AUGUST 18th

So hard to believe it has been 13 years since I last entered the Waters of Baptism. For those of you who may not have known, I was raised catholic. When I was 14 I went to stay with my Hockey Coach and his family in Salem Oregon. My coach had a rule in his house it didn't matter what church I went to but while I lived with him & his family I needed to attend Church on Sundays. Since I didn't know anyone at the catholic church I decided I would just go to church with his family. His family were all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. I really enjoyed going to church with their family. later that summer I called my Mom to see if I could get Baptized. I had already taken the Missionary Lessons and was sure my parents would be OK with my new choice of religion. I was Wrong and sent on the next greyhound home!!!
It took 4 yrs and 5 full Missionary lessons later but once I turned 18 it was now my decision to make. Which I did August 18Th 1995.
My Parents have come to term with my choice. I know they have seen the Happiness it has brought in my life.
It is hard for me to believe it has been 13 yrs... WOW
My Daughter turns 8 next September and I really look forward to watching her prepare to be baptized...

Long Time....

I know I have no excuses.. other than I finally Graduated from Training and had a wedding in Utah 2 weekends ago & Am trying to get my house organized... It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate over the years!!! But we are almost complete. I love my Home... I cant wait for all of you to come visit. Once your here you wont want to leave.. I have a million pictures I need to post and i will get on that this week... I miss all of you and hope all is well...
XOXOXO

Home Sweet Home..............

so They accepted our offer.. I am so excited... We are going to close by the end of the month. I cant even tell you how grateful I am.. I will let all of you know more details as we get closer!!

I miss you all.....

Getting Good!!!

So it has taken me almost 7 years.... But I think I finally got the Hang of it...
So let me start of by saying it has been a rough week. Between work, Dance, Homework & looking at houses.. It has been really hard to get a good nights sleep...
So evidently this morning my alarm went off and I immediately turned it off!
I woke up at 7am (BTW I have to be at work by 8am) (also BTW I have to get grace ready and dropped off at daycare)
We made a world record this morning.. We were both ready, lunch packed, show & tell packed for Grace and dropped off at her Daycare at 7:22am! I made it too work by 7:30. I had plenty of time to finish my makeup!
Man oh Man I am getting good.......

Have a great weekend!!!!

Offer....

So we made an offer last night on this house. As much as I am trying not to get my hopes up, but I think it is too late for that!!!! We will find out on Monday if they accept our offer or if they will counter back to us. We are working with a great realtor. He has helped us out so much. I am very grateful for him. I will keep you posted on our offer.. Please keep your fingers crossed for us...

Haircut......

So She begged & begged & begged him to let her get her hair cut.. He Finally Gave in!!!! She looks so much older.. Hard to believe she graduates Kindergarten in the next couple of weeks... My Baby is growing up...... Let me know what you think of her new Haircut!!!!

The Adventure of the Yellow Bus & Gracie

So where do I begin.... Let me begin with saying that a constant battle I have with my ever so "independent" Daughter is going to bed every night at a reasonable hour. Now lets remember she is only 6 years old!! I am sure all of you out there reading this will agree that bedtime for a 6 year old should be 8:30 -9:00PM at the latest, Right!!! Well Gracie has a way of finding reasons to get up in the middle of the night every single time she goes to bed. She normally stays up till 10PM or 10:30 PM. Trying to get her up & ready in the morning is literally like pulling teeth but not as fun!!

So yesterday she got on the bus at her School to ride to Daycare and Evidently she fell asleep on the bus. Chad got a call from the Daycare and was told "Gracie didn't get off the school bus and we called the school and she is not there, We don't know where she is!" Chad got up from his meeting without saying a word and headed to her school. He got there and there was no sign of grace anywhere so he headed to the Daycare. The Daycare called Chad and told him she had fallen asleep on the bus and the bus driver had finished his route and was heading back to the Bus barn when Grace woke up! The Bus Driver had to take her all the way back to her Daycare.

