Ode to Fall!....Well, sort of!

I'm ticked at the fact that it is still over 80 degrees every day, and it's nearly October. What can a girl do to get some Fall around here? I miss the Fall back east. I was so surprised to go to several stores and find no Mums! When I asked the cashiers they gave me a look of near disgust and disbelief when I asked them If their store carried mums. Scoff. "Mums, what the heck are mums," replied one college freshman at Buy Low. "Oh forget it," I thought to my self as I politely thanked him for his time, told him I'll look elsewhere. and left the store.

Costco sold out of there mums in like 2 seconds, but not their pumpkin pie. You better believe I got me one of those ginormous pies of goodness. For me, pumpkin pie definitely equals fall.

I love the colors, the leaves, the chill in the air that I like to refer to as "hoodie weather," the pumpkins, everything! But, this does not mean I like Halloween. It's not my favorite, unlike everyone else I know.
(Bradley at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia
during Fall,2007)

It's a poopy situation, but all is well in Zion!

Well, most of you know what happened, but we're gonna tell you anyway! August 7th was the fateful day. The day that will go down in history as the day the floods came up on 1455 Cherry Lane and ruined most of our possessions with backed up sewer from the city's man-hole. We received a call a few days later explaining that everything was ripped out of our house and we had to go claim what was ours, make a spread sheet of items lost in the flood, and then proceed to move back in all while getting ready for school, working, etc. This experience has consumed our lives for over a month, and I am sad to say that it will continue to do so until the city decides to mail our check!

We lost most of our furniture, pillows, some blankets, shoes, etc. Total damage: $3,1000. How much the city will supposedly reimburse: $2,800. The matching throw pillows we lost for our couch that was discontinued: priceless.

I know it's sounds rather trivial, but I was most upset about losing the throw pillows for our couch. They were beautifully designed, plush fabric pillows that coordinated with our home so well, and now they are gone. I've looked everywhere and found none like them. However, we, rather I, will get over it eventually. Brad just laughed at the fact that I was so distraught over throw pillows. Maybe some other female will understand!?

This process has been a great learning experience for the two of us. We have learned to be served. A wonderful lady in our ward, Sister Burkman, lovingly offered us her place to live while we were displaced for about 3 weeks. She cooked for us, let us do our laundry there, and expected nothing in return. We would continually thank her for all that she did, and then she would explain she was grateful we were in her home because we were a great example for her children. What? Brad and I good examples for someone's children? But the more I tried to see it, the more I realized she was right. We were able to open our hearts to her teenage boys and younger girls. They did look up to us, but we genuinely cared for them. Lesson #2: besides learning to humble ourselves and take service, we can too serve those who are serving us by answering their prayers for their children. We also learned life from a mother's perspective while we were living there. I realized how much my actions hurt my mother while I was growing up. For that, I learned to be a kinder, more gentle person.

Brad and I also learned to rely on Heavenly Father. This was a very tough experience, but we got through it with faith, prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance. These actions combined brought peace, joy, and comfort into our lives that continues to dwell with us. While we are now back in our house, and things still aren't perfect, there is still such joy in our home. I am so grateful to be on this Journey together with Brad. I couldn't imagine going through life, let along this experience with out him.

Last but not least, dealing with the city has taught us patience. We have made several phone calls with no returns. Emails were written to the adjuster and we heard no response. Then, one day this week, he decided to get back up with us and give us the final number for how much money we were going to get back. We were grateful that our stuff didn't depreciate too much, considering most of the stuff was only 3 months old!

Do we want to go through this again, NO! But did we learn a ton and grow a ton and come out of this experience better people, YES!

Maryland, my Maryland!!!!

So, I last left you loyal readers (all 4 of you give or take) with the declaration that I was leaving Utah a week and half early to go back to MD with my amazing wife. Wow, has a lot happened since then. This post will be about our vacation, and the next will be about the fun that was awaiting us on our return.

My vacation was amazing in MD. I was still able to work from home for my one job doing web programming, and I was also worked for dad at a very lucrative wage :) I was rather happy about that. While Leslie was finishing her volunteering at PRMC and working at Fishers, I was working either from my computer or from my parents living room, helping my wonderful mother declutter her office and storage unit, aka the Bermuda Triangle. Life was wonderful.

One of the first places i went to eat in MD was the Old Mill Crab house. Can life get any better? All you can eat shrimp, fried chicken, corn on the cob, clam strips, hush puppies and Maryland blue crabs. Wow. Happy birthday to me!

