Sunday, November 21, 2010

Update


Hi Friends,

It’s been forever since I’ve written. I’ve been meaning to sit down for several months now and mark down all the updates, but it seems there is never any spare time for such leisurely activities. And life moves on, adding even more to catch up on. So, if I remember correctly, my last post was from early February. Wow!

Well…

Here it is, nine months later, nearly through my first semester at college. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

About mid March I started contemplating my options for college. Something sparked an interest, for up until that point I never dreamed of continuing my education. I had always thought of being an accountant, but never more than that. It was simply a, what I thought, passing desire. First it was Canadian University College (in Lacombe, Alberta). But that was soon ruled out and replaced with Union College (Lincoln, Nebraska), where I was ultimately accepted and planned on going. Then I mysteriously received a brochure from Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tennessee). Long story short (more information is in the post below), Southern won my heart!

In early April we went to OKFCM as usual. It was a blessing, especially to have the McCombs and Berdahls there!

In late April I decided last second to fly to Idaho to surprise my best friend for her 18th birthday! She hadn't the slightest idea of my plan and the shock on her face was priceless.
We went to Montana for the weekend, to visit her grandparents. Her boyfriend and his brother came too, as well as the three dogs. It was lots of fun. We went dirt biking, hung out, built campfires, and went to the hot springs. J


Once we were back in Idaho we just chilled around the house and surprised the boys one day after school. We hid behind the trees and ambushed at the stop sign, jumping into the bed of the truck. It was raining and we were dressed in rain boots and ended up sliding all over! They didn’t know what hit them when they heard the thud from the backseat…

;) We went dirt biking a lot that first week.

Taryn and I went on a hike at Tubbs’ Hill and she jumped into Lake Coeur d’Alene… Crazy girl!

The following weekend was prom. Jaz’s life long dream of going to prom was fulfilled. She was absolutely gorgeous! I was so glad I was able to be there for that. While she was out, I went to the movies with Scott and saw “The Last Song.”

The next day we met JJ at McDonalds for breakfast and went hiking for a little bit at Tubbs’ Hill. That afternoon her dad graduated with his BBA.

And two days later she graduated HS with her GED. The night of her graduation we went down to Hayden Lake. Good times! Afterward we stopped at the Mexican restaurant and picked up some (virgin) margaritas. Back at the house we celebrated with goodies and cheesecake.

In late May (and again on their way home in June), the Halder family stopped by on their way up to Washington. It was so good to have them over and spend time together. We went hiking at Faulty Trail and we “kids” had a good mud “fight” and built a dam at the spring head.

That Sabbath evening was Sandia View’s graduation, which we attended and they afterwards went out to eat at Dions! The second week they visited, we girls slept in the tree-house. But other than that the activities were virtually the same, minus graduation and pizza.

My dad fixed my truck! J

In June my dad, mom, and I flew out to Tennessee to check out Southern. My dear friends, the Dobbs, happened to plan their trip at the same time! It was blessed to see them; it’d been a few years, but we picked up the friendship right where it’d left off.

But before we got to Collegedale, we stopped in Knoxville to visit Aunt Patsy, Uncle Gary, and John. They’ve lived out here for 25 years and we’ve never visited. (Funny though… Later on, they move to NM the week I move to TN) Aunt Patsy showed us downtown Knox and then we ate supper with her and Uncle Gary at someplace that I know was called the Tomato or something or another. We had Italian ice from Rita’s and met up with John back at the house. But all too soon we had to head down towards Chattanooga.



SAU’s campus was beautiful, even in humidity levels that made it feel as if you were breathing water. Southern fed us well and gave us tours around campus. They also took to Rock City, which was super cool! We saw the Neffs Sabbath afternoon.



The following week, back at home, was camp meeting, which was, for once, in Albuquerque, though it was nothing like a traditional camp meeting. We went everyday and a couple of the afternoons I hung out with my many friends from Quemado.

Oh, that summer I discovered my allergies to many things: chapstick, Band-Aids, lotion, soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc.

In late June and early July, my sister and I drove up to Colorado Springs to visit our family! We enjoyed lounging around the house, shopping, eating downtown Denver for Aunt Jeannette’s birthday, and walking down 16th Street Mall. We went and saw Toy Story 3 as a family. That movie series has a close place back to our hearts and we all cried at the ending. (Consequently I was leaving for college, just as Andy was).



In July, I discovered Parkers’ Greenhouse, just down the street. I still can’t believe it’s in New Mexico, let alone my little town. It’s way too green in comparison to the desert it’s surrounded by, but it’s a lovely oasis. One Sabbath afternoon Dad and I went to photograph the many flowers and scenery there.
Our sweet friend Karen was passing through in July and we were able to see her for a little while.

My sister turned 15 that month and we celebrated at the bowling alley and Dions!

