Crazy how time flies. It was just a year ago today that I was sitting on our bed, 6 months pregnant doing my homework, Cory was cooking something in the kitchen and there was a knock on the door. Bradley ran in and said hey An-nrea and then proceeded to run in to every room to see what he could get into. Then Shawn came in looking a little stiff and red faced with Cory right behind him. We had been home for almost two whole days from our trip to Cortez to visit my parents and celebrate my dads retirement. I smiled up at him and said hey whats up? Then he said, I got a call from home and Mom passed away. Its kind of hard to describe what it feels like when you hear something like that. It doesn't seem real. I do however have a lot of things to be grateful for.
When my dad decided to retire some wonderful ladies he worked with wanted to throw a party for him and so they asked my parents when would be a good time that would fit into all our schedules to have it. I really didn't have a good time because of school and finals was about a month away so I needed to keep up with all that I had been learning but I said anytime they picked if I had some warning I could probably make work. So they told us later the date they picked and it just so happened that it was on a weekend when on Thursday my group was presenting and then on Friday the other groups were presenting and we weren't required to go to class on the day we weren't presenting. I was excited because that meant that we could leave Thursday right after I got out of school and everything would work out great! Well the Monday of that week at that class our teacher started talking about some people wanting to change the presentation order because of course everyone in class wanted the three day weekend. I got nervous because it would change all our plans if I had to present on Friday instead. And I started thinking that if it was going to be so hard we might just stay home and not go. After class I talked to my teacher and told him the plans that were made and how it was because of the original schedule and he said he would try to help me out. On Tuesday there was a big discussion and some students were a little upset and even in my group we had some disagreements because another one of our members' wife had just been scheduled for a C-section on Thursday. Well the teacher kept his word to me and helped out my group member who was having the baby, so Cory and I left as planned.
I am really grateful that a way was made for me to go home that weekend because it was like I said earlier just a few days later that my mom died. We could have easily not have gone. And it was also strange that every spouse was also able to go. Just another blessing we see now looking back. While we were there was when my mom let it slip to someone that she was having surgery on Monday. She had been having problems with her knee for a couple years and was always in pain. Lindzi talked to Jack and she was able to stay and help out for a while after the surgery. It was a blessing for her to be there to help my mom and then my dad and make it so he wasn't alone. Jack was also a huge help with all the financial, insurance crazy paper work stuff.
It was and is still hard. I can see a lot of good that has come from it though. She isn't in pain any more, my dad has found a special lady that he is extremely happy with and a 16 year old step-son to play with and teach all the things he knows!
I know that I will get to see my mom again and I get to feel Gods love through the comfort he sends me whenever I might start to feel sad. I want to publicly thank everyone who has helped me this past year through this and with little Emma, answering all my questions and giving me advice. I have the best family and friends, love you all!!

Green or Brown?

So this is the Beginning of the garden story. This is how the garden spot looked when the neighbor prepared the soil.






This is what it looked like a few weeks ago. I need to update my pictures! I have planted 5 watermelons in those mounds but they dont seem to like me very much and they are not doing so good :(

Those rows are corn!

And here I planted some strawberries and one is already about a inch long! And next to the strawberries are some cantalope.


It has been difficult at times because of fire ants but now they are more under control so I feel safe to sit on the ground and pull weeds! Emma has been a trooper and will have to continue to be. She sits in her stroller and watches everything that is going on around her. I give her a toy and she is usually just fine unless she gets cold or drops that toy or if she can't see me!

It came!

It came! I was scared that it wouldn't but it came! Let me back up, first I got something in the mail from BYU-I that said I was deficient in one of three ways; grades, credits, or I took the wrong class! I could have cried. Here I thought I would get away with just getting my certificate in the mail and that would be it and any problems they might have found they would just keep to themselves. I guess I wasn't that lucky. So I got on the phone and called the number they said I should call should I have any questions and I sure did have some questions!! Especially since its the business management secretary's job to sign us up for classes and my deficiency happened my last semester. I called and after getting transferred to a few different people the lady asked me the reason I was calling and I said "well I thought I graduated!!" She looked up my transcript and said "oh yes, this happens all the time sorry about the scare." We get to choose from 12 different classes which 6 will be our emphasis and the computer thinks there are only 2 sets of 6 classes so if you mix and match it doesn't get it so it shows and error. I just had to call them and tell them it was happening and they fixed it for me right then and there and then yesterday......It came!!! My diploma, a bachelor of science in business management, signed by Pres. Monson! (well stamped with his name anyways!) So I am happy to say that they gave it to me, I have it and I wont give it back, no matter what else they may say or what else may go wrong!!!

Today was a great day! I have a sense of accomplishment. I finished rearranging Emma's room to see if I could make it feel more open and even thought it is filled with baby things more roommie. I had fun putting these cute painted wood pieces on the wall. They are flowers and bugs! Ladybugs and butterflies or as my dad would say flutterbys. I am not done with the room but have to be patient because Cory has only had his job for a week and a half so I don't have any funds yet! I appreciate Cory and all that he does for our family. He is a great dad. He plays with Emma all the time, if only I could get him to change her pooie diapers!!
Da has made it possible for me to grow a garden in the back yard and I am really excited! I read on the Internet all about growing gardens in Central Texas and I knew where I was going to plant every plant and what kind and then just before I was going to go and buy some stuff it froze one night! So I think I am suppose to wait a week or something and then see if it wont do it again. I must admit I have plenty of experience starting a garden, I can even rotertill and I know a lot about planting and spacing but have very minimal experience actually eating the fruit of my labor. Why you ask, well my dad decided when we were little that he wanted to buy some goats to keep the weeds down and just have around the farm. It never failed, no matter how careful we were to keep the fence maintained and all they would always get in the very second anything got ripe! I don't think I will have any problems with goats here but I think the squirrels might give me a run for my money! We shall see how it all goes!