Thursday, December 25, 2008

MeRrY ChRiStMaS

We just wanted to wish all of our friends, loved ones, and everyone else a Merry Christmas! We hope your Christmases have all been as wonderful as ours! We went up to Layton to spend Christmas Eve with my family, and then this morning we unwrapped all the gifts that Santa brought us at our house. We've spent most of the day with Dar's family eating food, opening presents and playing the Wii we got as an early Christmas present back in September. This Christmas has been wonderful!

Also, we just wanted to share our good news that Darwin and I both got 4.0 GPAs this semester! We're really excited about it and hope to keep up with our good grades, despite our crazy lives.

Again, Merry Christmas! We love you all!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Little blessings to be thankful for...

The big move was this past weekend, and there were so many things that happened to make the move easier on us. The move went much faster than we expected, and thanks to wonderful friends, family, and a ward full of great young men, we were moved into our new place a whole day ahead of schedule! Here are a few of the blessings we saw that made the move so easy on us:

#1: We planned ahead and started packing early. Our entire spare room was filled with boxes that were ready to be moved out as soon as we got the keys.

#2: We got the keys early enough on Thursday for Darwin & I to move two loads of stuff by ourselves after work, with the help of Jared, Tracee, and Reagan (they're angels sent from heaven, and somehow became our best friends).

#3: Because we were able to get so much moved on Thursday, we were able to finish up moving everything out on Friday, before the snow came on Saturday.

#4: Darwin went slow on the freeway so that the things we didn't have tied down wouldn't fly out of the trailer. I was really nervous about not tying it down, but thankfully it turned out okay.

#5: We were blessed with patience on Thursday night when we went to move our stuff into the condo, and the power had been shut off, so we had to move everything in the dark.

Now for the blessings of being in Springville:
#1: We only live 5 minutes from J, T, and R now, so we all get to save on gas money!

#2: We actually own our own home!!

#3: We get to enjoy some leisure time in our pool and hot tub, and try to get back in shape with the gym we now have access to.

#4: We live closer to Darwin's family as well so we get to help them out more (and enjoy the perks of their huge garden in the summer time!)

Thanks to everyone who helped us move, or even just offered to help. We're grateful everything went so smoothly and that we've been able to get the house in such good order already. We even got our Christmas tree set up yesterday! The decorating will happen tonight :)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Updates

Update #1:
We weren't supposed to close on the condo until this coming Monday (the 8th), but we were able to close on November 21st, just over three weeks early! My mom was surprised because she said closing dates usually get pushed back, not moved forward, so YAY for us! Although we were able to close early, we are actually moving in a few days later than initially planned, which is kind of a bummer. The couple we bought it from did not have a new place lined up and needed some more time to move out (they either have a place now, or they're moving in with family so we can move in). So, being the nice people we are, we let them stay a few more days (we couldn't give them too much time because we now have a deadline to get out of our apartment), but at the same time, we get to charge them rent :) It actually turns out to be a pretty good deal for everyone involved, minus us having less time to move out. We'll still be moved in for sure by next Sunday (the 14th), and we can't wait to get the move over with...mostly because I REALLY want to get our Christmas decorations up!! I am a tad stressed about moving next weekend though, because it's just before my finals. Eek! Here's some pics of us having fun packing :)
Update #2:
I've had my blood tested twice since having my radioactive iodine therapy treatment for my thyroid back in September, and so far only good news has come from it. Both times I had my blood checked the results came back normal, which is AWESOME, because it means that I don't have to go back on thyroid medication!! I have to have my blood tested again towards the end of the month, and the results may change, but for now, no more medication!! WooHoo!

Update #3:
Darwin has nearly completed his first semester of his MS program! YAY! As of this time next week he will have finished his finals and be one semester down with only 5 more to go! Also, by this time in 2 weeks I will have FINALLY finished my Associates degree!! You have NO idea how good it feels to say that! Next step is to push through my BS degree as fast as I can and if all goes according to plan I will graduate Spring 2010, with Darwin completing his MS and graduating Summer 2010.