I asked was she scared and she said "No I just woke up and thought the bus driver turned the wrong way, So I asked him if he already went to my Daycare and he said yes!"

How lucky we are that she woke up before he dropped the bus off!

Anyhow guess what her new Bed time is???

7:30-8:00PM I woke her up this morning and she kept saying How good she slept. I don't think she will be taking anymore naps on the bus!!!

About Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I know what a horrible blogger I am... For those of you who have emailed me to remind me how "lazy" I have been Thank you for getting me back on track.

Bend Oregon is great! I love it here. Of course I miss all of my friends.

I am still currently in training for work.. It seems like I have been in training forever, but there is so much to learn. Unlike some training I have been in the past this is definitely a positive experience.

We close on our house in Utah today. Please keep your fingers crossed that everything goes through nice & smooth... We made another offer on a home here in Bend. It is a cute house with a beautiful landscaped yard. We should here back by tomorrow on the offer...

Last weekend I participated in a "Day of Caring" sponsored by United way. We did some landscaping for a place called "Grandma's House". Grandma's House is a faith based, non-denominational, non-profit home, and outreach ministry, providing safe, nurturing, and stable shelter to homeless and/or abused pregnant, and parenting teens mothers between the ages of 12 to 19 years old and their babies. It was a great opportunity to help others. When our lives seem so chaotic and uncertain this really made me appreciate all of the Blessings in my life.

I hope all of my friends & family are doing well. I miss all of you very much.. I hope to hear from you soon...

Weekend in Review....

So my Brother Jay & his beautiful Kids, Riley & Jaycob came up to visit this weekend. We had a wonderful time! We went to the High Desert Museum and alot of time together. I miss them so much.
Our Dog "Sarah" is doing so much better. I am so Grateful she healed so quickly. I honestly did not think she was going to make it, but she did!

Chad & I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. Chad took me to a restaurant called Pine Tree Tavern. It was Wonderful! We had the best evening. Gracie stayed with her Papa so it actually ended up being a "real date"! 7 years! WOW! I have to be honest it feels like 20, but I am very blessed to have such a wonderful Husband.

So the people who were going to buy our house backed out. Everything was supposed to be finalized today. The bank had quoted them and when all of the numbers came back it was higher than the quoted amount. So it's on the market again! The house Chad & I were looking at is no longer an option, until our home in Utah sales! Please keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us.
I hope all of you are doing well. I miss you....

Bad Day...

The day started good. I was getting ready for my Brother Jay & his 2 kids to come up to visit us and my husband Ran in the house and said our dog Sarah got hit by a car! I couldn't believe it. She is the best dog. She is such a lover! We took her to the Vet and was told she looked to be ok but wouldn't know for sure until the morning her Body was still in shock so they ran a few tests. I felt like such a wuss & broke down in the Vets office, I couldn't help it though to see our Dog in pain was unbearable. They told us to bring her back in the morning so we headed out of the office and Sarah had peed blood, not a good sign...

I hope she is ok. I will keep you posted.....

Hip Hop Dance Class

So We signed her up for Hip Hop Dance. She loves it. They are going to do a dance to "Everybody Dance Now" by C & C music factory. The dance moves are priceless! She has some fancy footwork in this dance. As soon as she gets the whole dance down I will put up the video.

Obsessed with pulling teeth....

My Poor little girl... I have this obsession with pulling teeth out. Don't get me wrong they are teeth that are ready to be pulled, Well I help them along the way a little.. So my daughter has lost 2 teeth in the last 2 weeks. It has been so long since I have pulled out a tooth and I have to say it is the neatest feeling!!!! She has another tooth in the front that is ready, well I will give it a week before I start to go to "work" on it!

The Tooth Fairy has been mighty kind to her & I think that is why she doesn't squabble with me when I am "working" on her teeth..

My Little girl is growing up....

Back From Cali........

