Breaking the Silence

A few weeks ago in a conversation with my Father-in-law, he pointed out that I haven't written a post in some time. Many of you know that it has been a VERY challenging couple of months for Jake and I. But before I get into that, there are some good memories to share.

Reviewing the blog the other night, I was surprised to find I haven't written about the newest addition to our family - our dog Bear! He is the love of our life, our baby! Yes, we call him "Baby Bear," "Baby- Boo" and we even refer to each other as "Mommy" and "Daddy." Yep, we're THOSE kind of people. We even took two recent family photos along with Bear. :)

As much as we love him, he definitely challenges us - particularly in our patience. We have found that we're not as patient of people as we once thought we were. But he is so much fun to have in our home. He started out as an EXTREMELY anxious dog and has made so much progress in the three short months we've had him. We love to watch him chase his toys, play tug-of-war and even sleep. We've become some of those people that can only talk about one thing - since we don't have kids yet, that would be Bear! 

In an effort to keep the rest of this short but informative, here are a few pics and blurbs of what we've been up to the last few months:

My work in Denver somehow got us connected with inexpensive hockey tickets! So naturally we had to hit up a Blackhawk's game (Chicago team.) It was interesting sitting in the Avalanche section, but we had a good laugh getting all the strange looks from cheering on the "opposing" team.

This little cutie is one of my nieces. I had the opportunity to go visit my brother and his little family near San Diego, California a few weeks ago. "E" is the sweetest, happiest little girl there ever was! I kept telling her parents she was trouble 'cause hanging with her made me want one of my own! ;)

During my visit to California, we did a little bit of sight seeing in San Diego. This is a Japanese Friendship garden in the middle of the city. I couldn't help but snap a bunch of pics of this gorgeous place!

Visiting the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! It was a bit cold and we had been in the car traveling up the coast for a couple hours, so E's face is pretty appropriate. But isn't she still adorable?!

A street performer on a pier in San Francisco. Yes, he is balancing on a metal ladder, on a stage, juggling, and cracking jokes. One of the most hilarious things I've ever witnessed in my life. Totally made the walk down the pier worth it!

The day after I flew back to Salt Lake from California, Jake and I flew to Denver to officially move all of our belongings back to Utah. After a grueling process, a lot of confusion and stress, we finally made it onto the road. I couldn't believe how blue the sky was on our drive!

Our new townhome (rental) hasn't been without its complications. One day I went into the basement and found a bunch of water. We had just connected our washing machine and evidently it wasn't connected correctly and leaked into the basement... Yikes! Luckily it took like nothing to get it fixed and good to go.

With A LOT of spare time on my hands while I wait for my resume to find the right job, I've tried my hand at adult coloring books. This is my first completed creation. I'm really proud of how it turned out. It's good to have a creative outlet from time to time!

For the past 6 weeks I've been participating in a health challenge with one of my brothers, his wife and her family. It's been amazing to be making simple changes and finding the continued drive within to make healthier choices. My body definitely feels the difference. This pic is one I snapped on an evening walk with Jake and Bear. Feels great to be getting out in the nice weather!

Jake's birthday was just a couple weeks ago. In an effort to keep things simple, I had a friend take this pic of Bear and I to frame for a gift. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. :) 

Lastly, Jake had requested a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream cake for his birthday dessert. I was amazed at how well it turned out! So delicious! 

And that's the last couple of months! As mentioned earlier, we've had a difficult time overall, which stems from the plant Jake ran in Denver closing down. We made the very difficult decision to move back to Logan. I had to leave a job I loved and we've had to make some financial sacrifices because of it. We weren't convinced moving back was the best choice - and we're still not - but it has been fairly good to us. Every few days I go back through all of the emotions of this move - the hurt, the anger, the frustration - and try to make sense of it. It has been really hard to adjust and to maintain a positive outlook, even though I know it will make sense in time.

Then I ran across a pin on Pinterest the other night that really struck home.

I have a lot to learn and a long way to go on this, but I think I'm finally making some progress on these stages. Thank you to everyone that has endured my endless complaining, whining and random ventings about this situation. I really appreciate your patience as I become more accepting and gain more insight in my life. 

Brush With the Law

This morning I came out to my car to go to work and found an unpleasant surprise waiting for me in the parking lot.

... But before I get too ahead of myself, let me fill you in a pre-cursor. Remember that massive snow storm when we found that dog roaming about? JUST before I got home, I slid on some ice into a curb, majorly bending the rim on my right front tire.

Last Saturday Jake and I finally got a replacement part. We were going to take the car somewhere this weekend to get the new rim put on. As you can imagine, the hubcap was kinda hanging off the wheel of the tire with the bent part. So I had pulled it off the car and put it in my backseat to avoid losing it in the coming days.

