A Jolley Good Time!
I just wanted to say thank you to my Jolley family. We do not always have the opportunity to be with family over the holidays, but...we are always welcomed with open arms by the Jolley family. When I find myself sad and missing my family, I instantly have brothers and sisters and wonderful adoptive parents who are so kind and loving.

We had a wonderful dinner of all the Thanksgiving best. Turkey and ham and all the sides you could think of. Oh and the deserts were to die for! Once again I have stuffed myself to the point of bursting buttons. The kids were wonderful ( hardly any fights) and the weather was gorgeous! What a wonderful thanksgiving...so thanks to my Jolley family!

Thankful Thoughts.

Some times it is hard to be thankful. This time of year is always particularly hard for me. I am not the type of person who likes to feel depressed or in a slump....but through the months of November and December I find myself crying at the drop of a hat. And every year it gets worse. I miss my family, who all live close enough or have the ability to go home for every holiday. So everyone is together...except me.

So to remedy my gloominess, I like to give extra service, focus on giving my husband and kids a wonderful holiday season, and think happy thoughts. I feel the need to remind myself that I do have things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for:

• My parents, who love me no matter what
• My siblings, who taught me patience and love me no matter what.
• My ancestors who believed....and lived the Gospel.
• My husband....for having the love and patience to put up with me!
• My daughter Sydney....she is so tender and thoughtful!
• My daughter Haylie....who makes me laugh and cry all in the same day.
• My son....I almost didn't have him. He is my miracle boy!
• Friends who are my family when I am so far away from my own!
• Rekindled friendships.
• The first dentist I worked for....he taught me so much!
• My years in Utah....I will cherish all those memories!
• All the places I have travelled. This world is so beautiful.
• Money. Without it I would not have been able to travel.
• My extended Family...they have always been so supportive of me.
• My home. It may not be the prettiest thing, but it is home.
• My van!
• Sunsets....I love the colors.
• Warm cloths...I hate being cold.
• All of the callings I have ever had. Each one has helped me to understand my weaknesses and how to make them strengths.
• My senses...I would be very sad if I could not see the beauty of this earth, or hear my children's laughter, or smell a cooking turkey!
• My pain...it lets me know that I am not invincible
• My sadness...it helps me to cherish my joys.
• Doctors who have saved my life more than once and who have healed my daughter.
• Prayer....not my own, but all of yours.
• My hands...I love to create with them.
• For our freedoms...may we always have them.
• And so many other things. This list could go on.

Lastly, I am thankful for the deep and steadfast testimony I have that we are loved by a Heavenly Father who has provided a plan of happiness for us. I am grateful for His laws and consequences without which we would not have an appreciation for His love and Mercies. I am forever grateful to our Savior, Jesus Christ for His gift of unconditional love and sacrifice. I hope to someday fully appreciate that sacrifice.

Girls Night/ Birthday Night.

There are a bunch of us who have Nov. birthdays and we usually all go out for dinner. I always end up eating so much, I don't have room for desert, so tonight we did a desert night. One of my favorite deserts of all time is the Olive Garden's White chocolate raspberry cheesecake. However, I can not go to the Olive Garden without getting a bowl of their Zuppa Toscana soup. It is perfect on these cold nights. Warms you up all the way to your toes!!!! It was a fun night. We talked and laughed until nearly closing time. I love all my Waterloo gals! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

9 down...a life time to enjoy.

November is a crazy month for us at the Nai home. I my birthday, my sisters birthday and my mothers birthday all within a 4 day span. On top of that, 9 years ago I decided to get married.....2 days before my birthday. Don't ask me what I was thinking!!!!

I was thinking the other day of where we were every year for our past anniversaries. This is what I came up with.

Year zero: Married in Canada.

Year one: Living in Erie, PA( not liking it) and pregos with Sydney.

Year two: Living in Erie still ( and still not liking it)

Year three: Living in Terre Haute, IN. ( loving it)

Year four: Living in Waterloo, Ia ( not sure if I like it yet) ( haylie is 2 mo. old) .

Year five:Loving Waterloo! moved to new house.

Year six: Still loving it

Year seven: Recovering from a Pulmonary embolism and giving birth to my baby boy.

Year eight: Totally forgot anniversary!!!!

Year nine. Still in IA, Still Happy, Still in love.

Well for the past couple of years, I have been playing the role of the forgetful husband. Last year I totally forgot our anniversary and my birthday was on thanksgiving. ( yuck!). The year before that...who knows. I actually can not remember the last actual anniversary we did something out of the ordinary. I love my husband very much....but he is not the romantic type at all. Any planning for a date is done by me. Well this year I was not going to let it slip by again. I am not high maintenance or picky, so date nights don't need to be too detailed.

The 9th anniversary is the pottery year, so I planned a date to this neat little place where yo can pick a piece of pottery ( plates, mugs, vases, etc.) to paint and then they fire them and you have yourself a little creation made by each other. Anthony painted me a vase. He is very talented when it comes to drawing, but painting is not his favorite. Bless his heart....he at least had fun trying something new. I painted him a card holder for all his business cards. I must say, mine is way cute! It was fun to do something together like that.

Then it was off to try something else new. We went to the Hu Hot. A Mongolian grill where you pile on meat and noodles and veggies and watch them cook your food on this huge round slab of hot stone. It was fun to watch and fun to eat. All in all a pretty good anniversary. Next year is a big one, so I told Anthony to start planning now.

