in it, but shredding the heck out of it! My baby will be 1 in September, and hopefully by the time the snow comes yet again to our backyard, he will be able to be towed around on the Burton Mini Shred After School Special Snowboard!

"RAW LIVING" Strawberry Cheesecake

2011-08-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I could seriously talk for hours about raw food, as well as vegan recipes! I find that I like to make a raw food dessert about every week and a half, I then munch on a slice a night, and it fills me up, and is OH SO YUMMY, and healthy too! So here is is folks, the strawberry cheesecake recipe. Big thanks to Priscilla Levac!

Crust:
2 Cups Macadamia Nuts, unsoaked
½ Cup Dates, pitted
¼ Cup Dried Coconut

“Cheese”

3 Cups Cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
¾ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ Cup Honey
¾ Cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
½ Teaspoon Salt

Berry Sauce:
1 Bag Frozen Strawberries, Rasberries or Blueberries.
½ Cup Dates

Crust:
Process macadamia nuts first then add dates. Sprinkle coconut on the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent sticking.
Cheese: Blend all ingredients together. Add a little water if necessary.Pour the mixture into the crust. Place in the freezer until firm.

Berry Sauce: Blend berries and dates until smooth. Pour onto cheesecake when firm.

Pretty in Pink (Green) Smoothie

2011-07-29T18:39:00.001-07:00

2 large, frozen bananas
1 1/3 C almond milk
1 tbs coconut butter
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-4 ice cubes

Blend in blender, enjoy! <3

Protein pick me up!

2011-07-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Simple and quick! Take out the core of the apple, slice, and spread your fave nut butter on it ;0)

Homemade hummus dip and green smoothie

2011-07-22T12:20:00.001-07:00

For my hummus dip, its pretty simple! I use the following:

1 can garbanzo beans (save 1/4 C of the juice)
2 cloves fresh garlic
3 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
A dash of cayenne pepper ( for those of you who like it spicy!)1/2 - 1 tsp gr. Cumin (use some to sprinkle on top before serving)

(I didn't use tahini in this recipe this time)

Put all ingredients in a food processor, with you 1/4 juice and process for 3 to 5 minutes! Then garnish with a bit of fresh parsley!

Pretty simple and yummy!

My green smoothie today isn't so green! I added a medley of tart black berries, red raspberries and blueberries today!

For smoothie:

1 C water
1/2 C coconut milk
3 C spinach
2 tbs orange juice concentrate
1 C fruit
Dash of flax seed

Blend in blender!

YOGA!

2011-07-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am no expert. I’ve been practicing for years, but I still consider myself a beginner. I remember using some amazing videos in the beginning to get my basic poses and form down before I attempted studio classes. I still do videos religiously to this day, but I also like to create my own routine using a yoga book I have.I loved my videos because my fave instructor (Tara Stiles) made yoga accessible. There are a lot of purists out there (a few of my friends included) who have tried introducing me to yoga their way… which was in-depth, meditative stuff with a lot more dialogue than I would have liked. I respect yoga A LOT, and my respect/knowledge grows every day… but to be honest, what “lured me in” was Tara’s simplicity- how she broke down her workouts into WORKOUTS, just jumping in, rather than just talking for the first 10-20 minutes.

Over the years I have incorporated the “in-depth, meditative stuff” into my yoga practice as well. Im a calmer more easy going person because of it!

Tara got me at video 1 by making me WORK (the beginners videos just go over basic poses, but whewwww, I sucked big time my first few run-throughs). After my first 5-minute video, despite my massive inability to do most of the things Tara was doing smoothly, I was hooked. I thought “hmmm.. I can do this… the stretching feels nice and I just broke a mini-sweat” The next day I did two videos. The next day I did three… etc I love yoga because your accomplishments are measurable- tangible within your own body and mind. I just FELT AMAZING after yoga every single time. My body felt it the next day, but the lighter, easier stretching routines would loosen it up. I never felt pressured.. I was just loving it, despite the difficulty, and wanted to be able to move with the instructors fluid grace and strength. And every day, I was getting closer.My fingertips initially couldn't reach my toes. Really, they stopped about 4 inches above. I was not a flexible person. Athletic yes, flexible, no. But there was a difference after about two weeks!

Palms flat on the ground.

I have to keep saying this… I RESPECT yoga. I too, will continue to learn more about the practice and the philosophy behind it (what little I know, I love, and think it has already made me a calmer, gentler person),I want to practice just about all the styles of yoga in a studio by a guru as often as I can. But starting this way has made it, accessible for ME. My interest in yoga was never piqued by the yoga classes I took back in highschool... It was an organic moment; me at home, on my new yoga mat, struggling to breathe properly while stretching my body, when I finally thought “huh… this is… gratifying… and hard… and awesome.” The love was born. And now here I am, blogging about yoga ...

I feel more flexible every day. Stronger. Happier. Calmer. My morning doesn’t start for me, mentally or physically, until I finish at LEAST a few minutes of an easy stretching routine. Then the day is clear. When I tense up/stress out later in the afternoon, it’s back to the mat for another session of mind-clearing yoga. What I REALLY like about yoga is that while you are practicing, you cannot think about anything else but EXACTLY what you are physically doing. Concentrating on that + breathing + relaxing into your muscles is incredibly therapeutic. I think the psychological benefits of working out tension through your body AND forcing your mind to also essentially “work out” are the reasons why everybody says that yoga is a great form of stress relief. You can zone it out while running, but you can’t ever lose focus while practicing yoga. And what it does for your body….

I’m not a judgy person. I’ll be the first to admit I tried yoga again for the physical benefits only (I wanted a “yoga” body). But although my love for it started superficially, it is what drew me in to WANT to commit fully (though gradually). I don’t feel pressured by anything… I just WANT to get stronger, and hit those crazy poses that are reblogged so often on Tumblr. 30 minutes every morning and 30 minutes at night is what I am doing now, and I can’t tell you how great it makes me feel during the day and before I go to sleep.

Namaste <3

I get by with a little help from my friends..

2011-06-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have been the biggest little sick girl the past 2 weeks. Long story short..

Week 1: Normal cold, took it easy, and felt much better by the end of the week.

Shortly there after I thought I had allergies!!

Week 2: Bacterial cold, low grade fever, my nose running like a freakin' FAUCET! MISERABLE.

THANK GOODNESS Jamie was on his week off. He took care of me, and took care of Eli. Such a great, and amazing husband! He even managed to stay on top of the house hold chores, yard work, and grocery shopping. What a PEACH!

Luckily the day before I got really sick we had a BBQ with our awesome friends, and they sent us home with tons of leftovers! Moose steaks, chicken, pork...it got us through quite a few meals so Jamie didn't have to do TOO much cooking! So thankful!

My regular workouts were canned for 2 whole weeks! I just did light stuff when I felt I could. I diligently stuck with my yoga twice a day, but man, I couldn't breathe, so I was fighting through each session. Today I was finally able to breathe normally through my whole session. Feels good to be back! Not entirely 100% yet, but Ill be there soon!!

All in all it's been good though I guess. Elijah is finally sleeping through the nights, he was forced to skip 2 to 3 naps over memorial day weekend. We had so much going on he didn't sleep most afternoons for about 5 days! Good thing though, because now he is used to it, and when he goes to sleep he STAYS asleep ALL night! 9pm-5am wakes, has a bottle, and then sleeps till about 8am!

It has been SOO nice! Especially since daddy went back to work on graves, and I'm still needing some much needed rest to bounce back! So I apologize to all my friends who I had to cancel plans with! This coming weeks will be nice, summer is finally here! Time to cash in all those "rain checks"!!!

Big thank you to my hubs, friends, Castle Rock Medical, Smith Pharmacy, kleenex tissues, thera flu, day quil, and nyquil. I owe ya one! ;O)

Happy anniversary birthday!

2011-05-04T18:45:00.001-07:00

We spent the last 5 days in Colorado, celebrated our 5th year wedding anniversary, and Jamie's 28th birthday! We had a blast in CO! We absolutely adore it there. We constantly talk about picking up and moving to Boulder, not that its anything serious right now, but man, if ever it could workout, we would do it!

Its the best down there, Nat and Nick, shopping, hiking,snowboarding...man and the scenery! Ahhhh anyone wanna buy my house?? Lol

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Ready To Be Parents Again?

2011-03-31T05:11:00.000-07:00

The "perfect" family size, spacing children as closely, or as far apart as we please. Family planning has come a long way. It used to be that women birthed babies frequently, and at most times unexpectedly.

When my husband and I first talked about family, we had decided that we would like to strive for a large family of 5. We both come from families of 5, children spaced, ages 3 years apart. Without really every contemplating it too heavily, we thought it was the perfect plan. Now that we have had Eli, our thoughts have shifted.

When I first held my little bundle of 5 lbs 8 ounces of joy, I immediately was bitten with a mommy hood bug. I already wanted to try, for yet another baby. I guess we could all partly blame that on the morphine? Now that my son is 6 months, the thought of having another child has not subsided like I thought it would. It has only progressively gotten worse.

Which brings me to the question. Are we ready to be parents again? I believe it is in my next child's best interest if I try to hold out for a few more months before we try again. Ideally be pregnant when our son is at least the age of 1, my husband and I have come to an agreement that we would like try to space them closer together. Studies have shown that children spaced closely together have less sibling rivalry, they have more in common, play great together, and can prevent any struggles children may have with the welcoming of a new baby.

We understand that having children spaced so closely together is going to be difficult. Doable, fun, joyous, but yes difficult. However that will only be in the younger years. Perks to the trade would include my children sharing experiences, toys, clothes, and fun, as well as us as parents getting over the special challenges of the baby and toddler years as quickly as possible!

The only thing left to contemplate, would be me as a mother, and my well being. Am I ready physically, and emotionally, to be a parent again?

Studies have shown that 18 to 23 months apart is ideal. Pregnancies spaced less than one year have had an increased risk of low birth weight and or preterm birth.

It is very important for a mother to take good care of herself between pregnancies, especially if you plan on spacing them closer together. Women need time to lose their pregnancy weight, increase their exercise strength, improve their body tone, (especially their abdominal and pelvic muscles.) Most important of all, nutrition. Having a baby depletes you of your iron. One needs to be sure that their iron levels are regular, and that their body is nutritionally ready for another pregnancy.

Having children "back to back" can have many rewards. As mothers and women, we just need to remember that it is very important that we take care of ourselves physically, and mentally during and between each pregnancy.

What I spend money on.

2011-03-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

" A penny saved is a penny earned."

I have been reflecting on my spending habits these days. I am quite proud of my accomplishments! It used to be that I would spend as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was fun, it felt good, I had lots of "stuff."

I have always been good at saving money, but I am even better spending it. I think it's because I grew up the first 5 years of my life literally having nothing. My biological father had a drug habit. He would sell our clothes, and furniture for drugs. We opened up cardboard boxes with donated toys from the community for our Christmas. We ate a lot of canned sloppy joes (gross)!

I was 4 when things started to look up. We met my dad (step dad). He did well for himself. He fell in love with my mom and us children, and took her, and her 4 children under his wing. Don provided quite well for us all.

My dad did so much for us, paid for us to be in just about every school sport there was, buy us horses, bikes, snowboards, clothing etc. I believe most important of all, he taught us how to save money, and learn how to budget. It was nice to be taken care of, and have "things."

Eventually I got married, and living in Oregon, Jamie and I started out with having no money. We ate ramen noodles, or Carl's Jr. a lot ( I worked at a fast food joint, so it was free.) I didn't ever have enough money to buy anything extra, we lived paycheck to paycheck. Paid our bills, and that was all we could manage. We were happy mind you, living a minimum wage lifestyle.

However we moved back to Wyoming, Jamie and I landed well paying jobs. I again became quite materialistic! I wanted everything I laid my eyes on, and I bought it. Then Jamie started making even more money, and I started seeing him less and less...oh the joys of the oil field! So I had a void to fill, and I filled it with spending money on STUFF!

I am happy to say that I have found a happy balance, and I save even MORE, and spend even less! It feels really great.

Now that I have Elijah, I am more grown up and responsible. Before Eli was here these are things I would spend money on.

•Pedicures and Manicures Facials, and massages

•Haircuts and colors

•Home decor

•Clothing ( I still find clothes that have tags on them)

•Makeup

•Electronics

•Eating out at restaurants

•STUFF I can't even begin to remember lol

Now my spending habits have rhyme and reason! Now my money goes towards things like this:

•Diapers/wipes/formula/clothing- Things for Eli.