In late July/early August we family-vacationed in Ouray, Colorado, my absolutely favorite place. We went hiking in the rain, window shopped, ate at little shops, had an Olde Thyme portrait taken, toured the silver mine, drove the historic district (the whole town is historic), walked through the museum, went to Cascade Falls, and Jeeped. Jeeping was a blast! J Parts of the trail were treacherous, but we found screaming to be an excellent way to let off the adrenaline. I would love to go back and do it again!

The morning after we got back home I took off again, this time to Idaho. Up till that point, it’d looked like I wasn’t going to be able to fit that trip in, but a flight came up at the last second and I jumped on it. Summer without Idaho, well it really isn’t any summer at all. We went swimming nearly everyday for the first part of my visit and huckleberry picking twice. I gathered approximately half a gallon and brought them back home to save for cheesecake. We spent a couple days/evenings at the Carns, who were hospitable as always. One day we went out to Twin Lakes and knee-boarded before youth night at the Backman’s. Jaz and I had an interesting time with Ed’s truck… Taryn and I spent almost an entire day playing Monopoly and the morning before Jaz’s surgery we went out to eat at IHOP. Jazmine has jaw surgery and the last few days there were spent taking care of her. Nevertheless, I enjoyed our laid-back time together.



I wrecked my truck a couple days after I got back home, backing it into the gatepost, knocking out the taillight, and scraping the side. It has a pretty paint job now! ;)
The wonderful Junelle and I went shopping for college stuff and we had a little too much fun, I think! J

Even though I was gone more than I was home this last summer, that’s the way I wanted it. I now have the best of memories.

Mid August came the time for me to move. We packed up all my necessary stuff and headed out across the United States, adding three new states to my list (Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama), making a grand total of 28.



And then school started… the rest is a blur, but I’ll highlight some exciting times! The first week here (with my parents) we went to Apison Church and visited with the Neffs.

I reunited with Bradley and was introduced to his amazing Marissa Hagan! We clicked almost instantly. :D She has been there for me so many times.

I went rock climbing twice until actual classes began.

The second week we went to East Ridge and later on a hike at Red Clay State Park. It’s an amazing miracle how I ended up in the friend group that I did. And maybe I’ll share that sometime!

Joel Miller came for the weekend and the group of us had fun talking a Sabbath stroll down the Greenway, to the Veteran’s Memorial.

I have the most awesome roommate!

Kaylie and Joseph Dobbs came to visit me for my birthday!


I went to part of the Joker Release party, which was a… joke!

I got a lot of mail the first part of the semester, but it has dwindled down now to my monthly statement… **hint hint** I love care packages!

We had a fire drill at 12:02 the night of/after my birthday!

Week of Prayer was cold, but good. Worship and Convocation credit!

We had the most awkward vespers one evening… :/

There’s a guy who brings a teacup of pencils to PreCalculus…

Some of our group from East Ridge went hiking one Sabbath afternoon! It was lovely!

The following Sabbath evening another group of us went downtown Chatt one evening and later on I went to All Night Softball until curfew.

I went house hunting with Janelle Glass; we had a great time and found the most adorable abode.

Kristen, Michael, and I went to Indiana Family Camp for a very short weekend. And my brilliant roommate and I forgot sleeping bags and blankets... We were not happy campers! I was exposed to the wondrous colors of autumn. Such a beautiful sight! :D It doesn’t get better than this!

I made up a slogan for Southern…

South East Youth Conference brought in Samuel Pipim. The messages were so motivational and inspiring.

I started dating a wonderful guy, Joseph Dobbs!

Skype makes everything better, especially with Thomas Mitchell!

Some random creeper guy got into the girls dorm.

I went home with Marissa (and Bradley) for midterm break. I had a fantastic time, just relaxing and hanging out in Fletcher. Royce let me drive his truck! Mr. Hagan bought me a pomegranate! And I went to the Dobbs’ for Sabbath!

My midterm grades are four As and two Bs, but by the end of the semester I’m hoping to have at least five As.

We experienced two days full of tornado warnings…

Andrew Peterson came to concert and I am officially hooked on his music!

The Canvasser Club for Christ had their harvest festival, which was loads of fun!

I began exercising, but haven’t kept it up… It was helpful for the time being though.

I discovered wi-fi from my window… So if I ever run out of bandwidth, I know where to go!

KR’s is open Saturday evenings and it’s a great hang out place to escape the chilly November weather.

My sister came for AcroFest and my mom and Nana drove up from Florida to come see me (and Naomi)!

I bought MS Office 2011! LOVE it!

Somebody hacked my bandwidth… Grrr you!

I went to Southern’s Symphony Orchestra concert! It was splendid, especially while studying and sipping hot cider.

Hans Von Walter was on Jeopardy!

I donated blood with Marissa! First time ever (for me).

