The Gamble's

Update...

2010-08-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

Went back to the ortho doctor today so she could look at my MRI xrays. She said that my knee has had an old injury and has some thick scar tissue. From what she can tell there isn't anything torn. The radiologist thinks there could be a very small spot starting. But for now this is good news.

She proceeds to tell me that I will find comfort in getting a shot in my knee that will help with the inflammation and will help with the pain. Okay I thought....thinking that this will happen on the next visit, or she will refer me out...or I don't guess I don't know what I was thinking! She steps out of the room and comes back with a ginormous needle about 4 inches, maybe 5, long and I could feel myself get weak (in the knee..no pun intended :) ) I told that "this looks like it's not going to feel so good". She said that most people say that it looks worse than it actually feels. Well, it's not exactly peaches and ice cream but it wasn't the worse thing in the world. It is however, the craziest feeling when the medication was going in my knee and afterward.

So I lived to tell the story. She's giving me 3 weeks to see how that does. If I don't find that the injection helped me, then she is going to go do some exploratory surgery to see if there is a tear hidding. Hopefully the injection will help and I get back to my normal routine!

M.R.I...

2010-07-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the big morning and I hope I don't freak out!

My left knee has been killing me for quite sometime now (at least since March) and I have been just dealing with it. The time has come that I can't just deal with it anymore! Yesterday I went to an orthopedic doctor and had x-rays taken. It didn't show too much but the exam and my description of what was going on was enough of a concern that she is sending me for an MRI. She thinks that I may have a torn meniscus and that an MRI would defintely show it. So we'll see.

Well if anyone knows me well enough, I thought that a nice walk would 1) calm my nerves about being placed in a capsule tomorrow morning for a long time and 2) maybe help "loosen-up" my knee a bit so maybe, just MAYBE I might be able to sleep alittle bit more soundly tonight than the last 3 months or so. Boy that was a mistake. Halfway through, I almost didn't think that I would make it back home. The thought did cross my mind...(I'll just sit here and send Frank home to get the car). I stayed with it and made it back home! But just barely. I don't think the walk has helped my knee feel any better and if anything, it made it hurt worse! I tell ya, getting older just stinks! Spike liked his walk and I guess if someone got some enjoyment out of it, well then, it was worth it! :)

I've Decided...

2010-06-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

that I'm terrible at this lately! I really want to be able to sit down and blog but there just doesn't seem to be like there is ever enough time! I am finally done working for the summer. Well, for 4 weeks. I'll be working the second session of summer school. I think by then, I'll be ready to get back to work. I'm already wondering what I'm gonna do with myself. I have a ton of things to do around here but there is so much that I can and want to do with projects.

This last weekend, my Dad and I went to a 3 day seminar with Dr. Ian Dunbar. It was incredible! It was a science-based dog training conference that most of the time went over my head. I went knowing that I wouldn't probably understand everything, but came away feeling like there is so much more that I need to learn in order to work with dogs. Dog psychology is huge! The group of 40 or so people that were there this weekend was a very small group in comparison to what he normally has but it was nice to have the opportunity to have questions answered by a world renowned professional in such a small setting! The information that he shared is brand new info that he hasn't even shared with any other associations yet. We are the first people! I came home and started practicing it on Spike and it started to work. I have a lot more work to do because he has a lot of bad habits that I have instilled in him. So now I have to try to reverse it. If you had a puppy of 6 weeks old, CAKE! People, if you have puppies, now is the time!!! Train your puppies now!

My garden is growing and last week I was able to harvest cilantro from it for the first time! This morning, I picked 8, yes, 8 green beans! Yeah for me!! It's fun to see the fruit of my labor! Now that I can see that I can actually grow vegetables and herbs, I need to grow a bigger garden because six green beans wouldn't feed Frank and I. :)

Frank is doing well. He is FINALLY done with wiring the attic for Internet in the house and he wired for speakers in the family room, our bedroom and the office. He wanted to get that done before he called the insulation people so he wouldn't be stepping on new insulation. I cannot wait to get a proper amount of insulation in the attic so our house won't be so hot. Yesterday, it was 91 degrees in our house when we got home!

Frank's birthday is coming up in a few days and I don't have a clue as to what to get him. He never checks this blog, so if you have a suggestion please let me know! Or you can email me. Thanks!

Catching Up...

2010-03-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

We have been quite busy around here the past few months! Getting settled into our little house has been fun and stressful all at the same time! We have had a few small projects that have kept us going but when all is said and done, they have made us feel proud....and like homeowners! :) Frank fixed our RV gate and what a beautiful job he did! We had a new garage door put on, I painted our little kitchen, Frank fixed the pantry doors and caulked around the bathroom toilets, my Dad graciously replaced the tub facuets and helped put in a doggy door (thanks Dad!).

The project that is currently taking place.....the sprinkler system in the backyard had a slow leak in it, so that is being dug up to see what is going on there. With all of this rain that we have been having, our backyard is looking great...who needs sprinklers?? :) We are considering replacing our windows. They are really bad! I would love to get rid of our peach counter tops because they don't match my deep red wall...But I guess one thing at a time! All-in-all, we love our little home and have fun putting it together. It is a slow process but with lots of patience and love, it's taking shape!

Website...

2010-03-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.theidealdog.net/

My Cute Girls!

2009-12-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

Look at those smiles...enough said! :)

Congratulations Dad!