•FOOD. Grocery shopping. I mean I spent money on food previously, but now that I stay home I have MORE TIME to do one of my FAVORITE things, COOK and BAKE. I stay away from most items that are frozen...bad bad bad bad! I LOVE raw, fresh foods, and cooking healthy, fulfilling meals from scratch.

•Donating to credible foundations

•Activities such as city league volleyball/Zumba/swim lessons for Eli.

Really that is pretty much it! I do facials, manis, and pedis in the comfort of my own home! I still get my hair done, but I do it every 3 months, and I quit coloring it, gonna let me natural color come in! I am a mom, so I really don't wear makeup, and I have such a huge array of clothing, that there is no need to buy any at the moment!

I have come a long way over the years, some of you might find this blog topic a little silly. I however feel a need to celebrate my accomplishment, BY TAKING A TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND! hahaha no no no...by just posting a simple blog, to share with my loved ones. :O)

Galactogogue, say it, it's a funny word.

2010-12-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

Breast milk production. Yup. In the process of trying to up it! It WASN'T low, I was just drinking Mother's Milk herbal tea, to up my milk production a bit more, so I could pump more for my back stock. It was working like a charm!

However, I may be strictly breastfeeding, but I have indeed started to mensturate. The first time I didn't notice Elijah have an unfavorable reaction to it. But this second time around, I am!

Poor fella is not only not liking the taste or consistency, but he isn't getting enough. He has been extremely fussy the past couple of days, because he hasn't been getting enough. So I have been dipping into my back stock.

Good thing is that the hormonal fluctuation only lasts the first couple of days, and will level out and go back to normal.

In the mean time I will try the tricks of the trade. Mother's Milk herbal tea (main herb ingredient Fenugreek) and I will start on the herbal supplement as well. But beyond Fenugreek I will try herbs like goat's rue, fennel, hops, blessed thistle or oats are all thought to boost a low or waning milk supply in nursing mothers.

If it all works great! I only hope he isn't too disgusted with the taste of my milk. I don't like to dip into my precious backstock lol. I try to keep it for when I have to go to work, or for snowboarding. But if he needs it, then he needs it!

Any of you mother's gone through something similar? Needed to produce more? What did you try? I would love to hear!

Mommyhood

2010-11-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, certainly has been awhile! So I have had the baby :O) hence, no time to post a thing! He was born September 27th @ 9:15 am. 5lbs 8 ounces, 17.5 inches long. The ECV didn't work, lil man did not turn, so we ended up doing a c section, but I have had the easiest/quickest recovery!

Within a week I was back to working out, mind you not lifting anything heavy, or doing crazy abdominal pilates workouts! Just light walking, and arm/leg sculpting.

Motherhood is amazing! I keep telling people that if I would have known I was going to enjoy it this much, that I would have given in to Jamie's request 4 and a half years ago to start a family.

The first thing out of my mouth when I held Elijah for the first time was " I wan another one" I think we have decided to speed up the process and have them more frequently than we had originally planned! I kinda feel bad for being so selfish. But at least we had some time to be married and enjoy our time with one another, and get our lives in order- Because it won't be the same ever again!

Elijah is so precious. He has been such a great baby! We had one rough week, when he had his days and nights mixed up, but we over came that quickly. Thank goodness! I take him everywhere with me, and he just sleeps, or looks around the room, or just watches me. We go to the gym just about every day, I am thankful he does so well, so that I am able to get my exercise. We love taking long walks with Summit, down by the river, and enjoy our cuddle time like no other!

I have really enjoyed watching Jamie be a father. He is a natural. You can tell he loves it so much. Jamie is certainly the best daddy and hubby ever! Our whole marriage, I was anxiously awaiting the day that he would be a daddy, I have always been so awe struck at how he interacted with his nephews and nieces. I couldn't wait to see him in action with our own child. It truly warms my heart.

We had such a busy and hectic past 6 weeks. Especially this past weekend! We went down to SLC Thursday, had dinner and shopped with some friends of ours. Then Friday we went to the Temple to watch Nat and Nick be sealed. Saturday we had Nat and Nicks amazing reception. Such a great time! Followed by EJ's baby blessing on Sunday! And Monday my first article that I wrote for Shred Mommies was released! Can you say "best weekend ever!"

If you would like to keep track of my articles you will find them here... http://www.shredbetties.com/articles/archives/section/shred_mommies/

I also started back to work on Monday. The Dr. has allowed me to make my own work schedule, so I will only be working afternoons, on some of the days that Jamie is not working. So it equals out to about 30- 40 hours a month. I am very excited to find such a healthy balance. I am so thankful for all the great people in my life that make that possible!

Shopping...BABY STYLE!

2010-09-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have loved searching, and shopping for neat little finds that bring out Jamie and I's personality, and lifestyle!

And I thought shopping for myself was fun!! Shopping for Elijah is SO MUCH more than that! I have been picking up a few things here and there, my favorite find this week were the beanies and plaids I found for newborns! You all know me, and my infatuation with plaids, and beanies...lol I am certainly handing down the love to Elijah!

Almost time!

2010-08-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Wow..haven't had time for blogging these days! As you can imagine! Been super busy finishing up things around the house preparing for Elijah! I have had so much fun doing the nursery, my husband is the most amazing, and hard working man! He has bent over backwards to help me with this room. I really appreciate all the work he has put into working on the house the past couple of months. We finished our nursery (minus the final touches, i.e. wall sconces, lamps etc.) and he finished our master bed and bathroom downstairs as well! We are all moved in! YEY! Here are a few photos of the nursery, and our bedroom.

These are the plush toys I bought for the mobile. I started with 5, but then I found an 8 piece mobile that was exactly what I wanted! So I had to hunt for more plushes! Here is the finished mobile below!!
And finally our bedroom! We have the baby room, and our room downstairs now. I have loved having all the extra room the past week in my master bedroom and bath! Jamie did a great job!!

And of course last but not least! A belly pic! I am 33 wks! 1 more week and I will be 8 ½ months! So approximately 7 weeks left! At my last Dr. Appointment however, he said I am measuring big, so I could go early, in reality we are lookin at more like 5 to 6 weeks left!! Which makes me think 4 weeks, left haha..It is crazy how time flies!! I have enjoyed being pregnant so much, it has been a beautiful journey thus far! I can only pray my labor and delivery goes just as smooth!

Elijah Ames Castillon

2010-07-22T18:10:00.001-07:00

So we finally decided on a name today. By now the name itself is self explanatory :O) It is Jamie's favorite! We had it narrowed down to Jonah, Noah, and Elijah. I come from a family of J names (JAMES,JASON,JACOB,JULIE- and there is KATIE my younger sister not a J, but heck the next letter after J in the alphabet! ;O)) So I was rooting for Jonah for the longest time....however over time Elijah kept sticking out in my mind, then I started hearing it here and there, and when I did, it was very special to me. It has officially become my favorite too! His middle name will be Ames. It is my father's middle name. He will always be a very special man in my life!! Of course like the huge dork I am, I had fun with his name, using NINTENDO fonts lol enjoy my nerdy-ness!

7 Months!

2010-07-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Really..? That's all I could say this morning while lying in bed feeling my lil dude move around in my belly. This pregnancy has gone by so quick! It seemed slower than molasses when I was 3 months. And now here I am in my last trimester, preparing for our lil shredder to arrive!

I have been blessed with the most amazing pregnancy! It has been very simple, and not rough on my body. I haven't even felt pregnant, the only thing reassuring me that I am is the wiggles in my lil belly! Although that will all change here in the last 80 some odd days!

I have noticed a change in my hormones to say the least! I got a bit emotional the other week over silly things, and I crave.....JUNK FOOD. Blah.. I have done so well eating right, and now all I can think about is chips, soda, and chocolate!

Favorites:

•Flaming Hot GIANT Cheeto Balls

•Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches

•Dr. Pepper

•Anything Milk chocolate

•Laffy Taffy

•Cereal (specifically Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Capt'n Crunch)

Yum!

I have gained 12lbs so far in this pregnancy. I hardly feel like it though. My Dr. says the last tri on average women gain about 11lbs in the home stretch, I have been a bit below average, but still in a good range, he thinks I will gain around 8 more lbs- hahah granted I don't eat all junk food for the next 3 months I presume! ;O)

So many things have been going on the past few weeks, I'm surprised I am not run into the ground yet! We went camping for the weekend up at Granite. It was nice to spend some quality time in the outdoors with Jamie. We had such a great time! Did some 4wheeling, went on some fun hikes, visited the falls, did some fishing, star gazing, and of course relaxing!!

When we got back into town, I had so many messages and missed calls. I had a lot of catching up to do in my social life..blah. But a lot of good did come of it!!!

I received a new calling! I was called to serve as the Assistant Relief Society Activities Director. I am VERY excited about this calling! I get to serve with an amazing, fun, out going woman! And wow.....we are already quite busy! I LOVE IT! This will be a fun calling! My previous calling was Ward Missionary with my hubs. But there wasn't a whole lot of work for me to do. Granted it was nice to have a lil break, but now I am done resting haha.

♫♫♪♪ Doo do doo do doo do DOO! ♪♫♪♪

2010-07-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

So we have finally decided on a nursery theme! We are going to do a Nintendo nursery! It has been something that has been on my mind even before we got pregnant, but I never gave it much thought. I thought it would be too difficult to find the decor. I decided the other week to just give it a shot, and to my surprise I found TONS of decor! Pillows, plush toys, decals..etc. I was going to make it a Super Mario theme ONLY, but I have been giving it some thought to possibly incorporate ZELDA into the mix ;O)

Zelda decor is a bit difficult to find..so we will see if we are able to do that! Here are a some photos of ideas we have!

Shred Mommy!

2010-06-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

I received some very exciting news this past weekend!!! I was offered a position to write for an online snowboarding magazine http://www.shredbetties.com/ !! I will be writing articles in their SHRED MOMMIES section of the ezine!!!! I am totally stoked!

If you’re anything like me and you’re praying for winter to hurry up and get here, you definitely want to keep on top of shredbetties.com. They’re constantly blogging about female snowboarders, products, events and more. From snowboards, down to the color and pattern details of additions to your mountain wardrobe, Shred Betties gives you a great preview of what’s to come so that you can be the most stylish in the chairlift line!

Shred Betties is a different company than the one I intern for now. http://www.shreddingbetty.com/ is entirely different, they are an online women's snowboarding company. Gotta clarify, both companies get confused on a regular basis.

I have been working in the snowboarding industry now for 3 years, and networking for 6. It has taken me a long time to accomplish what I have thus far, and has by far been one of the most amazing experiences I have had! I am so very blessed to have had all these opportunities in my lifetime to work in an industry that is my passion!

And now to be expecting my first child, I thought...where will this leave me as a female snowboarder, I certainly have been contemplating how to balance the two...being a mommy, and snowboarding. There is however an untapped subject in the matter of snowboarding, and it is that of motherhood! :O) How refreshing! It will be exciting to pursue this opportunity, go down this road, and take on this experience! One more major milestone to add.

What is even more awesome is the fact that I won't be taking on this challenge alone! My new bosses are mothers! One is actually 40 wks pregnant( trying everything to go into labor lol), and the other has a 6 month old. We have what I believe to be an amazing combination for this project! I look forward to working with them! They still do all that they normally do, event promotion, competitions, instructing, and just straight up riding with their hubbies. Best of all, they live in Utah! It will be great to have them show me the ropes of how they balance it all, while breastfeeding to boot haha.

Other than that....time has been flying by! Things are going awesome for James and I. Not a whole lot is new. We almost have our master bed/bath done! Just need to finish putting up the tile on the walls in the shower, and paint the bathroom! Our carpet is being installed the 21st of this month, then we can move in! I am very excited! It will be nice to buy a new bedroom set to match our log bed! I am in dire need of DRESSERS, I have clothes coming out my ears!!!!

Once we get moved downstairs, we will put in our new fireplace, and THEN, we will be ready to do the nursery! I have a few ideas that I am interested in doing. More or less I think I will be taking a bit of each of the ideas I have been looking at and making it my own. We are going for a rustic outdoorsy theme!

I think I am going to do the nursery walls similar to the first photo with all the bears! I am really digging that theme!! :O) TOO CUTE!

Things have been going great with work. I went part time. I only work afternoons 1-5. It really has been such a stress reliever!! I didn't really know how much stress I was actually under working full time, house work full time, and every project in between that we have going on! I am thankful to have a little more me time! And my sleeping patterns have pretty much returned to normal! Thank goodness!!