Grace & I ventured back to California last week. What a wonderful time we had. I spent some overdue time with my Mom & Dad and had a wonderful time. We went Shopping, Rollerskating, Shopping, and had a wonderful Family Dinner. I got to spend alot of time with my Niece, Riley & Nephew, Jaycob & all of my brothers. It was really hard to come home to Oregon, But Gracie's spring break was over.
I start my New Job Monday.. Wish me luck! I am really excited for this. My Brother Jay and his 2 kids are coming to see us this weekend! I am really excited. we found a couple of houses that we are interested in, but we are waiting for the house we are selling in Utah to be funded! Please say your prayers that everything goes through...
I miss all of you... BTW if you don't leave comments I don't know you are reading my Blog!!!!
Peace out...

The Move....

Seriously I never... ever... ever, hope to go through this process again!
We signed Papers on the sale of our house Friday. Although I am Grateful to be rid of one headache... I did not enjoy the headache from the move itself. For those of you who helped, especially, Kacee & Jerry.. Thank you so very much! We really could not have done it without you!
Funny Story... So this truck was huge, OK! It was a 24 footer! Chad and I left Salt lake Sunday (Easter) around 6:30 AM and finally arrived in Bend around 7:00 PM! It had to be one of the longest trips I have been on in a very long time... And let me just say there is something wrong with a vehicle that when I sit in the seat I can't reach the floorboard! Seriously though It just wasn't right! Chad asked me to drive after about 9 hours.. I politely let him know I didn't think he really wanted me to drive! Well he being the oh so "confident companion" assured me that everything would be alright!! So he pulled over on the side of the highway and we switched seats.. Again let me remind you I cant reach the floorboard and barely can reach the pedals of the truck.. I learned a very valuable lesson on this trip, that being If I ever don't want to do something and my husband insists all I have to do is scare the SH@! out of him and he will politely ask me to stop what I was doing!! I think I only lasted 30 minutes driving and I had him so scared it was all he could take!!!

I am Glad to be back in Bend.. I leave for California tomorrow! I haven't been back there for over 3 years!!! I don't know how much Blogging I will be able to do while I am there but will keep you posted as soon as I return.. I miss you all....

Accepted.....

So after a game of deal or no deal we have accepted the latest offer.. We will close on March 21 or 24 the date is to still be determined. I am hoping everything goes through smoothly! Please keep your fingers crossed. My Trip recently to Utah was a bit blurry! Time just flew by way to fast. Between my niece's baby blessing and My Grandpa in laws wedding & lets not forget of course packing there was no rest for the weary! I wish I would of had more time to spend with some friends but I will try to make some time when I come down next week.. yes that's right next week. I am going to fly out on the 19th and will start boxing up everything that is left. Chad and I are going to rent a moving truck and drive everything back here to Oregon where it will remain until we buy our next house!
Things are really good here. I love this town. I have a BIG Interview tomorrow. This is the one I have been waiting for so hopefully I am what they are looking for! I will let you all know how it goes.
I have to share a funny story about my oh so "Hilarious" daughter. I asked Chad to rub my shoulders for me after our long trip Sunday from Salt lake. He rubbed my shoulders for about 60 seconds and was finished. Gracie came over and said to him " Do what you told the man you would do when you married her!!!" Seriously I have no clue where she got that from but it was so funny!!! I Love my Family!!!

Offer.......

So we got an offer on our house! I know exciting isn't it! I am going down to my father in laws shop to pick up the fax and make a decision. I think we are going to accept it. It is not far from what we were asking and truth be told it is so stressful being here and having the house there! I will keep you posted..

All is well. Chad is up in Portland all week for a class he is taking to get certified in Welding Inspections. I am still looking for a job. I think the offer on the house came at the perfect time. This way I can get house things taken care of if I need to. Packing should be a blast!

I got Grace signed up for a "Hip Hop" dance class. She starts next Thursday! She is pretty exciting. I will definitely take pictures and post them. Look out "Beyonce" !!