2009-12-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

My Dad is now official..Certified Dog Trainer!....he passed his finals, which by the way, were extremely intense! Way to go Dad! I'm so proud of you! I sat with him a number of times and he would bounce different senerios off of me and I would quiz him. Let me tell you, those were some very tough questions and I'm so glad that I didn't have to take that test! I think some of the most intense moments have been just waiting to get the test results back. But I knew all along that he did great! Love ya Dad! You're awesome!

It's Time to Get Off This Roller Coaster Ride!...

2009-11-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

That's right! You heard it! The ride stops tomorrow when we get the keys to our new house...or does it stop? If you haven't already heard, we have now joined the homeowner club! Yipee! YEAH FOR US! Or should I say, yeah for us? I don't know how to feel yet. Our emotions, or I should say, MY emotions have been all over the place the last month and a half and it is now time for this roller coaster ride to end. I need some peace and quite, some senerity, meditation and calmness in my life. Oh wait, I work with 36 (yes, 36) 3-6 year olds...no peace and quite during the day. And no rest for the weary at night...because we are now....Homeowners!

Oh, isn't it just so cute! I think it is us! There are a couple of things that need renovating but that's ok. It will be fun to make it ours. Luckily, they are not too big and it is pretty much move in ready! It was previously a rental property, so the seller painted the interior and laid new carpet and tile in the kitchen and family room. It has a nice large backyard (for AZ) so I am so excited to have my garden!

Our door is always open to our friends and family! We can't wait to entertain and Spike will be excited to demonstrate his new doggie door! :)

Time to catch up!!

2009-10-24T13:17:00.001-07:00

Frank and I have been so busy these days with buying a home. We have found one in Mesa about 1 1/2 miles from my work and 2 1/2 miles from my parents house. It's a cute little 3 bedroom/2 bathroom with a nice sized backyard. We are so very excited for this next step in our lives and can't wait to get moved in! We are expected to close on it November 13th and we are praying that nothing gets in the way! Right now, Frank has been battling with his student loan lenders and has been getting the run around...all we need is a letter stating his deferrment date (it has to be one year from close) and you would think that we are asking for them to do something illegal! Seriously! Frank has been so diligent with calling them almost everyday and it seems like they can't see the urgency! It's very frustrating! I keep telling him that if this is meant to be, then everything will work out. And so far, everything has!

My best friends, Michelle and Ben & family, are moving to China today! They are going to be gone for 2 years and I will miss them terribly! We met up with them this morning at Bill Johnson's for breakfast and saying goodbye was much harder than I thought it would be! Thanks goodness for web cameras! I have a feeling that we will be using them a lot! :)

Michelle and I have been friends for 10 years now and she has been there for me through some very difficult times and for some of the best times! She has taught me so much about the church and has been an awesome example to me! I sometimes wonder where she finds the strength and courage and know that she has an extreme amount of faith! Because of her, I am a better person! I love you Michelle! Thank you for being my friend!

My Granny has not been so well lately. Two weeks ago she had a mild TIA (stroke) and is now living with my Uncle Dan in Iowa. She is not able to write her name fully so they shortened it and she has been practicing it. She is also dropping 's' off of the ends of words. I worry about her terribly and wish that somehow, someway I could go be with her. My Aunt Mary is wanting to bring her out to Arizona for a month or so to be here for my Mom's 60th birthday. She thinks that would give her something to look forward to. It seems as if she is wanting to just give up. It takes a great deal of effort to talk and write, so she would rather not do either. It is hard watching this happen to someone who has been so capable all of their life. She is 80 years old and just stopped working (not by choice but because the plant shut down due to the economy) and has been going out each week applying for 2 positions to keep her unemployment going. This woman is so strong and it hurts so much knowing that she is having to go through this. See you in Arizona soon Granny...I love you!

Our 2nd Anniversary

2009-10-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! Two years have gone by already! We have had our ups and our downs, and lots of happy times! I love this man more and more everyday...

This year we had a nice, quite dinner and went to the mall! Yes, the mall. We both were so tired that night that we decided to do what we did before we were married. When we couldn't think of anything else to do, we would head to the mall and window shop. It's fun to look at things! Afterwards, we headed to Ocean Blue...a really yummy frozen yogurt shop. It's really coool! They let you serve yourself and try samples of all the yogurt before you buy! It's also weighed by the pound so you can get a big carried away! Everyone should go try it and let me know what you think!

No, I'm Not Perfect...

2009-09-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

That's all I've got to say...

September 1st Already!?!

2009-09-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Craziness I tell you! I can't believe that we made it through the first month (ok...first 3 weeks) of school. Time is going by so quickly! Now to just keep up the pace for the rest of the year! Everything is going well...our little 2 1/2-3 year olds are adjusting well. I had one of our boys move and yesterday was his last day and then a new boy started today.

The second week of school was just nuts! I can't believe that the following all happened in one day: Child A was sent to school with head lice and was sent right back home: Child B was sent home because of pink eye: Child C was coming to school for his first day: Ms. Heather woke up that morning with her siactic nerve killing her and was making her knee just kill!: Ms. Jenna was dealing with an ear ache (in my opinion, the worst kind of pain to deal with): And I started night classes that night!!! Glad to say that we all made it through and no one got hurt! ;)

In other news, Frank and I were pre-approved for a house over the weekend! Yeah! WE are so very excited! We have wanted a home of our own for...forever! So we need to get this thing underway so we can qualify for the first time home buyer tax credit. We have spotted a few that are just really cute and now we just need to go see them in person. I will keep you posted on which one we choose and will post the winner as soon as we decide.

the IDEAL dog...