We are very excited for our baby to arrive in October. I can hardly believe that I am 23 weeks along! Our baby sure is growing! My belly is barely starting to show! It is about time! :O) I am still feeling amazing! I have loved every minute of being pregnant! I am still working out, and running regularly, I just lowered my intensity level a bit. It seems that running soothes my lil baby, and rocks him right to sleep! :O) For a while there he would kick me in the bladder while running...not a good combination, being stuck on the green belt, seriously contemplating peeing in the bushes is very awkward haha.

Boy or Girl !??

2010-05-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

The time has almost come!!! June 1st we will know if we are having a boy or a girl! Very exciting!! What do you think we are gonna have!???

Go Green!

2010-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

In respect to our recent Earth Day Holiday, just thought I would share a tid bit of how we have changed some things in our house hold to conserve and save!

Save energy to save money.

Jamie sets our thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

We have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) .

I always try to unplug our appliances when we're not using them. Lately I have just tried to buy the "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

I ALWAYS wash our clothes in cold water. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water!

We also use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

Save water to save money.

Now this has been a tough one for me...Seeing as I really, really, REALLY, like to soak in the bath, almost on a nightly basis...This I am trying to break!! Other than that, I try to conserve in other ways!

Shutting the water off when I am not using it while brushing my teeth, or washing my hands.

We try to plant drought-tolerant native plants in our garden. Many plants need minimal watering, so we try to find out which occur naturally in your area. And yes there is more than just sage brush! haha

Less gas = more money (and better health!).

I have been walking to work, I used to long board, but considering the whole pregnancy bit, hubby won't let me!! But this saves on gas while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing my risk of packing on those pounds!!! Me walking to work is an extra .6 miles a day, and 20 minutes worth extra of cardio! :O)

Eat smart.

I always try to buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever I can. SUPER HARD where I live, but it does happen!!! Especially in the summer! Phew! And purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

Skip the bottled water.

We use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

I bring a reusable water bottle, I prefer aluminum rather than plastic, with me when traveling or at work.

Buy smart.

We try to buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.

I invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. I might pay more now, but I am always happy when I don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

15 weeks!

2010-04-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

So we hit our 15 week mark this past Thursday! We were very excited for our visit to the Dr. Last time we were able to see our little baby, arms, legs, head and all! This time we were anxiously anticipating hearing the heartbeat!

Before getting down to business, the Dr. wanted to talk to us about testing our baby for down syndrome. I am not too crazy about the whole test. In all actuality it is pointless for us.

Our Dr. told us that 90% of the blood tests come back positive.. now if a screening test indicates a high risk of Down syndrome, a more invasive test may be used to determine whether your baby actually has Down syndrome, called Amniocentesis. So a sample of my amniotic fluid surrounding my baby would be withdrawn through a needle inserted into my uterus (Sounds oh so appealing). Then the sample is then used to analyze the chromosomes of the baby. The bad part....The test carries a one in 200 risk of miscarriage.

We decided against it. Reason being...we don't believe in abortion (depending on the situation at hand. This case NOT being one of them.) We would not terminate the pregnancy if we were to find out that the baby had down syndrome.

So if we were to find out our baby was going to have down syndrome, the only good thing that COULD come from it, would be giving us adequate time to prepare. But the risk of miscarrying is not appealing. So we opted against it.

Finally the Dr. got the Doppler out, and began the procedure. He was feeling around really low on my abdomen, and I couldn't quite figure why...I can tell my baby has been sitting up by my belly button. 2 minutes into it, still no sound. I could tell Jamie was getting a little worried. So, I took the Dr's hand and slid it up a bit higher. And low and behold, there he was! His little quick heart beat!

The Dr. looked at me and smiled, well, well. There is your baby! He asked me if I could tell where the baby was by the pressure on my bladder, I nodded, and replied yes. I told him I have been able to tell for a couple of weeks now.

Then we heard a sudden loud, short shwooshing noise, repeatedly. The Dr. asked me if I could feel that, I replied no. He said that sound was my baby kicking! He estimated in the next few weeks I would be feeling my lil one!

All in all our appointment went great, and everything checked out fine! We scheduled our next appointment to find out the sex of our baby!! It was to be scheduled the 21st, but the Dr. is going to be gone, and the following week Jamie is working, so we had to push it clear out to JUNE 1st!

We are very excited to find out the sex of the baby. The whole way home we talked about names for GIRLS. This was a change!! Usually we just talk about boy names! Of course we already have one girl name picked out and in stone...but we talked about what we would name our baby if we had more than one! Could this be a sign!???

And for all you belly photo lovin' people who constantly text, and facebook me wanting a picture....here you go! Not much yet! But well on it's way!! :O)

The Joys of Pregnancy!

2010-04-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

I was asked the other day what my favorite things about being pregnant so far are, and what things I dislike the most about it. I have a nice long list of things that I do like!

- My husband gives me more back rubs and just does more of the housework in general. I'm a lucky lady.

- Feeling the baby growing inside of me makes me feel so alive and powerful and womanly!

- Feeling like I have a constant friend with me besides my Summit boy!

- My hair is growing like a weed, and the pregnancy glow I have!

- Luckily, I am one of those women who has not gotten sick or extremely tired or anything else in early pregnancy. (I'm sure it would be pretty hard to enjoy pregnancy when you're head is constantly in the toilet.. :o/)

- I love the round, feminine belly I am finally beginning to acquire!

- How much more in tune to my body I am!

- The excitement of my family and friends.

- I feel strong and proud...I know my body is doing something amazing !

- My hormone levels have made me feel extremely mellow, and chill. More down to earth.

- The excitement of finding out the gender of our baby, hearing the heart beat, and anticipating that first movement of him or her!

- Planning for everything once the baby gets here.

- Day dreaming of the days, of teaching my children to snowboard and ski. Taking them hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, four wheeling, paint balling, soccer/football/baseball/dance/gymnastics/piano/guitar practice!!

My list seriously goes on...

As for the things I dislike about pregnancy...

- When parents complain about BEING parents to newly pregnant women, (particularly to people who are well established, and well prepared for a baby.) saying "Oh boy sure hope you're ready! You're life is over!" - no sleep, tantrums, constant crying, gross diapers, no time to yourselves yadayada yada- anything that deals with whining and moaning about parenthood drives me nuts. I know that parenthood isn't easy, I have a younger sister, I received a nice healthy dose of taking care of her to get a pretty good idea of what Jamie and I have prepared ourselves for lol..Parenthood is a GIFT. Making a family, it is precious. Nothing better than family. People who complain the way they do about it, whether to attempt to "freak" somebody out (which is seriously annoying, and yet kind of amusing.) Or just vent..(well then maybe they themselves just weren't ready. Or have other issues?) need to just quit! And be positive, and say nice things...Geeze!

- All the horrible aspects of pregnancy..And how it seems every other woman I meet wants me to be having them!!? The heartburn, the morning sickness, the fatigue, the water retention, the mood swings.... I try to sympathize...to those who are genuine...but to those who are envious (sad but true)...lol seriously..I don't wanna hear about it.

- And Jamie and I's choice to try for a natural childbirth. This one really seems to open up a can of worms..It has been quite amusing to listen to people's take on this. Well more of an annoyance! I am a low-risk healthy woman, and not afraid of the amazing things that my body can do...therefore I do not opt to have someone else "get my baby out." Too many doctors are too willing to take that responsibility and accomplishment from women who don't medically need it. I want to experience the fullness of birthing, like my mother, and my grandmother have. It is one of the most powerful and empowering experiences a woman can have. It is the most natural and amazing of experiences, and all women's bodies are uniquely suited and PERFECTLY capable of it!

Birth does not have to be an ordeal of pain and misery. My mother and grandmother both said they found it quite serene and joyous. ( My mom birthed a 10lb baby naturally!) Sure it is one of the most physical, and emotional experiences they had...but our bodies produce hundreds of hormones and other chemicals to get our babies from our bellies to our arms. When you know exactly what is happening and what to expect you can focus on allowing your body to do what it needs, and already knows how to do.

Yes most women will say birth does hurt.. but perceptions and experiences can change that pain vastly when you understand that it has a benefit, and ends with a purpose fulfilled. I have been learning about tons of methods to go with the flow of and actively assist, rather than fight my bodies work.

Everything I need is already within me, there are said to be "no great secrets when it comes to natural childbirth. It is more about unlearning fears and worries than about learning methods and techniques."

Women have been birthing naturally for centuries. Birthing was simply something women just did. They breathed, grunted, groaned, and moved around according to whatever position their body wanted to take. My body already knows what to do and how to do it. The main thing to learn is to let my body guide me.

A few more reasons I prefer to try birthing naturally:

1. Mothers who labor naturally can move freely, go to the bathroom, walk and change positions throughout labor. According to the Cochrane Review, recent studies have shown that getting medication makes changing positions during birth impossible, even after birth more difficult.

( where I am giving birth, in my birthing room I have a whirlpool. I will be able to freely move to and from during labor when I want, and or if I choose a water birth.)

2. Since you can feel your body's reflexes in natural childbirth, mothers can push better and generally faster. In fact studies show that getting an epidural prolongs your pushing time.

3. The pain during labor serves a purpose by guiding the mother to seek certain positions. For example, if her back hurts, she will naturally seek positions off her back which can help to turn her baby. Having back pain is one sign that the baby might be posterior and needs to rotate.

4. Mothers often describe that their recovery after a natural childbirth was faster and easier since they could get right up and walk and shower. Usually they eat right away and their appetite is normal.

5. Endorphins secreted during a natural childbirth have been found in the placenta and umbilical cord. This may serve a purpose to help the baby adjust to life outside as well as make the journey more comfortable for baby.

6. Research has shown that in mothers who have natural childbirth, babies are more alert and show more interest in pre-breastfeeding behaviours such as sucking and massaging the mother's breasts, as well as the actual length of time they spend nursing within the first 90 minutes.

No there is not a wrong way and a right way to birth a baby. Nor am I completely opposed to a an epidural, nor do I feel that it will make me less of a woman, or a wimp if I ask for it.

I have felt this way far before Jamie and I made the decision to get pregnant. We ourselves, and my Dr, are all on board and very excited for our birth plan!!

May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true.

2010-04-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

( My little Buddah Bug age 2 )

Tonight I had some unexpected, happy, and yet scary news come my way!! My lil sister Katie Mae texted me and told me she had a boyfriend!! I was a bit shocked. Happy, excited, and scared. Of course I am happy for her, but the big sis in me most definitely came out tonight as well! It has been a crazy year for her....well for me, watching her grow up. She started her first year of high school last September. Turned 15 this last March, and is getting her drivers permit...and now a boyfriend...OH BOY!!

If you are reading this Katie..haha I am sorry if this embarrasses you. I don't mean to. This has just been an kinda an emotional event for me. And I need to journal this moment :O)

So of course I made her dish the details, name, hobbies, age, classes they have together :O)

Joe, baseball and 14. Yes my parents do know, and are OK with it, and my mother gave my sister THE TALK. haha. All of this REALLY put me at ease. But still, I had to give my little buddah bug the talk as well!! She is growing up fast. It really freaks me out sometimes!! Made me think of how I might react when Jamie and I's lil babies get to be that age...wowza...I am really beginning to understand what parents go through, and what children put them through!! OH MY!

( on the swing at our cabin in Oregon )

( Snowboarding trip to Mt. Hood )

( Parents home in Oregon, in their arena.

My lil cowgirl!! Takes after me!!! )

( Halloween )

( Quite the lil rider!! )

( Katers and my her bird Peanut! )

( Riding at my parents! )

( Katers and her mini horse Golden Nugget )

( Get 'er done girl! )

( <3 )

( Look out boys!!! )

( My BEAUTIFUL, TALLER, and YOUNGER sister )

We're Pregnant!

2010-04-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

There was a lot more to February then I shared in my last update! The best birthday present that I received was a positive pregnancy test!!! Right before my birthday on the 17th of February, I took a pregnancy test. There were no reasons for me to take the test, and I had no symptoms, it had just been a few weeks since I last took one, and I was just curious! And then to my surprise, it came out positive!!!!

It was crazy. And I was confused as to how far along I was. Everything in January, and February cycle wise was completely normal. So I called my OB who told me to take a blood test with my regular family Dr, to confirm the pregnancy, and have a quantitative hCG blood test done to determine how far along I was.

I was told that I was about 4 to 5 weeks along at that point and time.

