Merry Christmas!!

A New Day!

It’s about time for a happy update!

Although we had a difficult time accepting the fact that our chances of buying a house were smashed into bits and pieces, we’ve moved on. Josh and I found a great apartment and are all moved in and unpacked. It’s so nice to have breathing room again. We found a place that was conveniently 1.3 miles away from my office! Also, we’re right near the freeway, so it’s easier for Josh’s commute too. I love having everything work out! Although we’re not in a house, we’re trying to look at the positive: we still have each other, we have a home, and we’ll have another chance in a few months. Although we’re missing out on a large tax credit and getting further out of debt, at least we still have jobs in this economy!

In other news, we got our cats declawed. Now they act like prairie dogs because their paws are tender so they sit back on their hind legs a lot. I call them prairie cats (that isn’t my cat, but it gives you the general idea) now.

The semester is half over and I am so behind! Moving hasn’t helped that issue!

Also! I am having a Scentsy party Wednesday! Please let me know if you can come or if you’d like to submit an order!

Our tragedies....

Well, things were finally looking up for these Petersens. The house was under contract, the debt was down and the savings were enough...until some mail mishaps and now we aren't able to qualify for our house. It's a very sad day for us. Especially when it's not directly our fault. And even more so since we can't do a darn thing about it. So we're looking for a decent place to rent for a while. Good times.

One liners

I saw these on a friends blog, I wish I could claim them as my own thoughts, but I'll share some of the best ones.

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" ...okay, means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I know everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?

I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Yes yes...

I know that we need to update the blog...but for now enjoy this...

http://www.pampers.co.uk/en_GB/video/babyseyes.jsp

Last minute cabin trip

We took my mom and brothers to the Petersen cabin! We found out Saturday around 7:30 pm that my mom would be in town, so we jumped at the opportunity to show off the great outdoors!

Moab?

Josh and I decided to head down to Moab for some fun, we invited some others, but somehow, no one else could go! We still had a blast out there, it's always so pretty! We packed up all of our camping gear and headed out! When I booked out campground I thought it said it had a pool....well it didn't! It was so hot down there we sure would have enjoyed a pool! Next time! Also, there were silk nests above our tent, so we constantly had caterpillars on our tent, a few even cocooned onto our tarp! Here's some pictures!

Here we go again....

Well, if you haven't heard already, the house we were supposed to move into has sold. It was really disappointing, but the family really needed to sell the house, so it's great news for them. Mostly we were happy that we didn't move and then have it sell within a short time! So now it's back to the original plan: staying at Randy and Leslie's a while longer! We're still planning on buying a house by fall, but we'll see what happens. We're adjusting to life here pretty well, it's not so bad after all!

Unfortunately we have hit another bump in the road. With this horrible economy, its scary to plan for the future. We're looking for a new job for Josh, so if anyone has leads, it'd be great to find a good one!

Woo Hoo

Wow, it's been a bit of time since the last post. I started writing one about a week and a half ago, but never finished...oops.

Josh and I celebrated our ONE YEAR anniversary April 10! What up! We spent a wonderful weekend in California to celebrate. We went to the beautiful Santa Monica Pier.

While driving back to the hotel, we found the Los Angeles Temple.

Since there's no "P" in California, we created one.

This past weekend we went to St George to be spontanious. Really, we decided Friday afternoon and drove down when I got off of work. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing our friends.

Meanwhile, the semester is over next week and I am really excited to finally have some time away from school. Of course summer semester starts May 6, so I won't have too much free time. In reality it'll be nice to just get this stuff over with!

Other than that, it's just the same old with us, we're still working hard and living life the best we can!

It's raining blessings!

I am always amazed at how well we're taken care of sometimes. Heavenly Father really loves us so much, I don't know why we ever panic!