Update #4:
We had a really great Thanksgiving break that went WAY too fast, as usual. Thanksgiving morning Darwin went to play football with the Young Men vs. the Elders Quorum. He had a blast and came back with grass stains all over the place, but at least he was in better shape than last year. After he got himself cleaned up, he helped me make some yummy Pilgrim hats which I found on this blog. I thought ours turned out really well (although I forgot to take a close-up shot of the ones we made), and everyone seemed to enjoy them!

Dar putting the buckles on our Pilgrim hats.
Dar modeling the Pilgrim hats :)
Every year for Thanksgiving, Dar & I are blessed to enjoy two Thanksgiving meals. This year we first went to my cousin's house to have dinner with my side of the family. (My parents stayed up in Layton and had their own dinner so we weren't able to see them this year.) My three little cousins decided to play "makeup" and I couldn't resist taking pictures of their lovely art work, and I just HAD to post them. These girls are soo cute! I love them!

After having dinner with my side of the family, we went to Dar's parents house and had dinner with them as well. The food was delish at both places and we were so glad to see everyone!

Then, on Saturday I was able to meet up with some old friends I haven't seen for a long time! First, I was able to go see my friend Kate, who I used to work with. Her daughter got married on Saturday and we were able to stop by the reception for a minute before heading to the Gateway to meet up with a good friend from highschool, Melissa and her husband, Kenley. They met us at this yummy restaurant called Z'Tejas. It was soo good to see them after soo long! One of the reasons I love the holidays is being able to see friends and family we haven't seen in a while. This really is the best time of year!!

Kate & Me

The Wife Song

I thought this was a funny song and wanted to pass it along. Thanks for sharing, Devon! We miss you!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A Beloved Apostle

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles passed away last night around 11:30pm at the ripe old age of 91. Elder Wirthlin was the oldest living Apostle. You can see more information on Elder Wirthlin at the LDS.org Website. He was an amazing man, and I absolutely LOVED his last General Conference address titled: "Come What May, and Love It". You can see the entire address by clicking here.

It's always hard for me to see such great men of God leave us, but I think we all knew Elder Wirthlin's time was about up. We could all see the signs during the last few General Conferences. He inspired and uplifted thousands with his talks of encouragement and hope. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin truly was a man of God and will be missed by many.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Most recent Deming family picture

Georgiana, Dad, Mom, Ryan, Kiara, Darwin, Rachel, Travis
Kids: Andrew, Emma, Alli

This was taken on November 1st at our nephew, Andrew's, baptism. We're so proud of you, Andrew! Everyone was able to come except for Andrea, so she's the only one missing. (Thanks for letting us borrow the picture, Travis!)

Friday, November 14, 2008

White Powder--I can't believe this!!!

I got a message to check out the link of a news story regarding a suspicious envelope containing white powder that was sent to Temple Square, here in Salt Lake City, yesterday. About the same time, there was another envelope sent to the Temple in Los Angeles. Maybe I'm a little slow on the draw, but in case you also didn't hear about it, here's the story:

"FBI testing white powder mailed to two LDS temples
November 13th, 2008 @ 9:38pm

Team coverage

A letter containing white powder was discovered at Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City today. The scare shut down a temple annex building for more than an hour.

About the same time, another envelope filled with white powder forced the closure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' temple in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.

In Salt Lake City, the powder was found by temple workers this afternoon. FBI agents took the powder immediately, and tonight it's at a lab somewhere in the valley, being tested to determine if it's a health risk.

The first test the powder will undergo is a presumptive test to see if it's a known toxin. "The quickest we can get a turn around is 24 to 48 hours," said FBI Special Agent Juan Becerra.

Becerra and his team want to get the results quickly and report them to the public to calm fears of a health concern, though the health of the exposed church employees who opened the envelope is a positive sign.

"At this point we wouldn't want to venture a guess. Though it seems no one has gotten hurt; everyone seems normal, so there's no immediate health reaction to the workers in the temple," Becerra said.

The three clerks in the office who opened the manila envelope and reported the suspicious powder are home tonight but have been told to call police if they become ill.

Becerra did confirm to us that the powder wasn't the only thing in the envelope. "There was something in with the powder," he said.

But he says he doesn't know what because the powder was immediately bagged up and taken away.

Even if the powder is found harmless, the penalty is still severe. "It is a federal offense to mail something like that. If it's a joke, or to make a point, it is a federal offense," Becerra said.

