The Pictures of Explanation

Our crazy wind storm before the snow. Now we are practically buried.

One of my very few Christmas Pictures...I never take enough. I was so tired.

Cora with the Dora Globe.

The Basement, what can I say, its done. We will have to give it color later, but I am so glad and so are the kids.....

The kids room under the stairs.

FINISHED

Dearest Love,

Thanks for spending the entire last month working your butt off in the man cave. You stayed up so many nights until 2 am and later, so that we could have our basement finished by Christmas Eve. You bathed in paint, calked with a wierdo, and layed brick at a moments notice. I love you so much and appreciate you "sticking to it" more than you will ever know. I love you.

Love

Me

PS The new office is great and it is even better not having 3 kids in one room anymore.


Dear Blogetts,

I have been on Blog strike ever since the basement started. I hope to see you next year or maybe sooner. However, I am now the mother of 5 and this does complicate things. We took another foster placement on December 12th. I hope the adjustment will be short but I doubt it. This has been another busy year and I have so much to tell you all. Mostly, I love and miss you all and see all the fun things that have happened while I stepped out. I cannot wait to finish catching up. I also hope to get a new page this year because I think my current is over a year old.


Love

Tara

Should have called in sick both days!!!

Here is what I was doing Friday at work!!! That is a 9000 gallon propane tanker on its side with a 4000 gallon pup behind it. The tanker was going from I-80 to southbound I-215 out of Parley's Canyon. It was going too fast, tipped over, took out some jersey barriers, a light pole, and a bunch of those large cement sound wall panels where it stopped halfway in someone's backyard. This is the biggest Haz-MAt incident I have been on and may ever be on.

The cloud is propane and all 9000 gallons slowy leaked out. Thousands of residents were evacuated, freeways were shut down for 12 hours, the driver was hurt (I can tell you how it happened if you call me-you won't believe me!!) but survived, he was rescued by first arriving crews.

I was involved in a lot of research, hands-on monitoring, damming, more air monitoring, overseeing the uprighting of the tanker and much more. It was awesome and maybe the scariest, most nerve-racking thing I have ever done. I learned a lot and fortunately the thing never caught fire and everyone went home at about 1 a.m.

Some fun stuff-Propane has a boiling point of -40 F and the outside temp was 50 F. There was a large pool of propane under that cloud that was boiling-one of the coolest things I have ever seen. There was also a ring around the pool that was freezing the ground and building up frozen propane. I could write so much more but just feast on some of these pictures of first arriving units. (We are across the valley and the guy was rescued just as we were arriving). It was very surreal to say the least.

These are the guys who rescued the driver-Crews from Stations 112 and 106!!

Our (Station 109) engine and Haz-Mat Rig

This news story shows some of the stuff I did. I was one of the firefighters in gear by the tanker in the dark pictures. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4863887

Statement from LDS Church ....

LDS Church issues response to Prop. 8 vote
November 5th, 2008 @ 1:03pm
Statement from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Since Proposition 8 was placed on the ballot in June of this year, the citizens of California have considered the arguments for and against same-sex marriage. After extensive debate between those of different persuasions, voters have chosen to amend the California State Constitution to state that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Voters in Arizona and Florida took the same course and amended their constitutions to establish that marriage will continue to be between a man and a woman.
Such an emotionally charged issue concerning the most personal and cherished aspects of life — family, identity, intimacy and equality — stirs fervent and deep feelings.

Most likely, the election results for these constitutional amendments will not mean an end to the debate over same-sex marriage in this country.

We hope that now and in the future all parties involved in this issue will be well informed and act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different position. No one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.
It is important to understand that this issue for the Church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage — a union between a man and a woman.

Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.

Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever be involved in politics when moral issues are involved. In fact, churches and religious organizations are well within their constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral and ethical problems facing society. While the Church does not endorse candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on important issues.

Before it accepted the invitation to join broad-based coalitions for the amendments, the Church knew that some of its members would choose not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society.
Even though the democratic process can be demanding and difficult, Latter-day Saints are profoundly grateful for and respect the ideals of a true democracy.

