It's not a spider...it's a rodent!

So last Thursday night, I got home from work and Curtis was at our friend's house. I decide to join him, so I head out to my car with flip-flops on. As I turn to get in the car, I noticed that I just walked past this giant tarantula!!! He was right up against our garage door. I didn't know what to do so I grabbed my camera and took a picture from the closest point I dare and then drove away to join the party. I'm pretty sure my face was white when I got there because the first thing Curtis said to me was “what's wrong?” I'm now convinced that this rodent like arachnoid is living in our garage. I think it might even push me to allow my flip flops to start their winter hibernation early this year. To top it all off, this ugly bug you see here, was waiting for us on our porch when we got home. Ahhhh!

Tough Stuff

Tuesday, September 23rd was a date I've repeated a lot these past 7 months. It was supposed to be my due date. Turns out, the days leading up to it were really tough for me. I couldn't help but think about how different our lives are now than we had intended them to be. I was supposed to be very very pregnant, wishing that this baby would just come. Instead, I have a chubby belly that won't go away--no matter what I do. I was supposed to have a very cute baby room decorated in pink and green. Instead, it's full of the scrapbook stuff I used to make a book about my baby's funeral. I was supposed to be completely sleep deprived taking care of a baby who refused to sleep through the night. Instead, I get up every morning to go to the job I'd hoped to quit. I was supposed to have a baby in my arms. Instead, I have a mold of her hands on my shelf and a charm with her name around my neck.

Curtis and I were talking last night and as hard as it's been, we couldn't change it even if we had the power to do so. Mostly because we know that this was supposed to happen. As much as I hate to admit it, so much good has come of this. Our friend's dad talked to us at Addison's service and told us "your marriage has just been solidified." He was right. I can't think of anything that would have made us stronger as a couple than losing a baby. I've also had quite a few friends tell me how much this has helped them appreciate their own children. Being a parent is hard work, sometimes we need reminders of what a blessing it is too. I know it has changed me. It's helped me to be more compassionate. It's helped me to understand how to help others in need when before I felt so helpless. I think mostly, it's changed my perspective on motherhood and I know I will appreciate our future children in a way that never would had been possible without having the challenge of giving our baby girl back to Heavenly Father so quickly.

I know that the Lord has strengthened us through this and we will continue to be strengthened. God truly does love us. The savior will lighten our burden. He sends angels to help us through times like this. I pray that we will all have the strength to be His angels here on earth. Thank you to all of you who have been angels to us.

The Thompson Resort

Come visit The Thompson Resort nestled up against the Cedar City mountains. Within walking distance of a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing (maybe, we've never actually done that one) and much more. Also, just minutes away from a variety of indoor activities such as swimming, an indoor climbing wall, shopping at Wal-Mart, and almost anything else you can imagine. This small town “get away” features incredible company (us), newly refinished furniture, and a king sized mattress on the floor. What more could you ask for?


Okay, so that was really a joke, but I really did want to post some pictures for those of you who haven't seen our cute little house. We moved in in July and pretty much love it. The picture above is the view from our front window. We love being right up agains the mountains (at least until they build a bunch of houses there). Curtis pretty much studies all the time, but if any of you want to come visit me, we have a place for you to stay.
Also, I was so proud of myself. Last weekend, I refinished this dresser that Curtis' family had bought from DI close to 20 years ago. It now matches the two nightstands that we refinished a few weeks ago to match the bed we bought at the RC Willey Outlet. The master bedroom is just about complete. Now we just need to get some pictures for the walls. I'm starting to think it's all real fun. I'll probaby paint a bunk bed that Curtis brough down here from when he was a kid. That will be our guest room for now. Basically...life goes on.

One Month

It was one month ago today that we both welcomed and said goodbye to our baby girl, Addison. It's hard to believe that it's already been that long. We've been keeping pretty busy and life really does just go on. Sometimes we talk about how strange it is. We were supposed to experience something that would be so life changing. I was going to quit at least one of my jobs, I wasn't supposed to be getting any sleep, Curtis was supposed to be coming home to a little girl who would eventually call him "daddy," we were supposed to be spending a good portion of our budget on diapers, and so many more things that would have probably come as a surprise to us. As it is, things aren't a whole lot different than they were before we got pregnant. Our day-to-day routine isn't much differnt. As true as that might be though, we have changed. We are different and we are stronger and we have a different perspective on life than we did before we were asked to go through this.
We really are so grateful to all the people who have been such a support to us. We have recieved so much love and kindness, so many cards, flowers, phone calls, and many prayers that we are certianly unaware of. A family in our ward told us today that they had been praying for us. I'm pretty sure that the kids don't even know who we are, but they still mention us by name in their prayers. We know this has been a strength to us.
There is no doubt that this has been hard. Even though we don't know how all the details will be worked out, we receive comfort in knowing that families are eternal.