No one inside of the temple was evacuated. However, no new patrons were allowed to go inside during the investigation. Church officials later reopened the temple to church members.

Also tonight, a white powder was found at a printing press run by The Knights of Columbus in Windsor Locks, Conn.

The Knights are the world's largest Catholic fraternal service, and because the Catholic Church supported California's Prop 8, police are wondering if there is a connection.

As for the tests from Salt Lake's Temple Square, as soon as they're released, we will give that information to you.

Tune into Eyewitness News Today, KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and KSL.com tomorrow morning for any overnight developments."

You can also go to this link to see the video and find out more information. What's scary is that investigators believe the cases are linked (I think it's a little obvious) and that they're related to the Church's stance against homosexual marriage. What is this world coming to??

Homosexual marriage has been a topic of BIG debate all semester for me in several of my classes. I have defended my stand on the issue at every corner, and it has kind of surprised me that there are soo many people in my classes at UVU who have been so rude to me about my opinion and my belief. (I'll spare you the pain of hearing some of the things that have been said to me.) The reason it surprises me so much is partly because of the area we live in. BYU is our neighbor university, and living in "Happy Valley", there are a LOT of Latter-Day Saints, so I guess I just assumed that most of the people in my classes were also LDS and would have similar opinions to mine. Apparently I was wrong and naive. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, nor do I think that's a realistic expectation, but I do expect people to respect my beliefs and to allow me (or the Church I belong to) to voice my opinion with the ridicule that has come with it. This entire situation is so frustrating to me, although I will continue to defend my beliefs on every hand, no matter what. I can just see that our world is becoming more black and white very quickly!! That fact is a little scary for me.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A little Thanksgiving makeover

Hope you like the new, temporary, look! Sorry if some of the songs on my playlist are cheesy, but I really wanted to try to be festive for Thanksgiving. I've been telling Darwin that it bugs me that Thanksgiving kind of gets skipped over...There aren't many fun Thanksgiving songs, so I did what I could; most of them are just about being thankful. There aren't a whole lot of fun Thanksgiving decorations, not nearly to the extent there are for Halloween and Christmas anyway, and I'm definitely behind on my Thanksgiving decorations, but we need to have a little Thanksgiving spirit, right? I really think song writers should start a movement towards writing awesome Thanksgiving songs. We have HUNDREDS for Christmas (wait till you see our Christmas playlist!), a few fun Halloween songs, but practically ZERO Thanksgiving songs!! What's up with that? I think Thanksgiving is just as important as Halloween, if not more, so why don't we have any Thanksgiving songs? I feel like Thanksgiving kind of gets meshed in between Halloween and Christmas. Don't get me wrong, if you know me, you know I LOVE all the holidays, but it would be nice if Thanksgiving was a little more recognized. Any ideas for how to be a little more festive for Thanksgiving?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This is for Ronny ô¿ô



Tribute to John Williams "Starwars" written and sung by Moosebutter. Performer: Unknown.

Monday, November 10, 2008

1 item of good news

Drum roll, please.....
As of this afternoon, Darwin and I have officially paid off our car!! That means 1 less payment a month, but it doesn't make us any richer. If I must remind you, we will now have a mortgage payment, but we're totally stoked about it! Yay for paying off bills, and for being the official and singular owners of our vehicle! Hip! Hip! Hooray!!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Condo Pictures!!!

Our wonderful friend and Realtor, Dan Cavan, sent me some pictures of our condo! Yay! I didn't even think to bring the camera with us when we went to look at it because we weren't serious about buying something this quickly, but when we saw this one we had to grab it! So, thanks for sending the pictures over, Dan! :) The pictures have the current owner's cute furniture in them, but at least you'll get the gist. Let me know what you think!!

Exterior view of our building
The clubhouse
Kiddie play area
Family room/kitchen view
Dining room/kitchen view
Master bedroom
Master bathroom
Bedroom #1
Bedroom #2 (or office :)
Main bathroom

Monday, November 3, 2008

No longer a secret...