Last night we went over to Ken Smith’s and played games and made Christmas cards for SMs. Well I just sharpened all the pencils… :P

Now, I need to get this posted and get started on the little bit of homework that I have. Two more days of classes and then come Thanksgiving break! :) Oh joy!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Delayed

It doesn't even seem as if it's been nearly two months since I wrote last. But yet, also, so much has happened in life. Just from one day to the next a lot can change. I can't even remember where to begin.
There is just one main thing that stands out in my mind - college! Wow! First of all... I'd never really given higher education much thought and would get extremely annoyed when people would ask about my plans, which was "all" the time and never-ending. Uggh! Well something lit a spark in early March and I began thinking about my future and researching schools.
I almost immediately ruled-out Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas (party school).
Though community college would be cheaper, you can't go as far and I really want the benefit of wholesome Christian friends with good values. So Adventist colleges were my options, basically.
I contemplated Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta. It is the cheapest SDA school, it is accredited through the States, and it is only 9 hours from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. However, it is so far away from home and the daylight in the wintertime is almost non-existent. I don't think I could survive under such conditions. Then I found out some things that were being permitted in their conference (e.g. women pastors), which I have a problem with. And after some more searching, I decided that CUC didn't have the spiritual atmosphere I was looking for.
So I turned to what I thought was my next best option, Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. I began chatting with people I know who went or are going there. I got okay responses and had pretty much decided that Union was to be my school. But I still didn't feel at rest; something was missing. Don't get me wrong, I was (and still am) pumped about going to college, but it didn't seem like everything fit right. I was about to plan a visit to Union with my mom and best friend and had even scheduled a visit to SWAU, even though I wasn't even going. I had everything figured even to the point that my family in Colorado would be my halfway point between school and home.
But somehow I accidentally got on Southern's mailing list. Southern Adventist University is in Collegedale, Tennessee (near Chattanooga) and as far as I was concerned it was too far away. I have a few good friends who are or will be attending there. A nice large brochure came from SAU and I spent nearly an hour browsing through the content. Something began to impress me with SAU that Union had failed to cover, the spiritual aspect of their school. Nothing against Union, but in their entire information packet that I received they had not once mentioned spirituality, not ONCE. SAU's brochure emphasized the spiritual aspect in every area (academically, socially, etc.) and I was quite disturbed that Union had skipped over and failed to even touch this important topic. Now, I had a decision to make.
This past week we were at a family camp in Wewoka, Oklahoma (more on that later/another time). One of my friends, Kristen Downs, started at SAU this winter. One evening I spent nearly a hour talking with her about her experience thus far. She had nothing but praise for the school (as well as her parents, who are alumni of Union). SAU seems to uphold standards and values that are important to me and though there are those "rebellious" groups, the associations are positive. I was really impressed and basically changed my mind right then and there. I also talked with a few other people and had the same results. So now I'll be moving to Tennessee this August, 21 hours/1,400 miles away. But if you look at it this way - no matter where I go, without (or with!) a car, I'll only be a flight away from home.
Mom and I will be headed to SAU soon to go check it out for ourselves. I've cancelled my trips to SWAU and Union, choosing to save their money (that they would pay for my transportation and to put me up) for others who are more interested.
But right now I have to focus on finishing high school, which is what I'm headed to do now! :)
Love ya,
`caleyjanelle`