As you may know, I've been have difficulty adjusting to our new home. Over the weekend I was becoming really stressed. I was just finding myself unable to calm down, Josh was trying to help, but I just couldn't relax. I was praying so hard for patience and understanding, and just begging him to help me be able to cope with our living situation better. I had reached a breaking point and didn't know what else to do. Sunday morning we were on our way to a friend's homecoming, when Leslie called us. She told us that there is a family in our ward has been trying to sell their house for about a year. They want to move to Washington (that's where they're from) and they've finally decided that they just need to go NOW. They're not going to be able to wait any longer for this house to sell. So they're looking for someone to watch it, so that it's not vacant. So she gave them our number and they called us later that evening. Basically, we need to maintain the lawn (mow it), keep the house clean for whenever there's a showing, and live there. We don't have to pay anything except utilities. Since we're not renting, there's no terms as far as how long we'll be there. It could sell in a month or 6 months. Who knows? Josh and I will have a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 3k sq foot home, on a half acre lot with a 2 car garage (yay!), and we only pay utilities. It's about 6 houses down from Randy and Leslie, so we'll still see them, any time we/they want. We're not going to unpack all of our stuff, just the things that can be easily repacked or things we need. Since a home usually has a little bit of time between offer and actually closing, we'll have plenty of time to move back in with Randy and Leslie, or maybe even find our own place, when the time comes. The family that's moving is going to leave a few things behind, so we don't have to worry about keeping certain things furnished (since we sold our couches and stuff). They're also leaving the kitchen appliances. It'll be great.

Like I said earlier, Heavenly Father never seizes to amaze me with his blessings. We've really had some prayers answered and we're really fortunate to be so blessed. I am so grateful that we've had the opportunity to find help when in need. I don't know what I'd do if it weren't for the love and support of our families and friends. We're given so many challenges in this life, but we're never given anything more than what we can handle. We're always being watched over, so a helping hand can be given when we ask.

That being said, once we get moved in, maybe we'll have a BBQ! We'll have lots of room, and we've been wanting to host a "get together" for sometime now!

Only Thursday?

I honestly think that today should be Friday. I am so tired and useless at this point that it might as well be!

Anyhow, for those of you who didn't know, Josh and I are officially less than one month away from our one year anniversary! I am really excited! I just remember everyone telling us that the first year would be the hardest. Looking back, there were some rough patches, I won't deny that, but there were also some of the very best moments in my life. Knowing that there will be so many more moments and memories to come, just makes me even happier! I love thinking about how wonderful this last year has been and how quickly it's gone by. In some ways it makes me more understand that in the blink of an eye we'll have kids and grand kids! Isn't silly how things come into perspective like that?

On another note, Josh hurt his back at work Monday. Apparently he was lifting something a little too heavy. He went to a physical therapist on Monday (thanks to our friend Sam), and since then he's been doing a lot better. He went back to work Wednesday, but is still taking things easy.

Also I am sick of the cold and the snow!

A blessing in disguise?

Sometimes I really wonder just how everything can be so bad, but turn out to be so good! As you probably know, Josh was laid off. I thought that maybe Josh finally had the opportunity to leave electrical behind, to do something that was more stable. Josh wasn't too sure because he'd worked so hard to get to where he was at, and he'd been doing it for quite a long time. It was quite difficult to really decide what should be done. Josh talked to a gentleman in our ward who teaches (or used to teach) electric and has a son who did electrical for quite sometime as well. He said that his son (Ben) was also tired of the instability of electrical, so he started his own business doing commercial refrigeration. He gave Josh Ben's number, and told him that he was looking for another employee and maybe it could work out. Josh got a hold of Ben, told him what was looking for, and offered to take Josh on a "ride along" interview. Josh went with Ben for a full day's work to experience and learn what the job entailed. At the end of the night, he offered Josh the job. Josh of course has decided to try it out, so it's been an interesting last couple of days. I am really hoping that it all works out because it seems to be a really good opportunity for us and a real chance to move forward.

Meanwhile, things are almost complete at the house, the carpet in our room should be going in today, meaning tonight we can hopefully put our furniture in there and have some space to ourselves.

