Black Friday

At around 10:45 am this morning I was in Toys R Us shopping for Christmas presents. There were a few things I really wanted to get, but they had sold out of most of them. I was able to find a bike ramp that I knew Daniel would LOVE. The store was very crowded and I could tell it would take me at least half an hour to check out. A strange urgency to leave to store came over me even though I wanted this ramp and a few other things. I left my cart with all the stuff in it at about 11:15 and drove to another store across the street. When I came back from that store, I saw that Toys R Us was surrounded by tons of police, ambulances, fire trucks, and news vans. I called my sister to tell her I had just left a store that was now surrounded and taped off. I was glad I wasn't there.

After I got off the phone with my sister, a woman in line behind me said "the news is saying shots have been fired at Toys R Us and people are dead. No one is allowed to go in or out." As reality sunk in, tears welled up in my eyes and I called my sister back. She, along with my mother who was with her, started choking up as well. We had no idea at this point how many people were injured, what the shooting was about, if it had stopped, etc. I only knew that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to leave and I was spared whatever might have happened be it major (being shot myself) or less major (seeing someone else shot). It took all my strength to not fall apart in the store.

After I was safe in my car, I called my husband and was heaving and sobbing uncontrollably as I told him what happened. I have never felt so close to being in horrible danger as I did today. As the events unfolded the story was told that two women were fighting and the men they were each with shot each other at 11:30. (You can read all about it here.)

Here's something ironic: Guess where my husband was while this was happening.....at Wal-Mart buying ammunition! (Then he went out and bought two new guns!)

Some might say "see what guns do?! They shouldn't be allowed." On the contrary! What if these men had been crazy and started shooting on-lookers randomly. Who would have stopped them? The woman with the nerf gun in her shopping cart? It's our RIGHT to bear arms. The founding fathers weren't stupid men. They knew how important this issue was and would be forever. The right to protect yourself and your family is essential to our freedoms. Should we create a law that says "making a fire is illegal because so many people have died in them?" Do we teach our children to never be around a fire because it's dangerous and can hurt or kill you? At first, yes, we say "don't touch...hot." Then, we eventually teach them how to make one themselves and be around it safely. Guns should be respected just the same. We should teach our children how dangerous they can be and to never touch them at first. Then, when they are old enough, teach them how to use one properly. Yes, people are killed by people with guns, but people are also saved by people with guns. So, you say, "We would be better off if guns didn't exist." God forbid that we should ever get into such a depression that we would have to start hunting for our own food. You'd need a GUN! They're not bad. People are bad.

Today's events reminded me of a song by Amy Grant about how Angels are constantly watching over us. Here are the words...I sang them to myself today through tears:

Take this man to prison, the man heard Herod say, And then four squads of soldiers came and carried him away. Chained up between two watchmen, Peter tried to sleep, But beyond the walls an endless prayer was lifting for his keep. Then a light cut through the darkness of a lonely prison cell, And the chains that bound the man of God just opened up and fell, And running to his people before the break of day, There was only one thing on his mind, only one thing to say:

Angels watching over me, every move I make, Angels watching over me! Angels watching over me, every step I take, Angels watching over me!

God only knows the times my life was threatened just today. A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way. Near misses all around me, accidents unknown, Though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home. But I know they're all around me all day and through the night. When the enemy is closing in, I know sometimes they fight To keep my fight from falling, Ill never turn away. If you're asking what's protecting me then you're gonna hear me say:

Got His angels watching over me, every move I make, Angles watching over me! Angels watching over me, every step I take, Angels watching over me.... Angels watching over me.... Angels watching over me. Got His angels watching over me, every move I make, Angels watching over me! Angels watching over me, every step I take, Angels watching over me! Angels watching over me, Angels watching over me, Angels watching over me, Angels watching over me!

I am sincerely thankful today for the Angels that were watching over me.

Halloween 2008

Every year on Halloween we go to Desert Chapel (my sister-in-laws church) in Palm Springs. We have done this since Ariel was a baby. It is a minimal fee to get in and they provide a fantastic dinner, tons of games for the kids, huge bounce houses and slides, cotton candy, caramel apples, snow cones, deep fried Twinkies, funnel cakes, sodas, hot chocolate, and generous amounts of candy for the kids. The kids have a blast every time and I get STUFFED. This year was no exception.