I can't keep it in any longer!! We've told several of you already, but it's been super hard to not blog about it because we're so excited/ sad at the same time about our news!! Hopefully by noting the "sad" description of our news, you realized that we are not announcing that we're expecting :) I know so many of you are hopeful about it, but the bun is not in the oven yet. No worries...some day it will happen.

BUT!! Our news is that Darwin and I are purchasing a condo!! Yay! This is a super exciting step for us because we've been discussing the possibility of buying a condo or a townhouse in the next year or so, but we honestly didn't think it would happen this soon. We really feel like this is a step in the right direction, but it's devastating for us at the same time because we don't want to leave the Ward we have been in for the last year and a half. We LOVE this Ward, and we are going to miss it terribly!! We considered not telling anyone in the Ward that we are moving, and just keep going, but after considering that possibility it didn't seem very realistic.

The condo we're buying is in Springville, about a 20 minute drive south of where we are currently living, in Orem. We couldn't pass up this opportunity because we found the cutest condo in the city we wanted to be in, and it has close freeway access (well, not for the next year because they're closing the closest freeway enterance for a year long construction project, but it will be super nice when it's done!). Our offer has been accepted, and our loan has been approved, so now we're just waiting to close on it. Closing is currently set for December 8th. We purposely set it for December so we could push our first mortgage payment back a little bit :), and so we could move and get settled in over Christmas break. For all of you "Wardigans" whom we love so dearly, and whom we will miss so incredibly; we will still be coming to church until the end of this year, and then we'll sadly have to leave and start attending our new Ward in Springville.

I don't have any pictures yet, but as soon as I get some I'll get them posted up. I hope you can all be as excited for us as we are!

Friday, October 31, 2008

HaPpY hALLoWeeN!!


So, one more post for today :D
HaPpY hALLoWeeN to everyone!! We hope you all had as much fun as we did! Unfortunately we were too busy this year to carve as many pumpkins as we did last year (we carved every weekend last October), and Dar didn't even get to finish carving the one pumpkin he started because he ran out of time. Oh well, there's always next year! Here's some pictures of our Halloween fun!

M&M Chocolate Pretzel Treats
Pumpkin patch with McSweeney's
Tracee's sweet pumpkin
My Oogie Boogie pumpkin
Darwin and his mini self at our ward Halloween party
My sweet witch costume, and my creature, Edgar (Eddy for short)
The Phantom
Us with the cutest devil baby, Reagan
Zombie friend, aka Matt Bradley
Darwin & Anna playing "Spoons"

Jaime-Lyn and Sandy, the Swamp Thing
I always wondered, "Can the Phantom drink sprite?"
Jared & Jared
The girls :)
This picture of the McSweeney family is posted for Christy & Jennie, from Tracee :)
Our host and hostess, Matt & Sandy Bradley
Even the kitty couldn't resist dressing up! :)

Thanks to everyone who helped make the Deming's Halloween a wonderful one! Thanks to the Bradley's for hosting yet another wonderful Halloween bash! We had a blast!!

Tagged

I know I've gone a little crazy with all the posting going on lately, but I guess it's my way of procrastinating on my homework (esp. my research paper I have due in 10 days that I haven't even started on yet, yikes!). But...when you're tagged, you're tagged, right? This is for Mel :)

7 Random Things About Me
1- My favorite animals are mooses. I don't know when/why I started liking them so much, but I have my own little collection of mooses. They are the coolest animals EVER!!

2- For some reason when I sleep, I rub my nose in my pillow. I never knew I did it until Darwin told me I did. Since then, I've woken myself up several times by rubbing my nose in my pillow at night. And sometimes, I've found myself doing it unconsciously as I'm falling asleep. I guess my nose gets itchy when I sleep?! Haha.

3- I LOVE watching Food Network!! Ever since I was little I loved watching cooking shows, although I absolutely HATED cooking (weird, I know). Before I got married I would much rather prefer to clean the toilet than to cook. Since getting married though, I love cooking now and I love trying new recipes. I'm working on perfecting my mad cooking skills :)

4- This one is really random, and some of you know this already, but I inherited overly clammy hands from someone in my family (not sure who, but I'm sure it's genetic ;). The thing about it is that for some really strange reason that I have yet to discover, my clammy hands get worse when I don't have socks on. Sorry if it's TMI :)

5- When I was in Elementary school and Primary, people used to ask me to sing solos all the time. I loved singing and was determined to become a singer when I grew up. After one of my friends started teasing me about my voice, I stopped singing in public, or even alone when I thought people could hear me, and I think I've lost my singing talent. I'm definitely not the singer I hoped I would be.