We took a trip to NY with Leslie's parents and her aunt Jeannie. Again, absolutely wonderful. We arrived in NY at the perfect time, got tickets to a show (Mamma Mia!) right before the heavens opened and rain came flooding down. While in the show it stopped raining, making a perfect day to walk around and enjoy NY. The next day we went on a Water Taxi, where they drive you around the Hudson and you see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge and get to take a ton of pictures from the boat. Then we enjoyed a nice lunch in Little Italy, and even walked through Chinatown. then it was back to the car, and a long drive home from an action-packed 2 days in New York City.

Another highlight of my vacation was my first time surf fishing at Assateague Island. Unfortunately, the surf was too rough for any bites, so we didn't catch anything, but it was way fun. Especially the KFC :)

Towards the end of my sojourn in MD we received a phone call from Barbara Morgan, Leslie's professor she assists and neighbor. (Side note; as I write this me and Leslie finish our small bag of popcorn and I hit a record. only 4 kernals were unpopped and none of the other ones were burnt. go me!) This phone call was not exactly the birthday greeting I was hoping for. We learned that our apartment was flooded with 2 inches of backed up sewage from the manhole in the street. We couldn't wait to get back to Utah. cue the next post....

Distance might make the heart grow fonder...but I CAN'T TAKE IT!!!

As many of your know, my dearest Leslie is away from me. She is enjoying Maryland and having the time of her life learning about Diabetes and education people about how to live with it. She is selling more popcorn on the boardwalk than I will eat in my whole life, and she just loves it. Well...almost loves it. How can you really truly love life when someone as awesome as myself is 2000 miles away?

After much deliberation (nice word, huh?) and thought, I have decided to journey home early. I will more than likely be traveling home on Monday July 20th, exactly two weeks before originally planned. Luckily, both my jobs are very flexible and one of them will even allow me to work from MD.

This has been in my mind for a few weeks now. When we originally bought the tickets, I was staying behind because work required me to do so, however, I quit Brick Oven, and my employers are much more flexible than Brick Oven.

I am fully looking forward to seeing my amazing wife again, and also our families. 4 weeks apart is long enough for me, and I'm pretty sure that we are not planning this long of an absence again. If this happens again, please shoot me.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Founder

While I was having an amazing time in Seattle with the Gottula's, Brad sent me a text that expressed how much he loved and missed me. He also said, "I truly believe absence makes the heart grow founder." My initial thought was, awwwe, how cute! But, then I thought, was he just feed up with me and needed a break to appreciate me more? No, that wasn't the case....well, not for him anyway! Just Kidding! Those 4 days that we were apart were were just practice for a long absence from him while I'm in MD this summer.

Coming home from Seattle and realizing that I only had 11 precious days left before the trip really made me thing how much I am going to miss him. Bad breath and all!! I asked him if he was going to cry at the airport, because I know I am! He said he probably would because he's a big softy. :-)

So, I guess the point of this post is to let the family know that it is really going to suck ( I couldn't think of a more appropriate word to describe how I feel) being away from each other. We love one another so much, and Seattle proved that 4 days was no walk in the park. Help us! Encourage us, take care of my Bradley while I'm gone, and hopefully we'll survive!

Memorial Day

My grandfather was a Marine. My Uncle was a Marine. My cousin was a Marine. My other Uncle was in the Army. Even though they are not in the same branch of service each of them had one thing in common. They served during a a conflict in America. My grandfather served during the Cuban Missal Crisis and toward the beginning of the Vietnam war. My Uncle's served during the Vietnam war. And my cousin went to Iraq. Why should I write all of this? Shy should I care? Why should I let another memorial day go by without thanking them?

To answer question number one, I'm writing this because I think it's important to know the military history of my family. I love history, and this is a good thing to know about each one of them. I care because I have great respect for them. I believe 3 out of the 4 freely enlisted. They wanted to serve there country, they respected this land and the beliefs held in it so much that they sacrificed there time, talents, and energy to defend it.

With all the respect and love in my heart, I thank them for all they have done, along with other soldiers, marines, navy man, and those in the air force. You are my hero's! God Bless America!!!

I Love My Family!