Ariel dressed as a Cheetah, Daniel-power ranger, Abi-bunny. I didn't dress Ani up. I don't think she noticed! =)

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Hair cut

So, I haven't had my hair cut since I was married over eight years ago much less highlighted it. However, after meeting with a friend and lamenting about how depressed I was, she suggested that we just spontaneously cut my hair. I am a total worry wort for some reason about doing something to my hair. My friend was so confident and has such great hair every time I see her that I thought "what the heck. I look like crap right now...it couldn't get worse." After she was done and had me look in the mirror, I was SHOCKED! My hair had NEVER looked so good! I almost cried, seriously. I'm not one to make a big deal out of my looks. I don't get my nails done, get regular hair cuts, go clothes shopping more than once a year, get my teeth whitened, or anything else related to doing things for myself. I didn't even have make-up on and I looked great. I was SO HAPPY I decided to go through it. I really need to start doing more for myself.

I hate pictures of myself, but I thought it was worth archiving if only to give praise to my incredible friend (who wanted to remain anonymous). Here's to you, Taryn...oooops, did I say that? Sorry. =)

Sharing Opinions

Recent events have lead me to ponder on the many ways in which people share their opinions. Some people sheepishly chime in when they think no one is listening. Some people cower in the corner when a "hot topic" is announced and share nothing at all. Still there are some who "shout" their opinion without regard to the setting or timing. Then, there are those who have been gifted in being able to share with love and compassion and still state their unflinching view.

Which one am I? The first one. Which one is my husband? Certainly not the "cower in the corner" type. Which one of us is the "better" person? Well, there's a good argument. I don't believe it is a great quality that I posses which causes me to shy away from any form of debate. You could rightfully label me at a door mat. It is also not the most redeeming quality to be labeled a "basher," but at least you couldn't be accused of being a coward.

I have learned from watching close family members that creating any kind of controversy which leads to contention NEVER turns out well. The spirit is ALWAYS turned away even if the intentions were good.

When Christ "gave his opinion" he didn't knock down people's doors. He was simply out there with his "friends" talking about truths. Those that wanted to hear were welcome to, but he didn't chase after those that disagreed. If he was confronted on a matter personally, then he didn't waste time going on and on. His statements were short and to the point...ie.."Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's and unto God that which is God's." O'Reilly has a great phrase that I have started using at home: "Keep it pithy." If you want someone to listen, assume they have a short attention span and sum it up. If they want to know more, then you should elaborate.

Nothing New

This should not come as a surprise to anyone unless you've waited months to read my blog! I'm pregnant. However, just to make it fun, I'm not going to tell my close family members. I thought it would be clever to let Will know by waiting till he actually reads this post, which might not be for a long time. I tell my family to read my bog all the time and they don't. So, here's getting back at them. To all my friends who read this: Please do not let it slip in front of Will or my kids. Oh, what the heck, don't tell ANYONE....keep it to yourself till I post that Will read the blog. I'll know that you know when you make a comment on this post. I want to see how long it takes him to figure it out. I'll keep you posted. Oh, and one more thing...does anyone have an OB-GYN they'd highly recommend who delivers at Desert Regional?

(Yes, it is cheating if you say "You've got to read Andrea's blog", or any other phrase that would be interpreted by the Supreme Court of Andrea as blowing the secret surprise.)

--10/16 Andrea to Will: "Honey, you really should read our blog. I write in it all the time."

--10/17 Jennifer Hendrickson to Will: "Will, you should read Andrea's blog." (She hadn't read this post yet.)

--10/18 Will Spends the next three days writing and reading on Lisa's blog. (Ironic, huh?)

--10/19 Will almost clicks on our blog and the computer crashes! (that was close)

--10/22 Andrea to Will: "What do you think of Cali Carter, or how about Cael Carter?" Will: "I like Cali, but she'll be called "California" her whole life." End of discussion...no further questions.