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Long Belated Update

[(.W.F.03.10.) Goodness, gracious! It's truly unbelievable how the year has flown by. And now it's already February 2010. How'd that happen? The last thing I informed y'all about was that I might not be able to fly to Idaho as planned. And I still haven't finished two promised posts – one two years old now and one nearly a year. On the front page of my blog is the last two years – only in three posts. That tells you how frequently I update it. Right now it's snowing heavily outside and has been for the past six hours. There must be seven inches so far. Well, no more procrastinating. Let's get straight to the story.
I ended up getting the rigth flight that evening – Praise the Lord! The timing was perfect or should I say, “His timing was perfect.” I still haven't finished the entire (let alone ¼ of it) story of my seven week vacation to the NW, but when it's complete I'll be sure to post it.
For now, here's a snippet of my trip -
I bicycled almost 30 miles
Swam in the lakes a ton
Picked gallons of huckleberries
Made huckleberry ice cream, shakes, pie, and cheesecakes
Walked the Oregon Coast
Wrote in the sand
Explored the Tillamook Cheese Factory
Petted a Sea Anenome
Found a Starfish
Cliff jumped
Rock climbed
Rode rollercoasters
Pulled an all-nighter
Watched fireworks
Caught crawdads
Chickened-out at wakeboarding
Tubed down rivers
Camped out
Roasted Cheerios
Toured a lighthouse
Went tide-pooling
Saw Mt. St. Helens
Started a charm bracelet in honor of Aunt Penny
Helped out with two Vacation Bible Schools
Had my Senior pictures taken
Watched movies
Had our nails done
Played Monopoly
Went to church
Went crazy
Shopped till we dropped
Rope swung into the river
Spotted a whale
Attended campmeeting
Were buried in the sand
Drank Jamba Juice
Four-Wheeled in the mountains
Sprained my ankle
Was stung by a bee
Took a personality test at the college
Went to an art fair
Hiked a peak
Got into trouble
Baby-sat
Helped a lady move
Ran out of gas
Drove like maniacs
Hung out
Ran in the rain
Saw Multnomah Falls
Attended a wedding
Which basically covers everything, but there is so much to tell that it also doesn't even scratch the surface.
My trip was only supposed to be a little over three weeks long, but ended up doubling to seven weeks. You see, if I had gone home on July 27th I would have been home all alone in early-mid August when my family went with the Pathfinders to the camporee in OshKosh, Wisconsin. It turned out that my dad extended my vacation till mid August. So from July 4th to August 19th I was in paradise. I did miss my sister's 14th birthday, but I made it up to her later.
While I was there, my Aunt Renee and Uncle Steve found out that their new baby would be another girl and due in late December or early January. She is the ninth cousin and sixth girl.
When I got back home it was time to start back with school. I only had English, Government, and Economics left. English happens to be my least favorite, but I'll survive.
Our church had another evangelistic series, this time presented by our very own Pastor Jeremy McCombs, which started on 9-11-09. It was his first seminar and it went very well. There were nine baptisms and another one later in December. One was a re-baptism!
I took on the task of audio editing the recordings from each meeting. A simple one-hour sermon usually took me 3-4 hours. But once I was through he sounded so well polished. That job put me several weeks behind on my school work, but it all worked out in the end. All-in-all, I put over 120 hours of volunteering in, but it also earned me a High School Elective Credit in audio editing. I learned a lot and it took less time each round.
On the 13th was my 18th birthday. We had a relaxed morning, but soon after brunch we headed to Albuquerque. I've been asking for a kitten for six years, but my dad has always said “no.” I'd basically given up hope and had quit asking. That morning I had “jokingly” asked and much to my surprise he complied. So we were going to pick out a kitty, my kitty!
PetSmart was having a big adoption event, but their kittens weren't the “kind” I wanted, plus they were expensive. We finally stopped by the Albuquerque City Shelter. (I refuse to call it a “pound.”) They had so many animals that you'd think I'd have a hard time deciding. However, Monster caught my eye, a fuzzy orange American tabby with the most gorgeous green eyes. The only problem is my dad didn't want a male cat (for their behavioral traits). The lady explained how neutering solved such a problem. Monster was too cute, but very timid. He sat in the back of his cage, meowing for attention. I put my fingers through the wire door, but he didn't come. I waited and within a couple minutes he somewhat warmed up and crept forward. Eventually the lady let me hold him, but he was beyond scared or freaked out. He climbed all over me, trying to get away and his claws dug in deep. Yet, for some reason I wanted him. We signed the adoption papers and were scheduled to pick him up in three days. The Shelter's fee was less than a 1/3 of PetSmart's.
I thought about names, because surely a name like Monster isn't becoming. For some reason I chose the name “Marcus” and it seems to fit him, though my family and friends don't think so. He comes when you call him by his name too!
When we did retrieve him he was a cuddly bug until we reached the car. Then he went ballistic and became extremely rambunctious. Had he changed moods or what?!? The next event was introducing him to Risa, our six year old German shepherd. She's real sweet and gentle, but he didn't know that. They didn't get along. He'd sit on the couch and Risa would patiently rest her nose on the arm rest, which he didn't like. We told Risa she was being good and petted them both together. Within just a couple of days they were best of friends. Today they love each so much and are always wanting to know where the other one is. Sometimes though Risa gets jealous because he gets so much attention. The only thing I dislike about having a cat is cleaning the litter box... :P