I have been having a bit of trouble adjusting to my new home, as it is completely different than any situation I've ever been in. I'm usually a pretty independent person and lately I feel forced to be dependant. When I get done with a super long day (usually everyday) I just like to go home and be with my husband and block out the rest of the world. Of course, when you live with 8 other people, this is a challenge. I also am still a little too selfish to share my Josh. I have been praying for patience as often as I can, it's been seeming to get better, but maybe I'm just too busy to notice!

With Josh's new job, we'll hopefully be able to be into a house by fall. I am keeping hopeful that it works out this way, but we never know what Heavenly Father has in store for us. It's always an adventure, that's for sure!

The stress of it all

We've officially moved out of our duplex, the problem is, we haven't officially moved in to Randy and Leslie's. The room we're supposed to have isn't completed yet, so all of our stuff is in a pile in the garage. It took us way longer to move than I had anticipated and the stress of it all is wearing on me. I am finally back to work today (I took Monday - Wednesday off to move) but I probably should have taken today off! I can't even sit up without getting dizzy and sick and I just can't wait to get out of here. Hopefully the bedroom will be done this weekend so Josh and I can have some kind of space to our own.

Happy birthday...

What a weekend!

Today (Sunday) is my birthday! The big 23... ok, it's not that old, but it feels old to me! It's been an interesting birthday weekend, to say the least. Thursday Josh and I talked to our landlord, and he offered us an out on our lease. It isn't supposed to be up until the end of March, but he's always been really nice and helpful, and when I told him that Josh was laid off, he was really helpful about it. So we talked to Randy and Leslie (Josh' parents) and they said it was ok for us to move in a little earlier than anticipated (especially since Joe and Britt and their kids are still there). Needless to say, it'll be a full house!

Friday night Randy and Leslie took Josh and I out for dinner (for my birthday), we talked to them more about the move, and decided the sooner the better. We messaged our landlord and he asked if we could be out by Wednesday, yeah the 25th. We were thinking more like the end of the month, but we knew we could pull it off.

Saturday we gave the family the time frame and got to work! We spent the day painting, packing, and selling! We sold the bulk of our bigger furniture because there was no sense in storing it. It's been tiring, but it'll be worth it to just get it over with, like taking off a band aid right? Josh and I were heading home, when he took a surprise exit on the freeway and took me to Leatherby's for dinner. I am so lucky to have such a sweet husband! Even when times are tight he does what he can to make me happy! Oh, and it was so yummy!

Today we gave the news to our ward, they're sad to see us go, but they understand. They apparently really liked us! I barely even knew some people's names! I feel a little bad, but I am horrible with names! After our ward we went to see Joe and Britt speak in church, and Addie sang! It was so cute, and their talks were really good! Then we headed back home and Josh cleaned the carpets while I cleaned up some stuff in the kitchen (I finished the oreos...). We then headed back to the parents house for cake. It's been a really full day!!

Josh also got me a new camera for my birthday! I am really excited! It'll be so nice to actually have a good camera!! Woot!

So, if anyone wants to help with the move, let me know!

Welcome weekend...

I was so happy for be so close to the weekend, it was just the best Friday. I finally finished my Valentine's Day shopping, the work week was almost through...then Josh called me. "I just got laid off." What a way to begin the weekend right? I know that we will be ok... it will be really tight for awhile, we were doing so well with our debt management. I am so scared about what will happen, but I know Heavenly Father will take care of us. The thing that really bites, is that its the weekend, so we're really out of luck until Monday. Looking for jobs will have to wait. I have feared this for a while, because I have seen this happening to so many of our friends, and with Josh working construction, it was almost inevitable. So if anyone knows about any job openings or anyone that needs electrical work done, let us know!

Home again

Well, Josh and I are back from our mini-trip to Wisconsin. We had a really good time visiting family and fiends. I know we saw most people a little over a month ago, but its still so great to see them!

On our flight back, we got stuck in Chicago a few extra hours, but we made it back without having to spend an extra night. On the flight, we we're reading the magazine from the seat backs and there was an article about Park City and surrounding areas. Well, it mentioned the Crater at the Homestead Inn. Neither of us had heard about it before. It's about a 65 ft deep hole, filled will warm spring water. It is "underground" and has a tunnel going to it. It kind of looks like an ant hill. They offer scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming. So Josh and I went to check it out. Originally we just planned to snorkel, but ended up scuba diving! It was so much fun! And the water was so fabulous! They say its usually 91-96 degrees. Now we both want to get scuba certified!