... So back to the original story... As I'm walking down the side-walk up to my car, I spotted something from a far. Something that looked like a hub cap. Like my hub cap. The one that was supposed to be in my back seat... I was confused...

When I got close enough, I picked it up and sure enough, it LOOKED like my hubcap... I rounded the car next to mine and examined the front tire: all good. Next, back passenger tire:

... And this is what I found...

Yep, that's right. Wheel missing entirely, drum sitting right on the ground... I was in disbelief.

As a bit of profanity slipped my lips and I examined the other side, an on-looker said to me, "Yeah, you didn't see that before?" I informed him I hadn't been to my car the entirety of the weekend. He proceeded to tell me, "Yeah, we noticed it before..." and I can't tell you the rest of what he said 'cause my mind was reeling. 

The kind gentleman broke my daze by standing up from a kneeling position to hand me the lug-nuts he had found under the truck next to me.

I thanked him for the info and started calling Jake. Unfortunately he was already on his way to work and didn't see my 6 or so missed calls until he got all the way there... 

In the meantime I snapped these photos, confirmed the hubcap on the ground was the one from my back tire (not the one in my backseat) and called into work to take the day off. No way I was gonna make it in at a reasonable time with this mess on my hands. I got inside and called the police...

I initially called the non-emergency number. The first recording said if I was reporting a crime in progress, I should call 911. At the time, I thought that might accurately describe my situation, so I did. First time in my life. When the operator realized it wasn't something happening right then, she referred me back to the non-emergency number. After calling them, I was then referred to the website to make a police report... 

Maybe it's all the Criminal Minds I've been watching, but I kinda expected a cop car to show up, along with a Crime Scene Investigator with their fingerprinting kit... But obviously I was pretty off-base. Which in a way felt cheap, unjustified... I know ridiculous. I guess the non-response, coupled with the violation of my car's safety made me feel pretty alone and vulnerable. Not a fun feeling. 

Jake had got my message and called and decided to come home to help me straighten out the mess, so by the time I finished the report, he was home. He assessed the damage, jacked the car back up, put on the spare and moved my car under the carport. Long, boring story short, after another junk-yard run and trip to the tire store, both rims were put on, along with a brand-new tire. The car is now running good as new, thankfully!

It was so weird to actually be a victim of a legitimate crime, even though it was minor comparatively. My sympathy has definitely increased for people that have had much worse done to them, I can't imagine the immense sense of fear, vulnerability and how much major crimes would rock someone's world...

Stay safe my friends.

Dog for 3 Hours

This past Saturday brought a heavy snow storm to Denver along with a little excitement! Jake had his tires replaced at Walmart so I had just taken him back to pick up his car when its tail wagged right past my legs. At first I thought it was a bird... I was so confused as I furiously looked around... Next thing I know, there's a big ole black dog jumping up on me! Hello!

This was THE SWEETEST dog I've ever met. It just happily trotted in circles around me, brushing up against my legs occasionally wanting to be stroked. I stopped in my tracks and looked around for an owner. No sign. No tags. Snow DUMPING down. I realized I couldn't just walk away like my first inclination tempted me to do. So with several prompts, kissing noises and slapping my knees, I was able to coax the dog into my apartment. Yep, hide yo' dogs, cause the snatcher is about!

I grabbed a towel and dried him off well right before he started bolting around every square inch of our 2 bedroom apartment. It was entertaining and yet anxiety-provoking at the same time. What is he getting into? Wow! He can clear the couch in one bound? Not the garbage! Somebody's friendly! After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to sit by me while I stroked him and waited for Jake to get home. He walks in with a bewildered look on his face...

We try calling around, using several different numbers, to contact Animal Control. Apparently they're closed on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m., which I found kind of surprising. I guess I expected someone to be available 24/7. Finally I got connected to the Shelter in Denver and was told we could bring the dog into their facility. Jake picked him up, put him in the back of the car and we made the what-should-have-been-a-half-hour-but-really-an-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive just to find out there was only a Night Drop. Literally a cinder-brick room with one wall lined with locker-like compartments you stick the animal in and leave... Really? I mean, really? Couldn't do it.

I am one blessed woman, with an amazing, merciful husband. As soon as I told him what was inside, he agreed to keeping the dog for the weekend and putting up some flyers to hopefully find the owner. Worst case scenario, we don't find the owner by Monday and end up taking to a shelter after all. Relieved, I climb back in the car and we voyage back into the snow storm, headed home.

Throughout the drive both ways, we both fell in love with this silly mutt. He loved sticking his head out the window despite the cold, snowy and windy conditions. At every opportunity he would try to jump up front into our laps. If he couldn't get through, he'd lay his head on our shoulders. He managed to dodge our attempts to block him a few times and we ended up with a full sized dog on our laps-- sometimes while stopped at a light or when he just needed extra attention and love. S.O. incredibly A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

After another hour and fifteen minute snowy crawl home, we stopped over at PetCo to stock up on food and a leash for bathroom breaks to get us through the next 24 hours or so. We got back to the car and the windows were completely covered in fog. Who knew a dog could fog up windows in 10 minutes?  Haha! He was so relieved we were back!

