MERRY almost CHRISTMAS!

Just wanted to check in because I know it's been a little while. Finished my last class which was a life long learning class... got an A... and it was probably my best class so far!

Erika came home for 2 weeks before she leaves for that far away sandbox. We have been spending time together and I've taken a few moments away from helping decorate her Christmas tree... I haven't put my own tree up in over 5 years and this is so much fun, then again, I know I won't be taking it down! I'll post pictures soon -

We are also baking cookies to take to Stac's house tomorrow night (I'll make the cherry pie in a little while, cross your fingers it turns out!). We will be spending Christmas Eve with the girls, Stac, his mom and step dad, myself, a friend in Erika's unit, Edward, my mom, and Erika. We'll have church services and then have dinner together and let the girls open some presents.

I wish you all the merriest Christmas this year - God Bless...
xoxox

Nothing special...

Ok, so the latest with my life.
Work is getting much better! I have officially registered 2 students with 3 more that should be registered on Monday! I wasn't sure how I would like this job at first... I hate bugging people. Let me just tell you though, when someone is completely excited to start school and begin a new adventure in their life and you are the person who is making that possible... it's a GREAT feeling! So that is my job... I think I'm going to like it...
School... let me just say this, I passed statistics with a B-. Not the proudest grade I have received but to be completely honest... I was just happy it wasn't a C. The class is done, over, finished and I've moved on. Will I ever actually use that again?? We shall see.
The Girls... they spent time with Grandma Karen this weekend so I have not seen them. I will definitely spend some time with them next weekend because going 2 weeks without seeing them can be a long time for me! (I have been christmas shopping for them... )
As for Erika, she has been doing some traveling and a lot of work. She will be coming home for leave around Dec. 18 and on Jan. 2 there will be a huge send off for her unit (they fly back to Ft. Hood). This will be the last time I see her until she gets a mid-term leave. I think it's finally sinking in that she is going over there and it just totally sucks!
That's my update! The photo is Erika and I back on Labor Day weekend when we were in Corpus... The other photo is from a dolphin tour we took that weekend!
xoxox

The Girls...

Today we went to see Happy Feet... I suggest you pass... the girls on the other hand may not. We went back to their house and hung out. Of course ended up with the tickle time. There is nothing better than listening to them both laugh so hard they can barely breathe. They also made their Santa lists today. I'm pretty sure Santa will be good to them this year.

Morgan also sang this past week in her 3rd grade concert and apparently her music teacher said they did an outstanding job. Faith was also named student of the month and will get pizza! Oh... to be young again.

Back-up Husband's

So today, Neil, one of my good friends, is getting married. He was my first back-up husband... and he is getting married... don't people know they can't get married when they are the back-up?? ha... it's kind of like my best friends wedding... but I'm not that psychotic! So... instead I wish him and Lisa all the very best and I hope that she realizes what an incredibly lucky woman she is.

So.. I think I'm going to go get a pedicure now...............................

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a great day and I have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful first and foremost for my parents. I am thankful for my friends and my family. I am thankful for this path that God has put me on. For the good and the bad I have faced in my life. Without the challenges I have overcome, I would not be the person whom I am today. I've learned to live everyday as if tomorrow may never come. I don't always do that and it is ok. I figure it could be worse, I could not understand the concept.

Above are a couple cute photos of my cousin's kids. Nik, Monique, Haley, and Anthony. Zack was home sick with the flu. They are so much fun and we are a very blessed family to have such wonderful little people in our lives.

I hope that you all had a wonderful day and enjoyed your family, that there was only happiness and a day full of memories. God Bless to all of you... and remember those who are serving overseas and unable to spend time with their family this year. Keep them in your prayers!

Veteran's Day

We went to the Veteran's Day parade in downtown Mesa this morning. Morgan, Faith, Stac, my mom and I. It was a good parade. There was a high school group that came through the parade with a tribute to those who had lost their lives in Operation Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. That was the most memorable part of the parade.
The girls thought the 2 horses and the candy was the best though! I went to take pictures but my camera batteries had died. I was reading an article about remembering Veteran's day and it just makes you stop and think. Here is part of the article, hopefully it will make you stop and thank a Vet or send a letter to a soldier thanking them for what they do. The photo is one I took in San Antonio over Memorial Weekend.

"Veterans serve when they feel like it and when they don’t. They serve when they understand the mission and they serve when they just don’t get it. Every day, they lay down their Isaacs – all the things they don’t want to sacrifice the most, including their families, their comforts and their safety – because they want to follow the mission and serve well. Whether that call is from the president, the military or from God himself, they follow that voice and they serve because they believe so much in what they do and what they have." By Michelle Cuthrell, ARNEWS

At the Park

Here are just some random photos of the girls. They spent the night at my house on Friday night (Nov. 3) and we had "truth or dare" time and tickle time. You will be happy to know that neither of them have never kissed a boy! We ran some errands the next morning, had breakfast, and then went to the park. The girls played and I tried to get some reading done for school. That's about it for now.

