We're Full...Let's Decorate!

Shortly after the feast had ended, we didn't waste any time and started decorating for Christmas! Bryon went out and found a real tree and we all pitched in and dove through boxes to get the house festive. It was SO fun! Breonna and I worked on the kitchen, the men handled the tree and lights, Ash was busy kissing all the stuffed animals, and the rest of the kids handled the odds and ends. Overall it was an amazing group effort. In no time we had candles burning, music playing and Christmas joy everywhere you looked :*)

Finally!

 

At last Thanksgiving dinner was upon us. Unfortunately I was having some health concerns and decided to undertake a (what ended up being) 9-day water fast. Crazy? Uh-huh! Thankfully Bryon and Denae offered to cook the feast (and two versions at that: regular, yummy and fattening along with gluten-free offerings!). There was even a contest to see who's deviled eggs were the best (Bryon won!).

We also had the pleasure of having the Hillman's join us (Rob had been Asher's habilitator for some time--we love him!). We all had a lot of laughs around the table and even got around to sharing with each other what we were grateful for this year. We learned that the more family you can surround yourself with at Thanksgiving...the better!

Prepping for the Feast

 

 

 

 

Electronics abounded during the down-time leading up to our Thanksgiving feast. The table was astrewn with all the pre-Christmas sales going on as THIS year Jase and I were going to go shopping on Black Friday with Bryon and Denae (a first for us!). Once we had our deals scoped out we decided to visit Toys-R-Us for a netbook and other odds-n-ends. 

Well, we waited in line for over 2 hours that night...it was freezing! Didn't end up getting a ticket for the netbook, but as the our line started to enter the store a mob of last-minute shoppers tried to push their way in at the front of the line ahead of us! Well, we were all frozen in shock (literally!), but Bryon took decisive action. He rushed to the front of the line and, single-handedly, confronted the mob. Pretty soon we were all yelling at them to get to the back of the line. The so-called security guards were so thankful for Bryon's help that they gave him a ticket for the netbook and he gave it to us! Well, that would have been the end to a pretty great story, except that the netbook didn't work and no amount of computer savvy helped (Jase and Denae were both working on it for some time!). So, the next day, we got to visit the toy store again to return it. Black Friday next year? Um....no.

Freezing on Black Friday!

Real photographic proof that we survived the one (and only!) Black Friday shopping trip we'll ever go on!

Nora's 35th Birthday

Jason was super sweet and surprised me with flowers on my birthday--always a bonus point with me :*) We also were able to go out together to eat Mexican (unfortunately it was awful!) and shopping at the mall (super fun!). Another year down...

Scary Times!!!

Having just moved into Bryon's house, Halloween quickly came upon us. So quickly, in fact, that I didn't have time to get Jonah a new costume...so he was Donatello, no wait, Raphael, um...well, one of those green turtle guys, again for 2010. He didn't seem to mind (although the outfit was a little short on him! Shhhh...). He still looked adorable! Ash was just Ash (ok, I know I totally botched it, but didn't really care!). They both still got lots of candy and ate way too much. But had a lot of fun.

Superteacher Continued!

This class (Jonah's) really touched Jase's heart during the time we spent in the Cactus Lane ward in Surprise, AZ. Not just because his son was in it, but because of how he could see his influence in the hearts and eyes of those he taught. It was especially apparent the last Sunday we spent in the ward. Beth Mortensen, the conductor for the Primary, had asked Jonah and Jase to come to the front and pick their favorite song so that we could all sing it together. Of course, they both picked "I Know He Lives," everyone's favorite that year. Everytime the kids would sing the chorus, you could feel their testimonies coming through loud and clear!

Anyway, Jase happened to look at one of his kids, Isabelle, while singing and she had tears in her eyes. She was truly going to miss having Jase as a teacher and he could feel it right then in that moment. We truly loved this ward and the Primary especially. We'll also miss the Berrys. Brother Berry was Jase's teaching assistant and we experienced a lot with their family as they struggled with autism and their first-born son as well. We will miss it greatly!

One Lone Photo

I didn't realize at the time, but I was extremely busy late Fall of 2010....Asher's medical visits and supplementation, selling off everything we own in a string of garage sales after garage sales, putting our Surprise house up for sale multiple times throughout the entire year (with two different realtors!), getting an offer from Bryon to live with him and help watch his kids at night while he worked security, changing wards, etc., etc. And in all this hussle and bussle I neglected to get a nice shot of our old home, the moving process, etc. I think I have more pictures on my phone somewhere, but this one will have to do for now. Actually it kinds of sums up how I felt during this whole process...alone, empty, frazzled, trying to accept the black-and-white truth of life. Yep. This one lone photo seems to say it all. Making this move was going to be the turning point of our financial lives. We had taken those hard steps to make a change. And make it we will.

(Singing) These Are a Few of our Favorite Things!

Ash--Don't EVER say we don't love you, k?