In mid September the Colorado Mitchells came down for the weekend. Saturday afternoon we hung out with them and they got to meet Marcus. That evening we ate dinner with them at Tomasita's in Santa Fe and topped off beyond belief with dessert at the Flying Star Cafe. Finally we parted farewell with hopes of seeing each other in a few weeks.
In mid October my family from Colorado came down for a visit. They went to the balloon fiesta and did some fun stuff like that. For three days the two oldest, Ryan (15) and Nathan (13), stayed with us. We had loads of fun! Sadly, they had to return home (the day before Ryan's 15th birthday too).
Right before they left, Nana called and informed us about a little boy in a balloon/flying-saucer who was alone, flying over Colorado. We don't have a television, so we googled it and watched live footage online. We frantically prayed for Falcon's safety and my aunt cried in horror and couldn't bear to watch. It was an intense afternoon and a week or two later things surfaced that it was a hoax and a family publicity stunt all along. Way to go, Richard Heene, for traumatizing the nation!
Ryan got a little tabby kitten for her birthday too, Oliver Todd. However, her middle brother, Noah (8), had a severe reaction. He couldn't breathe and was gasping for breath 70 times per minute. And I believe he came down with pneumonia. They don't know exactly what caused it, but poor Oliver was returned to the pet shop.
In late August I biked over four miles, one way, to WalMart with Nate and Naomi. That seemed to be “the thing” to do, hang out at WalMart. Woo! How exciting! Somehow, I don't see the thrill in it.
In Early September I bought a brand-new white 13'' MacBook. It came with a free 2nd Generation 8 GB iPod Touch too! I had planned on selling it to help cover the cost of the laptop, but the way things turned out it was a better deal to keep it, considering I needed a new portable music device anyway. My PC laptop had fallen only a foot onto nicely padded carpet and the hard drive crashed. I was so mad at myself. It still worked for a few minutes at a time, but soon froze and had to be restarted. I did have a brand new 160 GB HD put in it and have been meaning to sell it, but haven't done anything about it. So, if you're interested in a newly upgraded laptop, let me know and I'll get you the specs. Anyway, I bought the Macbook because I've converted to Apple and figured with my PC out at the time it was a good time to switch. Go Apple!
Now my dad wants one! So he just purchased a 32 GB iPod Touch. Spoiled little boy!
My Nana and Papa went to Europe on a river cruise down the Blue Danube (August 29 – September 30). I had been invited to go, but decided not to. Turns out that Papa had heart complications while they were in Toulouse, France, visiting relatives. It was very scary and caused a delay in their return. Turns out he needed heart surgery and they so happened to be right near one of the best hospitals for such a procedure. Isn't God great!?! Nana came home on October 11th and Papa recovered quicker than expected and returned on the 21st.
In late October I got my full, unrestricted license! Now I can legally drive without any passenger limitations. I only broke that law a couple of times when it was necessary for me to transport people.
My dad's Aunt Bonnie died on October 22nd 2009. She was the last remaining person from the generation preceding my father. The torch has officially been handed down.
My aunt and uncle decided to announce their baby's name ahead of time. And I eagerly set out to make a special blanket for Zoey Rae.
For Mom's birthday Naomi and I let her pick out fabric to make a quilt. She chose an autumn theme, with colors such as barn red, burnt orange, dark brown, golden yellow, and deep green. One pattern has leaves on it and another a scene of a farmyard. It's been four months and I still haven't assembled it, but hope to soon.
In late October I took the ACT, again. This time I was much more prepared and it was reflected in my improved score: English (29), Math (28), Reading (28), and Science (23). (Compared to last year's English (28), Math (25), Writing/Reading (20), and Science (24).) All but my science score improved. BTW, 32 is the highest you can get. My composite was 28. I was ecstatic!
Naomi began taking a gymnastics class at our “local” SDA academy, Sandia View Academy, which is an hour away. So since late August we have been going to town twice a week. It's been busy, but we schedule our shopping and appointments around those days. In mid November the academy team went to AcroFest at SWAU in Keene, Texas. My mom went as a chauffeur and somewhat of a chaperone. Basically it was like a “training” session for new acrobatic movements, etc. They did perform once or twice, though it was not a competitive event. This next weekend they are having an expo and will be learning even more stuff. Fun! :)
Sometimes after gym class the academy girls/boys basketball teams would play and occasionally we'd stay to root them on. They played very well this season!
Thanksgiving was fun, but that's a whole other story in itself. Nana and my family were the only ones who made it and my AZ, FL, NV, and VA family(ies) were dearly missed. It was much more relaxed than normal and a tad quieter. For after all, even though seven were absent, there were still eleven of us present. We started what I hope to be the beginning of a new tradition – shopping at Yankee Candle. And thanks to that day, I am now quite obsessed with scented candles! Hey, at least the house smells good!
I came up with the idea that actually developed more wonderfully than I had planned on. Aunt Jeannette always has special, creative projects. Well this time I did! I found a heart-shaped puzzle on the internet and it so happens to have 20 pieces – one for each family member (included unborn Zoey) with one to spare. I had each person hand-write what they are thankful for. Ryan came up with the brilliant idea of us each uniquely coloring/designing our piece. Thanks Ry Ry! I even had it sent to those who couldn't make it and they were able to participate as well. It looks so cool! The extra piece I used to write a verse of thankfulness on and to write the year. Now I'm planning on making a Thanksgiving scrapbook from 2002 to present and including it in there. But the Colorado Mitchells don't know, so shhhhhh! :)