I hope all is well...

Hunting Show Expo

So it's that time of year again.. & again & again... The HUnting and Fishing Expo! I seem to get invited to one of these about 3 or 4 times a year. And to my suprise I moved to Bend JUST in time! I do have to say these expo's are the icing on the cake, for my Husband that is!! Gracie even got to miss school for the opening day!

One great thing they did do at this expo for all kids 12 & under is they gave away free life jackets! I really thought this was a great idea. They also put the kids in a boat and taught them how to be safe. We took 2 of my Nephews (pictured with Gracie)with us so they could get a free life jacket and we had a great time.

This is all that is new around here. Chad is out of town for a week and I will be back in Utah next weekend for a few days! I hope all is well with all of you...

Our new Company.....

This Entry is strictly for Cami, Kacee, Heidi, Shamo and all of you other "Twilight" lovers!!!

So Edward and I were driving around Bend, Oregon & decided how better seal our commitment than by starting our own Company, So Ladies here it is (see picture above). Edward is no longer residing in Forks Washington but now a current resident of Bend, Oregon....Please come visit...

2nd 1st day of Kindergarden....

Yes, she was nervous! But she made 2 new friends a girl named "Natalie" & a boy whose name she forgot... She said at recess the boys were chasing her and her new friend and they couldn't catch her because she is too fast! That's my girl.. Stay away from boys they are nothing but "TROUBLE"......

What a Beautiful Place...

What a Beautiful place.. Bend Oregon... Please come visit!!!!!!!

Hello From Oregon.....

OK I'm sorry it has taken me a few days to blog. It doesn't mean I don't miss any of you... Things are O.K. We made it safely to Bend, Oregon on Sunday.

I got Grace registered for Kindergarten and she actually won't start until this coming Monday. Her school, which by the way is twice the size of her old elementary is really nice. Grace has become accustomed to not going to daycare and insists that she can just stay home after school. I try to remind her she is 6 not 16!

I have been in Bend for 6 days. I want to point out it has not rained or snowed 1 time since I have been here. This I could get used to! I have applied for numerous Jobs. I am hoping in the next week I can find something! Keep your fingers crossed.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers and I promise to write more this weekend...
Peace out-
Miss

Last day...

GOODBYE!!!!!

So I hate goodbyes... I am not very good at them... I will be the 1st to admit it.
I am torn because this is a new adventure for our family but I hate leaving my friends and family here in Utah. I hope that all of you keep in touch.
With love always,
Marisa

This is all I have to say!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day.....

Happy Valentines Day!!!! So 7 years ago, my Husband proposed to me! I know what a romantic! I called him the other night and he told me he was going to drive to Utah on the 14th. I said oh Yeah your going to be home on Valentines Day! He said oh is that the 14th!

All I have to say is he better have remembered what today is, or he is going to sleep on the couch!

Carpal Tunnel.................

(Pictured above: Gracie playing "Hit me with your best shot")

I have finally made it through 3/4 of all the songs on medium but there is a problem I think I have Carpal Tunnel. For those of you who didn’t know you have 2 tendons in your pinky but thanks to a car accident back in "95" I only have 1 tendon. It doesn’t really ever bother me, except on a few occasions. 1. When I play Hockey & 2. When I play Guitar Hero.
What’s a girl to do? I know what you’re thinking with all the packing I should be doing who has time to play Guitar Hero!! However Since I will soon be unemployed I really have been thinking about getting back into music, only of course if the Hallmark thing doesn’t work out! I will keep you posted..

Is Hallmark Hiring:

So this weekend I was sending out some Valentines to my Family & it struck my like a lightening bolt, I am in the wrong profession! I seriously should be an Author for Hallmark Cards.
On my Brother Joe's card I wrote: Roses are red, Violets are Blue. Stay off of America's Most Wanted. PS I Love you. Love always Gracie
On My Brother Rollin's I wrote: Roses are red, Violets are Blue. Stay out of Trouble & may the force be with you. Love always Gracie
I know what you’re thinking... Pure Genius! Well I guess if you've got it, you've got it!

