Feb 19-24 Settling in our new life

Feb 19th Monday - Presidents Day so while most people are in California or on some warm vacation we are here building our office. We looked and looked and couldn't find a desk just right for us so of course I put Terry to work and this is what he has created. AMAZING in my eyes. It was alot more work then just go buying something but this is perfect.




 










Feb 20th Tuesday - After preschool Kami and I went running/walking. You see I haven't done any sort of official exercise since we found and started working on this farm. So it was 5 miles of torcher but somehow being with Kami made it nice! Then the nieces and nephew came over to horse ride with Grandpa! And I simply LOVE every minute of it.
Let me just say I am so thankful for such wonderful friends and family! This week has been filled with lunches w/ Holly, Tara, Mindee. Treats delivered from my sweet cousins and aunt Dixie. More unboxing, and more horse riding with my dad and Kamis cute family. I can not believe how happy I am right now. Even though I am living in a mess with no kitchen sink... I just bubble over with joy looking out my back window at the horses and watch my kids do their chores.













The front window on the other hand is not so enjoyable. There is the constant hum of construction trucks working all day starting at 6:00 in the morning. And then there is the generator running all night.... And then there is the road that is routed right through our front yard. I am just hoping it will be over sometime very soon. The most frustrating part is the lady that forclosed this house was paid $4500.oo to put up with this inconvience and here we are to deal with it and we got no warning. But oh well Love this life anyway. Feb 24th Sunday - Today was a great day as Troy and Jolyn came to visit. We have not seen them for so long it was nice to finally sit and talk with them. We even put Troy on the tractor to plow us a trail to the barn through the snow drifts. He was cute just happy as can be driving my John Deer. Then Kyle and Emilee decided to join us and see what we have done with the place. So we all sat and just talked as the kids ran around playing this and that.

Then at 6:30 we headed over to Cari & Brents for a Family Home Evening we were invited to. It was nice to talk to the cousins and let our kids meet their 2nd cousins and have fun playing with them. Wow we are surrounded out here by genuinely some of the most amazing people. And how lucky am I that I can say they are family. What a fun day. Of course we didn't get much done but that is not always what matters most.

Feb 11-18th Clean up House/ Move in

Feb 11th Monday - Today I went down to the farm doing a little of this and that, came home packed the truck with boxes, preschool prep, update blog and after we ate we headed to the farm for a little clean up of counter mess, tools and getting ready to move in. Matia and Terry are the most excited to move. I see so much work ahead of me that it is hard to be excited for this although I will love the aftermath. I am a little nervous living without a kitchen sink and counters for 3 weeks though.
Feb 12th Tuesday - Last night as Terry and I were sitting on Bowdee's floor setting up his desk we realized the carpet we had was not the same as the basement. It is such a worse quality, same color and all but so cheap. So today I woke up and went to Lowe's to find out they installed a carpet that was $.63 a sq ft not the $1.63 we paid for. So after much negotiating they refunded us our $864.00 and charged us $144.00 to keep what they installed. It still sucks because I am sure we will have to recarpet in a few years but at least they were nice enough to work with us.
Feb 14th Thursday - Ok so this year I must say I just love my family so much. For them all to be going through all these changes in our lives and they are all handling it so well. So this year I finished all their personal scrapbooks and the one BIG family one. Terry and I also gave them each a really soft snuggly blanket to enjoy in our new home. My kids bring so much happiness to my life I just can't even tell you. But Terry is the love of my life. He is definitely my person! The one and only that really gets and understands me. Ok so he might not always understand me but he does his best and I know he will always love me unconditionally! Thank you Terry for sticking with me during this hard time in my life. You are such a great person! I love you for always being so considerate and showing me how you love me. You always find that perfect gift for me that takes so much thought and effort. Man I sure lucked out when you married me. Feb 15th Friday - What would I ever do without my sweet mom and dad. Today I spent the day loading boxes and moving them to the farm! Yes a very exciting day for our family. But without the help of my dad this would have been a very overwhelming moment. So my mom told my dad "I don't want you doing anything today except taking care of Kristi" so with dad at my disposal we moved 90% of the basement all before 1:30 which I figured we deserved a little lunch break at Zuppa's with ma. Thank you mom for dad's help and thank you dad for your little boost of "we can do this attitude" So we spent the rest of the night moving and settling down. Of course we got quite exhausted so we hit Little Caesars for dinner and cuddled up to a movie in our new house. What a fun experience tucking the kids back into their own bedrooms on actual beds again not on the floor anymore. We were all excited to have our own spaces again. Love this new adventure! Feb 16th Saturday - What a fun day we had today. We started out with a little shopping around for a few things then we headed to Tia & Tregs bball games. Which is always fun but today was the first time Terry's parents were able to come watch them play. And we got to visit with them. Then they got us some KFC for lunch after the games. So sweet! After we enjoyed a delicious lunch we got to work. Our sweet friend Ryan Ruchti came to help us move the heavy stuff along with our sweet dads. It was great to have all that stuff moved and down to our new house. Now the only thing we have left at the preschool house is our computer which we will move soon. It is weird to see it so empty, to think of all the work we put into making it just the way we want it then we move... CRAZY