We had eye appointments with our optometrist and I got contacts this time instead of glasses! I love 'em! It is so awesome to see without looking through obstructing window panes.
Sandia View Academy had a winter banquet and Eddie Lira asked my parents if he could take my sister to it. They consented and Naomi attended the “candy themed” banquet.
My Grandma's house in Taos finally sold and my Dad made a trip up there in early December to help sell some final things and to sort through tons of stuff. He brought back our van and it was loaded with boxes and furniture. Most boxes have eventually been moved out to the shed and things moved to accommodate new furniture, but a few boxes still are sitting in the office. I can't wait to have our house back to normal again.
While going through all these boxes my dad came across 31 pages of WWII stories as a Merchant Marine written by my grandfather. It's pretty amazing and interesting. I typed it all up and edited it – my Grandpa wasn't very good with grammar, so I made it much more easy to understand. I love reading about his sailing adventures as a Jr. Engineer abroad a C-4. Dad and I are hoping to make a book out of it and add pictures to make it a memoir. But that's a secret too! :P
(.W.F.17.10.) Our friends, the Berdahls, had a house guest for Thanksgiving. Melany ended up staying for a little over two months. She is a couple years older than me and we enjoyed hanging out every chance we got. One time she, my sister, the boys, and I went to ABQ Jump, an indoor air blow-up jumping place. And we ate at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, did some shopping, and stopped at a park to use up some accumulated energy and hyperness.
Our family went ice skating with the youth from Central Church. It was cool and fun!
This winter came quite early and our first snow arrived in October. Since then, countless storms have passed through, dumping inches of snow each time. All combined, I'd say we've received over two feet so far. Which isn't bad for the desert. Plus, they're expecting snowfall to go through April. I don't mind one bit, but the mud that always accompanies melting is dreadful. Our cars were so covered that no light was visible from the headlights, except for where the “windshield” wipers had attempted to “clean” them! Unfortunately the snow paused just long enough for Christmas to be absent of white flakes.
This past Christmas we kept it simple for once and stayed home to relax. I wanted to go all out for dinner though and did just that. Here's the list of all that I prepared:
Barley Soup
Ratatouille
Asparagus w/Noodles
Pecan Patties with Cashew Gravy, Steamed Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, and Mashed Potatoes.
An Elaborate Salad w/ Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes
Bruschetta
Banana Bread
Pecan Crescents
Huckleberry Cheesecakes w/Vanilla Ice Cream
Carob Fudge Balls
Fresh Strawberries w/Soy Cream
Rice Pudding
It lasted for several days. As for gifts, my best friend made me a beautiful scrapbook of my vacations to Idaho in 2008 and 2009. It is so wonderful and I love it! My parents got me a speaker docking station for my iPod. No more old, crackly computer speakers. I love being able to turn it on when I'm cooking or studying. I also got a couple gift cards to Ross and bought myself a nice winter down coat, something I've needed for a while. Naomi got a new Nikon camera and a Ripstik.
Two days after Christmas my dad and I rented a U-Haul and drove up to Taos to get our dining room table. The last time I'll ever step foot in my grandmother's house since the sale would be closed a week later. Kind of a sad thought. We met up with my cousin, Grace, and her fiancé, Mark. He seems to be a nice guy. They'll be getting married on March 20th at the San Geronimo, the same place my parents were married (my uncle owned it at the time) nearly 21 years ago. Unfortunately, we won't be attending.
On the 30th a new member was added to our family. Zoey Rae Mitchell was born to my Uncle Steve and Aunt Renée. She weighed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 ½ inch long at 8:05 A.M. :) I can't wait to meet her!
For New Year's my best friend and her boyfriend, Ed, did the Polar Bear Plunge at Sander's Beach on Lake Coeur d'Alene. I was planning on going, but things didn't work out. So in heart, I took a three-minute shower as cold as it would go. Yet, somehow my 55 degree water in 72 degree air temperature didn't compare to 40 degrees and 34 degrees. The shower wasn't even as cold as Pend d'Oreille Lake in August!
I burned a ton of CDs and a few DVDs for the church and also managed to edit videos from the summer for a DVD. I completed it three months ago and have yet to sit down and watch it in full.
On New Year's we watched many family videos from 1956 to 1992, filmed by my late Grandfather. I have immensely enjoyed seeing these, many of which for the first time. :) I'm hoping to eventually get these Hi8 tapes onto DVD.
All this old family stuff that has resurfaced has rekindled my interest in genealogy and I can't seem to get enough of it! I love this stuff!
Along with winter has come a tad dose of cabin fever. To fight it off I have found some relief in watching movies while crocheting afghans, reading books, writing stories, and doing Bible character studies.
I finished economics and my final-grade was 92%! In my opinion this is a class that should be nationally mandatory! I understood it extremely well! And now, I only have English left...
In early January I began working for Ned's Window Cleaning, my sister's best friend's family. Every other week I wash the windows at H&R Block in Moriarty. It gets me out of the house and into the fresh air. But, boy, when the sun isn't shining it can be brutally cold.