Sad......

So only 4 days left of work. I am excited but sad at the same time. I am going to miss my good friends here. I hope they all keep in touch as they have promised to. I still have so much to do before we leave on Sunday! All I can do while sitting at my desk is think about all the packing I have to get done before the Husbands rolls into town Thursday! If any of you have free time between now and Thursday 5pm - Midnight let me know I have plenty of boxes to fill!!

NO Baby on Board....

Ok so sometimes my sarcasm doesn't come across clearly. So let me be clear now!!! "No, we are not planning on having another Baby!!" Chad & I would like to live a little closer to each other (perhaps a little less than the now 678.05 miles) Before deciding to have another Baby. I was just thinking how much nicer it would be to have another tax deduction! Trust me when I say Chad was being sarcastic when he said he would think about it and get back to me!!

I apologize for any false hopes I created! If Chad and I decide to create another "tax Deduction" You all will be the 1st to know!!!

Another child = $

So I have decided, after doing my taxes that I am going to have to have another Child. Seriously I am almost finished with our taxes and I really think this is what would be best for our family. I was a little nervous mentioning this to Chad but to my surprise he said "ok I'll think about it and get back to you" I was expecting the "Hell No" response, needless to say I am happy with his response although I wonder now if there was a little sarcasm in his voice? I will definitely keep you posted....

Build a Bear

( Gracie & Sammy Kate Build a Bear 2008)

Before we had the sleepover, one of Gracies Friends, Sammy Kate took Grace and a few friends to Build a bear. It was a very kind gesture and we are going to miss Sammy Kate & her family very much. They have been Great friends since the day we met them...

Gracie's Going away Party!!!

Saturday we had a party for Gracie & her friends. It was a sleep over. I wanted to get her friends together one last time before we move. Gracie is "SO" excited to move but I don't think she quiet understands that when we move she wont be able to go over to their houses any more. I do not look forward for when that sets in! Not all of the kids are pictured here.. I know what your thinking ....

" What the hell were you thinking Marisa"

I think I ended up having 15 kids over. This is a picture of where they all slept! Yes I had my hands full, But I know it will be a party Gracie will never forget.

Farewell My Friends....

So these are my girls from Crump. We all got together Friday night for my last Dinner with them before we move to Oregon. I am going to miss all of them so very much. They have been great co-workers & friends. Keep in touch.. Word to your Mother....

They could be twins!!!!

Nikolas.. Pipe Down.............

Seriously when your Mom is on the phone, especially with me you need to pipe down. No more of this screaming at the top of your lungs while we are conversing! I advised your mom to give you a little dose of Tylenol to prevent you from these outbursts! Let me know how it works out...

BTW I love you both very much!!!!

Notice...

So I gave my notice today at work. My Last day will be 02/15. I really thought they would have just let me go. It is my curse for being such a great employee! So I have 2 weeks to get things taken care of here in Utah!

Gracie is so excited to move she keeps counting down the days. She misses her Daddy so much!

St. Joseph must still be pissed at me. (Refer to my 1st blog entered) No walk throughs this weekend, Although I was grateful!! Gracie had a going away/ Sleepover party this weekend I would of hated to have to leave the house with 15 kids so someone could walk through our house!

I will post another blog or two later tonight! I know I slacked off, But seriously I was super busy this weekend!!!

Shamo you need to call me!!!

Do you remember when we got to see eachother everyday?
Do you Remember when we dressed up together for Halloween and won the costume contest??
ok that didnt happen.

I havent talked to you for 24 hours! I have talked to your Mother in law 4 times today!
I miss you! Is this how it is going to be when I move to Oregon?
I sure hope not.

Shamo, you too can make a difference!

Miss

My Mom's the BEST!

