Our personal d-day, you could say. ... Steve and I found out that we would no longer be getting a paycheck from his full-time job... And exactly a year before that, he had also been told he wasn't getting a paycheck. The first time around was a disaster for me emotionally, but fortunately, in 2008, the paychecks resumed a short 2 months later. But in 2009, they didn't ... ever ... resume. But I haven't shared much about the last little bit of our experience, so I thought I'd take today and share that.
Steve battled hard to find another investor for the company he worked for, working many unpaid hours with HOPES it would work out. But it didn't, due to unfortunate turns in the economy but mostly to a very selfish ex-co-worker. So, he then turned his hard work and focus to his own company with hopes of getting it really going. He worked hard to produce an amazing product, to offer customer support and met with many different investors with hopes of having the money to really market the product and mass produce audioshare. Again, unfortunately, that didn't pan out either. It has been a HARD, LONG two years.
But in addition to his own company, Steve supported my business and helped me automate some critical processes, saving me a lot of time as well as helpled me find the right printers and technology to allow me to continue to grow my business. My business more than doubled in the past 2 years, but that would never have been possible without his help. We wouldn't have been able to get all the new clients setup or print everything in a timely matter if it weren't for him. I am so appreciative of his time and efforts.
During the past two years I have been a roller-coaster of emotions. FEAR at how we would survive and FEAR that we would lose our home. ANGER at the people he used to work wtith, ANGER at people who didn't believe in Steve and his company. FRUSTRATION at people who didn't follow through on what they said they'd do, FRUSTRATION at people who didn't understand. OVERWHELMED by the struggle we were facing and OVERWHELMED at the blessings we constantly received that allowed us to survive. I can't begin to tell you how many times I cried and how alone I felt at times. But I also need to tell you how grateful I am for the many blessings we received, how grateful I am for Steve and all we went through.
Where are we now ... finally starting to feel ok again. At the end of May, Steve started working for a small company as a part-time employee with hopes for growth as the company grows. It has been a long, hard couple of years, and we aren't back to where we were 3 or 4 years ago, but we can survive again on our own and we can smile a little more often and feel a little more carefree as long as we are still cautious and smart. I am very grateful for my best friend ... he is strong, he is smart, he is talented, he is funny, he has vision and passion, he has faith, he is patient and forgiving and he believes in me. Thanks Steve for being who you are and for always loving me. And thanks to all the people who helped in little ways along the way - either emotionally or financially. We appreciate the little things more than you realize. THANKS! And here's hoping that the future looks brighter for all of us.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Payson Onion Days
Yep, Onion... Steve is from Payson and they celebrate Onion Days every year over Labor Day Weekend. The tradition in Payson is for the class celebrating 20 their 20th reunion to ride in the parade on a fire truck. So, honoring that tradition, we packed up the girls, some chairs, some candy and water bottles and headed to the parade. You have to know, our family isn't big parade go-ers. We rarely go watch parades other than July 4th in Provo (and only that because we stick around after the main event - watching the Hot Air Balloon Races). So, going to a Parade clear down in Payson ... the girls were EXCITED! And knowing that they would get to spend time with their Lindsey cousins, made it even better (especially sweet baby Celeste!).
Alyssa would have held Celeste ALL day if I'd let her. :) She is at that age where she wants to be with little children, wants to babysit and be responsible. We are working with her to teach her to be responsible and I've been really impressed with how far she has come with her sisters. I think she would have even given up the candy being thrown in the parade to hold her!
These 4 just can't be up to any good ... look at those looks on their faces...
Taylor's turn with Celeste ... isn't it sweet? Taylor loved it when Celeste was standing on her lap facing her and she'd play peek-a-boo type games with her.
Jess was determined to take a turn holding Celeste, even though Celeste was ready for her mom. She played with her later and almost had giggles from her though!
My girls with all the Lindsey cousins who live here in Utah ... Zach, Kendal, Jessica, Sydney, Taylor, Zoe, Alyssa, Celeste and Keaton. They had tons of fun gathering up the candy from the street that people with the floats tossed out as they went by. I was proud of my girls for sharing with each other and with their cousins and even strangers rather than not pushing and hogging it all.
The main event ... the Class of 1991 Fire Truck ... Pretty good turn out. My girls and their cousins were all SOOOOO excited to see Steve on a firetruck! They thought it was REALLY cool.