6- I sucked my thumb until I was in 2nd grade. My uncles used to tease me relentlessly, and my parents tried everything to get me to stop. They would put hot pepper nail polish on my thumbs, hoping it would get me to stop, but I would just suck it right off (maybe that's why I don't like spicy foods now though?!). I'm not sure what finally made me stop, but it took me until 2nd grade to do it.

7- I almost didn't graduate from high school. Not something I'm proud of, but true. Because of my chronic foot pain I had to be home schooled for a semester my junior year and semester my senior year. I HATED home school, but didn't really have a choice. I had to do work packets at home, but because my pain was so intense I had a difficult time focusing on anything. Thanks to my wonderful mom and my missionary's (Zach R.) mom, they helped me finish my packets so I could graduate. BIG contrast to my 4.0 gpa in college last semester, huh? :)

I tag: Nicole D., Christy O., Jennie O., Mom, Rebekah, Kirsten, Marci

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Rachel's Challenge

This is Darwin today on this post. I just had to take a moment and write a little bit on an assembly we had last week. It was called Rachel's Challenge. It was an assembly about Rachel Joy Scott, the first person shot at the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. It was difficult not to get emotional at the sad, yet awe inspiring life of Rachel Scott. The motto for Rachel's Challenge is derived from an essay she wrote while a student at Columbine not too long before the shooting. It's title is, "You just may start a chain reaction." In her essay she writes about how if you go out of your way to help somebody else or make someone feel cared for, it can change their lives and it would start a chain reaction in caring for others all around you. Rachel emphasized this greatly in her life by going out of her way to show others that they are important. Once, she sat down next to someone sitting by themselves at lunch and became friends with them. Another time, there were some students picking on another student with physical and mental disabilities. Rachel went in between them, put up her fists and told them if they were going to pick on him again, they would have to fight her.

There were several things mentioned that I found very interesting during the presentation given by one of Rachel's neighbors. He explained and shared some of Rachel's heroins and role models, one being Anne Frank. Found in both of their writings and diaries, they make remarks about loving others, being kind, and all sorts of positive comments on life. It was interesting to learn that both Anne Frank and Rachel Scott died under the influence of the same man, Adolf Hitler. The students who planned and pursued the shooting were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. These two boys, although influence by multiple sources, were also influenced by Hitler's history and Nazi reign. The attack took place on April 20th, Hitler's birthday and 110th anniversary.

As I watched the assembly, I couldn't help but think that Rachel knew something like this was going to happen to her, and that her life would leave a legacy for many to benefit from. At a young age, Rachel traced her hands on the back of her dresser and wrote in the palm, "These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will some day touch millions of people's hearts." This has been fulfilled through the many assemblies and the Rachel's Challenge program that has been established by her father Darrell Scott. She also mentioned to her friends out of the blue about a year prior to the shooting that she felt like she was going to die young. Other comments found in her diary were, "This is the last year. I've learned all I can. Thank you Lord." Shortly before the shooting she drew a picture found on the last page of her journal. It shows an image of eyes crying and as they hit the ground a rose starts to grow. Shortly after the shooting a man that had not known the Scott family had a recurring dream of a beautiful girl that was crying, and when the tear drops hit the ground, something started to grow. He phoned Darrell Scott and told him of his dream. Darrell went to the police station to get Rachel's backpack, that was taken in as evidence of the crime, took out her notebook and found this drawing in there.

Rachel Joy Scott lived a very special life that some of us could only hope to achieve. I'm sure that she will always be missed by her family, but I believe that their faith in the Lord and the knowledge of the type of girl she was will always comfort them. I extend the challenge to you to take some time and learn more about Rachel's Challenge and invite you to accept Rachel's Challenge by 1) Eliminating prejudice by looking for the best in others, 2) Dare to dream - Set goals - Keep a journal, 3) Choose your influences - input determines output, 4) Kind Words - Small act of kindness = HUGE impact, and 5) Start a chain reaction with family and friends.

