A Very Special Christmas

 

Christmas Tree Cutting! We went up on Cedar Mountain the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is the second year in a row that I chopped our tree down myself (Ben had to work) and I've got to say, it's pretty fun!

Yay! All decorated!

We went to Parowan on Christmas Eve and had lots of fun spending time with my Mom, Shane, Josh, Andi, Dylan, and Wyatt. We had yummy food, played the Wii, and read Christmas stories before passing out in bed.

Christmas morning was the best! We opened presents with the Parowan fam, then headed to Hurricane to open presents with my Dad and Danielle and their kiddos. Next we went to Ben's parents to do presents with them. Needless to say, it was the best Christmas we've ever had!

And here's the proof...

Well, there you have it!

Some Big News

So, a lot of life changing decision making has been going on in the Stratford household lately. 

After some initial inspiration, a lot of talking and researching, and a lot more prayer, Ben and I have decided to move to Logan, Utah at the end of April/beginning of May. 

I've just been plugging along towards getting my degree in elementary education down here at Dixie. With the move to Logan, I've been working on getting my credits transferred. I've been in contact with an advisor and some professors at USU, trying to get as many credits to transfer as I can. And I've been pretty successful. There are a couple of hoops that I'll have to jump through to get into the program up there, but it's nothing too big. Mainly I have to take a few more prerequisite classes and take (and pass) the Praxis in February. 

We are really moving to Logan for Ben's sake. Ben graduated from Dixie with a B.A. in Music. His original plan was to go to grad school for composition and become a composer. But with tough economy and high competition, he was unable to get into grad school. So we tried another route.. the military. After that whole fiasco was over, he started meeting with a career counselor at the college and he discovered that he has the skills and personality and interests that match up with a career in engineering. Long story short, Ben has decided to go into mechanical engineering. Dixie doesn't have an engineering degree. The original plan was to stay here until I graduated with my ed degree and then we would move to Logan so that Ben could really start going at his second bachelor and I would work to put him through school. But now that we are moving to Logan, Ben can start digging in and going to school full time a year earlier than planned. That means he can graduate earlier. And get into his career earlier. Happy day. It will take me a bit longer to finish my degree, but I am okay with that. 

I'm excited to move to Logan. It will provide us as a couple an opportunity to really grow closer to one another, out of necessity. Because we'll be far away from our family and our friends. It will be the first time in my life since I was a toddler that I will have lived outside of southern Utah. I have heard that it is absolutely gorgeous in Logan... in the summer

But I'm not so excited for this...

Except sometimes it can be pretty.

But still a pain to drive in, walk in, shovel from the sidewalk...

Catching Up

I've been slacking the past few days on writing down things I'm thankful for. This will be an attempt to catch up a little.
I'm thankful for my family members, both blood related and adopted. Each member of my family is a special blessing in my life. I'm grateful to know that I have a whole slew of people in my corner when things aren't going my way. People who support me, uplift me, and inspire me. I'm thankful for all the things they do for me and for each other. They are wonderful examples to me.
I'm thankful for my health. I feel so blessed that I haven't been sick at all in a long time. Because of my health I have been able to not miss any school. That has been a huge blessing in itself. The homework load is so heavy, that I don't know how I would be able to catch up if I had gotten sick. I'm grateful that I have been able to stay healthy despite most of the other students in my cohort being sick and spending seven hours in a classroom with them twice a week. I am so glad that I am healthy.
I'm grateful for opportunities to serve those around me. Ben woke up sick this morning, and I saw it as an opportunity to serve him. I got him some medicine and cooked him breakfast. I told him to go sit in a warn bath so that the steam could help break up all the mucous he's got goin' on. I love him so much, and it's not very often that I get to serve him this way because he never gets sick. I'm glad that I am here for him when he needs me. :)

The Gospel

This one is for yesterday.

I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life, and for the blessings it brings to my life. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament each week and to renew those sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father. I am grateful that the gospel has allowed me to meet those in our ward family. It feels so comforting to have so many people watching out for us and for our well being. It has also been a blessing to be able to serve my ward family in the primary. I'm so grateful that I get to spend two hours a week with such sweet little spirits and that I learn so much from their examples. Without the gospel, I would not have been able to be sealed to my best friend for time and all eternity. I'm so glad I have the comfort that no matter what happens, we will be together forever! I am thankful that I am a member to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Self-Reliance