The Church expresses deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the many Latter-day Saints and others who supported the coalitions in efforts regarding these amendments.

Dirty Politics

PROP 8 Video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7MPUfGnH5o


GRRRRRRRRR...Of course everyone always has to pick on the Mormons. They are not the only support group involved, but always the ones that are picked on. From the beginning of existence the Mormons have been slandered. I guess that's what makes us a strong minority. Why should I be surprised? Funny that the minority groups always complain about someone else not accepting their beliefs. They think their the only ones who have have a different opinion about life. They never seem to be able to respect that someone else may have a different opinion too. Doesn't it seem backwards.

Why Obama Rumors Scare Me...

So, here is the latest things that bother me about committing to Obama. (although I do think he would be better about taking care of the poor)

Who paid for Obama's Harvard Education?

Who were Obama's foreign college roommates?

What is the truth about his birth certificate?

Anyone know about this stuff?

Go to this link

http://smithfiles.com/2008/09/22/who-paid-for-obamas-harvard-law-education/

Hike in the Sierras

We went on a beautiful hike with the Reillys when a few days ago and my camera battery went out. So stay tuned because Hilary has all the pics in her camera. Cora and Finn are so cute together. I love that Cora has such great cousins. Aidan is way up in a tree...check him out.

I saw Sarah Palin

So, I am in Reno right now and I dragged Becky with me to see Sarah Palin campaign.
We were there at like 7:15 and she didn't speak until 9:40. It was a long time of giggling and saying how much longer. I really hope they win so I can say I saw the first female vice president speak in person. I feel like this was a life time opportunity and I am glad we went. Don't we look so patriotic. Hehehehehe

Broken Washer in Reno :(

This post is for the daughters....I just had to get a picture of Becky going to the laundry mat with all her carefully sorted laundry. It was quite comical and really a pain. However...today the new washer and dryer arrived and life is back to normal. (whatever normal is around here)

And the trip to Reno begins....

I snapped a shot of Jonas and Cora in Elko. It was 2:30 a.m. and Jonas was so glad to be in a bed. He rolled right over next to Cora. Cora is not so sure about it, but she tolerated it.

We Started The Basement! Hooray!

Hopefully we will be done just after Thanksgiving. We are building a large family room, playhouse under the stairs, and big bedroom for C. She is so excited.

Our favorite part...the demolition of the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

Cora Can Read!

So the preschool teacher told me a few weeks ago that Cora was already reading. I was like uh huh. Then she read the cereal box to Will one morning. Before we knew it she was reading Dick and Jane. I am in total shock. Some kids just "get it" I guess. I am so proud, so I had to brag that my 4 year old reads!

EXCITED fOR HALLOWEEN!!!

hERE IS iLA LAST hALLOWEEN, mY LITTLe "PEA IN THE POD" (THANKS fOR FIXINg IT uP cc) i DON'T GET EXCITED ABOUT TOO MaNY HOLIDAYS, BUT FOR sOME REASON i AM THIS YEAR. mAYBE BECAuSE I GET TO SPEND IT wITH THE fAMILY. mY JOB HAS REALLY HELPED ME AppRECIATE MORE IN LIFe. tARA IS PROBABLY tHINkING "YEAH RIGHT". i JUST DON'T aLWAYS HAVE MY EMOTIONS ON MY SLEEVE. lOVE AND MISS YOU gUYS. sEE YOU IN THe MORNINg.

dADDY

Overscheduled

I was talking to my sis a while back when I had just added two kids to my family and took in my cousins kids. She mentioned how she thought she liked the chanllenge of increasing her stress level to see how much she could handle and I thought..yeah that's kind of what I do. Somehow I think I thrive off of living in chaos. I must because I never change it. Let me explain. Everyday I think my to do list will get smaller and it keeps getting bigger. With in the last week