10-23 I think Will is turning the cards on me now. He read my blog last night and posted a comment on one of my newest posts, but says he skipped around and looked over some other posts. I immediately called him a liar, but he just casually told me how he read lots of our friends blogs, then tried to start one of his own. I think he knows now and is going to try and see how long I can stand keeping it a secret from him! How's that for "getting back" at me? Now I'm tormented not knowing if he knows or not and not wanting to spoil it JUST IN CASE he doesn't. I should have known. He's always been the more clever of the two of us.

10/23 My little sister, Liz, asked me point blank if I was pregnant yet. I lied. I feel bad now. I'm too stubborn to spoil the fun now though.

10/26 Like I said, I know Will has always been the more clever of the two of us. So, Will and I spoke in church today. During Will's talk, he told the entire congregation "Andrea thinks that I don't pay attention to her or read her blog. What she doesn't know is that I read her blog and wrote her a note inside her scriptures saying "I know you're pregnant. I'm just checking to see how often you read your scriptures!" I have to give him credit. That was good. Humiliating me in public is always the best way to win my affection! (By the way, you can read the scriptures on-line...which is what I was doing.) =)

Diet

Okay, here's something you may or may not know about me: I'm a yo-yo dieter. There, I said it, I confessed. I go on these crazy diets, usually loose weight, keep it off for anywhere between a few days to a whole year, then go back to where I was. I can't stop. I can't seem to stop eating all the things I love: pizza, chocolate, candy corn (newest obsession), and whatever else I feel I deserve. Maybe that's it. Maybe that's my problem. I feel like I don't get compensated for what I do, so I reward myself this way. Horrible, isn't it? It's only a reward for the short period of time I have that incredibly tasty food in my mouth and then it's gone, so I want to do it again. This is just as bad as having a drug addiction. I see now why they call it an addiction.

I have GOT to find a way to be satisfied eating healthy. This is just not working. I tried to go on another "diet" Monday, only to have the kids beg me to take them to McDonald's after school "just to play" they promised. Of course, they were hungry, so I bought them food and then I couldn't resist eating all their left-over fries. Will says "it's easy Andrea, eat less and exercise more." Okay, so he's right. I just can't seem to keep the motivation going long enough to do a significant amount of good. I know what the experts say. I've read it all. I know you shouldn't go on fad diets, you should just try to eat one meal a day healthier than normal until you create a habit. I love the way I feel when I "feel" thinner. I hate "feeling" fat. (By the way, I'm not posting this so my friends can say "you're not fat, Andrea. You look great." I don't want cheesy praise.) I just wish I could change my idea of what it is to be "sexy/good looking." It's not anyone else. It's me. If I could be happy with myself, it would change a lot of things. If I could find another way to "reward" myself, or just totally suppress my appetite, that would be great. I know if there was a magical way to do it, Oprah would have found it, so there's really no quick, easy way to fix this.

I told the young women in church a while back that I used to hate the way I looked in high school. Now, I look back and wonder what I was thinking. I was fine! I know that when I'm eighty I'll look at pictures of me now and say "what was I thinking? I was fine." I told them to be happy the way they are now because one day they'll wish they had enjoyed the way their body was at the time. I need to take my own advice. (and I need to go on a diet.) =)

Goodbye to Summer Vacation Party!

The last Saturday before school started, my friends, The Hermanson's, invited us to their house in Blythe to have a back to school celebration. It was a blast! The kids had SO MUCH FUN and I got to do what I love best--connect with a best friend. I only wish they lived closer. Absence sure does make the heart grow fonder though.

A little background. Angie and I met when our two oldest, John and Ariel, were in pre-school together. We didn't know we were both members of the same church till mid-conversation that year. She has been an incredible friend ever since that day. Due to a job transfer, she and her family moved to Blythe a couple of years ago. Last year we were both pregnant at the same time with our latest ones, Katie and Ani. Thanks, Angie, for such a great party, but more importantly, a great friendship.