I am grateful that I am fortunate enough to be employed. Right now our country is going through a tough time, and there are so many people in the United States that can't find work. And I am blessed enough to have two jobs!
I'm thankful that Ben and I are able to provide for ourselves and that we are able to meet our needs. We don't have fancy or expensive things, but that's okay. Of course there are things I would love to have, like a nice camera or a nicer apartment that isn't in a basement, but I have a camera that does the job and we have a cozy two bedroom apartment that is the perfect size for our needs right now. And I'm grateful that we are able to make enough money to live on our own and learn how to be reliant on ourselves and the Lord.
I'm grateful that the jobs I have are ones that I like. I love my job at Tuacahn.. especially my coworkers. And I love being a substitute teacher because it gives me a taste now and then if what having my own classroom will be like and because I'm able to actually put the things I'm learning in school into practice.
I truly have a blessed life.

An Attitude of Gratitude

It's November. With this month comes lots of food, lots of family, and the beginning of the holiday season. This November, I want to really stop to think about the things I am grateful for. So starting today, I am going to post once a day about something I am grateful for in order to get in the gratitude mindset. There are a few other posts I will be putting up in order to catch up on things in our life right now, but those will come when I have a little more time to sit down and type it all out. :)

So, here goes.

Today I am grateful for food. This morning I woke up late and didn't have time to eat breakfast or to pack a lunch for school. I grabbed a mostly eaten bag of baby carrots out of the fridge and ate them on the way to school, and that is the only food I've had all day. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have food in my fridge every day that I can go eat whenever I would like. I am truly blessed to have a life where Ben and I make enough money to meet our basic needs. I have not enjoyed the grumbling and growling that my stomach has been doing all day, and it makes me sad that some people on this earth have to deal with this feeling practically all day, every day. I love food and the satisfied feeling I have after filling up my tummy with delicious, healthy (and sometimes junk) food.

Alexia Ann!

I'm a big sister... again! :D

This precious little girl was born last night at 10:36, and weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz.

Her name is Alexia Ann Jones 

(and she will go by Lexi)

I'm so glad she is here. It has been a long, hard road for Danielle and my dad. And we are all so blessed that she is healthy and happy and doesn't have to spend any time in the NICU, even though she came early. I'm so excited that she is here!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Washington Trip!

The week of July 18 - 25, Ben and I went to Washington state with his whole family (minus Brittnae)! Nadine's family was having a reunion that weekend. They had been planning this reunion for two years, and it sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun! 

       I was worried at first that I wasn't going to be able to go, because I had to take a math class at the college that didn't end until July 20th, but we needed to leave on the 18th. Luckily, my professor gave us a take-home final, and he let me take it a few days early! 

       Tuesday night, we all had a big sleepover at Mom & Dad Stratford's house. The next morning, we all piled in the cars and headed out. We took two vehicles: Larry's Dodge (pulling the camp trailer) and Lyndee's minivan. 

       The first day was quite an adventure. We were in the car for about 12 hours, and to keep ourselves from going crazy we made jokes and laughed, watched movies, drank caffeine, and I crocheted until my hands ached. As we were driving through Idaho, there were jokes that went on for hours. Some of the topics for said jokes were potatoes, promiscuous cows, and the town of Burley, where we had our first (of three) tire blowouts.

       That first night we camped at Farewell Bend in Oregon. By the time we finally got there it was already totally dark. So, as you can imagine, setting up camp (including two tents) was super fun. And there were bugs. By the time we realized that little tidbit most of us had already been practically eaten alive. No worries though, there were no fatalities.. that night.

       The next morning we got up, ate breakfast, packed up, and headed out! We were only in the car for about 9 hours this time. And we went all the way to Port Townsend, WA. 

Pictures!

Day 2 - On the road

We stopped at a really neat store that sold local fruit and lots of cool antiques

Naval Destroyers!

You have to do drastic things in order to survive a week in the car with your in-laws.. ;)

The Puget Sound!

Captain Ben

First Mate!

Love him!

This doe was so calm. I probably could have walked right up to her and pet her if I had the guts.

Day 3 - Fort Worden, Port Townsend, WA

A beautiful sunrise through the fog, just off the pier.

Before we left for Washington, we researched fishing licenses and decided that we wanted to go crabbing! So we got all set up, packed the crab net, bought some chicken and let it rot, and we were good to go!

Our first catch: a Dungeness crab and a starfish (we caught tons of starfish, the must love rotting chicken!)

During the two days that our licenses were good, we crabbed as much as we could. We would set up the crab net and let it sit for a while, then come back and check on it. We had at least something in the net every time we pulled it up. We caught quite a few crabs and starfish. We had to throw back most of the crabs though, because they weren't big enough. We ended up only being able to keep one crab, but that was okay. We cooked it in the trailer at camp, and it was really yummy!