I don't have any pics of the pottery yet. I will post them when I get the pottery back.

Hello Operator?

Quick funny story.

I was on the couch all wrapped up in a blanket ( I hate being cold!) when the phone started to ring. Sometimes I just have Sydney look at the caller I.D. and let me know if it is a 800 #. I never answer them. But sometimes it comes up unknown #, in which case I wait to hear if they leave a message or not. Sorry to any of you that I do this to.

Any way, Haylie wanted to get the phone for me, but she can't read yet, so she just let the answering machine get it. When I asked who it was she said.....

" Don't worry mom, it was just the operator from the phone company. She said that they were not there right now, but if we give them our phone # , they will call us back later."

Maybe it is the cold, or the fact that I am just brain dead, but I didn't clue in to what she was telling me. I need to call the phone company? well I almost did when Anthony gave a little giggle and then I figured out what my dear little helper was telling me. She had heard our answering machine message and thought it was the operator. What will she do next?

Here We Go!
The trend is starting!!!!! We do not tend to look at fashion trends in a bad way. Most fashions are descent and harmless...but are they really? Fashion designers are getting more and more risque in their choice of designs. And usually the public goes with the flow. If big stars think it is fashionable then so does the rest of the world.

The same rings true for the world of politics and " political correctness". As of this morning, eHarmony, a New York based company that helps singles find suitable dates, has lost a lawsuit. This company is a privately owned and operated company and should have the constitutional right to decide whom they sell their product to. If I owned a pet grooming shop and some woman or man came in demanding a hair cut, I would have the right to say " we do not provide services to humans"
Now think about the trend that has been growing with the homosexual issues. More and more organizations are being " FORCED" to provide services or change their policies to include the homosexual minority. It will not be long now that churches of all faiths will be FORCED to accept and provide services ( including temple worship) to the people who are fighting to change policies.....not our policies, but God's policies. So are we saying that God is not politically correct? SOOOOOO SORRYYYYYYY people!

Anyhow, I am sorry for ranting about this. I just think it is ridiculous that all this is happening! And I would like to say that I am sorry if I offended anyone, but at this point I am not.

Be Informed!!!!
I will not get into the recent political drama we are all so sick of, but I would like to express my deepest desire for all of us to be more informed. I wish that we could all look a little deeper into the future when we vote on issues ( that is key...voting on issues, not people and their personalities!). Democrat or Republican, we all need to see the impact our choices create for our future.
As a result of the recent elections, we now have a government almost completely run by the Democratic party. This means that all laws and amendments will be voted on by people in congress and the house of representatives who have a more liberal view of our freedoms. Certain rights and laws will be overturned to please the " worldly"and immoral view that most of this country has. Congress has set their sights on abortion laws. They are determined to allow abortion rights regardless of age or procedure. If any of you do not know what those procedures are ( especially partial birth abortions) I would gladly fill you in. I encourage all decent people reading this to pass on this link. It is an official web site that gives facts about the laws and what they really mean. So read it, and determine for yourself which laws you agree with and which ones you do not. http://www.nchla.org/issues.asp?I
As for our futures, I am not a mind reader. I do not know for a fact that we will all be doomed because of the next presidents future decisions. But take a look at what is going on in California. Things are changing. I have always believed that, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we will come full circle. When our church was first organized, we were outcasts and persecuted for what....for being good and decent people and for having a religion that does not differ in a big way from other religions . Now we are seeing that again. Or at least the beginnings. In California, Mormons are being targeted for a law that was passed in part by many people not of our faith. But we are the ones to blame.
As we look into the future, I want to know what I am voting for and I pray that I may have the courage to stand up and vote when it is not the " Popular" vote. We will be persecuted for standing up for what is right. And I would rather do that than " go with the flow"!!! I don't want to be like the masses of lemmings who allow change to happen without knowing the consequences of those choices. Let's not be lemmings!

4 Years Ago....

In April of 2004 gas prices hit a high of $2.00/galon. Today I filled my van for $1.99/galon. Is this a trend that will continue? Gas prices will eventually start to rise again, so Do we start to fill up canisters and store them for the day when prices are back up to $4.00? I say yes. The reports I have been reading say that part of the reason for the declining prices is that consumers are being more frugal with their gas consumption. So the less we buy gas...the lower the prices will stay. I know for me it is hard to save on gas when there are always errands to run and places to be, but there are ways to cut corners and make shorter trips. As far as storing gas, anyone know of the propper way to do this?

And More!!!!

Well, one more year of Trick or Treating has come and gone ( Thank goodness!) It is always fun for the kids, but what a head ache for me. Especially since this year, Anthony had to work and could not help me. But all went well regardless.

Sydney is a very imaginative kid and doesn't like the everyday normal costumes sold in the stores. I was like that too growing up. I wanted something unique. Well this year she wanted to be the Headless Horseman. It was not an expensive costume to make...but it was a pain in the toosh to rig so that it looked as though she had no head. Haylie, thank Heavens, just wanted to be the owl my mom had sent years ago for Sydney . That made things a bunch easier. And as for Tui....He was a Toucan. Thanks to Stacy for letting me borrow it. It was perfect. Tui would go door to door saying " Trick-Treat....more....tankoo!" He would then come running down the side walk saying" Yay mommy....candy". Every house he did this. Mommy is candied out!

Well now Sydney tells me she wants to be a Sentar (sp?) a half horse half human thing. Guess I'd better get planning how to make that one.

Hope everyone had a good Halloween!