My friend, Angie

John and Angie
Katie and Ani
Anna and Abi
Little John and Daniel
Anna and Ariel
John and Katie
Ani
Daniel and Will
Amazing cake made my Erin--who might be moving to the desert
Some new friends
The whole party clan
Abi flying in the air-Great tuck!
Think she'll be a cheerleader one day?!
Wish I could still do that...oh wait....wish I was EVER able to do that!
Ariel--wish I had a suit just like hers
Daniel can keep up with both of them
Incredible balance
This looks so good you'd think it was photoshopped....it wasn't!
Yes, that's right, we don't leave Ani out. For those of you whom this freeks out...don't worry, she LOVES it....she's going to be a great swimmer!
Ahhh...the chicken fights!
The best family in the world.
Can you top this one?
My beautiful girls
Ariel now asks about this boy all the time....(first crush?)


Taking a dare in ice cold water at the end of the party.
Another dare at the end of the party to see who could keep their hands in the ice cold water the longest. (The boy above's mom won!)
Last pile-up of the night. This was amazing!

New Car

Okay, so after less than two weeks, we decided that it just wasn't worth trying to get around in two cars every time we needed, or wanted, to go somewhere together. (Not to mention it was impossible to do shopping in my Toyota Echo with all the kids in the car.) Because I love doing internet research so much, I was excited to embark in the journey of choosing the perfect (or best) car for us.

We tinkered with the idea of getting a Grand Caravan but soon ruled it out due to horrible consumer ratings on multiple sites. (I have to say though that Stow-N-Go seating is genius...I just wish that other vans had it.) The Kia Sedona was a great car as well (looked very much like the Odyssey we just had.) It has a great warranty and price. However, I very quickly narrowed our search to between the Odyssey and Sienna. Why? They are the only two mini vans that offer eight seats. We don't know how many children we are going to have, but if for some insane reason we decide to have two more, then we would ultimately have to have eight seats. (It was much easier to only compare two vans.)

I started out with the obvious one: Honda Odyssey. Because this had been a great car for us for ten years, minus the transmission, I secretly thought ultimately that we would end up getting it. Will, because of our experience with the transmission, basically said "NO WAY. I am totally against making the same mistake twice." Trusting that he wouldn't change his mind, I embarked on searching for the right price on the Sienna. Those of you that know me know that I am a total bargain hunter and do a pretty dang good job of it. I was excited to make a great deal. I found this hilariously true to life podcast on line which helped me know where to start with price. I felt lucky to be looking at the right time of year when the dealers are hoping

to get rid of their '08's to get their '09's.

First, we went to our nearest dealer and test drove the Sienna CE (stripped down model.) I learned from this that I definitely wanted an LE with a certain power package (#2 which included a gas mileage gage, power sliding doors and driver seat as well as power back windows). Knowing that I should be able to get the van for well under invoice, I started emailing dealers with the exact color (white exterior and taupe interior) and model. I knew I just needed to find a dealer that had that car in their lot to get the best deal. (Other wise the dealers have to trade cars and the price gets jacked up.)

I finally was able to get to a low that I was happy with: $900 below invoice. It was in Hemet. I made the plans, had the guy pull our credit over the phone, and left with the family to go get it. Will, for the fun of it, wanted to stop by the Honda dealership next door to Toyota, just to check out the Odyssey before we bought the Sienna. I'm sure you can guess what happened next if you know my husband at all. He changed his mind. He decided that the Odyssey was superior and wanted to buy it instead. I was SO MAD. I had spend DAYS on the computer while my house was trashed by the kids. I KNEW I wanted the Sienna. It was more comfortable, had a MUCH larger eighth seat, the dashboard was "prettier," AND it was cheaper, not to mention that it got better reviews from consumers. I was not in the mood for this. He asked me to go to Toyota, sit in the car, call him and tell him that I still wanted the car for sure, and then he would come right over. I didn't want to see this guy that I had made a deal with and tell him "sorry, my husband changed his mind." I did what he said anyway, (scared to death that I would agree with him). I sat in the car and LOVED it. Everything about it was great to me. My husband was still adamant that the Odyssey was better. I felt physically sick. I do NOT like making people mad at me. I hated the fact that I just screwed this guy who worked all day to get this car ready for us.

