Love Whitney's emails!

I just got this forwarded email from Whitney today, and I loved it, so I had to share. Usually forwarded emails are kind of silly (even though I ALWAYS look forward to Whitney's!) but this one is really great. Enjoy. (sorry about the weird triangles that are always in forwarded emails, I wasn't in the mood to erase them all.) =)

> Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't
> often see....
>
> 'The other day I was reading Newsweek
> magazine and came across some poll data I


found rather hard to believe.
> It must be true, given the source, right?
>
> The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of
> Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is
> headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with


the performance of the President. In essence,
> 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and
> want a change.
>
> So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started
> thinking, ''What are we so unhappy about?''
>
> Is it that we have electricity and running
> water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
>
> Is our unhappiness the result of having air
> conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
>
> Could it be that 95.4 percent of these
> unhappy folks have a job?
>
> Maybe it is the ability to walk into a
> grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur
> has seen in the last year?
>
> Maybe it is the ability to drive from the
> Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present
> identification papers as we move through each state?
>
> Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe
> motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary
> shelter?
>
> I guess having thousands of restaurants with
> varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.
>
> Or could it be that when we wreck our car,
> emergency workers show up and Provide services to help all, and even send
> a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
>
> Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of
> Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in
> the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will
> appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus
> saving you, your family and your belongings.
>
> Or if, while at home watching one of your
> many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer
> equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and
> your family against attack or loss.
>
> This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or
> militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90
> percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
>
> How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms
> we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?
>
> Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.
>
> Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats
> the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet
> has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The
> most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about
> what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of
> thanking the good Lord we live here.
>
> I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war
> and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly
> 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same President who guided
> the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes
> to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy
> who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all
> the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
>
> The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out
> there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President
> is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so
> unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the
> good things and be glad?
>
> Think about it...are you upset at the President because he
> actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you
> he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.
>
> Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
> have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for
> your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have
> to go.
>
> They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an


''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge
> after a few days in the brig.
>
> So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?


Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in
> bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many
> will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets
> are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions


by 'justifying' them in one way or another.
> Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a
> book about 'how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way'...Insane!
>
> Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media.
> Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the
> bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country.


There is exponentially more good than bad.
>
> We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank
> God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.
>
> 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides,
> flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to
> another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,
> *'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

Baby!

So I decided that I better start keeping this blog better, and writing in it a lot more. The baby is coming so soon! (13 weeks, maybe less, maybe more!) We have just settled into our new little home, and have been working and going to school and enjoying the good life. I am so grateful that we have been so lucky to be able to work together this past year in our jobs. I love spending time with Jason - he probably gets sick of me, but at least one of us is happy! We've been slowly but surely getting things ready for the baby to come. I really wish that I had a nursery to decorate and make so cute for our precious little girl! But she will get one a few months after she is born, and I doubt she is going to come marching out demanding her own room. We will love having her very close by for a while.

So today we went and got an ultrasound (more on that later)...but here are some great pictures of our little girl! The lady doing the ultrasound was having so much fun and cracking up laughing because she said our baby was such a character, and shes never seen a baby move around so much and pose! She sure looks like a sweetie. We didn't know that we were even going to get to take pictures home, let alone get a 3d ultrasound! Most people pay lots of money for those because they're not a medical necessity, but the lady just told us we'd do it for fun because she thought our baby was so funny. She is definitely a little girl the lady told us, and she looks a lot like Jason! Even though he says she has my nose. It was a lot of fun. Here are the pictures:
This one's not 3d:

She looks so much like Jason to me in this one...like the mouth and chin. But maybe my nose?

Don't worry, she has a full set of limbs, the ultrasound just cuts them off and makes it look like she has hands and feet floating around. This one kind of scared me at first!

This last one is my absolute favorite! I love her chubby cheeks and lips! And little button nose.

=)

New Pictures

Here are some pictures of our new place.

It's been a few months!