Halloween

Well, I missed trick or treating with the girls tonight... I know they were fine, but me, I wasn't! I so wanted to be there, it's so much fun to watch them and Faith gets braver every year going to the door on her own. Stac took this picture tonight with his phone and sent it to me. Morgan is an Army pilot (she flys the Apache Longbow which is the attack helicopter) and Faith went as a witch... yep, I talked her out of being a cat (it would of been the 3rd time in a row!) They both look absolutely adorable!

As for me, I am struggling like holy heck with school right now. This would be the reason I didn't make it out there tonight, along with the training for the new job (which I still absolutely LOVE!) and... I had a friggin screw in my tire this morning.. so on my way home tonight I had to get that taken care of. It was one of those days that you wish you could have just slept the day away. Anyways, I could go on but just know... I think I am getting the concept of this friggin statistics class, my paper is done and actually not as bad as I thought it would be, my tire is fixed for now, I'm 99.9% positive the girls had a great night, and I'm still breathing (I did have a total melt down tonight). Things are looking good... so I am off to bed because I need the sleep. Thanks for reading and listening to me whine! :)

Making Strides for Breast Cancer

This year, I am participating in MAKING STRIDES FOR BREAST CANCER

I am hoping to raise at least 500.00 and would love to exceed that amount! Not a day goes by that I don't think about Paula and wish that she was still here. I miss her sometimes more than I ever thought.

I look at Morgan and Faith and realize they will never really know what an incredible, warm, and loving woman she was. I look at them and can only hope that they will know... THEY were her reason to LIVE! She loved them more than life itself. I look at Faith and I remember her last words to Paula... "Mom, I have to tell you something". Paula looked at her and asked her what. Faith said "I love you". Faith was 4... Morgan was 6.

I'm 34 years old and the thought of losing one of my parents kills me to even THINK about it. They are now 9 and 7, and they have lost their mom.

If you would like to help support me, in Paula's memory, please do so. The link is on the right side (Making Strides) and it will take you to the website. From there, click on find a walker, type in my name, Jennifer Hoy and you will see my personal web page for the walk. I have hope that we will find a cure. Hope is all that we can have. Without that hope, we have nothing.

Thank you for your always continued support with this cause. A cause that has touched my life in such a way that I now have a goal... to make a difference.

Flicka

Well Friday night the girls spent the night! By the time they got here, they were pretty exhausted and ready for bed. Anyways, the next morning we went for breakfast and then met Dara and Madeline at the park. The girls had a good time playing and for some reason, rolling down a grass hill always seems like the best idea. My favorite part was when we got in the car and all I heard was... I itch, I itch, I itch! I remember those days!!
Stac ended up picking up Faith and Morgan and I headed to go get our hair done. I had mine colored and styled and Morgan got hers styled. She is really starting to grow up! We went to see the movie Flicka after our hair appointment and... when we walked out she asked if I cried. I told her I did and she said, I almost cried too!
I had really missed them! It had been 2 weeks since I spent time with them and we had a great time. (Oh, and the reason Faith did not go to the movies with us... she said Flicka was boring! She is definitely still into cartoons... I can't wait until she is past that stage!)

Race for the Cure

Here are some photos from Oct. 8 at Race for the Cure in downtown Phoenix. We got together again to celebrate Paula and what and incredible impact she made on all of us. You can see that this year, Morgan wrote on her "In Memory of" thing that we all wear. She even drew a picture of Paula... Yes, had tears as she did it!
As we were leaving, Stac noticed a woman with her husband and their young daughter. The woman had no hair and we bothed looked at each other and related to their situation. We do this walk each year so that the girls know how much we loved their mom, but to also make others aware that even though there are more and more survivors, this disease still gets to the ones that we love. Hope to see more of you out there with us next year!

i say this... because i can

Ok... the best thing is... this is my blog... so all I have to say tonight is...........

I HATE WRITING PAPERS!

That's all... this paper is seriously going to be my worst one yet. Oh by the way... you are going to see this post quite often, especially on a Tuesday night... because class is on Wednesdays which means papers are usually due then!

New Job

Well today was the first day of my new career! We had an all day orientation and it went rather quickly. There were about 100+ people in orientation and they covered the general information of University of Phoenix, our FREE tuition, benefits, and payroll. At the very end, we broke up into small groups for our 3 weeks of training. Yep... 3 whole weeks. I am very excited though. I've been worried wether or not I would be able to do the job. Change is scary and sometimes will make you question your abilities. But you know, I know me, and if I put my mind to something... I can do it. I totally believe in education and so why wouldn't I do a good job??? Anyways, I have a paper to write for class on Wednesday night and some things to read for tomorrow... Thanks for reading my blog and staying interested in my life.
xoxox

Why I Love my DAD!