In early January we had six youth at our church, which is four more than normal. We took advantage of the situation and all piled into our van for a trip up to the Sandia Crest. I was a blonde and totally forgot about the abundance of snow and freezing cold at higher altitudes. Needless to say, my hands were frozen and I shivered the entire time. But we had a great time, slipping on ice, and attempting to sled on jackets, throwing snowballs, and admiring the sparkling sunset of Albuquerque. On the way home I was careful not to burn the brakes out and we stopped to pick up my sister and the boys. How many Adventists can you fit in a minivan? We comfortably fit nine! Back at our house we had a youth game night – Uno, Uno Stacko, and Apples to Apples. Dad made delicious smoothies and Mom her special popcorn concoction. It was a very fun day and evening.
We've had Tyler over a lot lately.
There is an Adventist (?) “family” of six foster kids whom their “caretaker” has been bringing to church. I have yet to get to know them, but they seem like sweet people.
I've been so bored lately that I began somewhat of a spring cleaning. But to fill my time for recently I've begun to volunteer at Shepherd's Call, a ministry of our dear friends, the Berdahls. I help with anything they need assistance with. I enjoy it!
In late January we went to a Lady Lobos basketball game, but honestly, I can't remember if they won or not. It was nice though, to go with the Gurules.
Speaking of the Gurules! They moved into Rio Rancho in August to put their girls in school, at SVA and SVE.
(.Th.F.18.10.) In either late September or early October I went up to Taos to visit my cousin, Grace, who had moved into Grandma's house. It'd been 3 years since I'd seen her and in those years she lived in India and also Thailand. It was nice to hang out since we've never really spent hardly any time together in our lives. We picked up some produce at the local CSA farm – Community Supported Agriculture, sipped some tea and cruised the web at the local internet cafe. For dinner we cooked up some spaghetti with tofu, sauteed onion, garlic, zucchini, and squash in the sauce. :) Awesome!
The next day was San Geronimo Day at the Taos Pueblo. We picked up her friend, Bridget, and headed toward the reservation. Our timing was off and we missed the procession, but we did enjoy walking around the adobe lodges. We sat down on the bank of the stream and watched passer-bys at the jewelery booths. It began to pour and we took shelter under a tarp. Having had enough of this unique culture we left for home. Grace and I went back to the house to clean up, as it was being shown that afternoon. Then we hit another internet cafe, but this one was the coolest. The layout was an indoor garden patio with a deck, flowers, vines, a pond with goldfish, and a bridged pathway. Very neat and so Taos! Next we ate lunch at Orlando's Mexican Cuisine, my all-time favorite! Their vegetarian burritos are delicious! Unfortunately, they've quit carrying Kika's Avocado Pie, which is better than Key Lime. Then we met up with Bridget in Old Town and browsed through the cute little shops, and went to Pieces, the local consignment shop, where I identified a few of my Grandma's belongings. That evening we skipped dinner and just sorted through Grandma's crochet/knitting books and needles. Then we browsed through the many photo albums, dating from the late 1800s to the 1980s. Very cool! I ended up leaving early the next morning since Grace had to work and being in my grandmother's “empty” house was a little weird.
Naomi gets her braces off today and actually RIGHT NOW! So exciting! I can't wait to see her without them! I remember when I gone mine off in 2006. My teeth seemed so smooth without brackets.
In mid January Melany had to leave. Her mom has cancer and she went to help her out and be there for her. We had wanted to go ice skating for one last time together, but she couldn't make it. So Naomi and I ended up just taking the boys. We had fun! Afterwards we stopped at Dions for dinner.
In late January Naomi and I went ice skating again, this time with our Adventurer Club. We enjoyed ourselves and helping the little ones get the hang of it.
Throughout mid January the Pathfinders met at Anita's house (instead of at the church) to get their baking honor. So since we live the closest to the church, I met the parents there and was the bus for the kids over to Anita's. They made bread, carrot cake, and cupcakes!
Last week I took my friend, Briana, to the dentist to have a root canal done. I got to watch, which was interesting, and the dentist said that that was the most infection he's ever seen drain out of a tooth. Yuck!
In early January I began preparing the Power Point slides for the hymns at church. My goal is to have the entire SDA Hymnal on slides and to make it available to other churches around the globe. So far I have 72 completed, out of nearly 700. I'm 10% there!
For Valentine's Day my Nana got me an iTunes gift card and with it I upgraded my iPod Touch to the latest software. I love all the new features and stuff. Plus, I'm now able to download more apps! I also bought four songs! My dad and I are going to go on a music shopping spree this weekend! I love iTunes! I can't wait!
My sister, Naomi, has been writing multiple songs lately. I'm hoping to help her write down music one day and record an album! I think that'd be sooooo cool!
And while we're on the topic of “writing” I'll mention that if you're interested in reading some of the 25+ short stories I've written, here is the link.
I can't wait to graduate! I just need to get English over with! Uggh... English!
With the thought of the Olympics approaching, I was saddened by not being able to watch them. I haven't watched actual TV in eight months, so that's no big deal, but I love the Olympics. Winter or summer, it doesn't matter. I love it! We managed to convince my dad to buy an analog-to-digital converter box, but when shopping for one we were informed that nobody carries those anymore. Anyway, Dad and I ended up going out to buy a brand new 26'' flat screen HDTV. The picture is so clear! But now with that comes the temptation to watching “anything” and “everything” clean that comes across, but I'm trying to fight it.