I need to be better at this. Last time I wrote was in August, and so much has happened since then! I guess I should start out with the biggest news...everyone that reads this already knows, but I'll announce it anyways...we're expecting a baby at the end of May! We couldn't be happier. Here is the story: During the first couple weeks of September, I started to feel a little weird. I still don't know how much of this to attribute to being pregnant or not, but needless to say, I felt different. It started out with me becoming very short of breath. It was like I had asthma all of the sudden! And I have never had problems with breathing before, so I knew something was up. I would like hyperventilate mid sentence and have to breathe into a plastic bag. Jason and I were starting to get a little worried. Then I heard from someone that shortness of breath could be a sign of pregnancy - I had never heard of anyone experiencing this before, so I called my mom and talked to her about it. She was fairly certain that it didn't mean I was pregnant, and we kept talking each other out of the fact that I could be pregnant - not sure why, it just seemed too soon! I started to experience some other not-so-pleasant symptoms that I prefer not to talk about on this, but let's just say I wasn't as "regular" as I usually was prior to this. I started to really wonder whether or not we could be pregnant. It seemed impossible, but I purchased a four-pack of pregnancy tests, just because I knew one wasn't going to be enough to convince me either way, and they were on sale. A little embarrassing, but it's the truth. So I proceeded to make my way through the entire pack. I was at three within a span of about two weeks, and still they showed up negative. So I was convinced that something was seriously wrong with me, and planned on going to the doctor the next week to see what was going on with my body! The next week, I went into the bathroom as I was getting ready to go to class, and decided to just use the last test. It was bugging me just sitting there in the bathroom drawer unused, and I was convinced that if I took this last test and it came up negative again, I must have cancer or something horrible, because I was still feeling so strange and not-so-comfortable. Unfortunately, I didn't let poor Jason know that I was going to take the last pregnancy test, so he was a little unprepared for what would happen next. After using the test, only one line showed up, which means "not pregnant," so I was about to throw it away, when much to my surprise, a second line started showing up within a matter of seconds! I almost passed out right there in the bathroom. First of all, this just couldn't be! Second of all, I hadn't told Jason that I was taking a pregnancy test...oops! Not knowing what to do, I walked into the hall outside our bathroom and our room and said, "Jason, come here," in what I'm sure was a very frantic tone. Thinking that I just needed him to get me some toilet paper, he met me in the hall. Not knowing what else to do, I held the test up, and said, "Um....Jason, what does this mean?!" Haha, Jason just laughed and said, "Its okay, everything's going to be okay!" I flood of emotions then ran through me. We went and sat down on the bed and laughed and cried, all at once. We were so excited, but let me tell you, it's a little overwhelming when you're not expecting it! I kept apologizing, thinking that I had ruined our plans for the next couple of years, and Jason kept telling me that it was alright, and that this is what we wanted! =) After realizing how crazy I sounded, I lept (not a real word, apparently, but it's what I did, haha) for joy! This IS what we wanted, WASN'T it?! Maybe not that soon, but hey, you don't have much power when it comes to what the Lord sees you fit to experience. We were and still are absolutely THRILLED. The next week, we went and got an ultrasound to figure out the due date. The baby was healthy and growing at a perfect rate. We got to see/hear the heart beat and it was amazing. The lady doing the ultrasound told us that we were so lucky that God was giving us such a precious gift, and I couldn't agree more. The due date is May 24th! I am currently 12 weeks and 3 days along. We got to hear the heart beat last week again, and boy (or girl), is it a strong one! It was about 150 beats per minute, and every time the doctor found it with the doppler on my tummy, the baby jumped away, and we had to keep finding it. It was pretty funny. My doctor, Dr. Dan Swartz, told us that we had quite the active baby, and that it was doing Tae-Bo...double time! It is such a wonderful experience to hear the baby's heart beat and know that the sacrifices your body has been through are all worth it. I had a rough month or so right at the beginning. I was getting horrible morning sickness, and couldn't keep anything down. It was right up there with how sick I was a couple of years ago with Mono, and I vowed that I never wanted to be that sick ever again. I lost about 11 pounds, unfortunately, and was severely dehydrated. I visited the doctor too many times that month, but he took care of me and gave me medicine that has seemed to kick in quite a bit. The nurses there were so sweet, and would call me every afternoon to make sure I was doing alright, and that I was drinking as much fluids as I could. I went in to get and IV with fluids and electrolytes because I was so dehydrated, and the first time, they couldn't even find my veins. It was pretty awful. I came home with 6 pin pokes in my arms, but no fluids. They demanded that