Feb 4-10th - Carpet/Pour Countertops

Feb 4th Monday - If I am being completely honest which I feel is only fair for a journal. I would have to say I am having a really hard time letting go of this house. We have done so many things to make it just the way we wanted that it will be a sad day when we sell it. Even though I have a really hard time with basement living, I love this basement. If we didn't have the preschool taking up 2 bedrooms it would be so comfortable. I will and already do miss my garage especially when it is snowing and I get to scrap the windows. I miss the organization of our recreation gear and having our boat stored nicely. I will miss the fenced in backyard for the dogs, I don't know what we will do with them out there. I miss the extra room in the house, I hate feeling cluttered, I guess that means it is high time to dejunk! I will miss our friendly neighbors who are always willing to help. I miss our clean cars, it seems impossible to keep them clean with the muddy driveway and dirty boots. I will miss teaching preschool in my home, I have LOVED my job the last 9 years! I will miss my flower beds and garden corner. I seriously love this house and will miss it dearly, I thought we were going to grow old here. Crazy how life throws us curve balls. I have to keep reminding myself I will only have my children for a short time. I have to choose wisely how I spend my last 10 years of them living with us.

But now that I have said all that I must include how I am SO excited to have a horse ranch. This is a dream of mine that I have had my entire life. Yes, I am totally nervous and don't know what I am doing and I learn so much every day. But I LOVE IT! I am excited to watch my kids experience baby animals in their newest form and the miracle it is. I am excited to teach my children what real chores are like and watch them grow into some incredible young adults with a true knowledge of responsibility. I am excited to see them adjust to new schools and church and meet new friends. I have loved seeing our farm house transform, Terry is so amazing and I love all that he has taught the kids about it as well. I love the views out of my windows, the lake on one side and Mnt. Timp on the other. I love watching the sunset on the farm they are simply time stopping. I am excited to watch my kids drive the tractor around the farm. I still remember sitting on my dads lap as he plowed the fields on my Grandpa's old Ford blue tractor. I love working side by side working toward a common goal. I love shopping at Cal-ranch for real and not to just dream! I love that my kids NEED boots and don't just want them. And I love my animals I feel like they are such a wonderful part of life! So yes I am confused giving up such a comfortable easy life for one with so much work yet so many rewards to be given. I don't regret my decision but I am sad when I think about what I am leaving. When I was at the store today I saw a sign that said. If you want to know what your heart desires turn to the things your mind things about. I have always dreamt of horses, goats, land, barns, chickens, fences, tractors, and family togetherness! And God made a farmer!

Feb 5th Tuesday - After Treg had scouts and Matia's bball practice we had parent teacher conferences. I love going to them to hear how my kids are really doing. I would hope that the teachers wouldn't just tell me what I want to hear because that would do no good for anyone. Treg's teacher told us a few things to work on with him. Mostly just reading faster because he likes to go slow to make sure he understands it all and wont miss anything. Terry said he did the same thing. Matia's teacher really enjoys Matia in her class... At least that is what she says but seems sincere. She is excited to hear Matia will be finishing the year with her at this school. It is such a relief to hear they are doing so well especially when this year I have given them the responsibility of getting their homework done by themselves.

Feb 6th Wednesday - OH what a fun day at our farm. Today I spent the day sorting tools while Will from Lowe's installed our carpet. We only had 650sq ft to install but wow what a difference it made. I love the smell of brand new carpet and now that smell fills my new home. I was so excited when he left that I ran home and tore down the boys beds and took them down to their bedrooms. The kids set them up while Terry and I had a meeting with the construction crew that is putting in the water/sewer line through our property. Which we found out the lady that owned it before she foreclosed got $4,500 for the easement and inconvenience when it hasn't affected her at all. CRAZY and sad that we have to put up with it and get nothing out of it.

