So You Think You Can Dance

For all those So You Think You Can Dance fans, I thought tonight's show was so entertaining. Jenny or Kami I wanted to text you after the show because I loved a couple of those routines and just wanted to talk about it(but I tivoed it and it was late). Man I think the music can have such a huge impact on how the dance is received as an audience. Anyway good show. Hope everyone is doing well. Glad to hear that there was no serious injury from the earthquakes.

Earthquakes

Hey I heard about the recent earthquakes in So. Cal and wondered if Kami and Jenny are doing alright??!!

Why not MINOT???

Well, we finally made it to North Dakota and are somewhat settled in. I've still got some work to do on the house but it's going well. There are some ups and downs to being here but I will try not to complain because life is still simple and we are all healthy and happy. So, Girls Weekend was great and I hope you all make it next year. I went and left for ND the day after getting home. It was way worth it. We stopped in the Black Hills of South Dakota on the way and if you ever get a chance to go through it, it is beautiful. I was really surprised...it reminded me of Yellowstone and we stopped at Bear COuntry USA and there were bears and cubs walking 2 feet away from our van... it was insane. Ofcourse the boys loved it.
So, we've been here just over a week. We live on base which has its perks but the house it quite old and is a duplex. My kitchen is the size of my previous bedroom closet and our master bath is only a toilet and shower...no bath. Only one body can fit in it. We have no dishwasher and no A/C (and yes it has been in the 90s and humid so it's warm enough to need one). Fortunately, it starts to cool down in Sept and everyone says expect 50 below in Jan and Feb. We are colder than Alaska here!!! Well, the good news...ITS FREE!!! Trent is one mile from work and comes home for lunch, we don't have to pay much for gas and all our utilites are free. So, besides my 600 bucks a month for my student loan payment, we don't have many bills. However, we are saving it all for when we go back to residency in 3 years. It will suck to go back to poverty (or no income if Derm with the Binghams work out) after having it easy for a while.
Our neighbor--5 yr old boy---thinks he lives here and is over from 8am to 8 pm. I finally started to set some boundries and kick him out.
Trent has to go to training for the next 6 weeks in San Antonio and then may be deployed to Guam for four to six months. He would go in Oct if they say he's ready. They just had a chopper go down there and a flight doc was on board so my stomach is in knots. It is supposed to be a safe place to go so I guess it's better than the Middle East but still makes me nervous.
Well, that's the news from up north.
Kami and Megan...thanks for getting me back on the living foods kick. My family has loved it this week. I ordered Ani's raw Food Kitchen this week and bought some jicima and made your salads...we are loving it. Next week I hope to start my training program. Megan, I need your raw mayo recipe and the one for you banana chips you made. I don't have your email....mine is webbee03@hotmail.com. Okay, Amelia is screaming. Gotta run. Here's some pics.
Karie

Their babys--
My baby--

Getaway pics

Ladies, I'm telling you.... put this on your calendar for next year!! It was so worth all the planning and stressing about the kids and who could watch them and how to get everyone around etc. Tons of fun!

The best part was the time we spent just sitting and talking/ laughing/ crying. It was just like the good old days.

So, here's the plan- we're going somewhere new each year, but the date will be about the same- like the second weekend in July. Start making plans now! We missed each one of you that wasn't able to make it.

My favorite birthday present!

Okay, I am a few days late, but I turned 32 last Thursday. I wanted to wait until Brett and I did our triathlon together. I feel like doing our race together was the best present of all. I had a good birthday. I hung out with a friend in the morning, then I did get to take a nap, around 11:00 because one of my friends took Aubrey and Brynn to the park. I just put Brayden down for a nap. It was wonderful. Then later around five we went to dinner at Souplantaion. It has the best salad bar. Driving there Brett gave me my present. He got me tons of new triathlon and running clothes. It was super nice of him. At dinner everyone said something nice about me. It was cute to here what the girls had to say. I forgot to mention that when Brynn woke up in the morning the first thing she said to me was Happy Birthday. I was so impressed. The next day Brett and I got to have a date/mock triathlon to finish celebrating. It was a blast swimming in the ocean and biking by the ocean. Then of course on Saturday my best present, my triathlon.