2009-08-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

That's right!....The IDEAL Dog is a new business that my Dad has just started. Want an IDEAL dog? Does your dog have behaviors that you feel need to be corrected? Excessive barking? Jumping? Mouthing? Nipping? Bolting? Digging and chewing? Unruly behavior? Contact my Dad, Wayne or let me know and I can set up an appointment for you. He can be reached at 480.835.8445.

6 million dogs each year are euthanized and many others are re-homed or are in shelters due to behaviors that could have been easily corrected. If you or someone you know are having behavior problems, he can help!

Back to Work and School!

2009-08-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

The summer went by so quickly and now I'm back at work once again. I am happy to announce.........no, not prego yet..:)......my final grade was an A in my algebra class! WaHOO!! :) I am so grateful to have had a competent instructor and that she was able to explain hard concepts so clearly. And it really helps to not work full time and have 100% focus on the task at hand!

Work is going very well! I have a new team this year due to my co-teacher going on maternity leave as well as one of my assistants. (Miss you Tiffany and Megan!):) Becki has been with me since January and Jenna just joined us. Shannon is back on the patio and is such a trooper...this heat is horrible and today the humidity was stifling! I walked out for 2 minutes to talk to her and couldn't wait to go back inside! For a minute I thought I was back in Iowa! :)

We have about 6 new little people (2 1/2-3 year olds) in our class and boy have they been keeping us all busy! But I love it! I just love getting them so young so I have the chance to introduce them to all that Montessori has to offer. It is so awesome to see these little guys understand a concept that was not there just a few moments before.

I come home very tired at night but absolutley love what I do! Like tonight for instance...I wanted to post but am too tired to write much more than this. Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and kicking....and thinking about posting. Hope all is well with you!

4th of July Weekend...

2009-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we had all these great, wonderful plans to jet out of the valley for the Fouth of July. Frank had all of the yard work done and was diligently getting all of the house work (laundry) taken care of on that Friday so no one would have any excuses for Saturday. We were going to take my parents with us and head to Payson or to Flagstaff...no one would pin down a destination! Friday came and went and still no set plans...Saturday morning came and then we realized that my Dad had to help one of his employees on a difficult A/C job. This was only going to take an hour or two but ended up taking about 4 hours! By the time he got back home it was too late to head out of town and a destination was still not chosen. So the best idea that anyone had and that everyone could agree on was to go to....are you ready for this?.....we went to Walmart!!! And then to Carl's Jr. for lunch! Man are we exciting people!! Needless to say, we came home and just relaxed the rest of the day and tried to stay out of the heat!

The City of Mesa cancelled all fireworks to due to a budget crunch (thanks Napaltano) but the church on Brown/Val Vista had them. We were lucky enough to be able to sit in our backyard and watch them! :) So the day wasn't a complete loss afterall.

That itch to get out of the heat was so strong that Frank and I got out of town on Sunday and drove up to Payson and then onto the Rim. We took Spikey Gamble (aka Wisser) with us on our road trip and he seemed to really enjoy it!

Isn't he the cutest! This is what everyone gets since we don't have any kids to brag about. :)

My Boys

Scenery Pics. This sky was so pretty and it was nice and cool up there!

Dad...Is that you?

Here comes Dad!

Wagging his tail...Spike is realizing that Frank is playing a game with him. :)

SSSSpppiiikkkeee??

Spike was so excited to play with Frank!

A butterfly up at the Rim. It was so pretty I couldn't help not taking a picture!

Spikey on the way home. He is a good boy!

I've Been Addicted to Face Book!...

2009-07-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, it's true! I have been so pre-occupied with Face Book that I have totally neglected my blogging. It's been so much fun getting in touch with so many friends from the past! You know...someone invites you to be their friend and then you start looking at who they are friends with and find a bunch of people you know...then you ask to be their friend and before you know it, 2 hours have passed by and then a few weeks! I've decided that I need to be blogging more so this is going to be one of my new goals.

This summer has been a great one so far! I have been in summer school Monday through Thursday for 2 hours each day re-taking my algebra class and have been getting straight A's! I absolutely love this Professor! I had her husband for the first half of algebra and loved his teaching style. But I think that I love his wife more! She explains things so well and have learned so much from her! My last Instructor didn't explain things very well and I was so lost. I'm glad that I'm retaking this class! Growing up and in high school, I didn't care what kinds of grades I got but since going back to school it seems that I have to get an A or it just isn't good enough! Crazy I tell ya! By this time next summer I'm hoping to have completed my A.A. degree at Mesa Community College. Oh how I can't wait!!! I have a couple more weeks left of my summer vacation and then I hit the deck running again going back to work. This year I will be the only lead certified teacher and am excited and nervous all at the same time! It will be a great experience and one that I know I'll be able to handle! I will be going to school 3 days a week so that will be an additional challenged...but it will be ok.

Frank is working at a computer securities company called Envoy Data as a Lead Sales Developer and he seems to like it. We hope that it will lead to great opportunities!

We are excited to get into a house and hope to reach that goal by the end of the year. We're trying to do all that we are supposed to do in order to obtain that goal and acknowledge that things are not always on our time. Patience is a virtue!

Dean's List!

2009-05-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

I am so proud to announce that my handsome husband is on the Dean's List at DeVry University! He works so very hard on his homework and has had some of the hardest classes lately. I know that all of his efforts will pay off later...Keep up the great work MY Love!

Proud Auntie...