Finally made it into my OB 3 weeks later ( the longest 3 weeks of my life ) for our first official appointment, and ultrasound. I have been seeing Dr. Hansen in Evanston for a couple of years now. He is a wonderful Dr, so I have decided to continue with him throughout my pregnancy. He had prepared me for the ultrasound, and had told me that according to my blood work I was 7-9 weeks, but probably more like 7. Seeing as blood results can be off. So at that point he had told me we were probably going to be seeing what would appear as a "jellybean" on the screen. And that there MIGHT be some appendages, but that they might not show up as arms and legs quite yet.

So I was prepared to see my little "bean castillon" ( as the girls at work call him ) yes him...no I do not know the sex, this is just wishful thinking on our part :O)

Well then, the Doc got down to business, and then a baby popped up on the screen. Then Jamie spoke in awe...right after he spoke our little baby started wiggling and squirming around like CRAZY. And there were arms, legs, a head, and you could even make out a face! :O) He looked as if he were running in my womb! So active, it was unbelievable. Jamie and I were misty eyed, and in complete awe. Our little baby was so alive, and real, I finally felt pregnant! It was a blast watching him on the screen, I could have watched it all day. So cute. Then our little one did something I was not expecting. He stuck his fist in his mouth! And started pushing his feet and hands up against the walls. It was crazy. Then Dr. Hansen spoke up...saying "WHOA...wow...well lookey here, you are A LOT further along than I had anticipated." You are measuring....11 weeks.

It was a very welcome surprise!!!!

Jamie and I just couldn't believe what we had just seen. It was awesome sharing that moment with him. Definitely special.

So today I am 3 months along. And I have felt great! I haven't had any morning sickness. That was one thing throwing me off, I was expecting to be living with my head in the toilet. But not once have I got sick. I am very thankful for that! The only strong symptom I really had in the beginning of my pregnancy was lack of energy. I was just really tired for a couple of weeks. And that really was about it. Then I had a few other symptoms, tenderness, urinating frequently, and food preferences. And on the plus side, my skin never broke out! Actually have a nice glow. Phew!

Seems everything has balanced out now, and I feel spectacular! My energy levels are high, and I just all around feel great!!

Everything is just falling into place! Jamie has been wanting kids since the day we got married 4 years ago...but we also wanted to have things in our life established before we started a family, and we have for a couple of years now. It feels fabulous to start our lil family!! We had been trying to get pregnant since the beginning of August, and I was getting a bit flustered!!!

Summit has noticed a change. A month ago we began to notice that he has become a bit over protective of me. Especially when Jamie is not home at night. He definitely can sense that I am pregnant. And recently he has become obsessed with my belly! He always lays his head on my tummy now, and sniffs it, and even has begun to lick it. Quite odd at first, then cute, but now kinda annoying lol...but still adorable. Its just hard to get ready in the A.M when all he wants to do is corner me and hug my belly. :O)

February Update!

2010-03-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

February was pretty much amazing!! Jamie and I celebrated the day of our engagement on Valentine's Day in 2006, and my 24th birthday!

I made a home cooked meal consisting of broiled lobster tail, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies. It was a total surprise to Jamie! Along with some lovely gifts he was not expecting!

I had the best birthday ever! I must say, I cannot thank enough my family, and friends who called me, texted me, and facebooked me all day long with birthday wishes. It really made me feel so loved by everyone. So again, THANK YOU!! I love you guys :O)

I had some WONDERFUL birthday gifts as well... :O)

Jamie and I also took the Scouts on a snowboarding trip to Beaver Mountain!! We have been teaching the Scouts how to snowboard, and ski to receive their Merit Badge for a few months now. We had such a blast! They all really did amazing! We had sunny blue bird skies, temperature in the high forties, and a fresh 6 inches of snow! It seriously was one of the funnest days I have had on the mountain!! And we all came home rocking goggle tans! :O)

These were just some of the boys that came with us on our trip! We had a total for 14!

The Sunday after snowboarding Jamie and I had to speak in Church as well! I have only spoken in Church 3 times now...and I have come to the conclusion that it DOES get easier with practice! I actually enjoyed it this time. It was fun! I am always impressed with Jamie when he teaches/talks as well...he is just so knowledgeable when it comes to the Gospel, I am so thankful for that!! Our talks went really well! Thank you to all of our awesome ward for your thoughtful words!!

Hector and Sue went to Iowa to visit Travy, Crystal, Carson, and Coop for a week. So lil Harlee needed a baby sitter! I gladly said we would be the ones! It was fun to have the lil guy around, but also a bit nerve wracking as some times. I think I will hold off on getting a 2nd dog. I was going to purchase an Alaskan Klei Kai (Toy Husky) but I am gonna wait another year, see how I feel about taking on that responsibility later!

Summit LOVED having Harlee around. He just adores all dogs as it is. Harlee has always been a bit intimidated by Summit and his 150lbs of muscle lol...but he warmed up to him in a couple of days, they are the best of buddies now!!

Another adjustment to our life has been new furniture. Jamie has been wanting to get a new couch for the downstairs. I personally loved our couch, it was new,it was huge, and great for company, but horrible if you fell asleep on it. And it was micro suede. If Summit rubbed up against it, it grabbed his hair. No biggie, just brush it off...but still..annoying. So we wanted leather. I have been all for it! But it certainly is a change. We went smaller. And with a different color than I truly wanted. But I still like it. I just can't wait to paint the walls a light tan color, and buy some more furniture to help bring out its character a little bit better. I think doing that will help me settle in with the new couch. It has two recliners in it. Which is fabulous, but I was still wanted a lil bit bigger. I wanted cup holders, and built in massagers as well. And the ones we looked at I just wasn't liking, and then I started to think of the electronic features, and we decided against it...in case of it wearing out some day..didn't want to deal with that whole issue! We are thinking about buying a gigantic lovesac to go on the other side of the couch by the fireplace?? Nonetheless we will be buying another piece of furniture to stick over there to have more room for guests. Here is a photo of the before and after..

Before..

After...

Jamie just had to have this painting of a few Elk! It really is a great piece! BUT we WILL be moving the spot of this...I am going to be getting a huge horizontal painting of SNOWY covered Tetons to go across the wall above the couch!!!

I will admit it is awesome to have all this room downstairs now. Those big couches had huge ottomans (with nice storage :o/ ) that stuck out too close to the couch. Left about 2 feet of walking room between the couch and tv...not too shabby, but stick a Great Dane in your house, and tell me if you would need more room! I need more room....I can't wait to build a house!!!! haha.

I can't wait to see what the month of March will bring..But even as exciting will be April!! Jamie and I will be spending 5 days in Las Vegas! Celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary and his 27th birthday!!

We will be staying in a very nice and newer hotel called the Wynn Las Vegas on the North side of the strip. On Jamie's birthday I booked dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and a night out watching his favorite comedian Jerry Seinfeld do standup!!!

Other than that, we plan to relax, swim, hit the spa, walk the strip, dine out, and SHOP! I can't wait for our lil vacation!! Much needed! And great things that needs be celebrated!!

Tis the Season!

2009-12-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

I love my stockings! Thank you Mrs. Stephanie Reading, and Brandie Spalding...you guys surely are pretty fabulous friends!!! Steph made the bear and moose, and Brandie specially made Summit's stocking!! These ladies are quite the crafters!! They have some really cute things left over from the craft fair if anyone is interested let me know and I can get you their information if needed!!

Decorating our tree this year was fun! Jamie and just love this time of year, and the special thoughts of our Savior that come along with the season!!

Christmas tree hunting this year was a real workout! There was a lot of snow this year up where we hunt for our trees...made it quite a vigorous workout! I for the life of me couldn't find a tree that I liked enough to cut down...Jamie loved every tree he saw. But I just wouldn't have it!! After 2 hours, and burning around a thousand calories from hiking later, we went to find Hector, Sue, and Nat. They had found a tree! I...still couldn't decide on a tree. I told Jamie that we could go back to one of the tree's he liked...so back to the beginning of our hike...but I just couldn't get myself to like his tree!! It was NOT full enough!!! So we had decided to go back to the truck for lunch!

When we came out of the woods to the road, we found Hector, yelling at us a few yards up the road, we ran over to him and he said "Hey JULAY!! I found yous the perfect tree!!!" To my surprise he had!!! :O) It was the perfect height, and plenty thick! I was so happy, and Jamie was so relieved!!! He was about to have my head by the end of the tree hunt! I am thankful he was patient enough to let me drag him everywhere through the woods in deep snow!!

Summit enjoyed decorating the tree with us as well! He was a bit upset the first day we got the tree in because we put it in front of the bay window, which is HIS spot...he looks out quite frequently to look outside, and keep watch for us. Jamie and I had got the lights on the tree the first day. I went to work, and came home from lunch...Summit was fine. I went back to work and came home when I was off...I walked in to see my tree laying on the ground...Summit laying on the floor ashamed at what he had done, and the lights half way unstrung leading down the hall to our bedroom. Haha poor buddy...I came to the conclusion that he got behind the tree to see outside, and got tangled in the lights, got startled, knocked the tree over, and fled down the hall!!! I was mad at him, but really couldn't help but laugh to think of what the situation must have looked like!! Hilarious I bet!! He has not been near the tree or bay window since! :OP

We finally got the vanity top on, and new fixtures!! We can now officially wash our hands after we use the bathroom!! YEY! I am REALLY happy with the vanity top!! It is so hard when they only give you a little sample to look at to judge the color and texture. This is Rustico Noche. Muy Bien I must say!! It looks fabulous with the tile and bronze fixtures!!

As for the new fixtures. The original one as you know didn't work out. I like the new fixtures just as much though! same color, just a 3 piece set is all.

Still a nice chunk of work to do. We are gonna wait till January to do the shower. Then just carpet..and we can move our bedroom downstairs!! Then we can purchase our pine bedroom set to match our bed!!

Take a Moment

2009-12-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of attending a session at the Vernal, Utah temple this weekend, with Sue Sue, and Grandma! We had such a nice time, and the weather was beautiful all day! Couldn't have been any more perfect!

I am so thankful for temple blessings, and the hope and happiness they give my life. You hear people speak of the peace that one feels when at the temple. It never gets old for me. I love that feeling, it always makes me awestruck. To just be content, no worry of work, cleaning house, school work/intern work, life in general.

I have been getting so involved with the Church the past couple of months, I would have thought that I would have bitten off too much to chew...but it doesn't feel that way to me. I actually feel like I have more time?? How odd...:O) I thought my life was too busy to do much of anything else...but then I take on a few more church related hobbies/activities/service...and it created more time in my day!?

I am so thankful to have converted when I was 17, and to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This church is my foundation, and I do not know where I would be today. I have enjoyed the many amazing times I have been able to see friends, as well as family members of mine come unto the Church and be baptized. I am so proud of their choices in life, and it is great to watch their spiritual growth!!! I just wanted to take the time to tell you all how much I love and appreciate the church, and the temples they provide!!...Off to Choir practice!!!

I am thankful for my husband

2009-11-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

I just need to start off by saying how thankful I am to my lovely husband for the great man that he is!! I am thankful for the hard work that he puts fourth for our lil family :O) I am very grateful for the skills and trades he has learned thus far in his life. And I can't wait to watch him teach our children all that he knows.

Our master bed and bath is coming along. We have gotten the toilet installed and running..No more having to run up stairs!! Our vanity finally came in too. We haven't gotten that setup quite yet. I just picked up the top this past weekend, and Jamie has been on graves. So he hasn't had the time to put the top on.

The lighting is a bit crummy, so it looks more red than it actually is. I went with a Noche Rustico Traveterine top with an attached under mount porcelain sink. Very pretty! And the fixture I picked is pretty cool too!

I can't wait till it is finally done! We still have the shower to Sheetrock, tile, insert lights, and fixtures...Then on to the bedroom. I think I have decided to just go with carpet rather than hardwood??...still a little indecisive...

And then paint..ugh...I have been fighting over colors..not sure what I want to do..this seems to almost be the hardest part of it all! I was supposed to have the painting done before we installed the toilet...lol...Let's see if I can get a color picked before thanksgiving??? Ya..wish me luck!

On my hunt for all this bathroom stuff, I found my couches and recliner finally! Jamie is happy to have a recliner back in his life...and guess where he put it??? Yea, he put his little "gamer" space smack dab in the middle of my couch down stairs...ha...But my hubby deserves it!!! He is doing all this hard work, I could treat him to a little man space!

I decided to go with something that was made more for a sitting area, rather than the lounging look.. we have all the lounging furniture we could ever need downstairs!!