After the Blessing

Vera's baby blessing was so sweet and touching. As I said before, Zeb gave an amazing blessing that he obviously had spent much time pondering on. V has some pretty great parents and I hope she appreciates them someday! Anyway, we all got together after the service at Dad and Neva's community center and had really yummy food. I sort of designated myself as the local photographer and was snapping away almost the entire time. My stay in Utah was coming to a close and I was going to make the most of it. I also enjoyed taking a drive with Fred and Mom up the canyon afterwards...along with Sophie. The mountains were gorgeous and I was determined to see some fall color. Well, I got my wish!

Thank-You Dr. Radoff!

Geoffrey Radoff of Alternative Health of AZ was such a blessing to us this year. He was the first DAN doctor and holistic practitioner we'd ever been to. At first we were blown away by the amount of time he spent getting to know our family. He was always asking, helping, prodding, learning. His efforts never ended in regards to our family and Asher. Here the boys are waiting patiently for him to make his rounds. Aren't they cute? In many ways, Dr. Radoff helped start us on the road to getting our Ashy back. We will forever be grateful to him for this.

We Meet Again

This was the first time we'd seen our little Arizona nieces and nephew in years! We had a meet-n-greet in September while trying to make the decision as to whether we would move into Bryon's townhome in Phoenix or not. We were trying to put our Surprise (Veramonte) house on the market and get a quick sell, so we felt that being moved out might facilitate our efforts better. It also turned out that Bryon worked nights with his security business and could use the supervision of his kids while he was away. So, instead of continuing to hire a nanny, we moved in!

Looking back on it, although living with so many people under one roof was definitely tough, we're grateful for the time we got to know the kids, Jason's grateful to have developed a relationship with his brothers again, and we learned a lot about what matters in this world. It was a family sacrifice on Asher's behalf in order to get him the medical treatment and supplements he needed from Dr. Cindy Schneider as well. Once again, Ash, don't say we don't love you!!

Dream Date

This was a truly remarkable gift. Jase and I had planned to simply go out on a date---no special occasions, nada. Allison stayed with the kids and I picked Jase up from a Phoenix location that evening. As he proceeded to tell me he had someplace we would eat, I noticed after a while that we had been walking for an awfully long time. Finally, after riding the tram, we ended up in front of a beautiful, sky-scraper condominium unit I had never seen before. A security guard opened the door to let us in and welcomed me by name--what?! I was completely baffled.

Well, it turns out that Jase has planned this whole thing to be hosted by Bryon (who does security for that building). Bryon already had a beautiful table decorated for us on the top floor of an unfinished, million-dollar condo unit overlooking the city of Phoenix. I was blown away when the elevator opened and Bryon stood there with a dozen red roses for me from Jase. Our dinner was lovely, with sparkling cider, appetizers, the most delicious chicken salad I've ever had, breadsticks, and strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert (my idea--the chocolate bars melted!). Man--was it good. I was so in heaven that even after we finished eating and Bryon went home I lingered forever on that balcony in the dark. We even had music to entertain us from a nearby club. The execution by Jase was flawless--except that he didn't tell me to wear comfortable shoes :*)

"For what do I owe this honor?" I asked him. "No reason," he said. That's my husband.

Sedona

Jase and I decided to get away from it all one weekend and travel to Sedona, AZ spontaneously. This was a first for us, but it went off without a hitch. I couldn't have planned a nicer weekend! The kids were with Papa and Kallie, so we were home-free! Well, at least for 48 hours :*)

Once we found out hotel (the most difficult part of the trip!), we settled in and woke up to the most amazing view of the red rock from our patio and a gourmet breakfast (well, Jase did. I was still only eating fruit). After that we window shopped for a bit on Main and ended up having lunch at the most amazing, incredible korean restaurant. We didn't expect much, but Jason ordered a roast beef sandwich to die for. It was so good that we went back there 6 months later just to eat it again before we moved out of Arizona. Yes, it was that good. Oh, and the kimchi was pretty amazing too. Also, spontaneously, we decided to take a Red Rock Jeep Tour out into the wilderness. It didn't do Jase's back any favors, but was one of the funnest things I had ever experienced. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the plant-life and history of Sedona. He had us picking needles and boiling them into tea once we got back home ("Mormon tea"). It was supposed to stimulate your nervous system gently and give you energy most of the day. And it really worked! Wow, we had a blast. So glad I got to experience Sedona at least once in my lifetime.

Final Sedona Trip

Jase and I had the BEST time in Sedona, AZ over Labor Day. Papa and Kallie were sweet enough to take the kids for us so we could have a weekend together. And we just HAD to have another taste of our favorite roast beef sandwich...yes, it really is that good! The weather was perfect and we got to visit my first raw restaurant, the ChocolaTree. It was SO yummy and we enjoyed ordering dish after dish there. Ending with chocolate, of course :*)