More Battles

So Ken and I are both blessed and cursed by very talented siblings. Two of which participated in Battle of the Bands a few weeks ago. They were actually different battles different days but they both did a great job. This is Ken's brother Alex. He is in a Christian band called Phoenix Rising. They did a great job and they won their battle!! Alex's battle had 2 judges that picked the winner and eight bands go head to head. It is double elimination and they haven't lost yet! They have a few more rounds to go so here's hoping they keep winning!! :) Kristian's band is KHP and they are awesome too. (Though not so Christian :) ) This battle was judged by crowd response, however, we quickly learned that wasn't quite true. They actually picked the winner by number of tickets sold even though we screamed loud enough to be second at the very least! They took third which is still great out of 9 bands. Donovan and Alexis enjoying KHP. It is an all ages show so all our kids were running around crazy :) Little Michael couldn't make it to the end. Here he is with Jake's girlfriend Aubrey. At first we thought he was faking, but he was out cold!!

January Birthdays

Last Saturday all my family came over to celebrate the January birthdays. It is just my Mum and my brother Kristian in this month. We had a good time. Happy Birthday! Brandi's Austin came over to play as well. He got a light saber for christmas and was super excited about it so I just had to post the picture :)

Rantings of a Soldier Wife

So Friday January 2, we headed to the airport about 4:15 and I thought I was going to be strong. But as soon as we walked into the airport I couldn't stop the tears. Ken checked in and then we stood at the security for a little bit. I just held onto him tight and didn't want to let go. So many things were going through my head. How do you say goodbye to someone you love more than anything for so long and being aware there is a possibility this is the last time you will ever feel his arms around you? I don't know either so I just told him that I loved him, to be safe, and to hurry home. I waited and watched him go through security and then he turned and waved and was gone. It was a blur of tears getting back to the car. I worried if I had been able to hide the pain well enough so he wouldn't worry about me while he is gone. He will have so much going on and the last thing I want is for him to be worried about how his poor weak wife is back home. I wonder if he knows just how much I love him and will it be enough to get him through this tough road ahead. Is that last kiss going to be our last kiss? Was it good enough to show him just how much I love him and will miss him? Is it enough to help him get through the lonely nights? Will I be able to remember how he smells and the sounds of him breathing, the ways his arms feel wrapped around me and all the little things that give me butterflies? Now you all need to know that Ken's job is probably one of the safest things he could be doing over there. I am sure that he will be perfectly safe and may not even ever have to see any fighting. But as sure as I am about that logic, I can't stop the fear of the possibilities that come with going to war. Now don't worry I am sure that I am stronger than I think I am and I am sure to find out either way!! I really am doing well and staying busy helps. The nights are the hardest and as sick as it sounds I don't think I can wash Ken's pillowcase until he is home!! So it is a long road ahead but I am so glad it is only until August as many tours are alot longer. I will probably post some more rantings as the months go by as it is good therapy. I always feel better after I have said things outloud so bare with me:) Here's hoping I can be as strong and brave as my husband and live to deserve him. So pray with me that he stays safe and comes home soon!

The night before goodbye

So New Year's Day Ken and I decided to get a hotel for our last night together. We figured some alone time was appropriate and since his flight was so early in the morning it would be best to stay close to the airport. We booked a room at the Radisson right by the airport. I always see it and think it looks so cool and have always wanted to stay there. Ken had said his good-bye's with his parents and my brothers the night before. I had waited in the car because I can't handle it. We dropped Donovan off and again I sat it the car trying to escape to my happy place because it was awful thinking about Ken saying goodbye to his son for so long and this poor little kid knowing that his Dad is going to war. I was on the edge of a melt down all day but kept my composure. I tried to forget everything and just enjoy our time together. We ate at the hotel restaurant and were the only ones there so we picked a table next to the fireplace and it was perfect. Our room had a fireplace as well and we enjoyed a nice relaxing romantic evening together. I am really selfish and I love having Ken all to myself.

Romer Park

We decided to take Donovan sledding before Ken had to leave. We had planned to go to Soldier Hollow because they have a tow rope and drag you back up the hill (hiking back up is always the worse part). Unfortunetly we didn't plan ahead and they limit the amount of tickets they sell so they were sold out when we tried. So we headed to Romer Park in Ogden for some free sledding instead. It was absolutely FREEZING!! I went down the hill twice and wasn't feeling it so I went and sat in the car while the boys played. It wasn't long after that and the boys were too cold to keep playing. We still had a lot of fun and made some memories.

Happy Christmas!!

So better late than never right. My neice and nephew were so excited to open presents Christmas morning. We had told them that they couldn't wake us up before 7. I was hoping that they would sleep in but not so much. They were running through the house at 10 to 7 :) Dononvan was with his Mom Christmas morning but we still had a good time. My Parents and brother and sister waiting to see what Santa brought. We always have a family prayer before we go in to remind us it isn't just about the presents. I went into the room first so I could get the kids reactions. I think the were both happy with what they got. We have such a large family so we draw names so we don't all go broke buying gifts. We have a mass exchange and it is always chaos as we all open the presents. It is always a full room so I couldn't get everyone at once. Next was Christmas dinner which was at about 1:00. We had 3 tables so we could all fit. The kids were up in the dining room. After dinner we just hung out and played games and spent a lot of time on the Wii. ( I bought Ken one for Christmas, he was very happy. Too bad he took it with him to Afghanistan ) We picked up Donovan about 4:30 and had another Christmas. Then we took a break from my family to go open presents with Kens family. We then went back to my house for more games and more food. It was a crazy hectic day but we had so much fun. It is always a great Christmas when you can spend it those you love. I felt blessed to have Ken home even if it was just for a short time.

Crunch!!

So on the 22nd, Ken and I were driving home from Tooele. We were stopped at a red light when we were hit from behind. Ken says he saw the car slowing down but then Ken looked away. The driver was on her cell phone and we think she saw the light turned green so stepped on the gas. Problem was we hadn't started moving yet. This is the other car. Hers looked a lot worse than ours! It was my fault really because I had just told Ken earlier as we were driving that I didn't want to get in an accident without him. I wanted him to be in the car to deal with everything.... careful what you wish for :) Here is my poor car. It is actually in the shop right now getting fixed. I should have it back tomorrow good as new. It sucked that we had to deal with it but luckily nobody was hurt and the damage wasn't too bad.