Feb 8th Friday - Today Terry and I went shopping at lunch for a desk for our new office. Well we went to Ikea and found some desks for the kids rooms. Then we went to RCWilleys, we didn't find us a desk but we found the perfect couch set, rug, and stove for our new house. So instead of a desk we ended up buying our very first brand new couch set ever! We both just fell in love with them and we needed a set any how because mom and dads won't fit in the little space we have. Anyway, after coming home we decided to put together the desks. It took so long we only had time to do one. Then head off to Bowdee's basketball game. After the game we just went home and called it a night. We are getting so tired it is hard to keep working late like we have been no matter how bad we want to get done so we can move in.

Feb 9th Saturday - Matia had a basketball game which they played amazingly. They won 44 to 5 which I felt really bad for the other team. We have been on that end of things so many times its rough. Matia played hard and is focusing more on where the ball is going then just defending her one person. She got fouled during a shot and so she was able to take 2 shots. I wish you could have seen the cute way she shot the ball, it was a kind of jump/leap/land like some kind of dance move. But the ball went in both times. I think the reason she sank them was because her Grandpa Covington was there to watch her and man she loves her Grandpa sooo much! To bad Grandma didn't feel well she would have been so proud of her little Mattie!

Feb 10th Sunday - What a big day. I was not excited to start this day by any means but after a long hot bath and a small breakfast we set out to get our butts kicked. We knew it was going to be exhausting but worth it in the end. It was counter top pouring day. We decided that pouring concrete counter tops for under $150 was worth the work to save us over $2000 for cheap Formica. So we started by finishing the mold making process. Then by 12:00 we were ready to pour so we went and got the kids, ate some lunch, got some courage and started to pour at 2:00.

By 4:00 we were finished mixing and pouring the concrete. But it would still take us 3 more hours to drain off the extra water, let it set, drain it again, and finish it. Of course Terry does all the finish work. I am afraid I am just not detailed enough or talented enough to make it look good so I just worked in the behind scenes, cleaning tools, helping lift buckets, vibrating side walls to get air bubbles released, and all the other things that are important but not seen. It looks like quite the mess but if it looks anything like the basement counter tops (which I don't have any doubts) it is going to look fabulous when we are finished. Yes Terry is still amazingly talented in all that he does.

Jan 28-Feb 3 finish flooring Cabinets/Super Bowl

Jan 28&29th Wow we got hit with some real snow and ice. It was crazy! So Terry spent the 2 days working from home because it just wasn't worth the risk to drive in. We went down to the farm and had to break out the tractor to plow our driveway and man that was sure fun! We love our John Deere! We also got the vinyl flooring all installed and it looks PERFECT! My friend Tonja came down to help us finish up and she was amazed at how much the house has changed.

Jan 30th Finally mom and dad came home from Hawaii. We sure missed having the "adults" in the family home as my nephew Izak calls them. I will sure enjoy dad being here so I don't have to drive down every morning to feed. And Tia will sure enjoy having a break from little Maggie (grandmas poodle who thinks she is connected to Matia when she is here.) I am just glad they came home I wasn't sure they would if they knew how bad the weather has been.

Jan 31st Ya know there are so many little things that just take so much time. Like installing the bathroom toilet, vanity, cabinet, light. It doesn't seem like much but it took us all night. We have been holding on to this vanity for 10 years now thinking we will someday be able to use it and we finally did. Terry just trimmed it to fit and walla it saved us $200 and doesn't look to bad either. Man I love being married to a Jack of all Trades!

Feb 1st Matia has been home sick now for 3 days. I hate seeing my kids sick but I love their cuddles. Tonight after Bowdee's basketball game (which yes they lost again) Terry and I went on a date. It has been a while since we have been on a date away from the farm. So we stopped at Home Dept for some things we needed and then hit the Life of PI show at the sticky shoe. It was just fun to be with my honey without the stress of rebuilding! Yes we still do love each other!

Feb 2nd Treg had his basketball game and then we headed down to install the master bathroom flooring. They didn't have enough of the same we did in the other rooms but this was still very cheap and I thought it looked nice. I have also been staining my cabinets that we didn't replace from a pinterest thing where you use Gel-Stain and it has turned out really nice! Better then buying new. But what a busy day.