As soon as we returned to the complex and started up the walk to our apartment, we heard a man calling out. The dog stopped in his tracks and stared at the man across the courtyard. We called out to him and sure enough, it was the dog's owner! So bittersweet! We had really fallen in love and were looking forward to keeping him a few hours and then it was kinda pulled out from underneath us... But overall we hope he is happy in this guy's care.

We absolutely loved caring for a dog for a short time. Looking forward, anxiously, to that time in our lives when we can finally have one of our own!

Catching Up

Well it's been a century and a half since I last wrote. It's been a busy few months!

In November I finally found work in Denver. Yay!!! The funniest part was that I basically found two jobs at the same time. I had signed up with a staffing agency in the area and they placed me at DISH Network doing screening for their hiring process. I really loved it. I loved getting a taste of working in HR, doing phone interviews with people and the people I worked with were awesome.

After a few days of work, I got a call saying I had got a job in Social Work which I had interviewed for about a month previous. What??? Blessings rolling in! But it also put me in a strange spot where I loved what I was doing, but had a chance to further my career... Ultimately I took the new job (higher pay with benefits won out.) I completed a whopping two weeks at DISH, which I felt bad about doing to them, but I think I'm where I'm supposed to be in the long run.

I've been working at North Metro Community Services since mid-November 2014. I coordinate services for people with disabilities. It's really complicated to explain, so I'll just leave it at pushing papers and attending lots of meetings. It's a great fit for me, for now. I love being back in the game of more directly helping people. Admittedly, I was really nervous about working with this population at first. But as I've met more and more of my clients, I feel myself falling in love with their sweet spirits and developing "Mama Bear" tendencies in their defense. I'm so grateful for answered prayers!

Thanksgiving 2014 was spent with my family in Utah. It was a quick trip, but desperately needed. It was fantastic to connect with my siblings and enjoy the meal together. In my adult life, I hadn't figured my family to be one of those tight-knit groups, but this holiday season made me realize that we are... at least more than most. We each have our own lives and honestly don't communicate as much as we probably could, but at the end of the day we have each others' backs. You can pass the "Most Amazing Family" award right on over. :)

Early December marked my brother Reed's sealing to his wife Kimberlee. Such an incredible accomplishment for them. It was such a beautiful experience to see them in the temple, to see how their natures have been changed by Christ, to feel of their powerful spirits. Reed, if you're reading this, I'll never forget that moment we hugged. It was a powerful moment for me where all resentment was simply washed away, replaced by profound love. If any of you have ever experienced something like that, you'll know how special of an experience that can be.

Christmas time was spent with Jake's family. We were really looking forward to getting that quality time we only get once a year. The drive out was a quick 16 hours! The change of scenery was so fun, going from Denver through Kansas and Missouri. The mantra of the beginning of the trip was: "That's Kansas, baby!" with a subsequent high five. Haha. Everything's better in Kansas (compared to Nebraska): there are trees, the rest stops provide magazines for your restroom use and the sunset was epic. Although there was quite the stench in the air from who knows what... haha! We spent the night in Independence, which was really cool to be where there was so much church history. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling the greatest, otherwise we would have done some exploring on day 2.

To avoid a play-by-play, the trip overall was tainted by: car troubles in St. Louis, Jake on antibiotics for Bronchitis, limited time with each member of Jake's family, topped off with food poisoning that lasted from Christmas Eve to two days after Christmas. We fortunately ended the trip on a positive note, getting a good quality day with the Burzlaff clan the day we left. But as we drove away, we both lamented the time lost being ill and not getting quality time as we had expected.

The week after we got back, we flew back to Utah for a baptism of a close family friend/ my "adopted" sister. Truly the most spiritual baptism I've ever attended in my life. I realized a few things about my faith that day and the way I want to teach my children if/when I have that opportunity.

My apologies for the lengthy post. I had intended to share a few things I've learned about life in the past few months... I've been planning to hold back and see what more I learn in the coming year, but recently I have felt passionate about a few things and wanted to break the silence. To save your time and stay true to the original idea, I'll say a few final words that will hopefully suffice:

Respect people's rights to feel and believe whatever they will. Just because their ideas may not be socially appropriate/acceptable, reflect fairness or not match your beliefs, respect their rights. Too often people are forced to conform by laws or social influences. Wasn't this country founded on the concept of freedoms? Stop trying to prove your point. Say your peace, move on and respect others, like your mama probably taught you. 

That's all for now. Thanks for listening and bearing through my reflections.