Well it’s been a while since this has been updated so sorry if this gets lengthy! I keep razzing Noelle that she loves to read other’s blogs but hasn’t updated our in ages and she always fires back something along the lines that she’s never seen me update anything either so I figure I’d make her find a different excuse. In the beginning of November, Noelle finally convinced me to go back to school and get the Master’s degree I’ve always wanted, so after talking to friends and looking at different colleges, we found the perfect program for us. In the span of a little over a month I studied for the GMAT, wrote 3 admittance essays, applied and was accepted to Arizona State University’s online MBA program. I attended orientation at the Tempe Campus in January and since then have been trying to balance work, family, school, scoutmaster, and sleep. What a challenge but with just 1 ½ weeks left in my first class I’m still getting an A, Noelle doesn’t hate me, my kids still know who their dad is and I’ve been on 2 campouts! The sleep might be a little lacking but who needs sleep anyway! Noelle & the kids have been troopers lately because on Thanksgiving the clutch in my car went out and I decided to be superhero mechanic and save us some money by doing it myself. I ordered all the parts and set off to do that plus replace my cv axles, serpentine belt, and power steering pump while I was at it and get it all done by the time I went back to work that next week. Well everything went great until I started the clutch, I realized the transmission wouldn’t come out unless I took apart the entire subframe underneath the car! Needless to say, Noelle took me back and forth to work everyday for 5 weeks while I tried to get everything torn apart replaced and put back together. Finally on Martin Luther King Jr. Day I got it all back together and in much glory brought Noelle out to show off my great money saving accomplishment, turned the key and nothing happened. For the next 2 weeks I figured out all the different things I had hooked up wrong or missed and finally 2 weeks ago I was ready again! Turned the key and NOTHING! I finally bowed my head in complete and utter defeat and called a tow truck to take it to a shop. Well the shop got it started and called me telling me the clutch was making a horrible noise so they had to pull it. Feeling about the size of an ant I had to admit I had done the clutch myself and they then asked me if I knew I had put the clutch disc in backwards! Complete and total humiliation hit me(luckily I was just on the phone and not face to face). They then told me it probably wasn’t really my fault because the clutch disc had been stamped on the wrong side telling me to put it in the way I did! Well turn out it damaged the flywheel and other parts so tomorrow I get to go pay $3000 (so much for my money saving skills) and I finally get my car back. I just want to tell Noelle thank you for being so patient and understanding with me for the last 3 months. She has basically just been a chauffer every day trying to get me to and from work, Addison to pre school, Jaylee to school and piano lessons along with taking care of the house! She truly is an AMAZING mom and wife! I love you.
As for everything else, we had a great Christmas, I took the week of Christmas off and we went up to salt lake to see Grandma & Grandpa Merrill. We had a blast seeing all my family and playing in the snow, maybe Noelle can post some pictures of our sledding outing up there. Great Grandma Merrill came down to my parents house and we loved being able to have her there for Christmas morning along with my brother Steven and his wife Kristin, so the girls were in heaven. Thanks for the effort Grandma we really love you!
While we were in Salt Lake Maycie fell at a friends house and hit her head on a hardwood floor and had another seizure, (for those of you who don’t know, she had one while in SL back in July). This resulted in another ambulance ride to Primary Children’s Hospital. Luckily she was fine and after seeing a Neurologist here in Vegas he told us she is just fine and nothing is wrong with her. Jaylee is now half way done with Kindergarten and loving it although she complains a lot that it’s too boring and she wants to learn more. Addison is enrolled at Junior Junction, a preschool here and she is loving every minute of it. They had a Christmas program at school and of course she did and amazing job with her part and was the best one there! She spoke loudly, clearly and repeated her part perfectly. With the new year lots of exciting things have happened in church too, Maycie is now 18 months so she now gets to go to Nursery (mom and dad love that!), Addison is now a big girl and is a Sunbeam and Jaylee is in the CTR 6 class and loving every minute of that. Noelle is still the 2nd Counselor in the Primary and I’m loving every minute of continuing the family tradition and being Scoutmaster. We recently had a court of honor and gave out 36 merit badges between 8 boys. It’s great to see the progress made from a year ago when there really wasn’t a scouting program in our ward.
Finally this last weekend Noelle and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by flying in Grandpa Merrill to watch the girls while we snuck away for a getaway to St. George and stayed in the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed on our wedding night. It was a much needed getaway and thank you Grandpa for being such a trooper and taking on the girls we really appreciate it (especially since my dad had 4 boys so Sunday he got the fun experience of getting 3 girls ready for 9 am church all by himself! What a champion, he even managed pony tails on the girls!) Well I think I’ve used up enough space so I’ll let Noelle add any more news she feels like I’ve missed and now I can razz her about updating and she won’t have any excuses.
*To the two of you who actually READ all of that....WAY to go! You must be true fans!!!*