Steve is almost at the back, waving at us. Or maybe he just threw candy down to us ... :) They weren't supposed to throw candy into the crowd (liability issues) but they did it anyway. Steve said that every block police or parade officials would tell them they weren't allowed to throw it ... so they'd stop for a bit and then start again! What a bunch of rebels! But hey, its so much more fun for the kids to have candy! And I won't even get started on how I feel about how sue-happy our society is!
Alyssa would have held Celeste ALL day if I'd let her. :) She is at that age where she wants to be with little children, wants to babysit and be responsible. We are working with her to teach her to be responsible and I've been really impressed with how far she has come with her sisters. I think she would have even given up the candy being thrown in the parade to hold her! 
These 4 just can't be up to any good ... look at those looks on their faces... 
Jess was determined to take a turn holding Celeste, even though Celeste was ready for her mom. She played with her later and almost had giggles from her though! 
My girls with all the Lindsey cousins who live here in Utah ... Zach, Kendal, Jessica, Sydney, Taylor, Zoe, Alyssa, Celeste and Keaton. They had tons of fun gathering up the candy from the street that people with the floats tossed out as they went by. I was proud of my girls for sharing with each other and with their cousins and even strangers rather than not pushing and hogging it all. 
The main event ... the Class of 1991 Fire Truck ... Pretty good turn out. My girls and their cousins were all SOOOOO excited to see Steve on a firetruck! They thought it was REALLY cool.
Steve is almost at the back, waving at us. Or maybe he just threw candy down to us ... :) They weren't supposed to throw candy into the crowd (liability issues) but they did it anyway. Steve said that every block police or parade officials would tell them they weren't allowed to throw it ... so they'd stop for a bit and then start again! What a bunch of rebels! But hey, its so much more fun for the kids to have candy! And I won't even get started on how I feel about how sue-happy our society is! After the parade, we hung out for lunch in the park with Steve's sisters. Then we came home and went to Rubio's with the Taylors and the Gormans. We also bumped into the Planks at Rubios. Then the kids watched a movie at the Taylors' house while we just relaxed. It was a great Labor Day.
My Birthday
I was born on August 30th at 11:51 at night. Growing up, my mom always put a ton of effort into our birthdays. We didn't have big parties with our friends every year, but she always made us feel special. Our birthdays were always a big deal - not necessarily a lot of presents, in fact, I don't remember those much, but we always got to choose what we wanted for dinner and invite a friend or a family over for dinner. I remember I often chose my next door neighbor, an elderly lady named Mrs. King. And we always had the special seat at the end of the table with the special red plate. As a result, birthdays have always been special to me.
My mom still makes a big deal about our birthdays. We do dinner, cake and presents at my parents' house on the closest Sunday - the kids all love it!! With my sister and her family here, we have birthdays in Feb, May, June, August, October, Novemer and December. The kids always ask WHEN is the next one. For August, we celebrate 4 birthdays - my neice (Meghan) who is a senior in high school this year, my dad, my Aunt Donna who moved in with my parents this spring and me. :)
I didn't take my camera this year so I'll have to get pics from my mom of the 4 of us with the cake. I'm sure whoever decorated it thought, "really? Donna AND Donna?" when they put the names on top. I love having my Aunt Donna around. Its really been fun to haver her more in my life and for my girls to get to know her. My gift from my parents this year was money ... which WAS going to go toward my new bedroom set that I wanted for my bday but since I have changed my mind, it is going toward my camera! I can't wait!
Steve wasn't used to quite the same, so its been a learning curve for him, but he does really well now.
About 5-6 years ago, my birthday took a turn for the worse. For three years in a row, my birthday was a really bad day ... not because I really care that much about getting older, but it seemed to be cursed, and I'm not usually very superstitious. Really bad stuff always seemed to happen on my birthday. They were TOUGH days with a lot of tears. One year was losing my little nephew when my sister-in-law went into pre-term labor. It was a heart breaking day. As a result, for a couple years after those three years, I really disliked my bday and was anxious all day. I still feel a little anxious as it approaches every year, and my heart is always sad for my sister-in-law and her family so when the day is over, I honestly still breathe a sigh of relief.
This year was nice and uneventful! ... nothing bad happened. It was low-key here at home. The girls actually forgot to mention it before they left for school in the morning, but had hyped it up for several days before. My office assistant gave me a movie, some Martinelli's apple cyder and some bath salts. I had planned to play the movie on the laptop while I enjoyed some Martinelli's and a hot bath that weekend while Steve had a gig, but his gig was canceled so I hung out with him instead (and watched the movie the next week when I was printing stuff for work late into the night).