Feb 3rd We spent the morning installing and getting electricity to the island. Then we went to Troys house for the Superbowl. It has been such a long time since we have last visited with him it was nice to just relax and enjoy some good company. My favorite part was watching the cousins play together they always get along so well. Thanks for having us over Troy it was a great night!

Jan 21-27 Paint Walls and start flooring

Jan 21st Monday - So with the kids being out of school Bowdee had a birthday party to go to and Matia and Treg went to play at Emilee's while I went on a hot lunch date with my honey. We went to Lowe's and they had some vinyl flooring on clearance but our store didn't have enough it was on clearance for $0.62 a sq/ft. So we went to Murray and they had the same stuff for $0.16 a sq foot with a 25 year warranty/stain master/usually $1.27 sq/ft then we got a 5% discount off that so we bought the whole roll. It's not what we would like in our dream home but it will be perfect for the farm home.

Jan 22nd-25th we spent down at the farm once again I would paint the walls while Terry would start doing the light fixtures. We worked really hard to complete all the painting before the weekend so we could start the flooring. To install they vinyl it costs $1.11 a sq/ft so Terry decided to try it again. He did a room in our Eagle Mnt. home and he kicked a whole through the stuff. So he is a bit nervous but I am sure he will do a fantastic job! Thank you Mindy for helping me paint on Wed. that really helped so much!

Jan 26th Saturday - Right after the basketball games Terry and I rented the pressure roller for $22.00 a day at Home Dept. Took a deep breath and started laying the vinyl. It took us a little longer then we expected but slow and easy was our thinking. Luckily Kami came to visit and ended up helping us install our first piece. Which was the hardest because we were so nervous of what we were doing. Thank you Kami for helping us out.

Jan 27th Sunday - Bright and early we let the kids sleep in while we headed to the farm for more flooring fun! So we worked from 7 in the morning until 6 at night installing the kitchen and cutting out the hall, laundry, and bath. Half way through we did pick up the kids, have lunch and return the roller but that was our only break. Yes, we are getting beat but Terry reminds me still we are getting closer. We came home and relaxed to some good old football game. Both of us too tired to do anything else.

Jan 14th-20th Primer/White Paint

Jan 14-18th we spent the week nights again down at the farm chalking the trim, taping, painting the floor and getting ready for primer on Saturday. It was alot of late nighters but we are getting excited to see it all start coming together. My mom and dad left for a 2 week cruise in Hawaii so we are babysitting their poodle Maggie and doing all the feeding chores. It's just hard because we don't live there. But man I love those animals at the farm!

Jan 19th Saturday - So right after Treg's Basketball game we headed down to the farm to spray the primer. It took us 6 hours but we did it. Terry of course does such an excellent job at everything he does. Seriously you would think I would get used to his excellence but he still amazes me. And the house already looks better. I am excited for the other paint now.

Jan 20th Sunday - Of course we went back to the farm after picking up another 5 gallons of paint just to make sure we had enough. Then we went down and started spraying the white trim, doors, closets, ceiling. We still didn't have enough paint so after 6&1/2 hours and 17 gallons of paint we finally finished her. It looks amazing now to pick out the colors.

Jan 7-13th Sanding/Trim Basketball Starts

Jan 7-10th we spent the weeknights at basketball practices, sanding texture and starting trim work. I had a really bad week, I am just so tired and it seems like there is no hope in sight of ever moving to the farm. Kyle and Emilee just bought a beautiful house down by our farm and they are already moving in and we aren't even painting. But Terry reminds me every day that we are getting closer. So lets hope he is right.

Jan 11th Friday - Tonight Bowdee and Coach Terry had their first Basketball game so let the games begin. They didn't win but Bowdee had 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. It is fun to watch the boys get more competitive. They lost 45 to 28 but they played hard and they are learning how each other plays most of the other teams have been together for years. Anyway good playing Bowdee, I sure love to watch you play!

Jan 12th Saturday - Treg's 1st basketball game was at 8:00 in Alpine. I wasn't able to go because I had to get Matia to her basketball game on time. But Terry said he played really good and did his best. I still can't believe we have to drive all the way up to Alpine to get a court for them to play on.

Matia's 1st basketball game was at 9:00 at the Jr. High. She is on the same team with the same coach as she has had for years. Which is a good thing we love her team it makes it so fun for her. She also had 2 of her close friends that she dances with join the team so she is just loving it. She is still that aggressive tough player and we all love watching her play. Of course she is now the shortest player on the team.

