Summer Fun!

We've tried to have a little bit of fun this summer, to try and make up for the fact that we weren't able to go home to Utah this summer. We went to a Cleveland Indians game and fireworks with some good friends of ours, and we spent a day at Cedar Point! We had a fun time!


Indian's Game

Tom & Me at the Game

Our friends, Bracken & Brittany

The Fireworks were AWESOME! This was really the best picture we got of them, but they were awesome!

Cedar Point was fun. It was a very hot day and I've been getting really bad migraines, so with the sun, the heat, and all the rough rides, it got pretty bad. We stayed for a few hours, but we didn't get to go on a lot of the really big roller coasters that Tom really wanted to because of my headaches. I felt really bad, but we really did have a fun time! It was good to get out of the house and not have to think about some of the hard/stressful stuff going on in our life! Cedar Point was a very similar, but much bigger version of Lagoon in Utah. They had a lot of the same rides, just with a lot more roller coaster, as well as other rides too. For those of you that haven't been or don't know much about Cedar Point, you should look at the pictures and ride descriptions! www.cedarpoint.com
Tom being Tom!


This is the Windseeker! It is a REALLY tall version of the swings! So fun!


This is the Mean Streak, and boy did it live up to it's name! We didn't really enjoy it at all! Too jerky and it shook up your insides! (I never really liked the old roller coaster at Lagoon, but after riding this, I think the old rickity white Lagoon ride was way better!)

This is the SkyHawk! This was Tom's favorite, and after the second time, I was really starting to like it too! It has two seperate arms what hold 20 people each and they swing opposite each other. You don't have shoulder straps, just over your lap, so when you get really high and are facing the ground, you feel like you are going to fall out! It was really fun!

All in all, considering everything, it's been a good summer! Don't know if we'll ever get use to this heat/humidity though! I think I'll go spend every summer, all summer, in Utah from now on!!!

April and May, comings and goings!

April and May have both come and almost gone and I don't know where they went! It's been a great few months. Tom celebrated his 32nd Birthday on Easter Sunday and it was a good day! I had my surgery that weekend, as well, so I wasn't much fun and I forgot to take pictures of any of it! AHHH! I feel so bad! But, it was a good day! I love Tom so much and I'm so grateful for him in my life!



We have spent the last couple of months, fixing up the yard and planting! We've had a lot of fun doing it! We haven't been able to do a lot, because of all the roots in the backyard, but we've been doing what we can!



We started by clearing out a lot of the trees and shrubs that were in the backyard and between our yard and the neighbor's. I wish we had taken more pictures while we were doing it! We cut down some big trees that were far out of our comfort zone and know-how! But, we had a great time and lots of laughs! We still have a long way to go, but it looks a lot better than it did!




We planted a bunch of little bushes around the porch and they've really started to take off this year! We decided to put a little stone wall/border around them and I really like it so far! We may add more, eventually, but it's a great start!




I potted some more hanging pots again this year and I'm really happy with them! I definitely don't have a green thumb, but I'm sure trying!




We don't have anywhere that we can plant a garden in the ground, so we decided to do some pots and they all seem to be doing well! We have a raspberry plant, peas, green beans, strawberries and a tomatoe plant! We'll see if we actually get some food from them!


I also had my piano recital a few days ago and they all did so well! I had all 23 of them play in the same recital and it went really well! I made the mistake of telling them there was a little treat for each of them BEFORE I tried to get them together for a picture... so, needless to say, we didn't get one. OOOPs! But they all did so well! I'm very proud of all of them!

He Did It!!!

Tom finally finished what he needed to receive his Bachelors of Nursing degree! It took a lot longer than we'd planned and we really struggled to get it done here in Ohio, but we got very lucky to find a great doctor in Fairlawn that let him do his clinical hours with her! She is so nice and we are very grateful for her! I'm so proud of Tom! He is such a good, honest, hardworking man! Way to go Tom!

Christmas Time!

I can't believe that it's already 2 days away from Christmas! Time is sure flying by so quickly! We are really enjoying being in our new house this year for Christmas! We finally got to put lights on the house (with much coaxing from me) and we have room this year for a Christmas Tree!!! And we have somewhere to display my very favorite piece of Christmas decor that I have.... My Nativity!


This last weekend, I had both of my Piano Recitals! I have 24 students, so I had to break it into 2 recitals! They both went so well and the kids did great! Tom even played in the Sunday recital, and it was his very first Piano Recital ever! He did an awesome job!

The Copley Group
The Wadsworth Group

Life is going great! We have so many blessings to be grateful for and we are hoping for another blessing/miracle here within the next little while! Life is good!

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Utah!