Last weekend our pastor's wife, Junelle, called, asking us to quickly go to WalMart. Pastor Jeremy had taken off to do some shopping without knowing his 3 y/o son, Dylan, was asleep, unbuckled in the backseat and he had left his phone at home. So I hopped in the car (wearing my pajamas) with my mom to go find him. We drove around the parking lot and finally located his muddy vehicle. Poor Dylan was awake and all alone in the backseat, sobbing his heart out. Fortunately the doors were unlocked, but also fortunately we were the ones who found him. My mom toted him inside to hunt down PJ, while I stayed in the car in case he came out and left without Dylan. PJ was unaware that Dylan was in the car and said, “I thought he was in the house.” All-in-all it turned out ok and Thank the Lord he was ok!
I have a couple of gift cards for Hobby Lobby that total $75 and I'm hoping with my spare time (what's that?) to make a quilt for one of my aunts and an afghan for another. :) We'll see how that goes.
This summer I acquired a wonderful addiction (no, not for potato chips. lol. inside joke.) - shopping! Clothes shopping, shoe shopping, purse shopping, shopping for hand-milled French soaps, candles, and body spray! However, I now have a problem with fitting all my clothes in my closet. 100 shirts and 40 skirts sure do take up a lot of space.
“The Summer of the Squirrels” is how my mom refers to May-September of 2009. Wow! You see, our neighbors began feeding a cute little squirrel family in the spring and within a couple months they had moved into our vehicles. They'd make nests out of transmission fluid lines, wires to spark plugs, and anything they could sink their teeth into. Once my dad got his Volvo the truck was parked outside all the time and rarely driven. This provided a nice home for the “cute” family. Also, we had my Grandma's car for a while and $300 and lots of body damage later – yeah... You see, our dog, Risa, hates the squirrels and will do anything to get to them. The hoods of all our vehicles are majorly scratched by her long toenails and there are even a few dents. She actually totally caved-in the fender above the tire and did much damage to my Grandma's car. On my truck, she pulled out all of the wheel well lining. And while I was in Idaho she popped one of the brand-new tires with her nail or teeth and chewed through the brake line, which caused my dad to drive through the closed gate at the bottom of our driveway, which busted the brake light. My mom accidentally shut the hood of the truck on a squirrel halfway out, but he survived enough to scurry away to the shed. I don't even remember what all Risa did. It was crazy. Then two days before I came home my family returned home at 2 A.M. From a week in Wisconsin. Only to find a squirrel had been in the truck, parked in the garage, and the door to the house hadn't been shut all the way. The squirrel had knocked the vent off the dryer, broken my blinds, chewed a lid in the pantry, and knocked over China dolls over on my sister's dresser. They saw his evidence, but were unable to determine his whereabouts. Until one day we all came home from a day in Albuquerque and I heard a scuttling down the hall and into my parents' room. I quickly shut the door, knowing he was trapped. My mom went in to find him and as I stood in the hallway he darted out from under the dresser, but turned around when he saw me. I screamed! My dad finally discovered that it'd been living in a hole in their closet that my dad never patched up after he fixed a pipe. After that they made sure to close the door and to block the wall at night. We set up a video camera and would leave the house with the window open. Later we'd see footage of him eating the food we'd set out on the windowsill, but not jump out. Long story short, we did finally live trap him and remove him to a better location a few miles away. That solved the problem indoors, but we still had seven more to catch outside. Now, thankfully, we are free from such nuisant rodents.
As part of the Real ID Act of 2005, NM residents will be required to use passports when flying, even within the United States. So we've been working on getting ours. Grin. :)
There is an offer on my Grandma's last house and after the roof is repaired we will be closing! Yeah, I can't wait! Yet, it's extremely sad because I love “the Ranch!” I have so many memories there. But I haven't been there since 1997.
We are officially registered for Family Camp in Oklahoma this April. But I'm very dissapointed that the Halders and Dobbs won't be coming due to conflicting school schedules. I can't get over it... Who is going to go on walks with me late at night? The good news, though, is that the Berdahl and McCombs families will be attending with us! That'll be so much fun! I'm more excited than I ever have been (this is the first time we've recruited people)! Please pray that the Berdahls can get a cabin though, since they can't camp because of Coby's Limes Disease.
I'm hoping to learn as much about the Mitchell side of my family (Schumacher too!) as I can. I picked up some interesting facts just the other day (e.g. Papa Roy was a paper boy for the Kansas City Star.). So if you're a family member of mine, please share any info, facts, or memories that you have/know!
As for plans for summer, I'm hoping to spend several weeks in Idaho again! I'd also love to go to Florida to visit my grandparents (it's been three years). Nothing too big, but I'm hoping to get my parents up to Idaho to convince them to move. They want to and maybe if they're reminded of the beauty, they'll finalize everything.
Anywho, that's it for now. Wow! I'll say this again and maybe convict myself. I need to write less, more often. But maybe by saying that I just sound like a broken record. I hope the past eight months have been blessed for you. :) May we see each other soon!
Love, `caleyjanelle`
p.s. There is even more to update on. Stay tuned!