2009-04-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was going through my pictures and noticed there are a lot that I haven't posted of my nieces. I thoroughly enjoy these girls and love them with all my heart! They bring us so many smiles and I thought I would send some of their cuteness your way. :) After Lea was born, I picked the girls up so Heather could get some rest and Michelle and I met up. We headed to McDonalds in Florence and let them get all their energy burned up. Michelle had her camera with us and I'm so glad she did. She was able to get some really cute poses from them! Thanks Mish!

Spring Break...

2009-03-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Idaho for Spring Break this year. Since Christmas of 2006, we had been trying to get back there for a visit but everytime we tried to plan it...something always came up. This year was a do or die year! Here are a few photos from our trip. The scenery was absolutely beautiful!

We came across an Elk herd. The farmers feed them through the winter. It was neat!

The snow was so pretty! We really enjoyed our long drive through Utah and into Idaho!

We were able to visit Frank's Grandma Warren in Wyoming. She was so funny! She had us stacking wood from her wood pile near the back door so she could use it in her wood burning stove. She had to have is stacked in a particular way and wasn't afraid to give a quick lesson on how it should be done! :)

Frank on his way to see his Dad's horses.

We really enjoyed our time away from the valley...even though it was a short trip. We can't wait to go back soon! :)

Our New Niece...

2009-03-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to welcome our new niece, Lea Pearl Oitzman into the world. She was born on March 15, 2009 at 1:31 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz and 19 inches long. Frank and I went to Idaho for spring break and we received a text message shortly after she was born and my Mom called us bright and early to share the exciting news. She is a beautiful baby girl and we are so proud to be her Aunt and Uncle.

Time Flies!

2009-02-15T19:54:00.001-08:00

I can't believe how time goes by so quickly! I have been really busy with work, school, family and church. I thought I would update on a few things...

First: Our beloved Cardinals lost...(sniff, sniff) So sad, so very, very sad. One cute story from the mouths of babes. I went to work the Monday after the big game and one little boy came up to me, grabbed my hands and said, "Miss Heather, the Cardinals lost!" A few minutes went by and one of our little 3 year olds arrived to school with a Steelers jersey on. I asked him if he watched the football game and he said yes. He told me his whole family likes the Steelers and then another little boy who was standing near turned to me and said, "My family likes the Steelers too. Miss, Heather...Could you hear my Dad screaming last night?" I told him, "no, I could only hear my Dad screaming." :) Too cute!

Second: My precious niece went fishing with her Grandpa and Dad for the first time. She was so excited to go and fish with her new princess fishing pole. Now I knew that there wasn't going to be much fishing going on when a 5 year old goes along, but my Dad had no idea. Madelyn just couldn't keep that pole in the water. My Dad or Heath would cast it out and tell her to leave it there and wait to see the bobber move and that would tell her there was a fish on the other end. She just couldn't do it. She had to reel it in to see her bobber move. Then she would cast it out and throw it into their lines, tangling everything up. So most of their time was spent getting knots out. She had a blast and from what I hear, she was asking her Dad in church the next day if they could go again.

Third: School (college) is keeping me very busy! I am taking MAT121 (Intermediate Algebra) that is held Monday and Wednesday nights at Mesa Community College @ Red Mountain. And I am also taking BPC110 (Business and Personal Computers) via the internet. I am realizing that I need to have my rear end in a chair in the classroom in order to concentrate. There is just too much distraction here at home. Kudos to those who can do it, my husband included. He prefers to take all online classes. He's doing very well at it too.

Fourth: Apparently being called to teach the Sunbeams at church wasn't challenging enough for us because yesterday we were called to be Nursery workers. The first words out of my mouth to the Second Counslor of the Bishopric was something to the fact of, 'Heavenly Father must be preparing us for our future family.' I do have to say, all of our sunbeams are so sweet, trying at times, but really sweet kids. One in particular has really touch our hearts. And she is the hardest! She is a little red head and her mom is not a memeber of the church. From what we understand, her father is not a part of her life and she has been coming to church with the sweetest elderly couple who happen to be her neighbors. The very first day we met her, she has attached herself to Frank. For those of you that don't know, Frank has family members with red hair and sometimes when the light hits his hair just right, you can see the deep auburn in it. Well, Aurora, has seemed to find her match. I tell everyone the "reds" have found each other! Today, was so sweet. She loves Frank and wants to play with his tie, or climb on his leg, or play with his pocket on the front of his shirt, or hold his hand...and during singing time in primary, she called him Daddy twice. Too cute I tell ya!

And last: My Granny and Aunt Mary are in town. It is so much fun to spend time with them. Granny is now starting to consider that maybe she should retire and move into an assisted living or independent living type of home. They have been looking around here and then she told me that she would need to decide if she would move out here or stay in Iowa. I told her that Arizona was the place to be of course! :) We'll see what she chooses. I think that turning 80 years old is a good age to quit working! :)

Those are most of the updates for now. I will try to post more frequently but under the circumstances of work and school, I'll try! :)

We LOVE the Cardinals!

2009-01-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ok...We are offical Cardinals fans! What a game! We have always loved the Cardinals but they never were able to produce a great game. And just when they looked like they were going to win, the last minute always got the best of them! We will take all of this in stride for the moment and savor the sweeet victory over the Eagles and then pray that we can win the Super Bowl! Finally our underdogs are on top! YEAH!!

Oh, Larry Fitzgerald is my new favorite! That guy can play ball! Love him, love him, LOVE HIM!

P.S. Frank wants me to let everyone know that Spike is doing well in case if anyone is wondering. :)

A Beautiful Day for a Hike...

