More layoffs.

The rumor was true.

After laying off 46 hourly workers this January, Cole's employer has now also let go of four salary employees. It was a company-wide decision; sadly, several plants had to let people go. Cole was not one of them... The announcement was made yesterday while he was in Red Oak, Iowa, for a class. We feel so fortunate to have our jobs... at least for now. What a tough experience.

Please pray for those who have lost their jobs - and that this economic stimulus package actually stimulates our economy!

Beaver Creek Blues!

Mondays stink! Wish we were back in Colorado... :)
Here are some pics from our trip last weekend:

#85: Write a letter to a politician...

When my sister, Jessica, was in elementary school, her 1st grade class wrote Governor Joan Finney requesting that Kansas adopt the Barred Tiger Salamander as our state amphibian. I'm sure there were many other students involved in the "salamander movement," but Jess has always been proud to have been a part of that particular bill. She wound up with a biology degree, so I guess she was destined to have a high aptitude in life science, even at a young age! Gov. Finney signed the legislation into existence, and the rest is history, or so they say... You can read more about our state amphibian by clicking here.

Earlier this month, I was able to check off #85 on my list. I didn't actually write the letter myself. Instead, I discovered a resource that I'm excited to share... It's called the Family Research Council (FRC) and it's a nonprofit "organization dedicated to the promotion of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life in national policy." So far, I've agreed with the FRC on every issue... I signed up for email updates and occasionally they email me with policy concerns. I have the option to send and edit a 'form letter' or 'form email' to government officials. I would strongly encourage you to sign up for updates at their website. On Saturday I even received a note from Representative Lynn Jenkins thanking me for my input. She signed her own name and hand wrote, "Stay in touch!" on the letter. It's no salamander, but I'd like to think that I'm making a small difference...

Perspective...

I've been following my friend Amanda's blog pretty closely for a few weeks now. She's been posting updates about a baby girl named Cora, who passed away this Sunday. Cora's story is heartbreaking. I tear up every time I think about her parents and what they've already been through at such a young age ~ or at any age, for that matter. It's obvious that they've been a shining example of God's love to those around them. So many people have been praying for Cora.

No matter where we're at in life, it's so important (and really difficult, at times like this) to remember that God doesn't make mistakes, that this is His plan.

Des Moines is cold in January! :)

You're probably thinking, duh Amanda. Of course Des Moines is cold! Last weekend I headed up with some new girlfriends for a Premier Designs Rally and we had a blast! I swear, though... The temperature gauge on the way up there read -25. NEGATIVE! Fortunately, we spent most of our time inside the hotel and conference center. It was a blast! We left inspired by the speakers and each other - and we got to see the new spring line of jewelry!! It's all gorgeous! The best part of Rally was getting to hear testimonies from other jewelers living throughout the midwest, learning about all of the missions that Premier Designs supports, and meeting so many fantastic new friends. Here are some pictures from our weekend. Did I mention that we had a blast?! :)

Politics, Schmolitics.

I don't like to talk politics - or even think about them too much if I can help it. But when I saw this article online recently, I was more than a little excited, and surprised. Obama has chosen Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. :) It's great to see a Christian, who sticks with Biblically-based values, have this opportunity!

Click here to read more...

Simple Pleasures...

Yesterday when I got home from work Cole was standing in our dining room, grinning.

Why, you may ask, is this unusual? Because normally he's passed out in the recliner, napping. I knew he was up to something, but couldn't figure out what... Awhile later he asked me to come into our bedroom - he said he had something to show me. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

For as long as we've been married (a whopping 2 1/2 years), I've complained about turning off the lamp before going to sleep. Ridiculous, I know... Try to see it my way - I practically FALL out of bed every night because I can't reach the lamp. I'm kind of a night owl, so moving the lamp to Cole's side of the bed isn't an option.



Enter "The Clapper." Yep. That's right. Just clap twice for on, twice for off. So simple, so wonderful. :) It has to be the best-ever $15 gadget... What a great surprise! We spent the remainder of the evening arguing about who gets the last clap... It's an exciting life we lead.

Lotto Tickets, Eating for Life & Premier Designs...

Don't get me wrong... I would definitely not say that purchasing lotto tickets is the road to financial success. When I was making my list, however, I realized that I had never before tried my luck with the Kansas Lottery. Saturday was the day! I bought ten $1 tickets and won $15! Not bad, huh? I guess I better quit while I'm ahead. Winning that extra cash put me in the mood for shopping, so I hit the mall to get a start on our Christmas lists. I'm now half way done with one person on my list. How frustrating is that??? We (meaning I - because Cole doesn't do much of the shopping) have a LONG way to go!

I'm finally able to check #55 off my list, as well. Last week was my final class in Carrie's (she's the dietitian at our gym, and a friend of mine) "Eating for Life" series... I really feel like I've made some progress with eating habits and I've re-energized my exercise program. Tonight Cole and I are having our post Boot Camp evaluation meeting with Carrie. We're getting weighed, and she's using one of those pincher-things to measure our body fat. Yeah, sounds like fun, huh? Hopefully my BMI will have gone down!!! That's just the motivation I need heading into the holidays.

In other news... I signed on with Premier Designs as a Jeweler in late October. I know... It sounds so official! So far I've had two shows, and my third is Wednesday night. The company has really impressed me - their entire philosophy is Biblically based, they're debt-free and they have the best hostess benefits and commission program of any direct selling company I've seen. I've easily recouped my expenses for starting up, and gotten lots of great jewelry in the process. A show I held in Wichita earned my hostess over $300 (10 items) of FREE jewelry. It feels great to be able to reward my hostesses with such generous benefits. That said, feel free to give me a call if you're interested in earning some free jewelry for yourself! :)

#36: Turkey Trot & Kids Gobble Jog

The first-ever Turkey Trot is complete! Whew!

Over 90 people registered for the trot, with about 72 adult finishers and 12 Gobble Joggers in the kids event. It was a first for Rock Springs and hopefully it won't be the last! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't as sunny or calm as forecasted; there was a chilly breeze. The trees were pretty bare from windy gusts earlier in the week... Hopefully next year we'll be able to have some colorful fall foliage for a more scenic event. We had lots of positive feedback! Runners are a resilient group - the cold weather didn't slow down our turkey trotters - we even had 12 register on the day of the event! Here are some photos of family and friends trotting throughout Rock Springs. Thanks for your support everybody!!!

Paul and Cole.

Jess - lookin' good!


Almost finished!

One of my favorites... :) Mom and the in-laws.
I'm pretty sure this is when she was telling an
embarrasing story about my childhood. Yeesh.


Announcing the winners. I hate speaking into
a microphone. Yuck. "Not it" for next year!

When technology fails us...

Amanda's Stats:
Overall Place - 2128/3493
Division Place - 292/511
Sex Place - 1028/2058
Net Time - 2:14:07
Pace - 10:26

Cole's Stats:
Overall Place - 2805/3493
Division Place - 235/248
Sex Place - 1301/1435
Net Time - 2:28:42
Pace - 11:39

The look on Cole's face when he saw the "official race results" online was priceless. Evidently I beat him by 14 minutes... even though you can see us finishing side-by-side above. So much for those electronic chip thingies being accurate! (Ok, we weren't exactly side-by-side. I really did beat him, but to be fair it was only by a second or so...) I guess he'll just have to run another 1/2 marathon to prove he can run faster than 11:39 minute miles! Poor guy.