I had such a fun time being home with my family! I missed my husband like crazy, but it was so fun to just do the girl stuff with my sisters, things which Tom would have gotten very bored with!!! I was able to spend from Friday the 12th til Sunday the 21st with my family! I made it just in time for Brett and Brody's Birthday party on Saturday and it was so fun seeing everyone again! Brody was born on his Daddy's birthday, so they get to celebrate together! My mom, and Savana, and JoDee and I spent all Saturday morning decorating cakes for the party and they turned out pretty cute!
We had the party in Grandpa and Grandma Carter's basement and all of Brett's family and our family were there and it was a blast! They both got a lot of cool presents and we let Brody dig into his cake, but he didn't really think that was a good idea! What a fun day!
The decorating crew, minus Savana (who was taking the picture)
JoDee surprised Brett with a Fun-fetty Bart Simpson cake! He loved it!
Brody got a cute Giraffe cake to go along with his Giraffe Birthday!
The Birthday Boys with their cakes!
Blowing out the candles!
Brody picking at his cake!
The Birthday Boys opening gifts together!
The party crew!
I was really bad the rest of the week about taking pictures. Monday, JoDee went in for her surgery, so I went to take care of the baby! He wasn't really quite sure about being around me, since that last time we really had one-on-one time with each other was when he was born! But, after a few minutes he warmed right up and we had a GREAT time together all week! Our first day together, we went shopping and silly Aunt Crystal locked the keys in the van! Luckily my mom could come unlock it for us! I wasn't being irresponsible... I grabbed a pair of keys before shutting the door.... except they were JoDee's keys, not my mom's van keys! Oh well! We had a good time anyway!
Oh my goodness... I really can't express enough how WONDERFUL it was to have so much time with that little man! We stayed up to my parent's house during the week til JoDee got home and I loved rocking him to sleep and cuddling in the middle of the night when he woke up scared, and playing with him! I definitely got my "Brody Fill" that will hopefully last me until I get to see him again! He is talking so much and so responsive and so funny and so smart! What a cutie!
JoDee's surgery went well. They removed the Thyroid and several lymph nodes and the doctor felt very confident that they had removed everything infected with the cancer. She actually had to stay in the hospital a little longer than planned because her calcium levels were so low, and damage to the parathyroid is always a risk during this surgery. But, she munched on a lot of TUMS and took her calcium pills and she started feeling better! The doctor called her on Friday and told her the pathology came back the way they had hoped.... just thyroid cancer and nothing else was infected! That was such great news to hear! She was and still is pretty stiff and sore in her neck and chest, but I felt much better about leaving her this time around than I was this time last year after she had Brody! We spent Friday and Saturday shopping and doing crafts and just hanging out and laughing and jamming to Christmas music!!!
JoDee is starting a Iodine free diet (yeah, that doesn't sound fun at all) and she'll have to do that for several week, and they took her off her Thyroid meds too during all this, so that every thing is running "on empty" so her body will soak up the Radioactive Iodine that she will have to take to get the last of whatever may be hanging out in her neck. Then, she'll be able to start her full dose of medication and hopefully get everything back to working order. That poor girl has been through so much... but she is one tough cookie and I know she'll make it through all of this on top!!! Love you JoDee!!!
While I was in Morgan, I got to be a part of some of the festivities of their new church house. It was actually dedicated Sunday night, but I was already back in Ohio! The new building is just down the road, within walking distance of my parent's house, so that will be really nice for them!
And, when we drove to the airport on Sunday morning, white knuckled i might add, there was a foot of snow, wet, slushy snow, on the ground! It was so weird going from snow storms to 65 degree Ohio weather, all in the same day!
I had such a great time with my family.... and I haven't yet decided if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I went, because now I'm missing them and everything about beautiful Morgan Utah so much more! Can't wait to be able to go back again!!!
Ok, I forgot this part!!!! Friday night after my dad and little sisters picked me up from the airport, we all went out to dinner together. When we went back to the car, there was this HUGE truck parked next us and we couldn't resist taking pictures. They aren't the best because it was dark, but you'll get the idea!
The top of the tire comes up to Mallori's hips
They were being eaten by the truck
Look at that huge tire!
Wish it wasn't dark and the truck wasn't black so we could have gotten a really good picture of it!

Now That the Cat Is Out of the Bag....

... I can finally post this! As many of you know, my little sister JoDee had surgery a few weeks ago to have a cyst removed and she found out just the other day, on Friday, that she has Thyroid Cancer. She will have her Thyroid removed on the 15th of this month and the doctors are very hopeful that she will be just fine after the surgery. When I found out about this of Friday, I was a little scared and worried for her, but I felt so helpless, being so far away. I'm the big sister... I'm suppose to be there to help my little sisters through things like this. But my amazing family pulled together and surprised me with a plane ticket to Utah so that I can be with JoDee and help her take care of her little Brody. I have been completely overcome with emotion this whole weekend because of this answered prayer. I have such an amazing family and I'm so grateful for them being able to help us out like this! It was originally suppose to be a surprise for JoDee, but when my mom realized she was trying to figure out who was going to take care of the baby during the week, she had to let her know I was coming! I am so excited! It will be so good to see my family again and to be there to help out.... just wish Tom could come too. I really don't like leaving him for 10 days!
I'm very grateful for family today! I have an amazing family.... Tom has an amazing family.... We are just so blessed! And.... we have the most amazing friends out here that make up our "Ohio Family"... (you know who you are!) WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Good Bye Sisters!

So, this is a little late coming.... oops! We've had Sister Missionaries in Wadsworth for a long time, and since moving here, we've really gotten to know them really well and we've been able to do a lot for them and with them! Back on the 12th of October, the Sisters came over for their last dinner in Wadsworth! Sister Grimnes was ending her mission, heading back to Utah, and Sister Darbro was transfered to a new area for her last transfer. We will miss them! And hope them the best in life!
Tom, Me, Sister Darbro, and Sister Grimnes