I try and drink more, and that night I drank about twelve mini-bottles of gatorade. That was the best I could do. The next day, I was still dehydrated, but they could tell I had been trying because this time, my veins were a little more visible, and I sat there for about two hours getting fluids dripped into my veins. After a couple of weeks, I started to feel a little bit better. I am doing fairly well now. My nausea is manageable, and I am still taking my medication, which seems to help a lot. I have good days and bad days, and need to make sure I am eating small meals all day. It's when I start to get hungry that I begin to go downhill again. I am expecting and hoping and praying that my morning sickness subsides completely within these next couple of weeks...we shall see! I will keep this updated. We have been having so much fun thinking of what our life is going to be like with a little baby to take care of. It's strange, but I just get so giddy when I think of changing diapers and having to get up in the middle of the night to nurse. Right now, these responsibilities sound like so much fun and excite me so much! I know that I probably won't ALWAYS feel that way, but I need to always remind myself of how much I looked forward to it while I was pregnant.
Also, we are moving to the "better coast" in December, and settling back in Bellingham, right where I belong! I can't wait to be closer to my family and to be there when Bupley comes. Jason and I are going to be working for my parents at Mt. View Group Home doing the overnights there, and are both going to continue going to school...I am determined to finish! I might be on a little slower plan than we had originally planned for, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Jason is getting close to finishing up his Associate's. We are transferring to Whatcom Community College in Bellingham in order to finish up our credits and claim Washington residency, and then transferring to Western Washington University in a year or so. Jason wants to do business, with some sort of emphasis on communications. He has been obsessed lately (it's a healthy obsession, don't worry) with alternative power sources for cars. He has been researching hydrogen, electric, and even air-powered cars, and after all this research, I am pretty sure he is going to do something along these lines. He talks my ear off about it every night, and I try my best to listen! It's a little over my head when he starts to talk about economics and such, but I'm slowly learning. I definitely support his fascination with this - he could make a pretty penny someday if he came up with an alternative to gas, and even hydrogen powered cars, both of which aren't very efficient for the environment and especially the economy. He's such a smarty pants, it amazes me every day. He's way too smart for his own good. Sometimes I think that he's a lot smarter than his professors, but unfortunately, you just have to jump through these hoops to get to where you want to be! He's already smart enough as anyone that has been through many years of college, and could fool anyone that he has his masters degree, I am sure.... we just can't wait til it is a reality! I'm so proud of him. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I don't know how he does it all - when I was really sick, he would go to school, take care of the house, cook, clean, mediate any problems between the guys, all while taking care of me and making sure I had everything I needed. I appreciate that more than anything, because I know I couldn't have done any of it myself. I didn't leave the bed for about three weeks, and was a little nervous to see what the house looked like and what the guys had been eating this whole time. SURPRISE - the house was sparkling clean, the guys were fed and happy, and all of Jason's homework was done. Amazing, I tell ya. Anyways, enough bragging.... I just really do think I have the best husband in the world. =)
So that's our most exciting news! Other than that, we have both still just been busy with school and work. For the first time in our lives, I really feel like we are financially stable, and feel completely comfortable bringing a child into this world and giving it a good life. I have been spending all of my free time reading pregnancy and parenting books, and the more I read, the more I realize I don't know! But I have come to grips with this, and realized that it will all come with experience. I do think that we'll be great parents, simply for the fact that we have so much love to give. As corny as it sounds, every night we will sing to Baby Bupley, and Jason will give it a kiss goodnight every night. It's amazing how much you can love something that is not even here yet. It truly does change everything, but in my opinion, for the better! I'm very happy with life right now, and feel so incredibly blessed. I feel so blessed for the gospel, and for the knowledge that we have of where we've been and where we are going. I'm so grateful that my child will grow up in a home full of the truth of the gospel, and that he/she will know how much they are loved by their parents and their Heavenly Father.
That's all for now! I still have to finish unpacking and putting stuff away from this weekend, when we went to Jason's little sister, Katelyn's, wedding out in Utah. It was beautiful, and so much fun to see everyone. We really love Kaden, and are relieved and happy to know that she is with someone so humble and sweet. I love you all, family and the few friends that read this. I'll make sure to update soon. =)

