Bob has graduated! If you want to watch the news and see a video check out this link:
http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/70666087.html

They were missing a piper and the drums. We are very thankful to be through this Academy. Bob got the shift we have been praying for, it will allow him to go to the Phoenix Reunion. Thanks for your prayers.

Love,
Liza

The Kitchen After and Before

This is looking from the kitchen out to the Mud Room/Laundry Room. Bob's office is the door to the Right. The Basement is the door to the Left and the Master Bedroom is to the left of that. There is the Master Bathroom door that has access to the kitchen next to the M. Bedroom door. Here is what the kitchen looked like Wednesday afternoon. It is amazing what someone can do when they know what they are doing. It does look so different and yet a bit smaller since you can't see through the walls anymore. I am very pleased with it all. The kids were amazed too. I think that for the last few months they all described it as our "junky" house we bought. It is going to start looking nice to them and they will be excited to live there.They were playing hide-and-seek.

This is the before. I still have to work on getting them in the right order.

Here is the kitchen when we started. It makes me shudder just thinking of the smell. The kitchen window, I even had to bend over to look out. That is pretty bad.

The wall to the left was removed and those cabinets on the right, the ones you had to walk around to get down the hallway, we moved that wall back so now there is a straight hallway. Those economy grade cabinets will have to go back in for a while. I am looking into the cost of new doors. They are that plastic type material, I am not sure of the name. I tried painting one and it looked terrible. That was after the Kilz primer. Nothing sticks to it. If you have any good ideas, let me know. One person suggested the vinyl siding paint. There is some kind of chemical reaction that makes the paint adhere. We shall see. Maybe we will just take the doors off?

That is the latest update on the house. Now the fun begins...painting. The whole house will need priming. I was trying to tell Bob that now he is on shift he will have more time. Besides, I need to school the children. Unless he wanted to teach them for a while? He loves painting so much. After painting the AZ house he said he wanted to burn the painting clothes. Maybe teaching is more appealing?

I am thankful for...

1. Heat!
I have some great news! The furnace is running, our house feels warm! The best part is that it doesn't smell like a skunk or cat. Just a pleasant sawdust smell that by tonight should smell like drywall. The Electrician shot down that joy a bit by asking me if I had light fixtures yet. So many decisions and not enough money to pay for them. I am thinking harsh, white bulbs in each room.
2. Customer Service
I am not sure if it is the recession or what but I am getting some great customer service. We needed to get some sub flooring for the house. I took the kids, the trailer and off we went to Sutherlands(like Payless Cashways used to be. I love drive-thru lumberyards.) They know my name at Sutherlands. I pulled up for the third time that week and the employees say, "Hi Darlin' what can I help you with?" Then the two guys proceeded to put everything on my trailer and handy Cody put all the straps on tight. I didn't have to do anything besides pay for it.
Then I went to Auto Zone. I was driving Bob's car and his old, dried out AZ wiper blades just seemed to be smearing things around and making it worse as we drove through the rain. I went in thinking I could just look up the make and model but all the wiper blades had measurements. I started to head out to see if I had a tape measure or could take them off when an employee offered to look it up for me. I couldn't remember what year so I asked for a tape measure and one of the other employees headed out and measured them, took off the old ones and since he was looking so handy I asked, "Do you just want to put the new ones back on for me too?" And he did! I love this kind of customer service.
I am not sure if both of these times were because I was a female and they don't get too many in their stores, perhaps it could have been the three kids that are with me? Whether it was pity, great customer service, or just being gentlemen, there are other stores out there that could use this kind of service.
3. Bob Graduates!
Bob is taking his Fire Dept. final today. I think Thursday is the skills test. He takes the state test on Friday. Friday afternoon around 4pm he should be graduating. They told him to prepare for Media interviews. Small towns are great, Bob has been on the news once already. At 5pm was a glimpse of someone that might have been Bob and the 10pm news was an actual interview. One of the other recruits was on the front page of the newspaper for 9/11. We are just not in Phoenix anymore.
His kidney function is back to normal and he took a physical ability test and he did more than he was able to do when he started the Fire Academy. They haven't released him completely to full duty. The Occupation Health Dr. wants to do a test to check and see whether for sure it was Rhabdomyolysis or something else. (A little late in my opinion if he is back to normal function.) They are paying for it so I guess better to check.
4. Technology
The sad news is that the house we bought is very rural. All that is available is dial-up or Satellite. I will have to do more research. We maybe able to do wireless since we are on a hill overlooking the Valley. It is good that I am looking at this stuff because it means we are closer to living there.
5. Reunion
I am looking forward to reunion in Phoenix. You can't even imagine how much. I am sure we will have a difficult time leaving again but we can't wait to see all our friends and family. Most of all to worship and praise the Lord. There is one shift that would allow Bob to be at the Reunion and that is also the shift that is short on Paramedics. I am praying for the "red" shift (They don't do A, B, C like Phoenix/Mesa.) so that Bob will be able to attend. I know he would really like to be there as well.

I have many other things that I am thankful for but those are some of the big ones on my mind right now. I look forward to being able to catch up with all of you and appreciate all the posts and pictures, it is almost like I can see your families grow.

My prayers are with you today as you fast for the Reunion.
Love,
Liza

Meleah's Favorites

I love mommy!

I like swimming with friends.

It was fun at Legoland with Laura.
We fought Darth Vader really good.

It made me tired.

Michelle had a party for me. It was fun. I love her spiral staircase and loft. It is awesome!

Some of my favorite people were there.

We played Mad Libs and laughed so hard.

I have fun with my cousins, really fun with Alex and Aidan and Alli and Me.