2008-12-29T08:41:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a beautiful day for a hike! The wheather was nice and cool, the sun was finally out and the family was looking for something to do! So we headed to Usery Pass Park in East Mesa. I have never been there before and haven't ever been hiking so this was fun! We took Spike and Mandee and they had a blast! We started out on an easy path and then part way through we noticed that we could take another direction. It lead us straight up the side of a mountain...ok...mini-mountain, but it gave all of us couch potatoes a good work out. For those of you that haven't ever been there before, it's a nice place to have a BBQ, and it has public restrooms as well as a playground for kids. We're talking about going again and trying a different path.

Since I didn't do a Christmas post, I thought now would be a good time to express my gratitude for all that we have. We truly are blessed and are grateful for everything. We are so very thankful for our family, friends and having the gospel of Jesus Christ, our health and a home (even though it doesn't belong to us). :)

We had a great Christmas and it seems that every year it comes and goes so quickly. We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas day and we wish you a Happy New Year!

Relaxing on the Lake with His dog...

2008-12-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

We went fishing with my Dad the day after Thanksgiving. Dad just bought a fish finder and was excited to test it out. Frank was so funny! He has gone very little times and it really isn't the sport of choice. He's left-handed and the pole that he was using was for right-handed people and to see him cast it was a sight to see! When he was done fiddling with it and tossing the hook out a couple of times, I felt that I should let him know that he might want to watch where that hook was going! The next thing I know, it whizzes right past Spike and I and ends up on the other side of the boat completly in the opposite direction of where he was aiming it! :) OOPS! For all that know him, he's a "gamer" and to see him sit back and relax was a different sight to see. He settled into his seat and within a few minutes he says, "Is this it to fishing?" Once that fish finder was up and running, my Dad was saying there were fish all around...the game was on at that point and Frank's pole was bouncing all around. I think I might have even heard "Here Fishy, Fishy." I told him that it's a lot like the WII fishing game. After that, I think he had alittle bit of fun! He even started looking like a Pro!

When Ali and I were Single...

2008-11-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

This fun picture is when we, (Fellow Montessorians and Friends) would attend a Montessori conference in San Diego California. We had the best time everytime we would go! This picture is the 4th file and the 4th picture in my photo file and when taking a look back, I can't believe how bold we were! The guy in the picture looking very tan is some random guy that was selling shirts and sweaters in the courtyard of the hotel we stayed at. All I know is his name is Tim and we had a blast chatting with him! I think we even tried to get his phone number or we tried talking him into going to dinner with us...memory is a little foggy now. Do you remember Ali? Now that I look at this file, we have a few pictures of us with random guys...:)

Ok, Michelle, Trish, Kaija and Doeshann...let's see your 4th pic from the 4th file!

Congratulations Kaltalers!!

2008-10-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to announce to everyone that my best friends, Michelle and Ben, had their third little baby...A Boy! Wyatt Benjamin Kaltaler born at 6:45 a.m., weighing in at 7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long! I made a visit to the hospital at lunch today and what a cutie he is! He's very alert and he makes the cutest little faces! I know that Spencer and Zora will be a wonderful big brother and sister! Congratulations guys!

Tagged by the Lawson's!

2008-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

5 Things I Was Doing 10 years ago:
1. Teaching Assistant
2. Dating you know who...D-----!
3. Going to country dances
4. ward hopping
5. getting ready for my brother to come home from his mission

5 Things on my To-Do List Today!:
1. Homework
2. Laundry
3. Make 3 part cards for work: spider, bat, skeleton
4. clean chicken coop
5. grocery shopping

5 Snacks I Love:
1. anything chocolate with caramel
2. chocolate
3. string cheese
4. Utah peaches
5. Did I say, chocolate?

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire:
1. Buy a house-pay cash!
2. Pay off my parents and brother's home
3. Move my Granny to Arizona and plant a huge garden for her
4. Travel everywhere: Hawaii, Virgin Islands, small island off the coast of India (saw it on the today show and it was beautiful! Can't remember the name of it)
5. Volunteer more (won't need to work-will have lots of time on my hands)

5 Places I've Lived:
1. Dumont, Iowa
2. Winterset, Iowa
3. Tama, Iowa
4. Mesa, Arizona
5. Mesa, Arizona (moved a couple of times)

5 People I Tag:
1. Michelle
2. Kimberly
3. Rachel
4. Doeshann
5. Trish

2008-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's Been A Year Already?

2008-10-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is TRUE...We celebrated our FIRST Anniversary on October 5th! Yeah for us!! We've been told that the first year is the hardest and I'd have to say that is soooo true! We have made it and are looking forward to eternity with each other!

For our anniversary we went to California. Frank hasn't ever been there so I had to take him to Disneyland and to Newport Beach. We only had a weekend because he had to be back at work on Monday, so it was quick but well worth it!