We haven't written in almost a month! How Tragic! So, here is another random update. As soon as we got back from Colorado Springs on May 4th it was time to get to work stripping wall paper off of the three rooms in our new apartment. The little office only had the chair railing or bottom half of the wall covered in wall paper, so that too the least amount of time. By the end of day one part of the kitchen wallpaper was off and the office was done. Day two we ran into some problems with the stubborn wallpaper. The stuff would not come off the walls- so my awesome landlady rented a steamer and Brad and I went to town and had all the wallpaper off by day three. Day 4 we cleaned the nasty walls and determined that the kitchen and bathroom were beyond repair, so we decided to do a light texturing on the wall that is similar to orange peel. Thankfully our landlady's son did the texturing. The rest of day 4 was spent rolling the coats of white onto the little office that was originally pink. Day six was if I remember correctly Sunday- so we took a day of rest, a big nap, and then went to go pick up my mom from the airport. It was awesome seeing her on mother's day. She was a huge help to us! By day seven all the painting, except for the cabinets was done! Needless to say we were tired. But, It didn't end there! We then had to worry about packing up all of our stuff and making several little loads in our Kia and a few big ones in a minivan of someone who was helping us in our ward and in a large dodge truck also generously donated for our use by someone in our ward. Brad changed our light fixtures and plugs because he is an awesome electrician. I am so glad that he is handy! Everything we buy he puts together with ease, and it looks amazing. We still don't quite have everything done- but what we do have done looks great. I owe all of that to my mom. She knows how to make things work and make things beautiful. She also works so hard. I'm sure she'll need a long nap this weekend!

Ok, now that you've been updated, I wanted to write a little something to each of my immediate family members telling them how much I appreciate them. You all have been on my mind lately, so here it goes:

Brad- You're amazing! Everyday I fall more and more in love with you. I am grateful for your patience when I get feisty. I am grateful for your skills, intelligence, and knowledge you have of really practical and important skills. When I married you, I pridefully thought that I was a little cooler on the cool scale than you were. Boy, was I wrong! You are way cool and so much better than me in every way! I can't wait to see what our bright future together will hold.

Mom Little- I'm becoming more and more like you everyday. Some times its scary, but most of the time I'm glad it's happening. I'm glad you gave me your love for people, your desire to serve them, and your excitement for home projects. I'm trying to put others before myself like you do, but I know I have a long way to go. I'm grateful to have you as my awesomely cool mom! Thanks for all that you do for us!

Dad Little- You are an inspiration to me. In school whenever they would ask us to name our hero I would always choose you Daddy. You're funny, smart, and way talented. I'm glad I learned how to sing like you, and I'm also grateful that I got a touch of your sense of humor. I can't wait to spend a little time with you this summer, because that is one thing that I wish I had the most with you- time! But, I know you're busy working to provide for the family. Thanks for being an amazing example of someone who's time is so limited, but you still manage to work, play in the band, and do your church calling with loving service. You're great!

Mom Twining- You are amazing! You're smart, funny, and work really well with children. You are full of goodness- I don't think there is one evil or spiteful bone in your body. You always talk highly of others and I've never heard you speak ill of another person. You serve diligently and love greatly! I love you!

Dad Twining- You are super smart. You are a whiz with technology and electrical work! That talent has been used to bless the lives of the Salisbury Ward and countless others- including my dad who I think electrocuted himself when he was doing electrical work at the house in parsonsburg! You have blessed the lives of others by sharing the gospel with them. Thank you for being a good example to me!!!

Angela- Is there anything that you can't do? You're confidence amazes me! You are enthusiastic and have a great love for life. You are an amazing writer! I am also amazed seeing you be a wonderful mom to Wesley. I know that you take your sacred calling of motherhood seriously, and that is shown in the way your research about parenting and interact with your son. I love you too!

Shane- Dude, I don't really know you too well, but I know your funny and super smart! We really heart our Bowing magnet you gave us our first Christmas together! Thank you for being a great dad to Wesley. I love the picture of your two lounging on the bed watching football- it's sooooo cute!

Kurt- You're talented in so many ways- and you know all of your talents! One thing that I admire about you the most is the way you center your life around the gospel. The gospel is seen in your home when you pray and read scriptures with your son, when you speak with patience, and by the pictures you have to decorate your house. You are a great provider for your family!

Melani- You have so many gifts and skills that I admire. You sew, you cook special food for Kyler, your make your own baby wipes. How cool is that. You have the best smile and a great love for the gospel just like your husband. You guys are the perfect couple! You are a great mother who is keeps the spirit in her life as she parents. And that's the most important thing!!!
Who cares if your kid has a Binky til he's 4?!?! Thanks for being so accepting of me and loving when I joined the Twining clan. I know I'm different- but you love me for who I am, and I thank you so much for that!

Love you all!!!! -Leslie