All this home improvement makes me want to have every room re done now lol! ...we have decided to take it a year at a time, and do one room a year if feasible..it isn't cheap that is for sure!!

All things on earth point home in old October.

2009-10-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

WOWZA...been ages since I have posted any news!! Not that there hasn't been news...there has been plenty!!! Just been super busy!! There is so much going on in our life at the moment I don't know where to start!! Guess I will start with my favorite news..

Jamie and I have decided to start a family :O) We aren't pregnant yet...but well on our way! We have been tying for a few months now! We are very excited!

I have finally found some tile for the downstairs master bed and bath that Jamie has been working on...we took a very long break for hunting season, and for me to find some tile! We have the main part of the bathroom tiled...now to find tile for my huge shower...haha wish me luck! I most def feel very blessed to have such an amazing and handy hubby to this type of work around my home :O)

If we stay on track, we should be able to get the master bed and bath done SOON!

On another note!! Hunting has been a blast! We haven't gotten anything yet, but it has been a lot of fun seeing all the elk in the basin the past month and a half. :O) Bow hunting is certainly the best! I got a bear tag, deer, and elk...I don't think I will be getting them all filled this year unfortunately lol..We went up White Mountain are this past weekend...saw plenty of deer...but they were all does :O/ and some wild horses as usual.

As you can see...we have been getting SNOW!!!! For this I am extremely excited!! I pick up my season passes to the Canyons next week..can't wait to get out there and snowboard!! I am still working with shreddingbetty...it sure has picked up this year!! Their shop is doing fabulous!! I am thankful to be a part of it, and work with such awesome gals that have the same love for snowboarding that I do!!

As for my sponsorships...they still stand, and they all really want me to compete this season as well...I have told them my plans for a baby, they don't seem to be as excited as I am about it...but OH WELL!! Taking a season off is gonna be so hard!!! But I think I will manage, and make do with such a blessing :O)

Salt Lake City Half Marathon

2009-05-21T06:53:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos!! Ill be running in the Keith Younge memorial 5k this Saturday!!

May Update!

2009-05-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

WOW! A lot has been going on in our lives the past month! We had our third year anniversary, Jamie's 26th birthday, I ran a half marathon, and we bought a new vehicle!!

I'll start with my favorite! Our anniversary! :O) It was fantastic! We stayed 4 days in a timeshare in Park City we are thinking of purchasing, it was AMAZING! We lounged, shopped, and relaxed for our stay, it was well needed!!

Jamie purchased me a new vehicle for our anniversary...we traded in the Jeep, and got me a brand spanking new Toyota FJ Cruiser!! I have been wanting one of these since 2007...and I have finally got one! YAY!

Crystal and I ran the SLC Half marathon, it was such an awesome experience!! We ran 13.1 miles, it was an awesome accomplishment..we intend to run as many halfs, and 10-5 k's this season!

One of the many blisters I got :O/

Summit boy has been doing great!! Getting big, he is such a sweet boy!!! Great Dane's are honestly the most docile, easy training breed of any dog!!! I love how he is 30lbs bigger than me...but still listens to me with ease!!! Here is my boy at 11 months!

Going back home to the West Coast

2009-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Oregon went fabulous!! It was great to see my family!! Been too long! Not much has changed over their way...my sister has surpassed me in height...wowza!! Her birthday was on the 27th. She turned 14...wholly cow!

While we were there we got some good ole snowboarding in at Mt Hood Meadows, with my sister, bro, and the inlaws. And we were able to hit up the beach! The mountains and the Ocean, my two favorite things! :O)

I will admit I was ready to go home after a week! I love Oregon, but I do not miss the rain. And the economy is just horrible over there. It's scary! I feel truly blessed to have been promted with Jamie's job offer, to move back to Wyoming when we did.

We took Summit along with us for the trip. He did very well! He was extremely stressed out though whenever we weren't around him. Poor boy!! He wouldn't eat nor sleep. Other than that, he was perfect!

The trip home was tiring..Jamie and I drove straight through, and had to get up early the next day for work.

Jamie had a critical test at work the next day for a promotion. He had passed the first test the week before, and was worried cause he hadn't had any time to study while we were in Oregon.

He texted me as soon as he got off work..he passed his test, and has been promoted to a Grade 3 position at Solvay, and received a very nice raise!!! I am so proud of my hubby!! :O)

The Joy's of Computers...

2009-03-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

So after years and years of loyalty my computer has had it!! Recently the screen just stays black, but the rest of the computer is running just fine!

I was really peeved when this happened, I had all my shreddingbetty stuff on that computer, loads of awesome tunes, and of course all my HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS! How am supposed to do finals?! I mean sure yeah I can go over to Sue Sue and Hectors, so I am not at a complete loss, but just having everything at the convenience of home is...just well..convenient!

Jamie hooked up our laptop to our tv in the living room. And everything seems to be running just fine, I am transfering all my goods to a USB to put on my new laptop!

Before we figured out this little trick of our tv, we were using a backup laptop of ours, Bryce was just going to huck it, and we said nah, we will take it! It is slower than molasses, but better than nothing!!

We went shopping the other day for laptops, I think we have it narrowed down to 2! The HP Pavillion dv6 and the HP HDX 16 (My personal fave!!) It has 6GB Ram, and 500 GB internal drive :O) HECK YES!!! Go big or go home! And it has a lovely 17 inch wide screen, and of course all the newest latest features on could ask for!! I has a pretty neat thumb scanner you use to login to your computer, so no one else can, like we need it...but it's neat am I right?

It's gonna cost a pretty penny, but oh so worth it! We are leaving for Oregon on Tuesday, so we just plan on buying one there when we visit ( No sales tax! )

It certainly has been interesting to see how I have had to adapt to not having my computer function for a few days...indeed, I actually did not adapt, I was pathetic, I moaned and groaned everyday...

In this day and age computers are everywhere, everyone has one, and I for one seriously had my LIFE on this puppy. All of my snowboarding internship pieces, college work, and networking is all on computers, without one, I would have a hard time getting anything done!!

I am thankful for the convenience that computers provide, hopefully it will be at least another 7 years before this one goes out!!! Ugh!

"Running is a mental sport...and we're all insane!"

2009-03-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I have been training our buns off these days. We are planning on running a half marathon in April, and doing a triathlon in May. I want to also run a 10k in June, and another half marathon in Sept.

So far so good! I haven't been diligently running for a while- before the holiday season last year I was running on average 25 miles a week. Getting back into running wasn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be, it probably helps that I kept doing my other workouts!!

I am not too sure how my training will pay off on such short notice of the marathon, but heck, I don't really care at this point, it is just a starting point! Something to keep me motivated to keep running!

If there who would like to join us is this quest, please do let us know, we would love to have ya!

Things have been going smooth our way. I got another raise at work!! I work hard, and it is acknowledged for once!! I am very thankful for the amazing boss that I have- couldn't find one better!!

Jamie and I have finally gotten our taxes done!! Boy am I happy to see those numbers! On top of that, the Government is giving out a $7000 loan if you were a first time home buyer in 2008. It is interest free, and they just take a bit out of your taxes each year until it is paid back.

We haven't quite figured out how we want to spend it. Some for the remodel, maybe a bit towards my Jeep, and of course, my favorite part...just plain ole spending it on us!!

VACATION!! Jamie and I have been trying to figure out where we would like to vaca to. It is a tougher process than I thought!! So many choices! Can't I have em all????

We will be able to have a mini vaca the end of this month. We will be going to Oregon for a week to visit my family!! It has been too long! It will be awesome to see them all, and to be able to be there on my lil sis's bday!!

Home Improvements!

2009-03-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

Finally we have begun our little project! Our down stairs is where we have our master bedroom/bath. When we bought our house, this was the only part that was not finished.

We haven't gotten very far, but it is just the beginning!! We are halfway done with framing the walls, we have just the shower part done so far...and by golly...it is gonna be a huge shower!

We have been getting some great ideas from Jamie's family!
This is where our shower will be, we have some pretty stellar ideas for a double headed shower, with a nice bench in the far back, with a archway entrance!

This is where the bathroom will be. The past owners, had some really weird layout with a wall built in the middle, and it had what looked like where a window may go? Hard to explain, but we just couldn't find a need for it, so we knocked it out and expanded the bathroom here to this area.

I helped Jamie build one wall so far...yay! GO ME! haha I do intend to help more..I am very thankful to have a handy hubby. He has learned so much from his family when it comes to building homes, and home repair. It is awesome! He reminds me very much of my dad! :O)

This here is the area just to the left of the bathroom, this is where our walk in closet shall be.
This is the on the far opposite side parallel to the closet. This is where we will most likely place our bed, and then to the right dressers, and a rocking chair of course...Jamie insists!!! haha

My favorite store is now Home Depot!! I used to dread walking around all day with my dad, I only enjoyed it because I liked the smell when I was younger...but now..who ever thought that picking out toilets, tile, and fixtures could be so much fun!!!?

On another note, my snowboarding competition went great! I places fourth, and got to meet and hang with some pros! I met a bunch of really awesome gals, who I plan on boarding with whenever the chance arises!

This here is Professional Snowboarder Iris LazzareschThis is the pro in the comp that I competed against, she is uber chill and down to earth!!!

It was a great experience for myself!! Still surreal that it even really happened! I plan to continue to compete a bit, just to see if I really like it. I do have a competitive edge, but when it comes to snowboarding...that is a bit different. So far I think I just enjoy the ride, cruising with hubby and friends, enjoying nature. The more I venture into the snowboarding industry, the more I see the politics of it all, which kinda sucks the life outta ya!! Oh well!??

As for my pup Summit..he now weighs 120 lbs...yes 120. I myself weigh 109..you do the math...HUGE! He is only 8 months, so not even close to being full grown!! WOWZA!

We will be taking him to Oregon the end of this month to visit my family. My mom breeds and sells miniature horses. Not ponies, not Shetlands. But miniature horses, there is a difference...go google it!

The smallest FULL GROWN mini that my mom owns is 26 inches high. Summit TOWERS over this lil dude, I plan on taking pics of the two of them side by side.. I can't wait to share the pics!!

Beat The Pro

2009-02-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Things have been going awesome our way.

A couple of weeks ago we traded in the Suzuki for a truck. Jamie got himself a 2007 Chevy Silverado. It is great to have two reliable vehicles! Let alone having the Jeep all to MYSELF! YAY!

Work has been going great! Even with our economy how it is, Jamie and I still have steady, well paying jobs. We are very thankful for that!

There isn't too much that is new..Summit is still growing, morphing into a monstrous sized dog!

My snowboarding internships and sponsorships are really picking up!!! I have my first competition this weekend at The Canyons on the 21st..the day before my 23rd birthday!! EEEk...23...wow!

The competition is the 2007 Slug Games,"BEAT THE PRO" hosted by Slug snowboarding Magazine. I will be competing against Celtek team rider Iris Lazzareschi. You tube her...she is amazing!

I am pretty nervous, but also excited!!! One of my sponsor's is paying for me to go, so the only thing I need to take care of is not making a fool of myself on the hill! HA! Ill keep you readily posted with pics from this coming weekend! Wish me luck!!

Vday Tag

2009-02-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the tag Rachel!! :O)

1) Do you believe in Valentines Day? Well...the actual history of Valentine's Day through the Romans eyes...no..haha. If you don't know the actually history..read it..it's funny! Although Jamie purposed on V day...so I enjoy celebrating it now!!!

2) What would you most like to receive for a Valentine gift? For some reason...I am beginning to like jewelry..other than my hemp jewelry haha

3) What would you most like to give for a Valentine gift? I have always dreamed of getting Jamie a truck for his bday, or vday...but he has already accomplished that on his own!!! Maybe next year...a new scope for his rifle!?

4) Is it better to give then to receive? Always!!!

5) Do you consider yourself a 'romantic'? Mmmm depends on my mood...but more or less no.

6) What is your idea of a romantic Valentine’s Day? Doing what we love together...snowboarding, shooting guns, hunting, hiking...and topping it off with a nice dinner, and movie.

7) In reality, what is your Valentine’s Day really like? ...snowboarding, and a romantic evening on the town.

8) What is your favorite candy? I dig Butter Popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys!

9)Is there any sweet treat you absolutely do not like? No way Jose!

10)What is your favorite restaurant? Pretty much any steak house...and Bonsai!

11)Do you consider yourself a lovable person? I think so!

12)Do you think the majority of your family and friends would consider you lovable? Sure thing dude!

