Our New House

I've been meaning to put this on here since last week when we closed on this new beautiful house. It's in Maricopa about 1.7 miles from our current house....same ward and closer to the kids' school.

We are currently cleaning, painting and moving garage items over but hope to be moved in completely within the next 2 weeks. We're taking our time since we are so close and that is wonderful! We can unpack as we go instead of loading everything at once and feeling overwhelmed.

We totally love the new house and the huge back yard! Here's the stats it's about 3100 sq ft 4 bedrooms plus a den, 2.5 baths and 3 car garage on almost a quarter acre. Our current home is gorgeous and we LOVE it too but this one has the 3 car garage & fireplace & granite & jacuzzi tub & soft water & double ovens & a way bigger back yard.

These pictures are prior to us cleaning & painting....so when we are done with all of that and moved in.....I'll take more pictures and post them to our blog.

Looks like we'll be calling Maricopa, AZ our home for good! :o)

Any suggestions on the back yard landscape? It'll be awhile but we'll glady take any suggestions on what we should do with it. :o)

Can you say BUSY?

Well it's been crazy around this joint! Which is a good and bad thing sometimes. So much to do and not enough time or energy to do it all in. That seems to be the story of everyone's lives these days. Laundry, house cleaning, paying the bills, taxi service for our children and so on and so on....isn't it great! We are so blessed and sometimes so stressed. Take one day at a time and one action at a time and it's amazing how much you can accomplish especially when you ask Heavenly Father for help! Love to you all!!!!

New First Presidency of the LDS Church Announced

Our new President - Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson is the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was announced today February 4th, 2008 at a news conference in the Church Office Building. President Monson, 80, succeeds President Gordon B. Hinckley, who died 27 January at age 97.

The new world leader of the Church has called to serve with him in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the 13-million-member faith, President Henry B. Eyring, 74, first counselor, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, second counselor.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Isn't that wonderful! We watched it all unfold yesterday on KBYU television and actually Will & I guessed correctly even on the counselors. My Mom called me immediately after they announced it to see if we were watching it. She was so cute. I asked her if Brandy was there with the reportors but she said she wasn't. Brandy works for KJZZ tv as a world news anchor and also works for the LDS church. She has had many conversations with President Monson and has even been to his church office. Pretty cool!

I love all three of the wonderful men especially Thomas S. Monson. I will miss President Hinckley very much as I'm sure everyone is and especially President Monson who has worked with him for the past 44 years.

Yesterday they said that President Monson loves the color yellow and he explained that it was because it gives all other colors it brightness and is why our grass is green and not blue. He has a cute sense of humor like President Hinckley. Another interesting tid bit about President Monson is that we both have the same birthday, so he is a Leo also. Since I was called as the Secretary to the Relief Society Presidency I wondered who the First Presidency's Secretary was and yesterday got to see that busy man. He is in this picture on the left of Pres. Eyring."

It's all about Hannah Montana

So both Calvin & McKenna LOVE watching Hannah Montana on Disney!

Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana

ROCKS!

They love Miley Cyrus (Hannah without the wig)!

Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter

So here they are for Halloween 07 -

Spider Man & Hannah

you can't see the cowgirl

boots she's wearing which really ties

in her entire outfit. :o)

Hey McKenna's wig looks

good on her Uncle Steve too.

Cousin Stephanie (that's her

Daddy up above in the wig)

& McKenna holding their

concert tickets! Yes I said

tickets to Hannah Montana

Best of Both Worlds concert

1/22/08 in Glendale, AZ.

Calvin had fallen asleep in

the car otherwise he would

have been in the picture also.

Stephanie is 10 & Kenna is 9 yrs old. Beautiful Girls!

All 3 right before we walked into the concert and yes I enjoyed it as well. :o)

It was 69 miles one way!

But these smiles were worth it and the

concert was great! There 1st concert and

a memory to last a lifetime! 1/22/2008

Stephanie, McKenna & Calvin Wright

Forgot about Missionaries.....what a day!

So I'm sitting upstairs trying to do the whole blog thing and entering my auto accident post and Will tells me it's 5:03pm and you signed up to feed them today at 5pm!!!! I had totally forgotten! I had nothing thawed or prepared for dinner either.