More crabbing pictures!

Our licenses were also good for regular fish, but we didn't even get a single bite. :(

Lyndee and Russ came with us to try regular fishing!

A jellyfish.. I'm glad we didn't catch this guy!

I love the way the ocean totally takes over anything man-made..  especially all the barnacles and plants growing on the pier.

Ben was (and is!) the master crabber.

There were lots of boats out in the sound.

These are two of the biggest starfish we caught.

A quick story about starfish: When we would catch them in the net, we would just take them out and throw them back into the water. But then we kept catching the same starfish. So one time, Ben asked Nick to take the starfish to the other side of the pier and toss it in the water. Nick took ahold of one of the legs of the starfish, and when Ben let go, the leg ripped off of the starfish's body! Nick felt so bad, but we let him know that the little guy's leg would grow back. After Nick dropped the starfish, I decided to pick it up for him. I thought I had a picture of me holding it, but oh well. :) The thing was so slimy and wiggly that I had a hard time hanging on to it too!

Our friend, the seagull. More about them later.

There was a family of river otters playing on the loading dock. They were the cutest things!

A cargo ship

Ben is very resourceful. Especially when we run out of marshmallow roasting sticks.

He's probably the cutest thing since puppies. :)

Candid shot! Haha, Mom wasn't quite speedy enough to get out of the frame :)

The next day, one of the relatives at the reunion offered to take us out on his boat to try fishing again. It was a lot of fun!

Day 4 - Fort Worden, Port Townsen, WA

The boys

The wake

Boats!

More boats!

And... more boats!
(Sorry, I was just a tad bit camera happy that day)

There is a reason for so many boats being out on the water.. there was a salmon fishing competition going on that day. No wonder we didn't get any bites!

Seagulls!

Aww :)

Yes I look awkward. Yes, I was aware of it at the time. I just hadn't found my sea legs yet. Don't judge.

The lighthouse!

We found a sea lion hanging out on one of the bouys.

Okay, maybe I was more than camera happy. More like camera crazy.

I know it looks really small in this picture, but out there in the distance is the top of a nuclear submarine being escorted out of the sound. It was so cool!

A really pretty sailboat we saw :)

:)

This is supposed to be a ladybug. Didn't work out so great.  I blame it on Ben for teasing me about taking pictures of ladybugs "that are all over the place back home."

Beach Combing aka digging around searching for sea shells that are in one piece and not shattered all over the place. It was a difficult task!

There was a really neat lighthouse at Fort Worden, and some of the family took a tour of it. We decided that we wanted to look for seashells (and the boys wanted to collect rocks to shoot out of their wrist rockets), so we admired the lighthouse from afar. :)

Okay, that time it was Ben who was camera happy.

Yup. He's a goober. :)

This beach was around the other side of the lighthouse.

So pretty!

Love him!

Ben & Brandon wanted to go exploring, so we did! We found an old military bunker thing where the guns would have been pointed out into the sound.

Yes, their bums are hazardous areas. Believe me. I spent four straight days in a car with these two.

Ooo.. ghost picture!

There was a track on the ceiling in one of the rooms

The deep, dark tunnel that Jessica didn't want to go into.

But I went anyway. For a minute. Until something dripped on me and I screamed, turned around, and ran til I saw the bright, happy, warm, not-drippy sunshine.

Why must we go into the dark, scary places??

Cruise ship!

Day 5 - Fort Worden to Salt Water State Park

Ben took lots of pictures the morning that we left Fort Worden, mostly to document what our campsite looked like, and to get some pictures of the awesome trees!

These next few pictures were in one of the buildings in the fort, called the Commons.

The military band

This is a picture of the place that Ben, Brandon, and I explored. Sorry about the flash!

Marching!

The drive from Fort Worden 

We went to church that morning in Port Townsend, then we headed on to our next camping destination, at Salt Water State Park.

So happy that the sun is shining!

See? Sunshine creates happiness!
And that is the tent that Ben & I and Lyndee & Russ slept in all week.