On my actual birthday, Steve took me and Melissa (my assistant) to lunch and I chose my favorite food ... SUSHI! I love it!! I NEVER thought I'd love it, but I crave the stuff ... when it is quality sushi, it is SOOO good!
After school, the girls remembered right away. Tay and Jess had made me cards and Alyssa gave me some money she had been saving. She so badly wanted to save up and get me one of the fire pits for the backyard, but she didn't quite make it. It was really sweet of her ... although I've known since May what her plan was (she hasn't learned how to be subtle about things - ever since she heard me mention that I'd like one, she has brought it up asking questions like, where do you buy one, how much are they, etc). I was really impressed that she had thought ahead and worked toward it.
That night, we went to dinner with the girls to celebrate. Again ... I forgot my camera (August was a bad camera month, forgot my camera to almost everything and have had to get pics from others ... and Sept has been even harder since my camera is broken).... It was a nice, uneventful day! PERFECT!
And I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the birthday wishes ... cards, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages. I heard from about 90 people that day ... on average, that's almost 1 every 10 minutes that I was awake! How cool is that!! I love feeling so loved by everyone! Thanks all for making me feel so special!
My mom still makes a big deal about our birthdays. We do dinner, cake and presents at my parents' house on the closest Sunday - the kids all love it!! With my sister and her family here, we have birthdays in Feb, May, June, August, October, Novemer and December. The kids always ask WHEN is the next one. For August, we celebrate 4 birthdays - my neice (Meghan) who is a senior in high school this year, my dad, my Aunt Donna who moved in with my parents this spring and me. :)
I didn't take my camera this year so I'll have to get pics from my mom of the 4 of us with the cake. I'm sure whoever decorated it thought, "really? Donna AND Donna?" when they put the names on top. I love having my Aunt Donna around. Its really been fun to haver her more in my life and for my girls to get to know her. My gift from my parents this year was money ... which WAS going to go toward my new bedroom set that I wanted for my bday but since I have changed my mind, it is going toward my camera! I can't wait!
Steve wasn't used to quite the same, so its been a learning curve for him, but he does really well now.
About 5-6 years ago, my birthday took a turn for the worse. For three years in a row, my birthday was a really bad day ... not because I really care that much about getting older, but it seemed to be cursed, and I'm not usually very superstitious. Really bad stuff always seemed to happen on my birthday. They were TOUGH days with a lot of tears. One year was losing my little nephew when my sister-in-law went into pre-term labor. It was a heart breaking day. As a result, for a couple years after those three years, I really disliked my bday and was anxious all day. I still feel a little anxious as it approaches every year, and my heart is always sad for my sister-in-law and her family so when the day is over, I honestly still breathe a sigh of relief.
This year was nice and uneventful! ... nothing bad happened. It was low-key here at home. The girls actually forgot to mention it before they left for school in the morning, but had hyped it up for several days before. My office assistant gave me a movie, some Martinelli's apple cyder and some bath salts. I had planned to play the movie on the laptop while I enjoyed some Martinelli's and a hot bath that weekend while Steve had a gig, but his gig was canceled so I hung out with him instead (and watched the movie the next week when I was printing stuff for work late into the night).
On my actual birthday, Steve took me and Melissa (my assistant) to lunch and I chose my favorite food ... SUSHI! I love it!! I NEVER thought I'd love it, but I crave the stuff ... when it is quality sushi, it is SOOO good!
After school, the girls remembered right away. Tay and Jess had made me cards and Alyssa gave me some money she had been saving. She so badly wanted to save up and get me one of the fire pits for the backyard, but she didn't quite make it. It was really sweet of her ... although I've known since May what her plan was (she hasn't learned how to be subtle about things - ever since she heard me mention that I'd like one, she has brought it up asking questions like, where do you buy one, how much are they, etc). I was really impressed that she had thought ahead and worked toward it.
That night, we went to dinner with the girls to celebrate. Again ... I forgot my camera (August was a bad camera month, forgot my camera to almost everything and have had to get pics from others ... and Sept has been even harder since my camera is broken).... It was a nice, uneventful day! PERFECT!
And I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the birthday wishes ... cards, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages. I heard from about 90 people that day ... on average, that's almost 1 every 10 minutes that I was awake! How cool is that!! I love feeling so loved by everyone! Thanks all for making me feel so special!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Getting caught up, again
Wahoo ... in the last few days, I've gotten caught up on all of August and the part of September that has already happened. :) Every time I get away from blogging for awhile and then come back, I remember why I love it so much, its almost addictive for me to share. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading blogs of my friends and catching up on their lives. If you have a blog and its not on my list to the side, please email me so I can check it. If you don't want me to list it, that's ok too, but I'd love the address!