So unfortunately the missionaries and one being from Canada and this being his second day out were served cold cut sandwhiches, veggies, chips and dip for dinner. I'm so embarrassed!

What a fantastic Friday!

Got in a fender bender today!

My fender

Her fender

Just as I discussed yesterday how long it had been since I had gotten a ticket or been in an accident knocking on wood to keep the good luck going...today my luck ended. Luckily no one was hurt especially since the lady I rear ended had two little boys in her vehicle. Her vehicle totally appears to be fine but my bumper got a tow hitch piercing today and my interior got a nice coating of Dr. Pepper. (that's what I get for drinking it)

So here's how it happened.....we had just slowed down for a red light that changed to green and began increasing our speed and then all of the sudden the lowrider small truck infront of her slammed on his brakes with smoke from his tires everywhere, she slammed on her brakes and then I did....she tapped him and I hit her. He didn't stop and just kept going which made her then question if she actually hit him or not but obviously I hit her. It was like slow motion and there was nothing I could do we were in the left hand lane and there were cars next to me on the right side and the median to the left of me with a curb and on coming traffic on the other side.

It sounded horrible...I actually didn't think that I would be able to drive forward thinking I smashed the entire front end in. When she pulled forward and it appeared that she had no damage I was extremely relieved but sick to death about what had just happened. We drove forward about 200 feet and turned left into an apartment complex...Woodcreek Apartments on Gilbert Rd. & Iverness just south of I60. My good friend Jennifer lives there but was at work otherwise I could have visited her for the 40 plus minutes we waited for the police to come. I had called Will and told him that I just was in a wreck and then quickly hung up to talk to her. The lady in the other vehicle called her fiance and he told her even though it appeared that there wasn't any damage to call the police just incase there ended up being damage...although we had exchanged insurance information and names etc. I didn't think it was necessary since but also thought....great I'm going to get a ticket on top of it.

The policeman finally showed up and asked us what happened she explained, he asked me if it was accurate and I said yes. He asked if anyone was hurt or injured in anyway with a concern for the children we all said no that we were fine. He then inspected her vehicle and then mine and told us that there was no damage to her car & asked her if she would be filing a claim, she said no and told me that he would suggest that I repair the bumper or replace it myself not filing a claim with insurance either. He then said because there was no injuries to anyone, no damage to the vehicle that was hit only damage to the vehicle that was technically at fault (ME) that there was no collision here. He said that they are not going to be responding to fender benders anymore and people will just need to exchange insurance & contact info only. He also told me that I needed to either slow down or not be so close to a vehicle because obviously she was able to stop and not hit the car infront of her but I didn't so he wasn't saying I was speeding or anything but had I put enough space between me and the car infront of me I would have been able to stop. I was still mad at that point about the dumb little low rider truck with a teenage male driver that caused the entire accident that fled but the officer obviously didn't care about that. He was nice and didn't write any tickets or even ask us for our insurance or driver's licenses etc. The other gal was worried he would fine her for having an out of state license when she has lived her for over a year, but he didn't ask either of us.

Luckily no one was hurt and the damage very minimal. It really could have been a lot worse. I'm sure I've not seen the end of this and will get some huge bill for a new tow hitch or something once her fiance see's it or thinks about it....but I can hope that there car is fine. :o) She was very nice and shook my hand when we left.

So my advice to everyone including myself......be at least a car length away from the car infront of you even if you are stopped - Wreckful Leslie

Count our blessings

I just found out tonight that one of my best friend's Mom Julie Pearson has stage 4 pancreas cancer that has spread to her liver, spleen & various stomach lining areas. I'm going to go and see her Thursday at the hospital as she has been wonderful to me for the past 15 years. :o( The doctors gave her 8 months to live if she has a good & positive attitude. That has to be such hard news to hear right before Christmas. After being sad about it I've been thinking tonight that Life can be short and time is so precious, I went in and kissed my babies again and thanked Heavenly Father for them. I will try and remember everyday is a blessing and kiss & hug my sweeties more. (Leslie posted not Will)