Christmas 2010

I am a lazy blogger so this post is a little late. We had a wonderful Christmas. I still love keeping our tradition from growing up of opening our pajama's on Christmas eve and my kids enjoy it too. Santa Claus went a little crazy for Rayden again this year, last year he brought him a real Bow and this year he brought him a real electric guitar (Fender Strat) with an amp, gig bag, strap, and pics & extra strings, what a spoiled kid he is. Ryan got Lego Harry Potter the video game, Oopa got a Bumble Bee Plasma Cannon, he asked for a Bumble Bee Blaster but unfortunately that got discontinued and replaced by the Plasma Cannon, luckily Santa was smart enough to figure out what the replacement was. Soren got Princess dresses and presents because that is what she asked for. She also got this cool toy called Hide and Seek JOJO, it is a little bunny rabbit on wheels with a sensor that seeks a little carrot that the hider takes with them, the bunny puts it's ears over it's eyes and counts to 10 then seeks, it is really cute and when it finds the hider it does a little dance and says hooray, yipee. Ryan got some earings and nail polish and a 3D art set, Rayden got some instrucional books and dvd for guitar, alex got LEGO Star Wars the video game and a Bumble Bee action figure, Iron Man action figure as well as a pillow pet. Ray got some new Sketchers boots, a robe and a book of mensa logic puzzles. I got a new curling iron, brush and a very fancy 72 piece dishware set, all white with accents around the edges, I love them. We loved all of the cards from family and officially congratulate Rochelle and Scott on their pregnancy, we also enjoyed our puzzle from Mom and Dad, it will give us something fun to look at while we walk on the treadmill, and the kids loved their books. We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and wish you a happy new year.

Kidney Stones and studying.

Yesterday Morning around 4:30 AM as Ray was getting ready for bed, he started having a sharp pain in the bottom left side of his abdomen that spread around to his back and down to his groin. It was causing him quite a bit of pain but he was able to lie down & fall asleep for about 20 min, then he woke up rolling around in pain barely able to move and feeling nauseated, he went into the bathroom to throw-up. I went in to check on him a few minutes later and he was still rolling in pain and nauseated but had not thrown up yet, we decided he needed to go to the ER. When we got there he was in so much visible pain that they took him straight back and did a ct scan. He has a great big kidney stone, they are not sure he will be able to pass it on his own, they might try to break it up with ultra sound waves or he might have to have surgery, we will know after his visit with the urologist. Poor guy!!!

On a healthier note, I went and spoke with an academic counselor at SLCC about starting classes and whether or not I should enroll in the Materials Science Engineering program through SLCC and get an Associate of Pre-Engineering (APE) or get my Associate of Science (AS) and then enroll in the Materials Science Program at the U of U, both options have advantages and disadvantages. If I get my APE, which is designed for a transfer to the U of U, then I wont have an AS and may not be able to transfer my credits to any school besides the U of U, but the APE also has reduced General Education requirements so I wouldn't have to take some of those pointless classes people have to take just to fulfill their credit hours, plus I plan on transferring to the U of U anyway so I don't really know that it would make much difference to me that other schools may not accept my credits, I am new to this whole college deal though so People who have done this please feel free to offer advice. Anyway I have been studying like crazy and have this whole upcoming week off to continue studying for my accuplacer exam which I will take on the 6Th of December and then register for classes on the 7Th. Scary and Exciting all at the same time.

So please wish us luck as we strive to pass tests and stones.

Random Stuff

I love the fall colors and the cooler weather, it signals that my favorite season of the year is coming, WINTER!! Time for snow and turtlenecks and sweaters and I know I am jumping ahead a little bit but the cold in the night air when I am going to work and in the morning when I get off of work has the smell of winter.

It is very strange working while everyone else is sleeping. While I am in the Fab I don't really notice it because of all the fluorescent lighting and the fact that there aren't any windows, but it is very different when I leave for break and the streets are abandoned and it is so dark outside. It has been an interesting adjustment to make. I am enjoying my new shift, everyone has been very welcoming and I am having fun learning new things and having more responsibilities.