-prepared and taught lesson in relief society
-watched my friends kids and fed them dinner
-agreed to be the fostercare facilitator for my area
-completed structured training in Ogden (1.25 hours away)
-sold my neighbors kittens so they wouldn't dump them for the third time this year, only 2 left
-transported kids all over utah (this is not abnormal)
-worked my butt off to get some body work done on the van so we can sell it
-finagled my finances so we could buy my sisters suv if we need to before the van is sold
-brought food to my family dinner
-bought more trees
-planted more plants
-made up house rules, chore charts etc
-protested my property taxes
-started my basement plans and working on financing costs
-had to fight with picture lady about my kids headshots because she took them at noon
-take baby to 18 month
-take kids to dental check
-get my ring fixed, and have to argue with them that the ring was a poor design...to get it right
-grocery shopping, pay bills....read my kids books, return the books, rent a movie, return a movie....you get the picture

When does life ever slow down...Why is life so busy....Do you guys feel that way lately? Good thing I am going to Reno in just 2.5 weeks for a vacation.

Body Worlds

Last weekend, Will and I went on a double
date to the Body World exhibit. It was so
amazing. If this ever comes to your town, I
definitely recommend it!

The Month of Visits

The first weekend of the month we were so luck to have Philip come and visit. He was great t0 help Will plant some trees and help us with our never ending side yard project. We went out for Chinese and Will and Grandpa took the kids to the family fun center. Ila even learned to say grandpa.

The next weekend Ross and Toby came. We kind of hung around and just enjoyed one another's company. Ross and Toby also got to go to Chinese. Now that we taught them how to make Salt and Pepper Chicken, it is our new favorite place.

Miracles Do Happen

So, after praying and searching all day...I finally accepted that I wasnt going to find my diamond. I even called the insurance company and made my claim. However, as I was sitting down to read the kids their bedtime story I saw something gleam in the corner of my eye. Sure enough I looked a little closer and there she was right next to the entertainment center. A true needle found in a haystack. Just 11 minutes shy of a 24 hour period of lost I found my most sentimental item of my life. My precious diamond. Thank you God for answering the prayers of C, Cora, Jonas and me. Just when I was starting to think "Tara you don't deserve this miracle" God blessed me again. My tiny seed faith has grown huge today.

Warning...this is getting churchy!

So my blessings of the month!

Lost Diamond Found!
Baby Sitting Job Over!
More training for C...done by the end of the month!
Transporting C...the UTA pass came Monday.
Paying for Preschool...Will starts IHC job on the 19th.
Period Came. Hooray!

Conclusion God knows me and knows me well .

LOST :(

I got in the car last night and realized that something felt funny about my ring. It had turned over face down. Well, I went to turn it over and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! My diamond was gone. I cried and cried last night to my dear friend Chelsea on the phone. As we morned together about my lost diamond she told me to pray. I have prayed and prayed but somtimes you don't feel like you deserve a miracle when you have been yelling at your kids all day. I was not the best mom yesterday evening and now I am supposed to ask God to help me find my diamond. Well, I feel awful and my faith in finding the diamond is very small. But, I know that it will only be by some miracle if I find it. So, here I go...a little more repentant and a little more faith and I am hunting for one of my very few sentimental items in my life. It brings back so many memories and I am just sick!

Let's Beat Up Dad

This is just your typical day of Dad getting home. It is so funny how one person can intensify the house so much. Maybe some psycho...I mean some therapist can explain why my kids are so aggressive with their Dad. As you can tell they seem to get an adrenaline rush from hurting him.
Even little Ila wants to do it.

Day of Anxiety

Okay so in about 4 minutes I am having 11 friends over for BUNKO! This has been a long time waiting...I made Will paint the entire house and take the kids off my hands for the evening. He has been a total gem. He even bailed me out when I burned my rolls this afternoon. Thanks Will and wish me luck! Hosting things and feeding a lot of people can truly wear one out.

All By Myself

Cora's First PB & J. Ila's first wall art...good thing for paint.

Before After








So I had my first too.... accept mine was a horrible accident

PS It is never a good idea to lean over the trash can when cutting hair.

Big Mistake equals....makeover for Mom.

Thanks to my photographer, Cora.

Ila Going Down the Big Slide.

Deer Creek

This was our last big family gathering before my Brother moves back to North Carolina. We are so happy they came for the summer. Cora is really going to miss her cousin. They have been side by side all summer.

Our Hail Storm