Being a Disneyland 'virgin' ;), Frank didn't really know what to expect on his first trip. The first ride was of course Star Wars! I thought it was a good ride to get him warmed up! He liked it and and I think that I had the most fun watching him than paying attention to the ride. When we got off the ride, I wanted to take him on Space Mountain....we got one of those fast passes and came back when it told us to so we wouldn't have to wait in line for forever and a day. In the meantime, we continued on our way and saw lots of other things and grabbed a haunted house experience, rode the Matterhorn and a couple of hours later, we came back and only had to wait a few minutes to get on. I don't think that Frank was really paying attention to all the signs along the way describing what kind of a ride that it was. It clearly said that the ride was a roller coaster ride and that it was in the dark. (oops, forgot to tell him that) He was a little tense for Matterhorn and I didn't think too much of it. We get on the ride....I looked at him and asked him if he was ready? He looked at me and said, "I don't know about this." I told him, "Relax honey, just breathe and enjoy the ride." I have to say, I enjoyed the ride and with a the first few turns, I was reminding him to breathe. To make a long story short....he wasn't too happy with the ride...something was said like, "I'm not ever going on that ___________ride again!!" (Feel free to use whatever word you'd like to fill in the blank...i.e. wonderful, exciting, joyous) hehehehe

After we got off of that ride, I wanted to take him on Thunder Mountain. (another roller coaster ride). I told him what it was and he was a little reluctant to go. We got seated and I turned around and noticed that 2 little girls were sitting in the seats behind us. If they can do it, so can Frank! :) We get started on the ride and I hear him say, "Why do all of these have to be in the dark?" It only starts in a tunnel and then you're not in it for long. Just as we start to go up an incline...and see the light at the top...supense is building and....we brace ourselves...the ride stops!!! We get stuck near the top of the incline and they had to have workers come and help everyone off of the ride!! I thought it was hilarious! Take a close look at the pictures above-I took a couple of the people getting off. We didn't get a chance to get back on and ride it after they got it fixed. Next time!

We had a great time on our trip and I guess it probably wasn't that bad at Disneyland because Frank is talking about going back again real soon! I think his highlight was when we stopped at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co before coming home. The moment he walks in the door at night, he has his Forrest cap in hand and has worn it every night since. He's too funny!

One thing that was fun at Disneyland: We were each given badges to wear that said, Happy Anniversary! So the whole day someone was telling us Happy Anniversary! or they were congratulating us! At first I forgot that I was wearing it and for a split second couldn't figure out how they knew...and then it dawned on me, it was the pin! :)

Thanks Honey for letting me take you and for the great time we had!

The $200 Egg!

2008-09-28T07:25:00.001-07:00

Many of you know that we have chickens. Every school year we study life cycles with the children and I bring fertilized egss to school with an incubator. This year was my first year that not one single egg hatched! I felt sooo very bad because the kids would race to the incubator everyday to see if one opened yet. They would mark the days off of our 28 day calendar and when we approached 32 days, I knew that they probably wouldn't hatch. We located chicks from the local feed barn and I brought them into the class on May 5th. The children were so very excited! After a couple of weeks of having the chicks in class, I had to decide what to do with the chicks. When the price of eggs and milk were so high, Frank thought he would like to bring the chicks home to raise them so we could enjoy fresh eggs. I agreed and told him that if we were going to do this, that he needed to design a coop for them. He did and it turned out really neat! Five and a half months later, we have our first egg! I'm not sure which of the five chickens laid it and I'm not even sure yet if we have a rooster in the bunch. But we are very excited and now look forward to going to the coop every morning to see what little surprises are there waiting for us!

These little eggs are small. We are not quite sure if they will get any bigger with time but this one measured about 1 1/2 inches.

Humanitarian Day

2008-09-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

We volunteered to go to stake humanitarian day at the church and by the time we arrived there was only a couple of things left to help with...clean used children's toys (which children were playing with) or help finish tying the last quilt. Frank jumped right in and recieved his first lesson from the Bishops wife. He did a really good job! Wow...cooking and now quilting? Frank is becoming quite domestic! :) He left a little for me to do but I had forgotten how hard it can be to push the needle through the fabric-he made it look so easy!

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

We had a great Labor Day holiday! These are just a few snapshots of our day! We had our wonderful friends Ben, Michelle, Spencer and Zora over to help us eat yummy food! (Notice new glasses on Frank and my Mom & Dad. They look very nice guys!)

Chef Frank & Funnel Cakes!

2008-08-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Frank and I were at the Kitchen Concepts store at Superstition Mall the other day and he noticed a funnel cake kit! He wanted to really get it and had to make funnel cakes that night! My mom couldn't believe her eyes and had to stand there to watch to make sure he really was making them. He was so cute to watch! I am proud to announce that he even made homemade lasagna on Friday night! What a man! Pretty soon he'll be taking over in the kitchen and I can kick back and watch!

1 Week Down...

2008-08-17T18:28:00.001-07:00

I made it through the first week of school! Yeah for me! We have some really cute kids this year...its a good group at that! :) Not too many are crying to go back home but it has only been the first week...I suspect the 'honeymoon' period will soon be over and reality will hit them. Once they realize that this is an everyday thing and get used to that idea, it will be smooth sailing!

Update: My 'SPOT' was nothing to worry about. The doctor wasn't upset that I took the stitches out early. I have a small scar that hopefully will heal in nicely and won't be noticeable. It did give me alittle scare so now I try to make sure that I am wearing sunscreen. This Arizona sun is something that shouldn't be messed with!

We kind of got loaded up on things to do when coming into our new ward. The bishopric came over to welcome us in the ward and we were asked to speak in church. Last Sunday we were called in as new members, Frank and I, along with my parents, were asked to speak in church, and we got a new calling all at once! Primary...WE LOVE PRIMARY! We hit the deck running! The topic we were given to speak on: Family History and Temple Blessings! Yeah!!! I was so excited to talk! I think it kind of freaked everyone out...'What's up with Heather?' I have been involved with inputting all of the information I know and my parents have found in regards to our geneology, into the www.new.familysearch.org website. The site is so user friendly...If I can get it, anyone can! I have four names to take to the temple and have so many more to enter. I can't wait to get the work done!