13)What is your own definition of love? Finding a best friend, who you love unconditionally, and can picture yourself spending all eternity with. A partnership between two people who will take care of one another, and put the other before themselves.

14)What is the funniest Valentine you have received? My mom...ha. She is spunky..and has a crazy sense of humor...

15)What is the Saddest/Worst Valentine you received? Never have had a sad or bad vday!

16)Do you like the little candy hearts? Only the white and purple.

17)Did you ask anyone to be your Valentine? If so who? Not yet!

18)What's you favorite "LOVE" song? Conway Twitty "Lay Ya Down" Jamie is always singing it to me haha

19)Is there a Valentine commercial or slogan you just love? Nada clue.

20)If you could have one wish for Valentines Day what would it be? Uhm...no one else on the mountain boarding but us two!! haha

I tag...Ash, Selina, Kenz, and Rachel B.

My baby!!! Well second to hubby....

2009-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how big my sweet dear Summit is getting!!!! I knew he was going to get huge...but it is still always a shock to wake up in the morning...only to have noticed my lil pup has grown another inch!!! I used to be able to sit him on my lap....and now he easily matches my height!!!!

He still has a lot of growing to do!! He is almost 8 months....he won't stop growing height wise until he is approximately a year and a half...and then after that he will fill out and gain muscle!!!

Summit has been such a great dog for us (no pun intended!)

He surely draws attention to us everywhere we go...maybe it is the sight of lil ol' me and a big huge dog!!!

Animal - LESS

2009-01-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

So our petting zoo has dwindled in the past week!!!

We are down to one lonesome pet...

Jamie had recently acquired and allergy to lil Chi..our kitten. I was quite sad to the Dr. confirm the fact of the matter was our cat causing his skin allergy. He is not allergic to her dander..nor her fur..but her saliva of all things...and it is hit or miss with each and every cat.

They gave him an allergy medicine to take daily, but even with our insurance paying half of the prescription...it was spendy.. we agreed no cat was worth that amount of money per month!!

So we had to get rid of our lil snow goddess...I was going to make her an outdoor cat...but I couldn't really come to do that to her..luckily...I get a phone call from my lovely cousin Zach..in need of a cat...but their weren't any in town ( I find that odd!!) I told him he was in luck...I had to get rid of mine!!

At least my kitty gets to stay in the family!!

The same night we found Chi a home, Moose left us next. Trav and Crystal got their doghouse made for Moose, so he was ready to go home. Poor Summit!!! Now all he has is his Pooh Bear!! He wanders around the house, searching for the cat sometimes...and when he goes outside, does the same for Moose. I feel bad for him lol

Called of God

2009-01-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

Jamie and I have been released from our previous callings, and asked to be Ward Missionaries!!! It will entail a whole lot more preparation, and personal time, but I am really stoked on it!!! Working with Jamie is going to be great!! I will miss my calling as a Primary Teacher, but change is always a good thing!!

This weekend was pretty relaxing..besides having to get up early each day :0/
Jamie and I went boarding at the Canyons yesterday. We had such a lovely powder day!! I feel truly blessed to be able to ride here in the mid west...we honestly do have the best snow and mountains ever!!

I was offered another sponsorship from Akinz Boardwear!! They are a newer snowboard clothing line in Colorado.

It really feels surreal to be sponsored...

Akinz Boardwear would like me to compete....they say it's not necessary, it will totally be up to me. They will pay for the all the entry fees, and anything else that goes into it..travel expenses, food etc.

I might wait and hit that up next season. If I want to excel in my sponsorships, and go farther in the snowboarding industry, competing would be the next thing in line for me to do. However I just got a new true twin tip board, which will make riding park for me a lot easier to do. So I feel the best thing for me to do this season is to just train!

I will certainly keep you all updated on the subject!! And if any of you want free shreddingbetty stickers, send me an email a julie@shreddingbetty.com

Think Snow..Just Ride!!!

2009-01-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

Age: 22
Years Riding: 10th year
Hometown: Albany, Oregon
Home Mountain: Mt Bachelor, Oregon. Mt Hood, Oregon, The Canyons, Park City, Utah.
Setup: Got a few... Burton 151 Feather, Morrow Bindings. Burton 144 Feelgood Burton Stiletto Bindings. Burton 142 GTwin Burton Stiletto Bindings, and a BB Mode 139 with Burton Freestyle Bindings. I wear Burton Tribute and Moto boots.
What did you think of snowboarding when you first tried it? In love off the bat. Not an easy sport to learn say the least. But I love the snow, the outdoors, and being on a board!

What is the coolest place you’ve traveled to ride?
I would have to say Utah and Colorado of course!! Hitting up New York was pretty amazing..but crummy conditions. Jamie and I plan to go to New Zealand for a snowboarding trip to Mt Rapahoe soon!

What do you think of women’s snowboarding today?
It has come such a long way!! It is incredible to get out and board, and each time see some chick stomping landings like it's cool. Female riders have really come out of their shells, and put the heat on in the snowboarding industry. It is about time!!!

Worst Trend in snowboarding?
Ha..there are quite a few. I would have to go with the haters. The lack of unity I see and the competitive nature in women..just get out with your ladies and ride!!! Bag the jealousy already!

If you couldn’t snowboard, what would you do?
Ski...lol seriously...yes this is true!

Pirates or Ninjas?
Ninjas

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you on the mountain?
Mmmm...I have had many wrecks..and that is just a part of nature..it doesn't phase me anymore lol....I would have to go with the time I wrecked and wet my pants because I laughed so hard...haha...good times!

Favorite Trick? Gay twists..( 360 with a grab) I am really liking doing butters on boxes these days though...

Any advice for girls who want to start hitting rails? As Paige Rainear puts it "Just hit it, hit it, and get MJ “Beat It” stuck in your head, and change the words, sing it to yourself, and do it.haha"

Favorite...

Park Feature: so many features...I dig boxes..rainbow rails, and of course the PIPE!!!

Imaginary Animal: haha uhm....catdog! lol

Snack Food: Banana's and Peanut Butta!!!

Drink: Vitamin Water, and water!

Snowboard Shop: www.shreddingbetty.com YO!!!!!!!!

December Update!

2008-12-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

Looks like this blog is in need of an update!!!

Things are going fabulous on Jamie and I's end!! We have just been snowboarding, and working, and hanging out with our family quite a bit!! It has been awesome having Crystal and Trav back!! It feels complete now!

Not a whole lot has changed...Jamie and I both received raises at work, I was offered a sponsorship from a snowboarding company!!! Which yes of course I accepted!!

Things are going great with shreddingbetty..I have some exciting news on my internship...but I cannot leak that info online until further notice...if you want to know just ask me!

Jamie took a new position at work..He no longer works production!! YAY!! He works maintenance now as a lubricator.. Just works on the vehicles and machinery. He seems to enjoy it!! He always comes home in a good mood, with an interesting story from work :O)

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!!!!

Elf Yourself!

2008-12-18T10:25:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

New York!

2008-12-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was in New York for 7 days, I just got back on Tuesday. It was a blast! My reason for going all the way to New York was for business..but in this industry, it is definitely more like play!! I intern for a snowboarding company called shreddingbetty, we had a snowboard event at Windham Mountain. The purpose of our event was just to get the ladies out there to shred! We provided extremely discounted lift tickets, rentals, and lessons to all who purchased through our company. We also had extremely awesome goodie bags that we handed out to the ladies who signed up for Betty's Get On Board. They included skull candy headphones, Nikita shirts, stickers, POM POM wax, and lip balm. Perfume...and lot of other cool swag! Along with all that we had a couple of demo tents set up from two of our sponsors..BURTON and OMATIC. The gals were able to go and demo board, and bindings!

Some of the Betty's getting off the bus!

Betty's getting lessons
Goodie Bag Time!!
Mogan and Danny putting up our awesome banners.

My main job at the event was to take all the newbie snowboarders, or people who needed rentals, and direct them through the process, and get them to their lessons. It was pretty fun! I got to meet a lot of new people, and they were all very friendly!

Myself, Jenna, Kailey, and Sarah.

My gal Erin and I!

And then it was time for me to relax...

After getting everyone checked in, we had some personal time to hit the slopes. I must say that I was not impressed with the mountain or the snow for that matter. But it was still fun none- the- less..I am just used to my big Utah mountains, and powder!

Icy icy icy...
Shredding with the OMATIC rep! :O

I was able to finally ride with my lady interns!! It was awesome! It is so hard these days to find a girl who loves to shred, who is genuine. All these gals were more than I could have asked for.

Erin, Jenna and I getting ready for a run.

Kai Slye!!! Represent!

Other than the main event, while I was in New York I was able to do a few other things! My first and most important stop was to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra. I went on a quick tour of the area and was able to go inside of the renovated homes of Joseph Smith and his family. After the tour I was free to enter the Grove by myself. It was beautiful. Very peaceful, and comforting. The Spirit was very strong. This was definitely one of the best experiences. After visiting the Sacred Grove, we went up to the Temple. Which isn't very different than any other..but the location of this Temple made it what it was. Simply amazing!!!

Renovated home of where the Smith family lived.

I stayed primarily in Webster, a suburb of Rochester, with one of the interns. Her name is Kailey Slye. She is 18 and is a sponsored snowboarder. We got along great! We have worked on a bunch of shreddingbetty projects together thus far, so when we met, it was like we had known one another for years!!

Hanging out at the Pier. Myself, Kailey, Juliana and Sam.

She was kinda my taxi around NY..well kinda..I guess I drove a bit more than her lol. And let me tell you..NY snow...slick...but not as rough as Wyoming snow haha.
Driving in NY was pretty cool.
Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We weren't able to go to Niagara Falls and NYC as planned. It started to snow on us, so Niagara Falls was kinda pointless. And we needed a couple of days for NYC. But we were able to shop till we dropped in Rochester. Rochester's population is a tad OVER 1 million...just take that in for a minute.. SLC is one 180,000....you haven't shopped till you hit a real big city! Rochester was beautiful!! So many skyscrapers, it was amazing. I have seen plenty of pics of Rochester in my day, my uncle and his family used to live there, so he would always send us pics of him, his family and surroundings quite often..but not even those pics could have prepared me for this!

All in all my trip was well worth it!! But it feels great to be home taking care of my little family. I truly missed Jamie and our pets...but not so much cleaning up after them all lol.

If you wanna see all of my photo's from my trip check out my MYSPACE or FACEBOOK.

Snow snow snow..ALL DAY LONG!

2008-11-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

FINALLY! We were able to get our snowboarding season started this last Wednesday!! We went to Brighton Resort in SLC. It was an awesome opening day!! They had a huge storm come in the night before..so we had lots of powder to play in. All lifts were up and running, and most runs were open. It was pretty epic. After boarding we headed over to Orem to meet up with our friend Gavin and Lacey. We went to an indoor shooting range with Gavin, his brother, and dad. We shot a 38 special, 9mm, and a 40 Cal it was fun!! Then we just chilled and caught up with Gavin and his wife Lacey at dinner. They are 10 weeks pregnant!! We are very thrilled for them!
Gavin and Jamie are insisting we get together once a year and go on a trip all us four...so we have plans in the making to try and hit up San Diego area sometime next year. Gavin and Jamie met when they were on their mission's in Alabama.

Things our way are going swell. Jamie and I have been looking at 2009 trucks to purchase after the New Year...I killed my car..I do not insist on telling the whole world how I managed to mutilate my Suzuki...and I didn't wreck it lol...if you want more info on that area of greatness in my life..message me lol. I started working at the Eye doctor last week. I really like it..a lot better than Vandervort's.. I get my own office with a desk and new laptop..I feel pretty sophisticated lol. I have decided to still manage the clothing store, only part time.. I will basically just work when I can and feel like it!

Summit has grown...he is 35 inches high now...YIKES!! He is a doll..he and Chi are getting a long just great! They are too funny to watch play together.

All in all..things aren't too different than any other day around our place...I shall keep you updated on our snowboarding extravaganza this season..Jamie is getting pretty good at laying down some awesome big air...he kinda freaks me out haha

Do I dazzle you??....Frequently...

2008-11-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

I would love to know who all plans going to the premier in their area?! We are getting a group of gals together to go to the premier in GR or RS..if you are in my area and would like to come let me know!!!!!

November Update!

2008-11-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

This picture of Chi and Summit is so not related to the update..but cute..so enjoy!!!