I love my Mom so very much. For any of you who know me very well know already what a wonderful Mom I have! She always finds just the right way to say something to brighten my day! I got a letter in the mail yesterday (BTW I usually get 3-4 letters a week from my Mom, I know she is the best right!) I opened the letter and $10 fell into my lap not a 10 dollar bill but a 5 & 5 ones, it's like she opened her purse and said "hmmm what can I put in Marisa's letter!!"

I hope that Gracie & I have the same type of relationship with eachother as I have with my Mom!

Repeater

So it's amazing how quickly kid's can pick things up! I went and had dinner with my Sister in law, Kacee last night. She has a beautiful baby girl, Saige (2 months) & a Handsome little boy, Jaxson (2 years). We went back to their house after dinner. I went over to Jaxson to tell him goodnight & I said "Jaxson, whose your favorite Auntie?" His response melted my heart, "Miss is my favorite Auntie!" OK yes I did drill him with this for a little while but I really think he meant it when he said it! Oh How I am going to miss him & of course his Sister and Mommy & Daddy! :(

On another note it is also so amazing how kids pick things up when you don't want them to!
So my daughter Gracie (who I recently discovered has Bionic ears) had a sleep over at her cousins house last weekend. It was brought to my attention when I picked her up the following day that I have a "repeater on my hands!" Gracie's Aunt Audra proceeded to tell me a story...
She had taken Gracie & her Cousins to lunch and evidently Hunter (Gracie's cousin who is 4) was being a little rambunctious and Gracie turned to her Aunt and said "Audra is Hunter Hyper all day, everyday all of the time?" Audra said "Well Yes Gracie he is, why?" (How I wished Audra wouldn't have asked why!!!) Gracie's response not heart warming but gut wrenching " Do you know they have medication for that!"
All I have to say is she didn't pick that up from me... Also All I have to say is I am so grateful Audra thought it was funny!

Hands

I know cute huh...

So since Chad is over 600 miles away I thought it would be cute to make him a cookie and send it to his phone so he would be reminded how much he is loved right?

Instead of the ohh how cute baby, I love you so much! Are you ready... I got "Are those my Mom's fingers? "No they are not silly, I made the cookie for you" was my response! To dig himself even deeper he says " I know my Mom's hands when I see them, They are my Moms!" IS HE KIDDING ME?

I thought about how could I get him back! He makes it sound like it would be out of the norm for me to do something "cute"! So my response I think was classic... In an every so loving manner I typed "Shows you how long it has been since you held my hand"!!!

Relocating

It's about to be a new beginning. A New Moon for our Woolsey Family. My Husband, Chad has been living in Bend, Oregon since August and it has been a long 6 months to say the least! We have been waiting.. and waiting for our house to sell. It reminds me of a song I would like to sing to you.. I of course am going to change the words a little...

"Here we sit like birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness. Here we sit like birds in the wilderness waiting for someone to buy our house!"

Ok after re-reading the above song I have decided it sounds like nothing I had imagined.. Sorry about that!

We have decided the long distance is to much to bare at this point. My daughter and I will be joining Chad in Oregon in February. The next few weeks are going to fly by I am sure. I hope with the interest rates dropping and the nice weather hopefully soon to follow our house will sale by spring.

I buried a picture of St. Joseph in my backyard. ( I know it is supposed to be a statue but I didn't have a statue available) My Mom says St.Joseph is probably pissed at me and he is freezing his A@@ off and that is why the house hasn't sold. If there wasn't so much snow in my back yard I would go bury him back up and bring him inside where it is warm, but truth be told I can't remember what area of the back yard he is in.. I can't afford to dig 50 small holes in my backyard to find him. Hopefully he understands. I hope St. Joseph keeps in mind my devout Catholic Parents who by the way named their eldest son after him. That has got to count for something! (BTW if you have no clue what I am talking about just ask & I will fill you in.. Also BTW The whole St. Joseph thing was my Mother's idea! :)