Colton is taking basketball at school and he has not really been very athletic in his life, besides wrestling, so it is a challenge for him, I offered to practice with him, I love basketball.

Some of my favorite memories are of my family having Bar-b-ques every summer and playing b-ball in the driveway. I miss that. We need to have a family reunion that is all bar-b-ques and basketball and some middle of the street football. Oh and we can't forget a friendly game of Mario-Kart 64. We also need to have a snowball fight where I start crying because my "sock" gloves aren't keeping my poor little hands warm enough so I have to go in and run my hands under hot water every 10 min, then Rochelle can call me a big baby and write "Brit stinks" on a wall somewhere, and then we can roast some marshmallows and gummy bears and sit so close to the fire that someones shoes start to melt, while we all laugh at the same old stories that we tell every time we all get together, jeez I miss my family. I wish we weren't all spread out so much and so busy in our own lives that the only time we all see each other is at a funeral. I love and miss you all!!!

Promotion!!

A few weeks back I applied for a new position at work, it is a lead position over four different areas in the fab. I was hopeful that I would get one of the eight positions but after finding out that 29 people, all with more years of experience than me, had also put in for the jobs I was a little worried.

Today the official announcement was made so I am excited to tell everyone that I got the job!! Hooray!!

The following is the e-mail that was sent.

Salt Lake Employees,

Recently, eight Production Fab Specialist openings were posted. After going through an interview process, the following individuals have been selected:

Photo/Etch
Diffusion/TF/Implant/Epi
Backmetal/Backgrind/CMP

Shift 1

Britteny Eggertsen
Becky Skola

Shift 2

Ponn Srey
Wes Howard

Shift 3

Tyler Socwell
Jeremy Hunt

Shift 4
Zach Davis
Kristi Miller

Please join me in congratulating and supporting these individuals in their new roles.

Regards,

Ken

The only downside is that the shift that I got is a graveyard shift, so that is definitely going to be a big change and will take some getting used to. Other than that I am super excited. I start on Monday so wish me luck!!!

I can't believe I'm 30

I recently celebrated my 30Th birthday and I still don't feel like I am as old as I am. I remember when I was little thinking that 30 was old, now that I am 30 I don't feel old but I still have it in my head that 30 is old. I feel like I have to grow up now.

I got a new bike for my birthday because I want to lose weight and I feel like an easy way to do that would be to start riding a bike to work everyday, I only have a few months left before the weather will make it difficult but a few months is plenty of time for me to lose 30 or so pounds, right? I did a test run after church today and it took me 14 minutes to get there, not bad because I expected it to take 30, I hope to get to a point where I can do it in 8 minutes, maybe after 30 pounds of fat are gone I will be able to, anyway here are some pics of my pretty new bike.

New Apartment

So Ray & I are in our own place again, thank you so much to his parents Ryan & Suzan for putting us up and putting up with us for so long, we love you guys.

Mom requested a virtual tour of the apartment so I went through and took a whole bunch of pics, sorry but none of my bedroom yet because our mattress that Kimi & Jesse gave us is a king and the bedframe the Ryan & Suzan gave us is a california king and they don't fit together so my frame is set up and my mattress is on the floor and it just isn't pretty yet. I will say that I have a master bath and walk in closet and will post pics as soon as we figure something out.

anyway, on with the tour.

The Living Room





My couches look orangish on purpose that is why we bought them, the actual color is called taos brown but they kind of have an orange tint and I love them.

The Kitchen





The kitchen is kind of tiny, but the bedrooms are ginormous so I guess it is ok.

The Dining Rooom






This is our new dining set that we bought from a very nice couple that we found on ksl.com classifieds they also through in the entertainment centers on either side of the tv in the living room.

Hall Bath





The Boys Room





The Girls Room





The Laundry Room




Thanks to Pat for the super nice washer & Dryer you are the coolest, you can be expecting your thank you brownies soon.