Oh, and by the way, thanks for visiting!
Oh, and by the way, thanks for visiting!
People who make you smile
Are there people in your life who just make you smile? People who are just warm, kind, good-hearted people? People whose smile just warm your heart? Not necessarily your best friends, but people that just make life happier?
I figured I had to have a picture of her on some field trip or some class party ... I found several but this one, I caught her in the act ... SMILING even with a cookie in her mouth! Thanks Kalai! I'm grateful you think of me and consider me your friend. I'm blessed to be around you!
One of those people in my life is someone I first met at church years ago, but as our area built and more people moved in, I don't get to see her at church as often anymore (she goes at a different time/ward). But I've continued to see this person at school activities (Alyssa and her daughter are the same age and at times have been in the same class) and ocassional neighborhood or church activities. And everytime I see her, she's just one of those people who makes me smile. Kalai, you just make me happy!
Well, today, I was sitting in my office (my desk faces out into my front yard) when this car pulled into my driveway. I wasn't expecting anyone so I was curious who it was. My assistant peeked out and said she didn't recognize her but that she was carrying a brown bag to my porch. I peeked out the window just in time to see Kalai walking back toward her car. I dashed to the door and caught her before she got to her car. And there on my porch was a bag of nectarines. She said she was just sharing some fruit from her tree with people and I came to mind. Things like this ... that's why she makes me smile.
Happy Birthday to Me! - Ladies Night Out
Felt so spoiled ... but totally forgot my camera! Don't know what I was thinking! Probably just glad to be getting out for awhile. Fortunately two of my wonderful girlfriends had their cameras. Here are a couple of pics from one. I'll get more later!
I share my August birthday month with 3 of my close friends so our group of friends went out to celebrate all 4 of us! We went shopping at Fashion Place Mall and then enjoyed CHEESECAKE FACTORY!! YUMMY!!
For our birthdays, we all got Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory treats from Jenny - all wrapped up cute (wish I had my camera...), Miche shells for my Miche purse from Lisa B and a cute little CONE of gifts and surprises from the rest of the group. My "cone" contained a pair of earrings, a big bag of Mike & Ikes (my favorite candy, but I do consider chocolate a food group of its own) and a gift card to Kohl's! I haven't gone shopping YET but I'm probably going to spend it on some new decor for my room or some more jewelry.
Here are the birthday girls, me, Angie, Carol and Melanie!
For dinner, I shared crab wonton appetizers and then enjoyed my favorite lettuce wraps and of course, cheesecake for dessert. They even brought my dessert out on big plates with "Happy Birthday Donna" (and of course, similar plates for the other bday girls). It was so fun. Then at the end, my check never showed up ... THANK YOU SO MUCH, you know who you are. I love ya!
Thanks to all my wonderful friends, including a couple who didn't get to come (we missed!), but here is a group shot ... although hard to see some of us at the far end. Left side: Angie, Carol, Melanie, Jenny, Lisa B, Nicole R. Right side: Laura, Dani, Michelle T, me, Nichole B and her sister whose name I'm blanking on right now ... so sorry!
I love you all! I am truly blessed by having you all in my life! Thank you for making my birthday so special!
I share my August birthday month with 3 of my close friends so our group of friends went out to celebrate all 4 of us! We went shopping at Fashion Place Mall and then enjoyed CHEESECAKE FACTORY!! YUMMY!!
For our birthdays, we all got Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory treats from Jenny - all wrapped up cute (wish I had my camera...), Miche shells for my Miche purse from Lisa B and a cute little CONE of gifts and surprises from the rest of the group. My "cone" contained a pair of earrings, a big bag of Mike & Ikes (my favorite candy, but I do consider chocolate a food group of its own) and a gift card to Kohl's! I haven't gone shopping YET but I'm probably going to spend it on some new decor for my room or some more jewelry.
Here are the birthday girls, me, Angie, Carol and Melanie!
Thanks to all my wonderful friends, including a couple who didn't get to come (we missed!), but here is a group shot ... although hard to see some of us at the far end. Left side: Angie, Carol, Melanie, Jenny, Lisa B, Nicole R. Right side: Laura, Dani, Michelle T, me, Nichole B and her sister whose name I'm blanking on right now ... so sorry!