For the next two hours we sat at Honda talking to this salesman named Jerry. I told Jerry that I just wouldn't be happy buying an Odyssey. I didn't like the dashboard (yes, I know it's a totally superficial reason, but if I have to look at it every day, I better like looking at it.) I didn't like the feel of the seats, the size of the eighth seat or the revious from other owners. Jerry, just before we left, told us that he wanted me to be happy and that if I decided on the Toyota he has a friend in Torrance that would give us the best price. We shook hands and left without a new car and both of us upset with each other. (The kids were devistated.) I was a little relieved, though to tell the truth. Somthing just didn't feel right. I felt like I needed to be in agreement with my husband before we made such a major purchase.

That night, we both stayed up all night doing research on both cars. In the end, I won. He agreed that I had made the best decission. I went on to email just about every dealer in Southern California. I got a great response from more than ten dealers competing for my business. I made it very clear that I would not answer calls, or come in person. I would call the dealer with the best price, THEN come. I dickered back and forth and finally found that the Hemet dealer that originally gave us the best price went down even further in price and was still the best. We had them start on the paper work again! Just as we were leaving, the guy from Torrance, Roger, called Will and said "I'll make this easy because Jerry is such a good friend of mine and told me to treat you like family. Just knock $1500 off invoice and you can have it for 0% interest for five years." We croaked. I was torn. Of course, we were going to get the car from Torrance, but this poor guy in Hemet is waiting for us to come for the second time and we are going to screw him AGAIN! I asked Will to call him and he refused saying that he wanted to make sure the deal went through as planned. (I did make sure he emailed the details before we left on our two and half hour trek.)

We left at 7 pm, got there at 9:30, and didn't leave till midnight. The transaction went flawless. The people were wonderful. I couldn't have been happier. I LOVE my van. So, it turns out that if my husband hadn't gone to Honda that day, I wouldn't have gotten such a smoken deal. On the other hand, if I hadn't done my research, I wouldn't have known this was such a great deal. I'm lucky to have such a social husband. We complement each other well.

Vegas

Will and I just after we were married
getting into our new Honda Odyssey!


Just for fun last week, I decided to look up hotel rates in Las Vegas and came across a three star hotel on the North end of the strip for $29 per night. At this rate, I thought to myself, I could get two rooms, sleep comfortably, AND afford it! I couldn't pass it up, so I booked two nights for my family having dreams of a wonderful little get-away before school started.

I have a friend who suggested one of her favorite traditions: pack only one days worth of clothes and buy all your clothes while on vacation so that every time you where them you're reminded the wonderful vacation you had. Thinking this was a great idea I packed only one outfit for myself and our kids. (I did bring plenty of undergarments for myself to last four days even though we only planned on staying two.) With high hopes we set out on our vacation Tuesday.

Half way through our trip we stopped to get some food and noticed that our breaks were smelling pretty bad. The TCS light was on in the car. We have had our Honda Odyssey since we bought it new in '99 BEFORE we were married. We knew it wasn't going to last forever and had decided months ago that when something major (thousands of dollars to fix) happened that we would just sell it and get another one. We thought the car just needed to rest a while and we'd be alright.

We made it to our hotel and were parking when we came to a dead end in a parking garage. As Will tried to put the car in reverse nothing happened. We couldn't back up. The transmission failed. Luckily we were able to turn around and find a space that we could drive out of when we needed to. We knew at that point though that we were in big trouble. Our car was falling apart all at once. While trying to figure out what to do, we then discovered that the van wouldn't go past second gear, thus limiting our driving to no more then 35 mph. After that discovery, we knew we wouldn't be able to get the car back home. Our entire first day of vacation was spent trying to figure out what to do. Will spent hours around the strip (without driving) doing research on selling a car and buying another one.

Will was lucky to find an internet cafe that was just around the corner from our hotel. After using the computer, a friend that lives in LV took him around to look at cars. When he offered to pay for our friends dinner and reached for his wallet, his heart sank as he realized he had left it at the internet cafe (located in a pretty scummy part of town). Thinking he was screwed, he went back only to find out that the owner, whom Will had struck up a conversation with while he was there previously, recognized him immediately and said "Had you been anyone else and I not talked with you before, this wallet would have been long gone."