After all the games were over we headed down to the farm to start installing the trim. Bowdee helped us and it is fun to see him get trained in these kinds of things. He had fun doing it and he thinks it is way cool that he is helping us finish the house. He is really becoming a great helper. Terry almost prefers his help to mine.

Dec 31-Jan 6 AJ Wedding/Wendover Break

Dec 31st Monday - Terry woke up at 6:00 and decided he just couldn't go into work and that he wanted to spend the day trying to get the texture on the walls done today. So I got out of my nice warm bed that lies on the floor, pushed it up against the wall and away we went. We worked until about 5:00 and yes we got all the texture on the walls. The best part of the day was when my biggest brother Clint came to visit the farm and see what we have been up to the last 6 months.

We went home got dressed made some Jalapeno Poppers then went to our Garrick friends house. We did make it until midnight although I must say Matia, Treg, and I were really struggling. Kami called and asked me the infamous question of what my new years resolution was and I told her "to move into my farm house and become a farmer again" She didn't think that was a fair one. But that is how well I do with New Year Resolutions. My brother Clint would also be disappointed in that answer.

Jan 1st Tuesday - So we all slept in a little longer then normal then we headed down to the farm. Terry and I set some doors and built some closet shelves. Kami came down to work their horses and the Garricks came down to play. Adi & Emma stayed and went sledding with Bowdee and Iz while Tia and Treg stayed inside trying to warm up from a good horse riding session.

Then we came home and had our annual Fondue Feast! This year the favorite was the mozzarella sticks with Marinara Sauce in them. But this is by far the kids favorite dinner all year long. Bowdee seems to enjoy food way more then any of the other kids but they all loved it and said they will for sure carry this tradition on into their families when they are married and moved on.

Jan 2nd Wednesday - Today my sweet nephew AJ married Choryn in the SLC temple. I can't tell you how happy I am for him. He has always been such a sweet loving boy so full of happiness and joy. I love you AJ and I wish you and Choryn the very best in your marriage. It was fun going up to see them at the temple and having a luncheon at the Lion House. It was COLD VERY VERY COLD but it was so very nice and beautiful.

After AJ's sweet luncheon we all went down to show Colt and Ephia the Crazy Creek Ranch. It was still cold and very dark so they couldn't get the whole just of it. But it gave them a good idea of what we have gotten ourselves into and they were excited for us. I just love it when our family comes home and we can all be together. We at Cafe Rio after and just talked late into the night about this's and that's. Love them all!

Jan 3rd Thurs - Back to school. The kids were so very sad that their Christmas break was over and I was too. I do not like homework or the not being able to do just anything but it is part of life so we must not complain. After preschool I got to go to lunch with Ephia, Stella, Kathy, Ang, Mom and Dad. After we did a little shopping for mom and dads cruise that is coming up. It's just nice to have them near! I wish I could go out on a lunch with these ladies every week of the year. I will miss them.

Jan 4th Friday - So Terry and I are both just exhausted and we just couldn't go work in that farm house one more night without some major break. So instead we dropped the dogs off at their fav. babysitter (my mom & dads) then we loaded up the kids and headed to Wendover. You just can't beat a free room for a nice fast getaway. We grabbed dinner at Subway took it to our room and we all just relaxed and vegged in front of the T.V. I know we could have done that at home. BUT... I can't cuz there's always something to be done.

So Terry and I went out for a little dancing that night when all of a sudden my girls Tonja and Holly snuck up on us. They totally knew I was out there and came out to surprise us. We had so much fun. Poor Terry the only man with all 3 of us crazy ladies. I think he liked the attention he got. We stayed out dancing and just feeling like we were dating. It felt so nice! I love you Terry thanks for loving my friends and putting up with us.

Jan 5th Saturday - After we checked out we ventured back to the big city of Grantsville to make a birthday dinner for Terry's sweet mom and dad. We did this last year and we loved it because it was just us and them and time to chit chat like you can't when the whole family is there. Matia and Treg were the entertainment during dinner with their silly off the wall comments. Terry provided the perfectly cooked dinner of Salmon, Smoked Brisquette, corn bread, potatoes, and turtle brownies. Thank you for a perfect night.

Jan 6th Sunday - Back to the reality that we still are living in a basement sharing one room and our farmhouse where we would really like to be right now is just textured and has so much work to be done. Terry and I pried ourselves out of bed and headed back to work. We finished all the shelving in the closets. Troy and his girls and Kami came by for a quick hello which was nice to have a little distraction. I was just glad we got the closets finished.