So things on our end are changing up a bit. Jamie has switched crews underground. He finally gets to work with our friend Colby. Jamie seems excited about this news! He primarily worked production underground, either running the shuttle car, the miner, or the bolter. It looks as if now he will be working on the utility crew..away from the danger! I am pretty excited about that myself! I was just offered a job as an Optometric Technician for Desert View Eye Care in Green River. I plan on taking the full time position, and leaving my current job in Rock Springs, as a manager of a clothing store. I will no longer have to commute to RS..heck Desert View is so close to my home I can now long board to work! :O) They offered me a very generous starting wage as well! And the best part is I'm off at 5 M-TH and out of the office by 2 on Fridays. This will be great for all my snowboarding things that need to get done.

I am beginning the process of building Summit County Surf Shop in Colorado, their online board shop..it is coming along quite nicely, I should be getting my first paycheck from them soon..how exciting!!

I am still very busy with shreddingbetty. We have lots of lil projects to get done this month before we have our event in New York. I can't wait to go to New York...is it Dec yet?!?!?

On another note..Jamie and I shall be heading to the mountains this coming Wednesday for our first snowboarding trip of the season...we are oh so stoked to finally play in the white fluffy stuff!!

Attention Ladies!

2008-11-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ogden Temple

2008-11-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were able to take in an endowment session at the Ogden Temple. It was about time! I have been fussing over a visit for quite some time to Jamie. Our last Temple visit was back in Sept in the SLC temple. It was an awesome time as usual. I really cannot express how great it feels to fulfill these precious ordinances on a regular basis, with my loved ones. My brother Jake and his wife Tantine planned to be sealed around February of 2009. They live back in Oregon, and will most likely be doing so at the Portland Temple! I feel very blessed that my brother too will be able to come with me through the temple one day, that we will be able to take part together in something extremely special!!

As for our Halloween. It was pretty quiet. I was able to hand out candy at our house for about an hour, before we went over to Jamie's parents for the evening to watch movies and hand out candy there. It was quite funny to see Summit's reaction on his first Halloween. He was a scardy cat! He was very upset at first to see all these high pitched voiced "creatures" standing at our door screaming at me for candy. For a few trick or treaters he was very defensive over me. But he soon settled and was too friendly for words to all that came our way. He mostly sat right next to the door anxious for the next visiter!

BETTY RIDES!

2008-10-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

So..great news!! I have been offered an internship position with one of my favorite snowboarding companies..BETTY RIDES!

I will be doing relatively the same thing as I am already doing with shreddingbetty. Marketing and advertising!

Things have been picking up quickly for me these days. I am in the process of building Summit County Snowboard Shop in Colorado a website for their board shop. This is my first paying position in the snowboarding industry- more or less!

This coming December I will be traveling to New York for a week. Shreddingbetty is putting on a huge event called Betty's Get On Board. It will basically be just a bunch of gals shredding to our hearts content!! We will have some pretty big sponsors there with us...such as BURTON!!! YAY!!!! Us Betty's will be staying in a posh cabin near the mountain. I will also get to do some sight seeing...I am already planning on going to visit the Sacred Grove- Where Joseph Smith had his first vision!

Our Newest Edition!

2008-10-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

So the past couple of days have been snowy!! Very snowy!! Yesterday Summit kept on wanting to go outside and play, he would literally whine at the door like crazy..I went out with him to play, and end up seeing a little orange kitten behind our shed playing in the logs.

Typical me..I tried to catch it..no luck. I had to go to church, so off I went...thinking about the kitty that had perked my curiosity. I got home, and went to let Summit it...but he just didn't want to come inside..that is weird for him. I let him play, and went back outside a few min later. I ended up seeing a calico kitten under the deck..where Summit has been digging a nice hole these days.. I figured there were kittens under there, so I called Animal Control. Before they came I went to go to laundry, Summit was STILL outside.. I could hear him barking like crazy..he never barks..

So I opened the basement door leading to our back yard...and to my surprise..there she was..a little solid black kitten. Finally Animal Control came out, they found the mother of the kittens under the deck, and she wasn't alive :O(

They took the kittens to the vet, and checked em out, and gave them their shots. They called me back and asked if I wanted to keep one. The only female was the solid black one. So I took her, with a starter kit they kindly provided me with.

We have named her Chione- which means Snow Goddess...I found that totally appropriate! We call her Chi for short :O) Summit adores having her around, he bathes her, and cuddles her like there is no tomorrow..it's adorable!!

Close Encounters of the Third Kind...well just SNOW!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

So it snowed this morning...we got dumped on!! Boy am I stoked!! Jamie and I have been kinda worried about Summit.. when it's 50 degrees outside this dog is a wimp and makes his potty trips outside very treacherous and short. What on earth was he gonna do when it snowed!?? Well I found out this morning!! He went outside to the back deck, and stopped...looked at the ground, and started walking down the stairs, oh so cautiously. When he finally got to the grass he started to sniff this white fluffy stuff!! " What is this ma?" I totally saw it in his eyes lol. Eventually he decided he needed to eat it, and then roll in it, and then run around like a MANIAC!! He is totally a snow dog! He is absolutely head over heels in love with the snow...just like me!!

UPDATE!!!!!!

2008-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh wow..certainly has been awhile! So....as for Jamie. Still working underground at Solvay, he just recently got a raise in pay! He took some time off to go hunting for a week. I'll have to blog about that next :O)

Summit just had a vet check 2 days ago. He is 16 weeks, 47 lbs, and 24 inches high at the withers. Our boy is getting big! He has learned to sit, stay, lay down, and be "gentle". He has been such an awesome lil dude..we really love having him around!!

As for myself...I have a new job. I manage a clothing store in Rock Springs. We sell Hurley, Billabong, Lucky, Silver Jeans..and much much more. We have intentions of turning the basement of the shop into a board shop. We are planning on bringing in snowboards, skateboards, and long boards, as well as clothing, more accessories, and gear. HOW AWESOME!! I have always wanted to own my own board shop..and seeing as I don't have the moolah to do that at this time being..why not manage one?

Along with the new job, I have also recently landed a job for a small snowboard shop in Summit County, Colorado. I was hired on to do web design. I will basically be building two websites for the owner to sell his merchandise from. And it's PAID!! Unlike my internship for shreddingbetty.

Shreddingbetty has been going great for me..keeping me busy with projects as usual. Going to be going to Vegas for New Years for a trade show. I'm pretty excited to meet the other gals.

Along with that...the perks are great..just got my brand new free snowboard from SB. I am accumulating quite the collection of boards!

All this networking in the snowboarding industry is finally paying off, and I am loving it!! It can be quite exhausting though. I spend most of my time at a computer, creating ads, flyer's, filtering surveys, building websites etc.

By the end of the day I hardly wanna look at a computer screen...but this blog has been needing an update...you there you are!!!

I have been tagged!!

2008-08-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Ashley!!.

How long have you been together? We had our 2nd year anniversary in April. So 2 years and 4 months for being married...almost 4 years total together.

Who eats more? Hahah ME!! I eat all day long. It's sad but true!

Who said I love you first? I did...well I didn't really say it..I drew it on his back with my finger...haha...he responded with a " I love you too"

Who is taller? Jamie.

Who sings better? Well Jamie has a pretty good voice..I used to take singing lessons..but uhh I am rusty these days..I would say we are pretty even.

Who is smarter? It really depends on the subject! I have some college under my belt, and he doesn't..but that doesn't necessarily mean anything!

Who does the laundry? ME me me..for the most part..Jamie is a champ, and when I ask him to help out he does.

Who does the dishes? Me..but he also chips in on that chore too when I ask him.

Who pays the bills? I pay everything but the mortgage.

Who mows the lawn? Jamie does..but he bought us a self propelling lawn mower in hopes that I will fall in line and do it when needed lol.

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me..but whenever I am tired, or just plain lazy, he will.

Who drives when you are together? I like to drive..so we trade off and on..but for long trips he does, or when it's really snowy out.

Who is more stubborn? Mmm..we have both had our fair share of being stubborn, and it's something we have had to work on. So now it's really neither.

Whose parents do you see the most? Jamie's. My family is in Oregon.

Who kissed who first? Jamie kissed me...finally after what..2 months!?.

Who proposed? Jamie..I got two proposals too!! haha

Who is more sensitive? Definitely me!I'm a wuss.

Who has more friends? Probably me? It's hard to tell, he has a lot of missionary friends too..his friends are usually my friends and vice versa.

Who has more siblings? We're even! I have 3 older bros and 1 younger sis..same as him!

Who wears the pants in the family? haha who knows..depends on the day!

I tag...Keri and Selina!!

ADMIRAL SUMMIT

2008-08-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we finally got our puppy!! We went camping in Irish Canyon Colorado. We met the breeders near our campground on Saturday. The pup will be known as SUMMIT, and we will be registering him as ADMIRAL SUMMIT. It was really exciting to be able to finally receive our little dude. He is currently 8 weeks old, and 20 pounds. From here on out he will grow 6 inches a month on average until he is one year. His papa is only a year and a half, and is 34 inches at his withers, and anywhere between 45 to 50 inches at the top of his head...I myself measure 62 inches...you do the math...haha! Since we have had him home, he has been ever so pleasant! Jamie and I have been really impressed with how mellow and loving he is. We really couldn't ask for a better dog! He is our Gentle Giant!!

Throughout Eternity

2008-07-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

New and everlasting covenant of marriage: Marriage performed under the law of the gospel and the holy priesthood is for mortal life and for eternity.

We did it. It certainly has been a long road. But the experiences I will forever cherish. July 5th 2008, Jamie and I were finally sealed together for life and eternity at the Logan, Utah Temple. It was an emotional weekend for us both. I am so truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I am thankful everyday for all the blessings the two of us have. Our families, our church, our careers, our home, but most importantly the Priesthood my husband holds.

I could never have imagined my life going down the path it has taken. I know I wouldn't be here today if I didn't have the love and support of my Heavenly Father and the people around me. I thank all of you for that.

This is just the beginning.. :O)

* Boarding For Breast Cancer *

2008-06-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I was asked to volunteer at the B4BC booth @ Warped Tour. Warped Tour is a big concert, where hundreds of punk rock bands gather together, and play on about 5 to 6 different stages. There are booths set up for you to buy your favorite bands merchandise, but there are also booths that raise money for a cause, such as ours. We raised over $1000 in 8 hours, from donations, to selling B4BC, shirts, bracelets, stickers..etc. We were there to run the booth, and to educate others how to check themselves for breast cancer. It was very informative, especially for myself! I was able to bring my friend Amanda with me, so she was there right by my side teaching, and giving women, and of course men, all the important information one needed to know. Not only were we able to educate others, but we were able to attend some of our favorite bands' concert!!! We saw Against Me! Which is a fave of Jamie and I. Before we got to our booth, Amanda and I met a roadie of theirs playing the drums at their booth. We went up and talked to him, and he ended up giving us Warren's drumsticks! Later on that day went back to their booth, where the band was signing, and we got autographs, and pics. They were such down to earth guys, it was awesome. We also saw our other fave band Pennywise...these guys have been around forever it seems, the good ones never die! They played a rockin' show, I have always enjoyed watching Pennywise in concert, they are just so energetic! I have seen them a few times, and they just keep getting better. By the end of the day...we were ready to go home. It was in the upper nineties. And even though we had shelter for most of the day...it was still hot!! We were sweaty, and tired, but happy. I'm glad I had this opportunity, to help raise money for such an important cause. Can't wait to do it next year!!!

Meet Summit

2008-06-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

***SUMMIT OUR GREAT DANE***

So we bought a pup!! It's about time!!! I have been pet deprived for too long!!! I don't know how I coped for 2 years without a pet. I come from a family where pets are important, and plentiful. Growing up we always had a dog, and a cat..at the very least. We eventually bought horses, acquired 3 dogs, two barn dogs, and one indoor. 4 barn cats, one rat, one hamster,one turtle. Birds galore... hedgehogs, chinchillas, hermit crabs, fish...you name it we had/have it.

My parents live on a lovely little ranch of 5 acres, they have a nice big barn. They have 4 regular sized horses, and 5 mini horses, 4 are mares, and are all pregnant. That makes 13 horses...WOW. My mom bought an Amazon Blue parrot, she has two other smaller parrots as well. My sis still has her guinie pigs, hamster, and rat. They have one turtle and rabbit, and they share the same pen! Down to one barn dog, and one indoor dog. 3 barn cats.I love going home for a visit, I find animals to be very therapeutic. I grew up with the desire to be a veterinarian..life took it's twist and turns, and well...I'm not.. :o/ OH well..at least I have my pup Summit!!

RIPPER OF THE WEEK!

