Didn't have a chance before now to say that Jessi did get the job! YaHoo!! She will work from noon until 5:00 pm for awhile and when she has been trained just a bit, the hours will be 1:00 - 5:00 pm. We are excited for her... and this means big changes in my work schedule, also, to allow me to pick her up from work (and the get Kurtis to work since Jessi won't be here). I pray hard for help in changing my schedule the right way.

Three weeks until Alina (the children from Ukraine) come! EEEK!

We found out Saturday night, 19th, that we are on the list for the Save A Child Foundation Fall Hosting activity. We will be hosting an 11 year old girl. Her name is Alina. She is from a Dnipro (abbreviated!) orphanage but not the same orphanage as Natasha and Igor came from last year. Alina looks happy and it is interesting that she has the same jaw line and nose as Kurtis, Jessi and Aunt Janice...The children will arrive Saturday, October 17th around 9:30 pm and will stay until Thursday morning, November 5th. We haven't had as much time to "dwell" on the upcoming experience this time, but it is a spoken and unspoken hope that the time with Alina will be far better for everyone this year - hopefully pleasant and uplifting.

Jessi has a job interview today - if this goes well, she will have a "real" job interview. The hours of this job would be 1:00 - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday. This would allow her to still teach Preschool if she wants to. Good Luck, Jess!

We had a wonderful Labor Day celebration at Mom and Dad's Sunday around 5:30 pm. Annette, Connor and Ryan were there. Annette was taking Connor up to BYU Idaho Monday morning and Ryan was going back down to BYU Provo Monday morning. We had fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, rolls, tomatoes and cucumbers, chips, Mango drink and for dessert we had lemon bars, brownies and pumpkin spice cupcakes. It was so good to be with family. I found out yesterday that my Dad will be 80 years old this October...! (and Mom is 72 years old). It's not that I didn't know, I think I had just buried the thought so as not to go completely crazy. I don't know what I will do without them - I can't imagine life without them there. They are my strength, my support, my friends, my real reason for living and doing my best. When they have to return home, I think I will cease to function and will have to go home, too. They are my only friends. I haven't been my best and actually have not tried at times - but I always knew what they expected of me and that they had faith in me to accomplish. They have given advice and never judged - just helped me focus on what is most important. Many times when I have felt like giving up in my marriage or raising our children...they have been calm and encouraging and brought the hope and faith back into my life. Thank you, both, a million times over for EVERYTHING you have done and continue to do for me - even though I don't deserve it. My Uncle Warren died yesterday about 4:00 am. What a loss - I know Mom and Dad will miss him so much. He really was generous towards them with time and money. Hopefully, I'll have the strength to get through today...

Life is weird right now. You know how throughout your life everything seems to come together and work out...that's not happening anymore. Nothing seems to be "coming together" or even slightly working out, lately. It is rather sudden and confusing. Work, school, family and church callings all just seem to be falling apart or having major problems. Hope things get back into groove soon...