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So many things to say!!!!!

Okay, so obviously I didn't post in Utah. But that's only because my fingers were frozen. No really, we were so busy and there were so VERY many people I didn't get to see because we barely had time to see the people we did. If I didn't call you, it's not because I don't love you, its just that other people called me first.

So we had a great flight there, the kids were well behaved and we even landed several minutes early. And our really great friends lent us a car so we were a little more independant. The first few days were filled with a crazed frenzy of shopping and baking and enchiladas, the result of which was me losing my mind and curling up in my mom's room and crying/sleeping for several hours. But then came Christmas, and it was great! It was so fun to have Christmas morning back in that house with my parents and my brother and his wife and their kids-there was so much to do and all the kids were so excited about EVERYTHING! With all the people there were so many presents under that tree Santa couldn't even fit them all in and piled some on nearby chairs.

After a few more days of Christmassing and partying and singing about Christmas Monkeys, we had Zoe's baptism on Tuesday. It was absolutely lovely. I cried. And our friends came back early from Idaho just to be there (the ones who lent us their car), and some people from our old ward, and the whole family was there. It was just really nice and a very special day for Zoe.

The next day I went to lunch with my mom and sister in law to the Garden restaurant at the top of the JSMB. It was a snowy day so the view wasn't very far, but the temple was covered in snow and that is my favorite view of it. The food was wonderful of course, but I was just starting to be very extremely sick with some sort of absolutely terrible cold. Once we got back, Chris and I left to go to the Sheraton downtown and a night at P.F. Changs to celebrate our 9th anniversary. We got to the hotel and then decided while we were parking that we should drive the two blocks to the restaurant and see if they had parking because I was so sick Chris didn't want to make me walk in the cold and snow. On the way back to the hotel from our reconnaissance trip we turned a corner and when Chris put on the brake to slow for the light a block away, nothing happened. It was snowing and very icy and no matter what method he tried (and we were so far away he had time to try EVERYTHING), we slid and got into a car accident. Not just any car accident mind you, he ran into the back of a port-o-potty truck. With a port-o-potty on it. It was just great. Remember this is our friends' car. So we had to get out and call the police and fill out tons of forms and exchange all the information-all this while standing in the snow, on December 30th, downtown. This means that there were lots of people walking past on their way to the big parties. With cameras. Yeah. It was awesome!

But eventually it was all done and we had a great time at dinner-my aunt and uncle were at the same restaurant for their anniversary too! And can I just say, after several days in a 61 degree house on an air mattress on top of a futon mattress on the bottom bunk of bunk beds, a king size bed with egyptian cotton sheets and a huge duvet and a 52 inch flat screen TV was HEAVEN for my head cold! I shouldn't complain, because of all the extra people in the house nearly all the kids were sleeping on the floor and everyone was very very very squished. I'm sure they don't miss us-we took a lot of room and probably made a big mess, but I miss them very much. I really like Ohio and I LOVE my house, but I wish we weren't so far apart!!!

But our friends didn't disown us for killing their car, and I got to spend time with both my brothers' families and my parents, and we ate MANY of ENCHILADAS!!! ha ha ha. And I only gained 2 pounds, which is fairly good for me I think. (I managed to hit my goal of 30 lbs lost the day we left for SLC so I'm fairly happy with that)

Then came January 1st and our flight home. The plane left at 8, and with holiday traffic and heightened security we got there just after 6. I was a little worried, because it was so early the kids didn't want to eat anything and I knew they would be starving on the plane, but snacks would have to do. We boarded the flight to Cincinnati and got all settled in, with the kids and I on the right side of the aisle and Chris just across on the left. We took off and the plane was really swervy and turny which really turns my stomach and after about 20 minutes I had just decided to take a motion sickness pill when the pilot came on the intercom

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some bad news"

Well if I didn't need to throw up before, I certainly needed to NOW.

"It looks like we've lost our left engine, and we're going to have to turn around and make an emergency landing back in Salt Lake. Now a plane can fly with just one engine, I've done it HUNDREDS of times. In a simulator"

He was actually pretty funny and forthcoming which helped a lot to calm everyone down. We landed amidst tons of emergency vehicles which the pilot assured us quite emphatically that these were "just in case! ...and because the engine started smoking as we landed. But its FINE!" they were able to get us back to the terminal, which, I have to admit, disappointed me a little bit. Since we were on the ground and safe, I kinda wanted to have to exit by the emergency slidey things. I mean, come on. it's the least they could do. But anyway we got off and ran to find other arrangements-we only had an hour in cinci to make our first connection, there was no way we'd make it now-and we ended up with a new flight there, a new connection, and $84 in airport food vouchers. I know! Then the next flight was delayed, so we missed the new connection anyway, and they gave us $56 more in vouchers at the cinci airport. So it was a very exciting day, and we were all safe and together and EXTREMELY well fed, so I didn't particularly mind. We had nowhere we had to be (except watching football, darn it), so we had an adventure instead.

So then...(I know, really long posting, sorry)...I was replaced at my job. :( It's a bummer, because I was counting on that income, but really its okay, because I already had a much much better job. I've been hired by a well known life insurance and financial company. Its really exciting-its all about helping people make the most of what they have and helping them prepare for the future, and its also going to really help us. Its going to be a lot of work, but the hours are whatever I set (so like if someone's sick I can stay home with them), and the pay and benefits are amazing. It's a real big girl grown up job and I'm really really excited. I have a lot of training to get through before I launch full time (and make any money, unfortunately), but I'm doing really well at it and it's going fast.

And lastly, Chris and Zoe are very sick right now with Strep throat. I don't know if that's what I've got, but I don't think so. Jimmy has resisted it so far but I'm hoping if he gets it that he gets it tomorrow when I can still take him to his doctor and get him medicated over the weekend. But knowing him he'll get terribly sick sunday afternoon. ^_^ Chris is funny when he gets Strep-and he gets it a lot-but his whole throat swells up. Tonsils (yes he still has them. Silly boy), glands, and his uvula gets so big he either has to swallow it or rest it on his tongue just to breathe. He can't talk very well, and really can't eat much of anything either. It makes me sad when he gets so sick because I don't have magical mommy healing properties with him like I do with the kids. Zoe's really sick too-they think she might actually have scarlet fever, and when they asked if she wanted the yummy bubblegum medicine for a week or a huge shot of penicillin in her rear end, she actually chose the shot! lol poor kid. But at least she's done with that now and can just get better.

And lets all hope and pray that it keeps snowing all night and the schools are closed tomorrow, because then no one has to leave the house (except when I have to make the obligatory popsicle and soup run).