To Laugh or to Cry...

That is definately the question of the day! Last night I was crying and today isn't looking much better. I wish I was one of those people who could just laugh off the disasters of life, but that doesn't seem to be the way I work. So here are the troubles since leaving Rexburg (who knew Rexburg would be looking so good right about now). Just an FYI this is a pity post and I wouldn't be offended if you didn't want to go any further!

1. On the way down to Arizona we were hit by another car. Not much damage but enough to have to shell out a $500 deductible to get the Sequoia fixed.

2. Not having our own space. We love staying at my grandparents and they could not be any more wonderful to us if they tried. But I miss my things...I miss seeing Dallan every day...I miss my DVR....I miss my own bed and pillows.

3. Dallan's new company and the scare they gave us just one day after arriving in Arizona. They in a round about sort of way told Dallan if they had known about certain health issues they would have been a little more thoughtful in hiring him (just so you know he is okay and perfectly capable of working) but that was nice to hear after quitting a company who LOVED him and moving your entire family to a new state. In the end they decided it wasn't that big of a deal and he was cleared to start work.

4. The sea of cubicles that meet Dallan on the third day of work. Why is that to bad you ask? Well let me just quote Dallan (something he said as we were looking for jobs after getting out of the Navy) I don't want to go to a company where I will just be one of many. I don't think the sea of cubicles did much to boost his confidence that this was the right career choice. We are crossing our fingers though that his outlook will improve...and SOON!

5. The Monsoon Season. August in Arizona is referred to as the "monsoon season". This is when we get the most rain (laughing even as I type that). But we do get beautiful lightning storms and strong winds. Well when Dallan was getting ready to go to his grandparents I told him please don't take the car out there (we just bought a brand new nissan Maxima...silver/charcoal gray in color...black leather seats....sun roof...bose stereo system....a very nice car....at a very nice price). Well he explained he didn't want me to take the car because that meant the kids riding in it and they could mess it up. I then reminded him that his grandparents lived on a farm where it was dirty and dusty and that they had no garage or safe place to park it. he insisted it would b okay. Well last night I got a call at about midnight. There was a storm out in Buckeye and the wind caused a branch to break loose from one of the trees. Simply said our new car is now smashed. It blew out the back window, dented both the top and back end of the car and completely scratched one side of it. I bet the option of allowing the kids to ride in the car are looking pretty resonable to him right now. So now I am sure we are looking at another deductable and who knows whether or not our car will ever be the same.

6. No one has bought our house and no one is even calling to look at it. Jessica...Emily....I now know how you felt. It is so frustrating. We have lowered the price and have now already lost $25,000. How much more are we going to have to lose? Not sure but it's not looking good.

So there you have it. Arizona hasn't been too kind to this Lott Family. We are hoping and praying that things turn around for us soon...and I mean VERY soon!

We Have Arrived...

Yes, we made it safe and relatively sound. There was one small accident right outside of Orem, but luckily no one was hurt and our car okay to keep driving. We finally pulled into the Valley of the Sun (and let me tell you there has never been a more appropriate name for a state than that one) on Thursday evening. Saturday morning Dallan's brother was married and on the way to the truck after taking pictures in the blazing sun Madelyn started crying explaining how she just couldn't make it any further...I felt exactly the same way but since I am not five years old, I thought crying would be just down right embarassing so I settled for a "It's not so bad Madelyn"...what a big fat lie that was! I am not kidding you it is M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E right now. Everyone keeps telling us we will get used to it again but I am really not buying into that notion right now. However, we have survived thus far! It was Dallan's first day of work today and Madelyn will start school tomorrow. We are now just praying our house sells quickly so we can all be together (Emily I am now feeling your pain and I echo your sentiments when I say...WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY HOUSE???). So any prayers on our behalf will certainly be appreciated. I would extend an invitation to come and visit us but there are a few problems with that....1. Even though I have never been to hell I am assuming that this is EXACTLY what it would feel like. and 2. We have no place for your to stay even if the extreme heat didn't scare you away. But when we finally do sale our home and the temperatures dip below three digits you are all welcome to come and see us! Until then I will just hole up here inside my grandparents house and wait until November to come out.

Five Already???

That was then....














.......This is now









Happy Birthday Madelyn!!! It doesn't seem like it was five years ago that your dad and I got a phone call that changed our lives forever. As your dad and I drove to Florida to meet you, I kept thinking how was it possible that my baby girl has entered this world and I don't even know what she looks like. I think the night before I meet you was perhaps the longest night of my life. Morning couldn't come fast enough and when it finally did your dad and I knelt down once again and pleaded with our Heavenly Father that perhaps this time our dream of becoming parents would come true. And then....there you were in all your cuteness. I couldn't take my eyes off of you and your dad....well your dad couldn't stop crying. We loved you from the moment we laid eyes on you. Then the question....what was your name going to be? Madelyn Elizabeth Lott. I am so thankful your birth mom got to share in that decision and I am thankful a part of your name is also a part of hers. Speaking of Stephanie...I can't talk about you without thinking about her. What an amazing "first mom" you had. Your dad and I love her so much and words could never adequately express the gratitude we feel for her and for the sacrifice she had to make.





Since that day you have filled our home with such incredible love and happiness. There are moments when I look into your face and feel just overwhelming joy that I was chosen to be your mother. So on your 5th birthday I thought I would share with you some of the reasons why I love you so much.....





1. You have a kind heart. You hate to see other people sad or upset andI love the way you come to other peoples defense when they are in trouble.