I love you all! I am truly blessed by having you all in my life! Thank you for making my birthday so special!
As I was thinking about who was missing (that didn't get to come) I thought back to a few years ago when I went to Cheesecake Factory with Michele, Michelle, Michelle, (Michele and Michelle were two of the ones missing this trip) and Roseann! Got me digging through old photos!! Thought I'd share it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
15 years
This post is a little past due, but I still wanted to post it.
August 9, 1996
This day
I will marry my friend,
the one I laugh with, live for
dream with, love
Then:
Now:
If I have learned anything during the trials we've faced in our 15 years together, especially these last 3 years, it is that Steve is the one I need and want in my life forever ... he lifts me when times are tough, forgives me when I do or say the wrong thing, he supports me and believes in me. He has guts, passion, . He knows how to smile and even laugh despite frustration, trials and let-downs and reminds me to let go of the bad, focus on the good and smile and laugh through it. He reminds me of reasons to laugh, what to live for, reasons to dream and all the reasons to love.
For our 15th anniversary, I always figured we'd go somewhere big ... do something huge, but the last couple of years changed that for us. When we talked about it, we both agreed that we didn't need to go anywhere big and special ... the one thing we both wanted was new clothes. The last couple of years we have spent next to nothing on ourselves so this felt great! My parents took the girls for the weekend so we started Saturday morning by going to the BYU scrimmage, then we went up through the canyon and over to Park City where we spent the day shopping at the outlets, and then enjoyed a nice dinner with some of our best friends who also were in Park City for their anniversary weekend. It was refreshing to just eat, sit, talk and laugh with our friends. We got out of Park City really late and at the last minute decided we just didn't want to drive home that night, so we grabbed a hotel and stayed the night. We stopped at Wal-Mart and bought a few basics we needed and it was the perfect spontaneous outing. When we got home the next day, we literally emptied drawers and took major chunks out of our closet and filled trashbags of clothes for the trash and DI. It has been so nice this past month to put on clothes that feel and look good. Honestly I'm not sure I could have asked for a better anniversary. Thank you Steve! I love you!
I love you, today, tomorrow and forever!
I love you MOST, eternally and infinitely!!
Happy 15th Anniversary Steve!
All this because two people, me and you, fell in love
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Camera ...
For several years, I have all out COVETED the cameras of several of my friends. I'll admit, we went digital EARLY, ahead of most others. And I have been so grateful because the entire lives of all 3 of my girls is all digital pictures. If I need a picture for something and I just go to my computer, find the folder for the year and month that I want, edit it (if I need/want) and then send it to get printed. No digging through negatives or prints. But my the camera I have is about 6 years old and rather slow. It takes awhile for the picture to save and it takes awhile for the flash to charge up. Combine those two problems and I often can't snap the perfect picture because I've missed it! It DRIVES me nuts! But I haven't been able to justify buying a new one with other priorities the last couple of years - like paying bills and eating! :)
BUT ... here's my news!! My camera broke at Steve's reunion - right toward the end of hte night, I was taking a picture and the screen went black. But it wasn't like the battery went dead because the camera didn't turn off. It was just like some connection between the lens and the "brain" of the camera went out. It wouldn't let me turn it off or on, and even removing the batteries didn't help. DARN IT!! I LOVE to take pictures and can't imagine not having a camera. I figured we'd just buy something cheap and/or survive with our video camera (which does take still shot pictures), but it was the week of my birthday and we hadn't gotten me a present yet ... so Steve went to the store and did some research.
We've been eyeing the Nikon cameras at Costco .. Although I'd love the Nikon D7000 DSLR, its not in the budget and the Nikon D5100 DSLR takes a very similar photo for quite a bit less. So ... I'm getting a new camera!! It will be a couple more weeks BUT I'm excited! WARNING NOW!!! I will probably post a TON of pictures or at least some better quality ones. Yes, I'm all smiles about this! Thanks Steve for my bday present. Can't wait to get it!
BUT ... here's my news!! My camera broke at Steve's reunion - right toward the end of hte night, I was taking a picture and the screen went black. But it wasn't like the battery went dead because the camera didn't turn off. It was just like some connection between the lens and the "brain" of the camera went out. It wouldn't let me turn it off or on, and even removing the batteries didn't help. DARN IT!! I LOVE to take pictures and can't imagine not having a camera. I figured we'd just buy something cheap and/or survive with our video camera (which does take still shot pictures), but it was the week of my birthday and we hadn't gotten me a present yet ... so Steve went to the store and did some research.
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