Reality set in the next day when I woke up and it dawned on me that we weren't near any shopping malls and I had only ONE outfit. We aren't wealthy enough for me to just blow my money on the expensive clothes they had in the hotel, nor was I bold enough to take all four kids with me to walk down the strip trying to find a place that I would be satisfied with. To make matters worse, we had to extend our stay in order to solve our car crises, which meant wearing that same outfit even LONGER! I was SO GLAD I had brought clean underwear. Usually when I pack I way over prepare. This time, of course, I didn't and suffered for it. Now, every time I wear that outfit I will be forever reminded of this trip...funny, huh?

Extending the stay: So, thinking I'm an expert now on Hotwire, I told Will to just book another night at the same "3 star north of the strip" hotel and it should be the same hotel as it has been the past dozen or so times we've done it. At the internet cafe down the street, he does as he's told like a good little boy. When he confirms it, the hotel that shows up is NOT the same one....it's a mile and a half down the strip from where we were! "NO WAY" I yelled at him when he tells me the news. You see, about an hour before this, Will drove the van to Car Max and sold it to them. This meant, we had no car to take us to a new hotel. When we found out that a taxi (even a van) won't take more than five passengers and it would cost us more than $20 just to get us a mile away ONE WAY, we decided to be crazy and walk ourselves. Each kid rolled their share of luggage and we set off.

That walk was like the modern day pioneer trek. It was freekin hot and not easy, but our kids were total troopers. Daniel nearly ran people over he was so excited to be going to a new hotel and Ariel didn't complain one bit when we made her haul one of the heaviest bags. Abi was the only one who pretended to be in such pain that she could barely walk herself. When we finally got there, we spent the rest of the day letting the kids have a blast at Circus Circus in their "Adventure Dome" which was way worth the money. (The beds on the other hand were some of the WORST beds I've ever slept on and I'm not a hard person to please.)

In my mind, there were a few reasons for this trip. Some of my family live in St. George and I was planning on surprising them by driving up and eating dinner with them. I also have a friend that lives in LV that I was going go get together with. I just wanted to do something different. So, I didn't get to see any friends or family, but it certainly was different. I'm so glad my kids were young and just thought that a vacation meant spending hours in a hotel watching TV, swimming, and doing almost nothing. It was great for them.

After much shopping on Will's part, we decided that the best idea was to rent a van that we think we might be interested in to drive back home. Will then realized that he had left his license with the car dealership that he sold his car to. Now, he had to take a bus back to the dealer to get his license. Then, he had to take a bus to the airport to rent a van. (This took several hours.) Meanwhile, I was in the hotel with all the kids. They jumped like crazy from bed to bed to entertain themselves. The girls must have spent an hour playing hair dresser with each other. Ani pulled every tissue out of the box in the bathroom and Daniel and I played tag with a squishy ball I had brought. It would have been hilarious to see what Supernanny would have said about my parenting skills that day.

We ended up renting a Chrysler and thought it had a lot of great features, but the overall feel was that it was just cheap. We listened to a high pitched sound, like air coming out of a squeezed balloon, the whole way home and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. We hated the van. That night, we drive it back to Palm Springs to turn it in and were told that because we turned it in "early" we had a $15 fee! Will, of course, laughed his head off and told the lady to take the charge off. She did.

Although it seems like a disaster, I feel really blessed that we made it to our hotel, were able to sell our van for a fair price, got Will's wallet back, and still gave the kids a good time.

So, now the question is what to do with our van situation. I like the Odyssey and Will wants a Kia. I say we compromise and buy a used Odyssey. Will says we should save our money, not buy anything till we have another kid, and just take two cars everywhere. Any suggestions?





Crazy kids at Circus Circus
Daniels favorite ride: The swinging Pirate ship
Ariel and Abi going on the Roller Coaster for the tenth time!

Our trek from one hotel to another!

One of the fun rides Ariel and Will went on.
My crazy kids again who can't seem to just smile in a picture!
My crazy husband who also can't just smile for a picture.
The good sport, Ani, who watched all the others have fun!
Abi and Ariel's' obsession with their stuffed dolls.
Ariel and Abi enjoying their first night in the hotel.
Daniel pretending to sleep....he just can't stop smiling!
Looking down from the top of the Stratosphere.
Daniel fell asleep just like this the first night.



Daniel on the mini roller coaster. Daniel, Ariel and Abi on the mini coaster.