2. You tell good jokes! I love that you laugh at your own jokes!


3. You love to tease your dad. This is something he has taught you how to do and it is something you have learned VERY well.


4. You are smart. I love to read books and it makes me so happy that you love books as much as I do.


5. You are confident. Whether it is dancing or sharing your testimony in church, you aren't afraid to get up in front of people and I love that about you.


6. I love to hear you pray.


7. You are not afraid to try new things. When you wanted to take your training wheels off your bike you bugged and bugged dad until he did it. You practiced every day until you could do it. Even after falling once or twice you didn't give up. We just put a band-aid on your knee and you got right back on. I love that about you.


8. I love that you try very hard to always do what is right.


9. I love that you still like to cuddle with me.


10. You have the best imagination. I could listen to you pretend play all day long and I love that you get mad when I ask you who you are talking to. You always tell me in that frustrated tone...mom I am not talking to you!





So once again...Happy Birthday Madelyn, we love you baby girl.

Jackson....

One thing is for certain....he could NEVER be mistaken for a girl!





Always ready to eat....
even if it happens
to be his toes.

Caution Spoilers....

My Personal Book Review.....

I love to read. I love when you pick up a book and within pages you are transported to another place in time. I love the urgency I feel in getting to that final page so much so that I will forgo eating and sleeping, and when the end does come it saddens me to know that the characters I have come to know and love will no longer be there to entertain me. I anticipated the final book in this series. I was one of those slightly obsessed fans who stood in line at midnight waiting for my copy. I drove home, settled in my favorite chair and tore into the pages. All I can say is how completely disappointed I am. I just keep asking myself WHAT WAS SHE THINKING??? Why did everything have to be tied up so perfectly? Where was the angst? Here are just a few of the problems I had with Breaking Dawn....

1. In the end Bella didn't have to give up anything. She gets Edward, she gets Edward's baby, she gets to keep her family, she gets to keep Jacob around, she gets a sweet little cottage in the woods, blah, blah, blah. Was there anything that didn't come easily to her in this book?

2. Jake imprinting on Bella's baby. That was just wrong on so many levels. But aside from the ick factor this means Bella never has to give up Jake and Jake doesn't have to give up Bella. So if he can't have her he will just take her daughter instead. Does anyone else have a problem with this???

3. The fear and repulsion she felt when she imaged being a newborn vampire was all for naught. She goes hunting...smells human blood...decides the best thing to do is to just to hold her nose and make a run for it.

4. Bella never wanted to become a mother because of her own dysfunctional family. Yet, when she finds out she is pregnant there is never a moment of panic or dread at the thought of impending motherhood. To me this was implausible when considering Bella's character.

5. There was no pain or even a little regret in giving up her old human life. Actually I take that back she didn't want to give up her human life right away...not because that meant giving up her own mother and father. Not because it meant giving up Jacob or her other friends. No, she didn't want to leave the human world because she enjoyed having sex. And even that turned out to be better as a vampire because well as a vampire you never have to stop having sex in order to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, or any of those other human annoyances.

6. I understand the sacrifces a woman makes in giving birth but who else had a hard time reading her reaction to drinking blood before she became a vampire? Was she sickened at the thought of drinking it...no. In fact after her first gulp she wanted more. It tasted good to her. Give me a break!!!

7. Even if I could get over all my other complaints one fact would still remain....the book was just poorly written. I can't count the number of times Edward "rolled" his eyes or "chuckled". Seriously there were so many repetitive words that by the end of the book I wanted desperately to send Miss Meyers a thesaurus. And 700 pages??? I think 200 or possibly 300 would have been more than sufficient.

I could go on and on about all the other things I hated about this book. Their baby's name being one of them! But I will stop. I will just wrap this post up by saying once again how dissapointed I am. This is one book I will never read again. Sad, sad, sad!

One final note and I promise I am done..."Did Edward really say "Goodbye, Jacob, my brother... my son."? " Again, what in the heck was Stephanie Meyers thinking???

I Have Been Tagged.....

Sorry folks not too interesting but here it is anyway.....

Ten years ago…

Let’s see that would make me 29….okay only in my dreams! That would have been when I was what 22?

Getting my life back in order. Believe it or not that is about all I was doing ten years ago. After many years of making poor choices and keeping a far distance from all things church, I had finally found (better yet, they found me) some wonderful people who helped me get back on my feet and back into a church building. A somewhat impossible task at the time. Little did I know several months later I would be preparing to go on a mission.

Five things on today’s “to do” list

I don’t make lists! But if I did make lists, today mine would have completely consisted of cleaning my house. Tomorrow is the day the realtors walk through our house and give feedback on what we need to do to sale it. Someone going through my house without me being there and getting critiqued on what my house should look like….two things that make me sick to my stomach.

Five snacks I enjoy

Brownies
Kettle Chips
Popcorn (preferable caramel, and not the hard stuff either…I love the gooey kind)
Chips and Salsa or Chips and guacamole (I’m talking about good homemade salsa)
Peanut M&M's
(I could list healthy stuff but what fun is that?)

Five things I would do if I was a millionaire…

Adopt lots of babies
Build my dream house and have it professionally decorated
Help out my family and friends
Plan and pay for the best girls week anyone has every seen. All of you would be invited of course
And then I would do some responsible things such as pay off our bills, put money away for retirement, college funds, etc, etc. But if I am going to dream…I just want to dream of the fun stuff and not about bills or long distance relatives who suddenly love me and want my money.

Five places I have lived…

Arizona
Maryland/Washington DC
South Carolina
Washington State
Idaho