My flight left this morning and just because... my dad made me breakfast in bed.
I missed him the moment I went through the security gates at the airport.

so I thought I would share some of the
reasons why I love my dad...
I Love him because... He makes me breakfast in bed. He makes up random, silly, songs. He is devoted. He watches football. He watches the military channel or CNN. He tells me stories about his life as a kid and when he was in Vietnam. He loves his family. The way he just stands and thinks. He drinks Diet 7-up. He gets excited about the smallest things. He loves me unconditonally! Thanks dad... for a great week! I Love You!!!

a little something

I found this today too... and I bought it! I couldn't resist... where I will hang it... I have not decided but it is my favorite quote.. "Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away."

i saw a MOOSE!

Ok, so today, I was driving... and driving.. oh, and driving. As I was driving around I looked down a random road and standing in the middle of the road was.... A MOOSE! Well there were two... I had to turn around quickly and go back to the road and they were still there! I was so excited by the time I got my camera out they had moved off the road so the only part you get to see is the Mooses' butt!

Random Photos

The North Pole

I liked this tree with the berries on it...

This is a pond in North Pole... I just thought it was pretty

Fairbanks, Alaska

I'm a dork.. took a photo of myself at the lookout that looks over Fairbanks

North Pole, Alaska

Santa's House...
Faith told me if I saw the "FAKE" Santa... she would be mad! Lucky for me, Santa was upstairs... when I was little, my dad told me Santa lived upstairs and didn't come down until Christmas and therefore I would not see him. I've always loved coming to Santa's house.. but for some reason, it's not quite the same as when I was little. But it's still fun... just to believe....

Starbucks

So.... I went to Starbuck's and got a hot chocolate...
I so wish I liked coffee... any ways
I wanted to share
The Way I See It #92
on the starbuck's cup...

You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.

-Dr. Rick Warren

Author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

Alaska

Thought I'd share some photos I took. The deck photo is my first morning here after a light snow fall. The snow was gone soon after the photo was taken. It has been rather nice, in the high 30's to mid 40's. At night it gets colder. The duck photo is just random ducks that migrate outside my dad's. He has a place right off the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. Finally, the photo of my dad. He looks so much better than the last time I saw him. It has been great to just hang out with him and spend time together. The older I get, the more I enjoy my time with him!

I made it... AND... so did my luggage!

Well I made it here and the flight wasn't as bad as I anticipated. My flight was late leaving Phoenix, which got me to Seattle at the same time my connecting flight was leaving. The gates were right next to each other and I luckily made it.
My luggage... did not. Luckily they put my luggage on the next flight and it made it to Fairbanks 3 hours later.
Did you know... I had flip flops on? Why wouldn't a girl from Arizona wear flip flops to a state that was 23 degrees? Yes... for those of you wondering, I packed other shoes in my luggage (which I'll remind you was LATE!).
So my first night here... it snowed. Just a lil bit. But... I saw the snow flurries come down. There is not much snow on the ground, but it is COLD. I love it though! I took a picture Sunday morning so those of you, like me, who wonder what snow is... will know. :)
That's all for now... xoxox

Packing for Alaska

I am packing to leave for Alaska tomorrow to spend a week with my dad!

I couldn't help but take a quick picture of what I go through every time I pack to go somewhere. Howie ALWAYS has to climb into my luggage. He's completely insane!

(E... see the longhorn hat in my luggage?)

Anyways, I packed a few t-shirts and then realized I was going to Alaska... did you all know it's cold there? Apparently it is so I threw in sweaters and jackets... just in case I might need them! ha

Off to sleep before the long friggin flight tomorrow! G'nite

Kelsey and Becky

I had to share this picture of Kelsey and Becky making silly faces at my going away lunch today! I will miss you both so entirely much. I mean honestly, how can you not miss faces like those!

Last Day at S. ETC

So today was my last day working at Scrapbooks, ETC. What an incredible 8 years I have had there. It was definitely a bitter sweet feeling as I left. I'm excited to start a new job and venture out to a new world, yet at the same time, I am sad that I am leaving behind such an incredible "family". No worries though... I will come back and visit!

The pic above is Ang, Amy, and I. It was taken a year or so ago.

I'll miss you all!!!

very first post EVER!

Ok, so this is my very first post to my very own blog. WOW! Bare with me as I learn all the little tricks. I wanted something where I can share with friends and family what is happening in MY world as well as the world of Morgan and Faith.
I hope that you can sit back, enjoy, and laugh at the random things which will come across here.
xoxox
Jenn