Needless to say we had a pretty full weekend, but we had a ton of fun. As always, I am so happy to be home to my own bed and my own home. Although I would certainly welcome housekeeping on a daily basis!

Wisconsin...Again?

Friday morning I reieved some more bad news, my uncle Ron passed away from lung cancer. We all knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time. He wasn't doing well, and at least he isn't suffering any longer. I really didn't expect this to happen so soon, but luckily wih my mom working at the airlines, Josh and I are able to go out there for the service. We're leaving Thursday morning and returning Saturday.

Meanwhile, we're getting anxious to move, our lease is about up, and in theory we're moving into Josh's parent's house (Randy and Leslie). Joe and Britt have been staying there while they look for a house. They have decided to build and their home should be done about a month after our lease is over. I talked to our landlord and fortunately he's letting us stay till the end of April. In this tough economic time, I am so nervous about every little thing that happens! Hopefully this economy will be picking up in a little while.

I'm pretty tired, so I guess I'm going to head out to bed.

Manic Monday

I was on my way to school this morning, when I passed a pretty bad accident on 7th east. IT wasn't until after I had parked my car that I had gotten a phone call from Shelia telling me that Norm and Evie (Josh's grandma and her husband) had gotten in a roll over car accident, did the reality hit me. After telling my teacher I wouldn't be able to stay in class and realizing I locked my keys in my car (thanks Parking Services for getting my car unlocked), I drove up to the hospital to support my family. I then found out that the accident I passed earlier was the very scene of their tumble. The Explorer rolled 1 1/2 times, landing on the top, teetering on a rock in the landscape. I have a tough time with car accidents, because I've lost a few too many people that way. Luckily they were both wearing seat belts, only only sustained injuries. Evie is doing well, mostly just bruised up. Norm broke a few vertebrae and his collar bone, but he is doing well. I was so worried, because Evie had just had an open heart surgery a couple weeks ago. They are both very strong people, and I know that they will come out of this just fine, especially with all the love and support from their families. There were so any people at the hospital all day, and I know that there are many prayers going out to them. I am so happy to be a part of such a wonderful, loving family, and feel so blessed to see so much love and support.

Here's a picture from KSL

Sorry

It's been a while since I left an update, so here I am, trying to catch up! We got some pretty gnarly viruses on the lappy while we were in Wisconsin, and I have finally gotten it fixed (I hope...).

Wisconsin was a pretty fun trip, cold, but fun. Our flight out there was significantly delayed (4 hours) so we didn't get into Minnesota (our connection to Milwaukee) until about midnight. Needless to say, we missed our connection and we had to spend the night in MN AGAIN!! At least this time they put us up in a hotel. It actually worked out pretty well and we convinced the airline to change our flight to leave the 25th instead of the 24th. It snowed everyday that we were there, and the temperature barely got in the double digits. Overall though, it was really nice to see my family again! I just miss them all so much, it's really hard to be so far away all the time. Also, I reunited with my step-sister Kayla for the first time in about 6 years. It was really nice to see her and her family again.

School started a couple weeks ago. Josh is taking another electrical class, and I have a full schedule of generals and electives. It's been a real challenge trying to find time for anything. Josh and I barely see each other and I am already ready for spring break!! I really can't believe I ever thought we were busy last semester, because this semester makes it seem like it was so easy!!

We did go through a couple weeks of getting sick, that wasn't all that fun. I'm pretty sure that were though it now.

We went to the Draper Temple open house this last weekend, it's so pretty! I went with my mom on Friday afternoon, and went with Josh and his parents on Saturday. It is just so wonderful to know that we have another temple so close.

I think that's about the end of the updates. Thanks for reading.

Here's the snow against a hotel door....

Here's a GIANT snowman

Josh and I with Kayla and her boyfriend Dylan

Kayla and I...see some similarities...