Death and Birth

I’ve been thinking a lot about the cycle of life and death lately.

One of my co-workers had a 5 month old daughter who recently passed away. I always think of God as being just. Yet I see no justice in taking away the life of a small child, just starting out in life. I know the LDS church teaches that little children have “perfect spirits” and that for some seems to be a good enough explanation. I feel so bad for my co-worker and his wife. This was their first child and they were so excited to be parents. That little girl should have had such a bright future. She was perfect. She had no previous health problems. But one afternoon, her life ended. Abruptly. I have tried and tried to think of something comforting to say. Words are empty and cheap. There is nothing that I can do or say that will heal the wounds that these parents feel from having their daughter ripped from their lives. That pain will lessen over time, but I don’t think it will ever go away completely. If you would like to know more, the family has set up a website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorpaigecosmas

My grandpa passed away at the age of 93, just a few days before his birthday. Grandpa Harris lived a full life. He traveled the world, married the woman of his dreams, had 3 wonderful children, and lived his life to the fullest. He was very healthy until the last few months of his life, when he suffered from some health issues that may have contributed to his death. He lived those last few months in constant pain, so when he passed away it was viewed as more of a graduation or a celebration. Grandma misses him the most but she would not wish him back because of the pain he suffered. You would think, that considering these circumstances comforting words would be easier to find. You would be wrong. Grandma’s only daughter passed away at 8 years old. Grandma Harris has told me that losing her husband has been more difficult than when her daughter died. When her daughter died, she still had her husband there for her, but now her husband is gone and she feels all alone.

P.S. If you’ve read all of this and are wondering why the blog post is titled Death and Birth… I’m pregnant.

Modest is Hottest

I was stoked when I stumbled upon The Shabby Apple website! It’s a small company based out of Utah. They sell dresses, workout clothes, kid’s clothes, and jewelry.

Not only are their clothes modest, but they sell dresses for maternity and plus size ladies. It might be a little pricy for some people, but a good dress is totally worth it!

This is from their website:

"After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable (without wearing a tank top, cardigan or long slip), owners Emily and CK decided to do something about it. They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren't buying the right dresses, but that designers weren't designing them. Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else. A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!)."

I know I’m not the only one who can relate to that. It’s so hard to find dresses that look good but that cover you up appropriately.

Ok, now I feel like I’ve endorsed this store enough. If you like modesty and you love pretty clothing then go check out the website yourself.

http://www.shabbyapple.com/

Last weekend Thomas, Lydia, Josh, and I went to the Renaissance fair. It was like a Medieval shopping mall. At the entrance to the festival, there was a shop that you could rent medieval clothing (next year, I'm so doing it). They had all sorts of craftsmen, like potters, dressmakers, falconers, and a glass blower. There were storytellers, acrobats, magicians, knights, ladies, and even a royal court. We went to a jousting tournament. Each section of the stands had a particular champion that they were supposed to cheer for. Our champion was EVIL (so of course, he didn't win). Another fun thing that we did, was go on a Elephant Ride! It was really short but fun! Elephants have very rough skin, it kind of feels like sandpaper. They also had some 2 hump camels that you could ride. I didn't expect to see things like that in the European middle ages. I also got to see a PBR (Professional Bull Riding) event. The show was fun to watch, BUT pre-event was not so great. I got lured into passing out fliers for a Baptist Church meeting for bull riders. What is that you might ask? Thomas and Josh are creating a website for Riding High Ministries; it's the parish for the PBR League. One word: AWKWARD!!!! Yesterday, Thomas and I found a great bike path that's right by our house. It leads straight to a park with a lake. The lake has a rental shop where you can rent paddle boats, tandem bikes, and fishing gear. We brought the dog with us. Tarzan loves bike rides; he gets to run next to the bike, and when he gets tired, he rides in the basket.

Bananarama!!!!

Today is the best day ever. While walking through the mall, I found a Runt's candy dispenser - with ONLY BANANAS!

Saying a Thousand Things

I lost my camera a few months ago. Fortunately, I found it this weekend, so this is my VERY LATE post to update my life.

In November, Holly and Blake played in a national tennis tournament in Tuscan. We got to have breakfast at IHOP with them. They're always a good time.

In December, I decided to create homemade Christmas presents for my family. This one I kept to decorate our front door.

Also, in December, Thomas and I were able to go home to Idaho and visit family. It was so much fun. This photo was taken on a sleigh ride!

In January, we signed a lease on our new apartment. It's been a good change for us (and I just love having a second bedroom)

And finally, in February, my parents came to visit. We got to go to a PGA game and it was a blast.

I've skipped over a lot (the temple, Valentines Day, Tom's parents visit, the Phoenix Open, and more!) but this is what I have pictures of.

Change

Even though I'm aweful at updating my blog, I still think it's fun to have one. This weekend, Thomas and I started a new project. We're going to create a unique layout for our blog. I'm doing the artwork and Thomas is doing the computer coding. Here's a preview:

I like to move it, move it!

I have the moving bug. I have moved 19 times in the past 10 years - and now I'm about to make it an even 20.

Thomas and I gave our two month notice to our apartment management today. Our lease is up in February and we have decided that we hate commuting. We're going to be moving closer to the downtown Phoenix area.

I am pretty excited about the move. It's a little bittersweet to leave our current apartment. I have really like it, but I am ready for a change.

Our current apartment was built about 3 years ago and is considered a luxury apartment. Rent is about $880 a month. My daily commute to work takes approximately 50 minutes each way. These are some of the great things that I will miss about our apartment:

• Ice maker in freezer
  
• Garden tub
• Crown molding
• Close to shopping and freeway
• On site pool, gym, dog park, barbecue grills
  

And this is our apartment floor plan -
The apartment that we are moving to was built in 1981 (it's older than I am!). Rent will be around $680 a month. My daily commute will take approximately 15 minutes each way. These are the things that I am looking forward to when we move to our new apartment:

• Two Bedrooms
• Two Bathrooms
• Pool
  
• Close to work and freeway
  
• Golf course view
  

This is the floor plan of the apartment that we will be moving to (I created this floor plan using Paint, so it may not be quite accurate) -



With this tough economy, it will be nice to save some money on gas and the lower rent price. But the best part is that we will have a guest bedroom!



Consider yourself invited to come and visit!