Summer is rapidly coming to a close...

2008-07-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

It's alittle after 11p.m. on Monday night and I'm still wide awake!! I hate that I can't fall asleep. Frank is in the other room in LaLa Land talking in his sleep. He can come up with some pretty funny stuff to talk about and then not remember a thing in the morning!

My summer is almost over and I've already started all of the 'to do's' in my head. One week from today, I'll be back at work running full speed ahead once again. I've always enjoyed the beginning of the school year.

One week ago, I had a dermatologist appointment. Frank, Mom and Dad all kept commenting about this spot that had appeared on my face over the last few months. It was very different from the other spots on my face. I too have noticed it but I decided that I would ignore it for the time being. After many remarks on 'the spot' I finally called the doctor to have him look at it. After arriving and before I really had a chance to soak in what he was talking about, I was being numbed up to have 'the spot' removed. I hate needles! I ended up receiving two stitches and was informed that I would need to come back in 10 days to have them removed. At that time, he would be able to tell me if 'the spot' was something more than just a spot. He seems to think that either way that I got there before it had a chance of becoming more. I find out on Thursday what the biopsy results are. These stitches are driving me crazy and I keep playing with them... It's already healed...Do you think he'll notice that I took the stitches out tonight? :)

Along with working we are both are still going to school. I met with an academic advisor today at MCC to have him help me create a plan for the future classes that I still need to take. I thought that I was done with all of my math...yea right! I have 5 more to go. I did find comfort in knowing that most of the classes I took when I was planning on going into dental hygiene will apply for my teaching degree. So that worked out well. It's nice having all of the classes I still need to take written down. Frank is still plugging away at Devry. Some of his professors are a joke! He gets so frustrated with them and their inability to communicate in a timely manner. Some are very good and then some are not. I guess that can happen anywhere you go to school.

We are doing well and are adjusting well to staying here with my parents. Who knows how long we'll really be here. From what we are hearing, banks are as tough on getting loans on a home as they ever have been. We are working hard at saving everything we can to put a down payment on a house. I would like to be here less than a year, we'll have to wait and see. We'll keep everyone posted on when the big purchase will be...

Celebrating 80 Years...

2008-07-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

This last semester I took a Photoshop class and even as frustrating as it was to learn the dumb program, I was actually able to put together this for my Grandma. I have to admit that I did it for the mere reaction on her face when she opened it up. I love my Grandma so much...she means the world to me. She has taught me so much about sewing, gardening, cross stitching, patience, kindness and love...I'm so grateful to her for that! She is such a hard worker and to this day she works full time as a professional seamstress! We are all trying so hard to convince her to retire and she keeps telling us that before winter comes she will. It's time that she enjoys herself in her later years. And can someone call her and tell her that she needs to come back out to Arizona where it is nice and warm!?!? :) Love you Granny!

Granny's 80th Birthday Celebration!

2008-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandma! We had such a good time with her and getting to see family again was so much fun! It was such a beautiful day...the humidity was low and it was a bit breezy. We had on display just a few of her dolls from her collection and some blankets and afghans that she had made. Everyone brought food to share....notice the beautiful birthday cake that my cousin's mother-in-law made, lots of detail-the flowers look real!

Say Cheese!

Close up of the beautiful flowers!

Granny opening a gift from us!

I'll post a picture of it soon.

We brought this with us for everyone to

sign as a gift for Granny.

We also gave her these gorgeous flowers!

Iowa...Here We Come! (Eventually)

2008-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

We were scheduled to leave Phoenix on Thursday, July 10 at 7p.m. headed to Omaha, NE. Little did we know that we were in for an adventure! Around 6:30p.m. I was thinking that it was kind of strange that our plane hadn't shown up yet. We got word that our flight has been delayed and that we would be departing at 8 o'clock. They boarded everyone exactly when they said they would and that is when all the fun began!! We sat, and sat, and sat some more due to a sudden Monsoon storm that hit Phoenix. The rain just poured down and we got 3 inches in a matter of minutes. The wind was blowing at 58+ mph and lightening was all around us. By 10 o'clock I was finally asking if we could get off of the plane. We were told that we could but if they were to get clearance to take off, they would and we could possibly get left behind. I got off anyway. My husband on the other hand had to sit in another row because of the open seating policy and we couldn't find two seats together. He watched me leave and I thought that he would soon follow. I quickly found a friend to chat with sitting up at the gate and about another hour passed by only to walk back down the ramp to see Frank still sitting there between two people. I motioned for him to join me...he continued to stay. 30 more minutes passed and I went back down to the plane and insisted from a distance that he come with me. He FINANLLY asked the man next to him to let him by. I thought for sure he was going to marathon it, which I thought was just silly. He sat for 4 hours!! We kept getting word that other planes in the area were getting clearance to leave but there were 30 planes ahead of us. I knew that we weren't going to be going for some time. To make a looooooong story short.......we departed Phoenix at 1:30a.m. and arrived in Omaha 5:30 a.m their time. We had a hotel reserved and at this point we both were so very tired. We went to check in at the hotel only to learn that check out was at 11 a.m. and if we were to stay longer than that, we would get charged another whole day. At that point, both of us were tired but awake enough that we just got back in the car and drove to Tama, IA 3 hrs. away. It was so hot and humid that when we got to Granny's house we crashed but I only slept two hours. She doesn't have central air conditioning and that little window fan didn't cut it. We have grown to appreciate nice cool air conditioning and count it as one of our many blessings! :)

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Janet and Gary!