Story time about camping with the Leavitt's! One time we spent the night at Ben's grandparents house in Salt Lake, and the room we were in is really big, and has two queen sized beds in it. Ben and I had one, Lyndee and Russ had the other, and kiddos were sprawled out all over the floor. Little did I know, Russ snores like a banshee at night. It was so loud that it woke me out of a dead sleep and I couldn't fall back asleep again. I finally had to steal one of the blankets from our bed, sneak out of the room without trampling any little fingers, and I slept on the floor in an empty bedroom down the hall. It was that bad. So... knowing that we were going to be sharing a tent with Lyndee and the Snore Monster, I made sure I was prepared. I took a melatonin pill (melatonin is a natural substance our bodies make to help us fall alseep) each night before bed, and plugged my ears with my headphones and listened to Native American flute music to put me to sleep each night. And it worked! I only heard Russ snore once the entire trip! :)

Who in their right minds would camp right underneath the flight path for Sea-Tac International Airport??
Well, I'm not sure if we were in our right minds, but we did it. We heard airplanes all day and all night.

Day 6 - Seattle

Monday, we planned on spending the in downtown Seattle, and that's just what we did!

Ben took this awesome picture on our way into Seattle

Safeco Field! The Yankees were playing that night, and we could definitely tell by all of the people walking around with fan jerseys on.

Seattle!

We went to the aquarium, which was super awesome! I had so much fun seeing all of the animals! My favorites were probably the seals, sea lions, and otters. Loved them!

Tidal pool

We were allowed to touch the animals living in the tidal pools! These starfish were pokey, unlike the slimy ones we caught while we were crabbing.

Jellyfish1

This guy was huge!

It's Dory!! :D

Lion Fish

Oh look, it's Nemo too!

I took about a bajillion pictures of this guy.. he just wouldn't hold still!

This is what he really looks like. :)

Baby salmon!

So.

Stinking.

CUTE!!!

Ahh... I just couldn't get enough of these guys!

And I can't ever get enough of this guy!

Sleeping river otters

We had lunch at Ivar's. I had a friend at work suggest it to us, because she served her mission in Seattle. She said the food was awesome, and she was totally right!

We had fish n' chips, oysters n' chips, and a side of calamari.

And we made lots of friends!

<3

After lunch, we headed to Pike Place Market. It was really neat!

This fish shop is really neat. When someone buys something, they have chants that they shout, and they throw fish at each other. It's really entertaining, and these guys are really talented to catch such slippery flying objects!

Family! (Minus Brittnae.. :( We missed you! )

This made us smile. :)

Pike Place Market was incredible, and we didn't have as much time as I would have like to wander around and see all of the cool shops. I hope we can go back again someday!

After we left Pike Place, we headed over to a family member's house (Roy Mann) for dinner and to hang out some more after the reunion was over!

We saw this sign on the way.

Ella fell asleep, and Ben decided to have some fun. She has a dried apricot in her right hand, a chip in her mouth, and a toothpick in her left hand. When she woke up she was thoroughly confused.

We passed an accident on our way. 

I found it interesting that their ambulances are red, just like the fire trucks!

Day 7&8 - Homeward Bound

The trip home was long and stressful. We drove to Three Island Crossing State Park in Idaho on Tuesday and spent the night there. That night, after the boys had gone to bed in their tent, and we were almost settled into our beds in our tent, we heard some rustling around outside and then Matt say, "Mom, there's something outside our tent!" We looked, and it was Ben, poking around the tent with his foot. He kept doing it, and the boys started to get pretty scared. We kept telling them nothing was there, and to go to bed. After a few minutes, Ben came into the tent, but Matt was still convinced an animal was out to get them. He kept calling to his mom, and Lyndee kept telling him to go to bed (and was trying so hard not to laugh!). At one point he poked his head out of the tent with his knife in his hand. Lyndee and Russ told him to put the knife away and to go to bed. Finally he was convinced, and went to sleep. I'm pretty sure he still thinks there was a bear or something outside his tent. :)

 The next day we drove all the way home. On Wednesday, we blew a second tire on the truck in northern Utah somewhere. We stopped, put on the spare, and were on our way. Then, just outside of Cedar, the tire we had bought in Burley, ID went flat. We got to Walmart just in time to buy a tire from them before they closed. We were all ornery and stressed and just wanted to be home, and there was some tension in both of our vehicles. But, we all made it home in one piece, nobody died (or was murdered), and we all still love each other. Success, right?? 

Just a few quotes that went down in history on our Washington trip:

"Take off, hoser!" - Everyone

"Squid are the moths of the sea" - Ben

Brandon: "Look at that armored car!"

Russ: "That's a street sweeper."

Jess: "I'm throwing a tantrum!"

Lyndee: "You need lessons. Ella, will you teach Jessica how to throw a tanrum?"

Ella: "No, not right now."