"The Isty Bitsy Spider"

Did you know? Black widow spiders are considered the most venomous spiders in North America.

I just had to post this picture as proof that we found a black widow spider on our door step about a week ago when we came home from school. Luckily we had sprayed bug spray around all our windows and doors earlier this summer and the spider was nearly dead. My silly husband thought it was cool and kept poking it with his finger, totally freaking me out in the process. I finally convinced him to kill it completely--I know that makes me sound horrible, but the dang thing is poisonous!! This is the first one we've seen since living here for the past year and a half, but several of our neighbors have had them too close for comfort as well. Too bad the apartment owner is too stingy to spray for them. I just hope that it doesn't come down to one of the kids at our complex getting bit before something is done about it. Not a fun thought!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

I Am a Child of God

We had our annual Primary program today at church. I always love watching the Primary programs, but the last two years I have been up on the stand participating in it. It's fun to be up on the stand with the kids, but I personally think it's more fun to sit down in the congregation and watch their adorable faces as they sing and recite their lines. We have such a wonderful ward, and I feel so blessed to work in the Primary and feel the sweet spirit that the children bring to Church each Sunday. The theme for this year was "I am a child of God", and the kids did a wonderful job at portraying that message to everyone in attendance. They put a lot of hard work into learning the songs and at least becoming familiar with their lines, if not memorizing them. I am so proud of the kids in our Primary for doing such a fantastic job with bringing the Spirit into our Sacrament meeting today!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

How Can I Be?...my new favorite song!

I just happened across this song that my friend, Zac, who I went to high school with, sent out over Facebook probably forever ago. I usually don't look at everything everyone sends me on Facebook but I'm glad I decided to check this out. I absolutely LOVE this song!! Maybe you have heard it before, and I'm just a little slow. The power of missionaries singing is just incredible. I think the name of this song is probably, "How Can I Be?". If anyone knows the origin of this song, will you please let me know? Thanks! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!



Here's another version of it, and possibly the author?

Friday, October 17, 2008

Randomness...and loving it!

I'm just sitting here trying to focus on my Astronomy home- work, but missing Darwin already. He left this morning for an overnight camp out with the Young Men in our ward at Goblin Valley, Utah. He'll be back tomorrow, and in an attempt to compensate for him being gone I'm going out with my girlfriends tonight. Sometimes I find myself thinking about the amazing relationship Dar & I have and how extremely blessed we are that we found each other. As Dar likes to say, "we fit together like two pieces of a puzzle". It's hard to imagine what our lives would be like without the other one now. It feels like we've known each other and been together forever, and we look forward to the rest of eternity together with excitement and anticipation for things yet to come.

We have so much fun together all the time! I love the random things that come up every now and then, and how we just like to go with the flow. For instance, last night was totally random. We fell asleep watching March of the Penguins around 8:30pm - I know that makes us sound like an old married couple ;) but we were both exhausted from looking at Condo's and Townhouses for a few hours earlier in the day. (Nobody freak out on us...we're just looking right now. Nothing is set for us to be moving any time soon, but we decided we'd start looking because of the way the market is right now.) About 9:15pm I woke up and we moved from the couches so we could try to sleep better. Around 1:15am Dar woke up and said he couldn't sleep anymore--he really was wide awake. I went in and out of sleep for a while, and then realized that he had gotten up, but came back to get a blanket from our room. I decided to go in and watch a movie with him because I knew he was going to be gone tonight and I wanted to be with him as long as I could. So, at 1:15 this morning, after sleeping for a few hours, we started another movie, Hitch, one of our favorites. I think we fell asleep again around 4:00am, after we had finished Hitch and started Mary Poppins. I finally turned the movie off about half way through, and we were able to sleep for another few hours. Then, Dar got up at 7:15am to get ready to go on his camping trip.

It's so random to me, I love it! Fall asleep for a few hours, wake up in the middle of the night to watch another movie, stay up for few more hours, and then go to sleep again. Fall break has been really nice so far, and hopefully the rest of the weekend will be just as good. I just wish vacations could go on forever. Life gets so busy sometimes, and then when we do get a break it never feels long enough!