Frank's parents birthdays are only a few days

apart so we wanted to give a shout out to them...

Happy, Happy Birthday to you! :)

We're Moving!

2008-06-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

And we're still not done packing! Geesh..I didn't realize that we had so much stuff! We finally took all of these over to our newly upgraded, air-cooled 5x10 storage unit thinking that we would have enough room to fit so much in there. Just these boxes alone take up half of the unit! We don't have the couch, bookshelves and kitchen table in there yet. I think we might have to upgrade again. What a pain to have to keep moving them around. We'll get it figured out and we'll get our excercise while doing it. :)

Happy Father's Day Dad!

2008-06-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Dad in action doing what he loves to do best...FISH!

This is one of the spots at Saguaro Lake that he

has nicknamed "Little Minnesota" because of the tall

grasses. He has a couple of other favorite fishing places

that has nicknames too!

Thanks for all you do for us Dad!

HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY FRANK!

2008-06-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yep it's true...He's another year closer to 30! We had a fun day on Saturday...got up and went to go see the 9:45 a.m. showing of The Incredible Hulk. I didn't know that movies were shown so early in the morning. Later that evening, we met up with my parents, Heath, Heather, Madelyn and Kate at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was yummy! By the look of these pictures, I think the girls enjoyed their cheese cake!

Update On Us...

2008-05-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the school year is winding down and I have 2 weeks left. I can't believe that a whole semester has gone by already. I didn't realize how much I had missed teaching until I came back! I did like working at the dentist office and who knows, maybe someday I'll go back. Right now it feels good to be teaching. It has been so much fun working with Tiffany and I can't wait to come back next year. The children have been great and I've enjoyed getting to know each one of them. Since it is a 3 year program, some of them I had when I left back in May of 2006. It's always hard to see them move up to first grade but I am always ready to have new little ones join our class! :)

I am looking forward to having the summer off from work and school. We are however going to be moving out of our apartment at the end of June and moving in with my parents for a few months. We are planning on buying a house and would like to have a nice down payment and this will allow us to do it. My parents are very nice to extend this offer and we are grateful for them. So I will be busy packing boxes and hauling them over to our storage unit.
Frank is enjoying his job at the Trane Company. He has been there for 2 months now and is learning a lot. He sold his first a/c unit the other day, which I thought was extremely impressive considering that he is supposed to only sell parts. There is great opportunity for him to move up and progress with this company and if we ever had to relocate, we would be able to with no problems.

Frank is in school at Devry and is always busy with homework. I have had to learn even more patience because sometimes I hardly see him. I am so proud of him because he works so hard and is determined to get all A's. Sometimes I find myself negotiating with him about how to set "the schedule" just so we can go out on a date. But I know that it will be worth it in the end.

Married life has been fun...lots of trials and getting to know one another. I always heard that marriage is hard but we have seemed to get through some of the hardest situations that I'm sure would have given the most seasoned, experienced couple a run for their money. With Frank losing his job 1 month after we were married and not able to find anything for 2 months, really made us rely on the gospel and each other for support. We made it through and not a day goes by that we are not thankful for all of our blessings!

Flowers From My Hubby

2008-05-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Even though I am not a mother yet, Frank bought me these gorgeous flowers! He knows that I love, love, love roses! Thank you honey, they are beautiful!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2008-05-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

It's Mother's Day and my Mom is in Hawaii! She and my Dad will be there all week-Lucky ducks! She has been very excited to go and they have their whole week planned. So many things in fact that I can't keep their days straight. It's been a bit of a different day without the traditional "make mom dinner" but know that she's having a great time. Happy Mom's day Mom, you can have your gift when you get home. :)

Cutest Girls In the World!

2008-04-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our two cute nieces!

Granny

2008-04-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

My Grandma came out for a 3 week visit recently and we really enjoyed her stay! It was fun to spend time with her and we were glad that she was able to come out. In July, we are planning on having an 80th Birthday Celebration for her. Oops, did I say 80? She doesn't look a day over 59. :) Love you Grandma!

Us...

2008-03-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Cheesy Picture

Easter

2008-03-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Madelyn and Kate are our nieces and it was so much fun to watch them hunt for eggs in the backyard. My mom hid tons of eggs...so many in fact that she didn't even know how many there were.

Smile!

2008-03-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

We have a camera again! Look out all cause here I come...my last camera stopped working just before we got married and I have felt lost without it. On Saturday we stopped at Target not planning on getting a camera-but ended up leaving with one. So look forward to lots of new posts on our blog.
This is our dog Spike. He is the coolest dog ever and is always ready to go do something! My Dad just bought a boat yesterday and in preparation for the big arrival, Spike has been wearing his doggie life jacket. He looks like a big yellow bumble bee in it. Now the boat is here and soon he'll figure out what all the excitement has been about. It should be interesting since he has never seen a body of water larger than the bath tub.
I just wanted to say thanks to Michelle for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit down with me yesterday and explain a bit more how this blogging stuff works. It will be lots of fun!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-07T16:06:00.001-08:00

2007-11-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

2007-11-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Our engagement picture. This was taken at Freestone Park in Gilbert, Arizona. It was a hot and humid day. The pictures session only lasted about 30 minutes. We got a few good shots before we melted in the summer heat! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gamble

2007-11-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

We did it!

October 5, 2007

2007-11-05T16:20:00.001-08:00

Exactly one month ago today we were married in the Mesa, Arizona Temple! :) Even in this short time, we have had our challenges; however, we are quickly learning and adjusting well to our new lives together.