p.s. feel free to give us name suggestions. We have a big long list that I might post later, but we are always open to suggestions...just nothing too weird. =)

End of Summer!

I can't believe it. Summer is winding down and school starts again this Monday. Sometimes I feel like I'm "supposed" to be bummed that school is starting again, but to be completely honest, I am very excited. Jason and I really like being in school. We keep busy and we challenge ourselves. We have both been pretty lucky with our classes and teachers in the past, so we are hoping that this coming semester will be the same. We are both taking 18 credits, and while that seems like a lot, it will help us to just get done that much quicker.
This summer has lasted forever it seems! But we have had so much fun travelling and visiting friends and family. Two weekends ago, I was able to go to my friends KT and Will Scarlett's wedding in Las Vegas. It was just absolutely beautiful and so much fun to see them, Whitney, and Bekah. It was my first time being actually IN the Las Vegas temple, and it was beautiful. They had so many friends and family at the sealing. The spirit was felt, and lots of tears of joy were shed. I love being in the temple. Whether it is for a sealing, or to do work for the deceased, you can always feel the spirit and can always receive answers to prayers and inspiration to guide your life. I am sure I wasn't the only one that felt the spirit so strongly that day.
My family is in Hawaii right now...so jealous! But I'm so happy for them that they get to relax and get some R&R. They have been working so hard lately, and deserved the break! Number one reason they are there is to check out BYU Hawaii for Haley. It is one of her top choices of schools for when she graduates next year. I have had lots of friends attend BYU-H and only have the best things to say about it. What better place to go to school?
Jason and I got to thinking (with a little help and prompting from Haley and Mom), what it would take to finish off our bachelor's there in Oahu. Why not? It is a church school, tuition is just barely over what we are paying now for a community college, we would be with Haley, and we would be in HAWAII! I'm having a hard time finding any cons to this choice, and only a whole bunch of pros, but we will see. I tend to make very crazy spontaneous decisions like that, while Jason tends to keep me grounded. He thinks it's a good idea too, just wants to make the best decision to fit our needs and for our future. We will keep you updated on what comes of that! But for now, I just need to focus on the schoolwork at hand, and do well in my classes so that I will have an easier time transferring to a university. Not to brag, but I made the dean's list this past school year...first time ever in college! Pretty excited about that, can't you tell?
Our job is...well, our job, and while we get paid very well and are learning valuable life lessons, I have come to the realization that I can't do this forever, and probably not even for another year. It is very difficult on me mentally. I have too much invested of myself in this job, which leads me to be disappointed every time something goes wrong, which is pretty much every day, as many of you may know. From residents running away to relapsing into their pasts of drugs and alcohol, it has become exceedingly difficult to do our job to keep them safe, all while not worrying too much about it and not taking it personally. I, being the emotional girl that I am, have a slightly more difficult time than Jason does, but that's to be expected. I'm not really complaining per se, just because it is such a great opportunity that we will be very grateful for later on, but it is just so hard sometimes! You start to care so much about these people, and then you are constantly disappointed by bad decisions that they make that effect their health and safety...oh well, enough of that!
Today we went to a barbecue that our boss hosted for all of his homes' staff and residents. It was fun, a little awkward, and veeeery hot outside. I got sunburned on my chest and arms just from sitting outside for 45 minutes. All the rain has melted (rain melts? who knew!) though, and houses are being repaired for miles and miles throughout Minnesota. For those of you who have not heard, Minnesota has had some pretty bad flooding the past week or so...not AS much here in Rochester but up North, many people lost their cars and houses due to the flash floods and heavy rains. Jason's parents lost half of their back yard in a mud slide, and our basement just got a little flooded, but nothing too serious. And boy am I grateful. If we owned a house that got damaged, we would NOT have been able to afford some of the repairs that other people have had to pay for. Luckily, our condo is on the third floor. So...if the water ended up reaching that high, we'd probably have bigger problems to worry about! =)
Oh! Recently, we purchased a weight bench/exercise machine at a secondhand exercise equipment store...such a good deal! It came with free weights, a lifting bench, and a "leg lift" attachment. That's not the technical term, but I don't know what else to call it! We have been on a strict exercise routine, haha. I'm actually quite proud of us because, while we ran a lot, it had been a while since either of us had lifted any weights...and boy have we been sore. But reeeeealllly good looking, so it's worth it. Just kidding. Jason is my personal trainer and helps tell me what to do since I'm pretty much lost when it comes to weight training, and even though he tells me what exercises are called, I end up just making up other names for them, like "Madonna Arms," which helps me remember what they are going to make me look like. Haha. You just wait...give me a few months and I'll be the female version of Ronnie Coleman. And if you don't know who that is, you don't wanna know! haha.
So that's about all that is new in our lives. I'm so excited for our future! I am finally being able to "glimpse" at our life in a few years, and I like-a-what-I-see! Oh no. I better stop now before I go completely Richard Simmons on you. Love you guys!