Well that is it except for our bedroom. I hope you like it Mom

We would also like to thank every one for the birthday wishes for Ryan, she had a great day at Chuck-E-Cheese with her siblings even though Alex and Soren are scared to death of Chuk-E. Colton and I were talking about it and thought what the heck is that big Italian guy doing with a giant mouse, duck woman, dog and some kind of purple hairy monster and we decided that the whole thing is his acid trip. Any way she had a great day and we cant believe that she is 10.

Oh btw Kimi, the answer to the question you asked yesterday has changed to a yes, hehehe!!!

Back to School!!

So I have decided I am going back to school. This is a big step for me because I am scared to death to take math classes again. I have always sucked at math and it is a huge part of the degree I am seeking. I am going for my Bachelors in Materials Science Engineering. I am going to have to do the first 2 years at SLCC and then transfer to the U, luckily SLCC's program is designed for a transfer to the U so I should be able to transition easily. The scary part is that this degree requires a lot of math and a lot of chemistry so I am super nervous and excited at the same time. I just finished my application to SLCC and have been studying for the ACCUPLACER exam that they use by going to math.com to study for the math portion. I am actually learning too, how sad is it that I am a 29 year old and I am back to studying how to divide decimals?? I have also found some ACCUPLACER study guides that I am using as well. I am planing on testing sometime in the next 2 weeks so wish me luck. Exciting!!!

10 Years

Remember
"Remember the first flush of love
that drew you powerfully together?
It still feeds the unassailable bond
that makes your marriage so secure.
Remember all the qualities about each other
you found so endearing?
They are still there,
and new ones create sweet surprises.
Remember thinking that this love
would last forever?
Your love has strengthened and grown
into eternal affection and admiration.
Years from now, you'll look back
at this anniversary
and realize you love each other
more than ever.

I know it sounds lame and cheesy, but I still vividly remember the very first time I saw Ray. I thought wow this guy is pale.I remember talking to each other on the phone for about a month before Ray worked up the courage to ask me out. I remember our first date, we went and saw " Big Daddy". Ted and Mark walked up behind us as we sat in our seats waiting for the movie to begin, Ted grabbed Ray at the back of the neck and said "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!". Of course I was super embarassed, Ray was surprised having never met either Ted or Mark. I remember all of our firsts vividly because they were all of my firsts with anyone, First time holding hands, first hug, first kiss, first "I love you!". I remember telling Rochelle that he said he loved me and asking her if she thought that I was in love with him too. Poor guy went out on a limb to say it and had to wait nearly 24 hours before I said it back. Then I remember Kimi saying " When did they start saying that?" I remember deciding that we were going to get married only 3 months after our first Phone call. I remember picking out our rings and then Ray confusing the crap out of me by taking me to riverton music for trombone lessons, I remember thinking what the heck am I taking trombone lessons for. The guy giving the lesson distracted me by telling me that I was doing better than most 4th graders, so I didn't even notice when Ray disappeared, to return minutes later holding a boquet of orange roses and my ring, getting down on one knee and proposing to me. I remember coming down the stairs at the reception center in my white dress, feeling very self concious and then seeing him, I forgot all about the other people in the room and only saw him. I remember him rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb as the bishop read the vows, I remember that my " I Do" was so quiet that the bishop had to double check that I said it. I remember Rochelle crying standing beside me as my maid of honor and I remember Roby saying "Kiss her again." when he didn't feel that the first one was good enough and being completely embarassed when Ray did kiss me again, for far too long than was comfortable in front of family. And then our life together began. In some ways 10 years has flown by in others it has seemed long. The trials in the beginning with Ryan felt like they would be neverending, and then looking back, we recognize how very, very blessed we are. We have the most beautiful children in the whole world (even if they do somewhat resemble Patrick Stewart). Life has definitely had it's up's and down's. We have had our struggles but we are stronger for them. I could not imagine my life any different than it is now. I love you Raymee, Thank you for a wonderful 10 years.

Another Year
Another year to create
precious memories together.
Another year to discover
new things to enjoy about each other.
Another year to build
a life rich in love and laughter.
Another year to strengthen
a marriage that defines "forever."