Well, I know when we do these we say something about ourselves. I am not sure what I could say that you all don't already know about me. Brett says I am like an open book, not leaving much hidden.
Things I love a great salad, a good juicy pieces of fruit, hanging out and talking with friends and family, doing fun things with my children and husband, a good nap, and a great workout, and last but not least triathlons.
Things I could be better at is organizing, cleaning, and being on time. ( There is alot more, but these are the ones I really want to get better at in the next year).
I have a great life. I am so blessed to have my mellow, loving, kind, supportive husband. I also feel so blessed and privilliged to be able to stay home with my cute children Brynn (5), Aubrey(3), and Brayden (1). Everyday my children do something that just makes me smile and to be grateful to be their mother. I am also so blessed to have the friends I do. Brynn has been asking me alot about friends lately. She is wondering how it will be when she has to leave her friends again and go to Florida. I keep telling her, it is great to live so many places because then you can have friends all over. I feel so lucky to have friends all over the US. When it comes down to my greatest time in life it is when I am with my friends and family. I am so thankful to have the gospel in my life. It is such a strength and anchor in my life.
Thanks to each of you who have helped make me a better person, and thanks for starting this birthday post thing. It really helps me see how blessed I really am.

Here is a few pictures of our girls weekend (You can check out my blog if you want to see a few more pictures). It really was a wonderful weekend. We boogieboarded, laid out, read, talked, biked, ran, ate yummy food, went to dinner, shopped, talked some more, and most of all just enjoyed being reunited with each other. We missed all of you that could come, but we are hoping to do it each July. So, all of you that didn't come you'll for sure have to come next year.

Where's the Girl's Getaway post?

I have been waiting and waiting to hear how the girl's weekend went. I want to see pictures and hear funny stories and inside jokes that I have no idea what you mean. It makes it very hard to pretend that I went to the girl's getaway when I have no details. Please someone post something. If you don't I will make up my own post of what happened and it might look something like this...

So I just started a new blog. It is http://thebrizzeebunch.blogspot.com but I have no idea what I am doing so far. So any suggestions on how to do cute things would be awesome.

4th of July in AZ

We stayed at a hotel just about 10 minutes away from our house for the 4th! It was a good time-especially fun since Jonathan had the day off! We are all doing really well and loving the summer-even though it is insanely HOT!!

Oh Yeah, I Had A Birthday

Here I am, 28 years old (as of LAST month, June 6th). My last few birthdays have been kind of duds and this year was not much different. Andersen left for work before I was awake and went straight from work to night call so it was just me and the boys all day. Just the normal whirlwind of destruction despite my occasional reminders that it was my birthday and they should all take a break. My brother had also gotten married the weekend before in Salt Lake and their reception just happened to be the day after my birthday, so that night (while andersen was on night call) I went to my parent's house to help with reception preparations, not exactly enjoyable when tensions are high. But, by Sunday I finally got some pie and ice cream and Andersen had bought me a beautiful necklace, which was the first piece of jewelry he's bought me since my wedding ring. Here's a picture of my flaming pie.
Not too shabby hu? I can really light it up! Wow, what a lame post. I feel like I'm in some kind of funk and I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong. It may have something to do with recently moving 32hrs away from my family, or facing another year of tight budgeting and single parenting, or that my oldest just turned 7 today and I really don't feel that old, or just that I'm about due for my first period in 3yrs. Like I said, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel that as long as I know one thing I can keep it all together. The one thing that I know? I have a father in heaven who knows my struggles and HE has all the answers. Sorry for the random outburst, especially after months of not posting, but I think I'm feeling better already. Happy Birthday to me.

Happy for a day

Yesterday we were so happy that Jason finished his intern year, as I am sure all of you were too. I was starting to feel like I might actually have a husband again. Now all feelings of happiness are long gone with the arrival of his July schedule. I am sure things will get better in the following months but for the entire month he has lectures from 4-6 pm. I was hoping that he would be coming home around five or so but everyday he will come home with just enough to kiss the girls goodnight and probably read the rest of the night away. But he will have weekends off so it isn't too bad. Now I am willing to bet that some of you will have it worse than me so go ahead and vent on this post. We can be positive and smile through tears later so let loose and let us know how you really feel. By the way if no one vents and everyone justs try to make me feel better I will feel even worse so please be negative this one time.