Pratt Family Reunion 2007

Hi everyone (aka just my family and Lisa). I was getting complaints that I wasn't writing in this often enough, so I will attempt at an update. We just got back from a wonderful trip to Washington to see my family and attend the annual Pratt Family Reunion. We had an absolute ball playing games, jet skiing, tubing, swimming, watersliding, movieing, shopping, laughing, fighting, and of course eating. I look forward to the reunion every year. We missed last years because we had just gotten married and were touring the country, but mostly visiting Detroit. =) It was very difficult for me when my family dropped me off at the airport. It gets harder and harder every time. I don't get it, since i have been away from home for a few years now, but it doesn't get any easier. Maybe I just love them more now. Just kidding. But they really are my heroes. Jason and I love talking with my parents and getting advice from them. We could talk to them about just about anything, and walk away from the conversation feeling enlightened and more at ease. They are both so smart and so caring, and they really watch out for us. I feel so lucky. I am so grateful for righteous parents whose roots are deep within the gospel, and who help me along the way no matter how many mistakes I make. Haley is doing great. She is getting more beautiful by the second, it kind of scares me! She is preparing to apply to college - probably all three of the "BYUs." She is going to visit and tour BYU Hawaii in August with my family - little jealous, but it's all good! I am so proud of her - she is really turning into such a beautiful, smart, wonderful girl. Eli is a little cutie, and apparently a "lady killer." Not really sure what this means, but he seemed to be happy about it, so I'm in full support. He is such a sweetheart, and Jason and I love the time we get to spend with him. He makes us laugh. Tiana is just the more adorable little girl - of course, she is looking more and more like me every single day. We'll see if that's a good thing or not! She has the cutest little personality, and she is so independent - my mom said that she can play for hours by herself. This week she had lots of playmates though at the family reunion. Watching all those little girls reminds me of family reunions past. All in all, I couldn't feel luckier. When I am with my family, I feel complete. They give me so much strength and make me feel like I can do anything. We can't wait to move back to Washington. We picked up a few real estate pamphlets, and are going to be perusing them shortly. If I could live anywhere in Washington to be closer to them, I'd be happy. I can't wait to raise a family there, and have my family all together again. I belong to an amazing family - immediate and extended. They have created such a legacy of hard work, sacrifice, and commitment that I am so proud to be a part of.

BACK TO REALITY:

We got in to Rochester this morning around 7:30 am, and I went right to bed. I had not slept for quite a while, but I am still lacking in the sleep department. I will catch up tonight. Things seem to have gone pretty smoothly while we were away. We talked to our boss this morning, and he mentioned that he feels so lucky to have us, because he said this week was a struggle for him. We are so lucky to have such a great boss. It makes us have feel goods when we know that we are appreciated for the work that we do. This job has taught me so much patience and endurance, I cannot complain in the long run. I can't say I missed the guys terribly, but they seem to be happy to have us back. This job challenges me, but I believe that I will come out of it a better person.

I suddenly feel very optimistic about my future. I don't know what it is, but talking to my family, and seeing all of my cousins and their cute, new little families, really just makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have control of what happens to me and Jason. Don't get me wrong, my career goals are still a bit foggy, but I really feel that I can do anything that I put my mind to. My creative juices are flowing right now for sure. I feel like I am going to invent something or write something that no one has ever seen before. Sounds weird I know, but even if it is innacurate, I will enjoy this feeling of optimism while I can.

Also, we got to attend my cousin Levi Pratt's farewell yesterday. It was so wonderful, and I am so proud of him. His testimony is so strong, and it is obvious that he has prepared extensively for this time in his life.

Signing off....

p.s. Here are some pictures from the reunion...

It was so fun to see my little Lisa Marie while we were there. I love her to death, and am so proud of her! Turkey leg...