2008-06-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

So here it is! The interview from Rip.tv.com for "Ripper of the Week" HOW AWESOME!!!

http://www.rip.tv/blog/articles/ripper-of-the-week-julie-castillon

Snow Is The Way To Go!

2008-06-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

So summer is around the corner...and all I can think about is this coming snowboarding season! I recently was given an awesome opportunity from an amazing snowboard company called "shreddingbetty" for an internship position in their Leadership Acadamy for Girls. The internship consists of working closely with some other interns, doing a lot of digital marketing, research, idea generation, publicity, grassroots marketing etc. I will get to represent shreddingbetty each time I go to the mountain, by speaking with other ladies about our company, and giving out free goodies- stickers, flyers and what not. It's not paid of course,but the perks are AWESOME!! I get to go to trade shows for free around the U.S., events, and snowboard competitions, and concerts for free..and FREE LIFT TICKETS!!! :O) I get mad discounts from the company on clothing, gear and accessories. Shreddingbetty is still adding more to the online board shop, but feel free to check it out!! http://www.shreddingbetty.com/

Also check their myspace (which myself and another intern manage!)

http://www.myspace.com/shreddingbettyonline

On ANOTHER note..I just found out that Riptv.com will be featuring me as their female rider of the week!!! I will keep ya'll posted on that excitement for sure!! I really can't believe all of this is happening so fast! I have worked really hard on getting my name out in the snowboarding industry...and it seems that it is all finally falling into place!!!

Mi Casa...es su Casa...

2008-05-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

We are now the proud owners of 370 Birch Street.

Oh the joys of buying your first home!! It has been quite a ride the past month. Meeting with our mortgage loan officer, booking appointments with realtor's. Touring the houses of Green River. I thought we would never get a house! There was one in particular we didn't get to walk through because it had sold!! It was a steal too!! Central air, front porch, back deck, amazing basement, new fenced yard, a big nice yard at that! Automatic sprinkler system, 3 bedroom one bath, a new master bedroom and bath being put in downstairs, so make that 4 bedroom 2 bath! Beautiful kitchen, and to top it off...a corner lot! We were sad to see it slip through our hands..so off we went to look at more houses. It seemed that I fell in love with every house..and just wanted to buy asap. Well almost every house. But just the other day, our realtor told us that the house we had originally fell in love with...was fortunately back on the market!!! So we went and viewed it. Slept on it...made an offer yesterday, and this morning we awoke to a phone call from our realtor telling us that we had just bought our first home!!! We close on the 29th. So we should be in shortly after! House warming party...here we come!!!!

An Ode To Wyoming

2008-04-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

A Plateau on the Prairie.

If I could paint a picture of the finest place on earth,

it would never be of buildings, pay no matter what they're worth.

There'd be no canvas covered with a village, neat and quaint;

...plateaus on the prairie is what I'd choose to paint.

Now, you may think it silly that anyone could see

beauty in a plateau,but they mean a lot to me.

Like a lighthouse to a sailor, they're a symbol of the West

of life that's free and easy, a lifestyle that's the best.

To me there's nothing better than to be out there with God,

smell the clover-scented grass,or raindrops on the sod;

to hear the rustling of the trees,the lowing of the herds;

and watch a hawk a-circlin', then be chased away by birds

A friend to man and beast alike, they never cease to work,

bring forth the fresh cold water from far beneath the earth.

When evening shadows lengthen, like a tower in the night,

a plateau in the sunset is such a wondrous sight.

You can have the Eiffel Tower or the Vatican in Rome;

sky scrapers in the cities, or the fanciest of homes.

The simple upright beauty that will put them all to rest

is a plateau on the prairie when the sun sets in the West!

* this is an "ode" to my home. Wyoming. This poem was written by Yvonne Hollenbeck, its original title was A Windmill on the Prairie. I changed it accordingly to our fabulous rock formation we have here in Green River..enjoy!

An Extraction..Of Valuable Minerals!

2008-03-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, Jamie and I took a couple of the Young Men from church out to where Jamie works- OCI, for a mine tour.Our Wyoming operation has been among the world's leading producers of high quality soda ash.Soda ash is the trade name for sodium carbonate, a chemical refined from the mineral trona or sodium-carbonate-bearing brine's (both referred to as "natural soda ash") or manufactured from one of several chemical processes (referred to as "synthetic soda ash"). It is an essential raw material in glass, chemicals, detergents, and other important industrial products...ANYWAYS.........it was a great experience for all of us! When we first got there, we had a little training session with Dennis Brady. I have always been a bit nervous of the thought of having my most loved one go underground...in such a "potentially" dangerous environment. Having this training made it a bit worse..as we neared the time for us to go underground, my nerves calmed.I asked how Daniel, and Cody were feeling about going 850 feet underground, and beneath the Green River..they said they were calm... Jamie and Dennis brought us our equipment. Hard hat, ear plugs, miner light, belt, carbon monoxide converter. We were good to go. Down the shaft we went....We could see our destination 850 feet below us.Once we got down...I wasn't nervous at all! I felt like I was just in a tunnel. The thought of being that far underground had no effect on me. We walked around until we came upon one of the work trucks. We all hopped in the back, and Dennis drove us around. He first showed us a barricade room. The miners use this as a last resort if there is an incident and there is absolutely no way out. We went in...and he shut the door. The rooms are pretty big, they can hold quite a bit of people. In the room there was a big long dining table..a bunch of bottled water, a place to go to the bathroom. And two telephones. He had us turn off our miner lights- we were able to see what PITCH BLACK really looked like....it was insane! You can only imagine what it would be like..It was so dark it through off my equilibrium! After that we drove around some more,until we came across a few miners. They took us to the "face" where the actual digging was happening..I knew they would take us to the actual place of digging...but I had no idea what was about to happen. They actually MINED right there in front of us!! 30 feet away they were digging into the face...it was amazing! They have this machine..its called a "miner' it can be operated my remote control as well as a human. It is a 2 million dollar piece of equipment. And OCI has six! That is a mad amount of money! One of the men got on the miner, and started it up...There are these absolutely HUGE drills on the front. He raised it up to the top, and pushed it about two feet into the wall of Trona, and pulled it down. It sucks in the Trona, and spits it out the back into a loader, which once is full goes and dumps the Trona and returns for repeated loads. OCI digs about 300 feet a day.OCI takes pride in their safety. They are the safest mine to work in. That is the only thing that has kept me sane about the thought of Jamie working underground. As I was walking the halls in OCI I saw alot of trophies and plaques saying "FIRST PLACE" for safety...it really made me happy! I now feel comfortable and confident if my hubby were to ever go underground. I am glad that we had such an awesome opportunity to be able to see first hand-what goes into mining Trona,I totally recommend everyone to take a tour if ever possible! It's definitely a fun, and exciting time!

A Pirate's Life For Me!

2008-03-17T17:26:00.001-07:00

So last Saturday we had a Pirate Party for our nephews- Tyler, Pax,Hunter and Kolter...and who can forget our niece,lil baby Zoe! It was awesome. Eric and Nicole brought the pinata, Sue made a mouthwatering meal consisting of BBQed chicken, Salmon, and such. We all dressed up as pirates, they all looked great. But Sue's costume had to take the cake! :O) Jamie and I's job was to make a treasure map-and setup a treasure hunt. We spent most of our afternoon shopping around with our friend Colby.He helped us find rub on tattoos, swords, and a magnifying glass for our map. We setup a plank outside Hector and Sue's, for the kids to walk across....they enjoyed it thoroughly! We led them outside the house, across the plank....and to a tree where we had the other half of the map stuck into a tree with a knife-the boys thought that-that was "oh so cool" We led them into the old school, where the treasure hunt began to get a bit scary for the younger boys. But they mustered up the courage to venture into "Black Beards Lair" We led them through a tiny crawl space-that most of the adults just went around-Nicole being pregnant...would have made it a wee bit difficult haha. At the end of the crawl space, we checked the map...the map led the kids to some stairs....and up those stairs and far to the back of the tiny musty room- there it was!!! The treasure...it was filled with pirate toys,and jewels,coins, and sports toys. Never have I seen them so excited...Hector however....decided that their were "pirates following us" One thing led to another...and Jamie and Hector lit some firecrackers in the room that we were in. The boys screamed!! And ran as fast as they could out of the room into the safety of their mothers arms!! Poor Ty was so upset that he was crying...and lil baby Zoe as well. So the boys made a decision...since Grandpa Hector scared them so bad...they decided to make him walk the plank!! How cute! The night ended with a pinata-which Kolty wanted to break open....evidently, Hunter ALWAYS busts it open. And he wanted to this time....well things didn't go as planned and Hunter accidentally broke it open before Kolty did....oh boy...was he not a happy camper! He soon settled down, and busted it the rest of the way...which made him once again content. The only thing missing at this Pirate Party was lil baby Carson! :O( We sure did miss having him with the family..as well as Travy and Crystal. Looks like we will just have to throw another party when they visit!!

Every Convert Is Precious.

2008-03-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As well as my brother Jake. My brother was converted January of 2008, and I April of 2004. I always had a feeling we would some how snag him! It amazes me how far he has come in life- it amazes me how well our lives have panned out.. Born and raised in Oregon, we grew up with two older brothers (James, and Jason). Our dad wasn't the best, and our mom wasn't the strongest to be able to leave him. Growing up was was a trial for us, we had to deal with the unimaginable..and it was a struggle, but we had some great neighbors. The Beers. I look back, and I think "What a funny name for an LDS family." Although back then, I had no idea...they were just my best friends, and always made me feel great. We loved going over there, Laurie always baked sweets, while we played games, and felt more at home there than anywhere else. Little did I know, that this family would have such a great impact on me- and my family. Life turned around for us when I was about five. My parents divorced, and eventually my mother remarried- to one of the most amazing men I know. And life was good. The Beer's moved away..to the other side of town...and our best friends weren't seen all that often. The years passed...and my brother was out of high school, and I was a Junior. I met a boy. And this boy was a member. I wanted to know what he knew..so I went to church with him. Never have I felt such warmth...such happiness...never have I felt so comfortable. My boyfriend at the time moved- back to Green River,Wyoming. I stayed in Oregon..continued to go to church..One day, I went to a different Ward...the Ward that I should have gone to according to where I lived(we moved a few years after the divorce-to the other side of town)..So I sat...and I looked around...and who did I see? The Beer's! I was nervous...Sure...my best friends from when I was younger did go to the same high school....and I saw them sometimes...you know how things go after the years...clicks organize...and so on.....After sacrament..I rushed up to them, and said hello. They were so surprised to see me there. They asked me who I was with, and told them I was by myself-and told them the rest of how it came to be that I was there that day. A month later...I decided to start having the discussions with the missionaries. My mom however....wasn't to keen on my actions...and wouldn't allow it. I told the Beer's of my issue...and they told me we could have the discussions at their house. There house was literally across a field from my parents property. I was flabbergasted at the fact that they were so close to me all these last few years. So off I went every week, to meet at the Beer's and have my discussions with the missionaries. Little did I know of all the trouble this was about to start. First off with my mother. She always had negative words to say towards me every night I left the house to go to the Beer's. My brother Jake...couldn't understand my feelings either- he had, had a bad experience with a past girlfriend who's family were members of the church-although they really had no concept of the word of wisdom-everything they did and said just confused my brother. So everything he gathered from his experience-was what he thought I was getting myself into. My friends at school began to despise me, and a few became greatly concerned for my well being-cause after all-they were taught that being LDS meant you were in a cult. So I had loved ones from every hemisphere in my life-going against me. Except my step dad :O) After months of investigating...I converted...it was awesome. But when I got home...apparently there was a new rule in the house- No Mormon's allowed..My mom had kicked me out of the house-because I was now LDS....and I wasn't even 18. Where was I to go??? It didn't last long...my dad talked some sense into her...It took years for her to come to peace with it..and actually be happy. I guess you could say that I made it easier for my brother..He met an incredible woman at work..Tantine..She was LDS. And Jake and her fell in love...and Jake still had struggles, and trials to overcome...We all thought he was lost...But Tantine...has so much patients,and she helped my brother become who is today...Jake turned his life around,and he finally married Tantine in January of 2008- two weeks after he was baptized into the Mormon Faith. I'm so thankful to have had the influence of the Church around me basically my whole life...most of the time without me even knowing it. I piece my life together-and it all just makes sense...how everything fell into place..and it strengthens my testimony to know that this Church is true. I see how much it has just helped my brother alone- and influenced him to be a completely different person, as well as myself. And for that..I am grateful.