I'm a transformer

So there's something huge happening in our lives that we haven't really talked about here. I'm a transformer, and by that I mean that I'm shrinking. By that I mean I'm getting smaller. By that I mean I've lost 64 pounds! In February I started a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be on a weight-loss reality show. We're still filming so I don't think I can divulge all the details of it but it will likely air in December or January. Anyway, it has been an amazing couple months in working so hard with diet and exercise, committing to doing every little thing my trainer asks of me, learning to own my successes along with my failures, all while having a camera in my face and knowing a million people may be along for the ride. In spite of the awkwardness of the cameras, I am so unbelievably grateful I'm a part of this. The day I met my trainer I knew we'd be friends for a very long time, tv show or not. I'm learning to push myself by myself, and when surrounded by those cheering me on. Julie has been amazing through all of this! She has done the workouts at home and is 100 percent committed to the meal plan and standing by my side at every step. I don't think  I would have the success I have without Julie being such a powerful partner at my side. I've still got quite a way to go to reach my goals (which have gone from simple weight-loss to much deeper, truly healthy goals) but life is so much better than it was 64lbs ago! Next weekend I'm doing a Spartan race (8-10 miles with 26 major obstacles along the way) and I'm excited for it. Not too long ago I would have been nothing but terrified at the thought of doing this. I'm not scared or worried. I'm just really excited because I know I can do it though I've never done anything close to this before! Like I said I'm shrinking. I'm also growing in other ways at the same time. I'm shrinking and growing at the same time. Like I said, I'm a transformer.

Ray

It's Not Just A Stroller

Because we don't know when our baby will come to us, we thought it would be a good idea to have a few things ready. So we did some research and picked out which car seat and stroller we want. The stroller was delivered the Tuesday after Mother's Day.

I know it might look like just another stroller to the average eye but it's not. This stroller is different. It is the first "big" baby item we purchased. This stroller is a symbol of hope. It is putting our faith in God that we will get our baby. This stroller represents parenthood.  I know some days when I look at the stroller in our future nursery I will be filled with excitement at what our life will be like when we have a baby in our home. There will also be days I know when I see the empty stroller in the empty room, I will be filled with sadness that our dream of having children has not come true yet. As it is with the adoption waiting game, emotions are like a roller coaster. But for right now I am excited and hopeful that we will find our baby.

~Julie

I love my church calling!

About 2 1/2 years ago I was stuck in a rut. I needed something new in my life; something for me to make a difference in the world. We had recently experienced our miscarriage and I was in a funk. I couldn't figure out my purpose in life. Work was okay and I enjoyed the people I worked with but I needed something more. I thought about going to school and getting a degree that I could use to help people, but I couldn't decide what that would be and I didn't want to waste time and money on something and then change my mind later. I was frustrated and confused. Finally one night I was laying in my bed with my face in my pillow asking God what he wanted me to do. I didn't get an answer right away but a few weeks later Ray and I were called into our bishop's office where he asked me to be the new Primary President. I was shocked but I accepted the calling. I love it! I don't know how much of a difference I am making but if at the end of church the children leave knowing they are loved by our Heavenly Father then I am doing okay. I love it when they sing the primary songs and learn gospel principals through them. I love it when they know the answers during lessons. I love when they can relate the scriptures to their lives. I love feeling the spirit when they are actively listening to the lessons being taught. I love watching their testimonies grow and feeling the huge spirits of these little kids. I have an amazing group of kids, teachers, counselors, and music leaders that help me love my calling. Sometimes it can be a little stressful but this calling has kept me busy and helped me fill the void that I felt before. I have been forced out of my comfort zone and learned a lot about myself in the process.
~Julie
P.S.
To learn more about our church visit lds.org or morman.org

We Are Approved!

"Ray and Julie are recommended by Utah Adoption Specialists for domestic placement of a child(ren)..."
After federal & state background checks, child abuse background check, medical reports, financial reports, questionnaires, home inspection, and more we are now approved to adopt!
Now that our home study is complete we can start creating profiles on adoption sites. Thanks to this awesome announcement, adoption.com is where we will create our first profile. Now it's time to find our baby! We know it may take some time or it may happen quickly. We understand we're not trying to just find a baby. We're searching for our baby and when it's right it will work out.
Lets do this!
~Ray & Julie~

Last Minute Adventure

In my family you need to be ready for an adventure at the drop of a hat. What usually happens is we are sitting around with nothing to do and the next thing you know we are on our way to the canyon for picnic or on a road trip to Las Vegas. You just never know what the lazy weekend will turn into. Well Saturday was this type of occasion. Ray was working and I was running some errands. I got my hair cut, prepared some things for Sunday primary etc. On my list of things to do was drop some quilting stuff off to my sister then meet up with my sister-in-law so she could hook me up with some Mary Kay makeup. Well as I was dropping off the quilt stuff to my sister they were getting ready to hike to the "Y" on the mountain in Provo. I had never done that before and it was a beautiful day so it didn't take much convincing to get me to go with them. My uncle, his 2 grand-kids, my sister, 2 nieces, my dad, his dog Penny and I hiked to the "Y". It was harder than it looks but we had a fun time. We left a mirror with someone at home so we could signal to them with the mirror we took with us. The weather was perfect and it was fun to do something with family.

I love my job!

I'm training a new person at work. Training is difficult and can seem to slow the clock down sometimes. It's also a chance to reflect on my training and how intimidated I was at being a dispatcher in the beginning. I managed restaurants for much of my life and I was pretty good at it. I didn't like it so much after a few years but I was good at it. In my mid 30's I found dispatch and it just felt right. I don't think most people understand what a 911 and police dispatcher does in the course of a day at work and frankly we make it look easy. But I will never forget my days of training; being terrified of answering that first call; being incredibly intimidated by having to talk over the police radio; and knowing that a 911 call was coming at any moment and I might be the one to make a difference between life and death on the other end of that call. It was all so daunting but I loved it. I wanted to reach the point where I was ready to put those weights on my shoulders and carry someone through disaster. As difficult as it was to absorb the impossible amount of knowledge and the endlessly evolving skills needed, I knew I had found what I should have been doing my whole life. After working a decade in the wrong places it's amazing to know I'm at the right one. Now despite the difficulties in training, it's great to see that realization in someone else that this is where they belong and the determination to master the mountain of skills and knowledge to join our ranks. I love my job!

Ray

What's Your Favorite Christmas Movie?

A week or so ago at work my co-workers and I were having a discussion on Christmas Movies and the question going around was "What is your all-time favorite Christmas movie?". I didn't have an answer. So later that night I asked Ray what his favorite is. He didn't have an answer either. So as an effort to do something "Christmassy" we set out to solve this very important mystery.
How do you figure something like this out? Well you have to watch a bunch of Christmas movies. We made a list of 16 movies then ranked them and put them in a bracket (you know like in the March Madness playoffs).

Here is our list of Christmas Movie match-ups
The Santa Clause vs Jack Frost
The Grinch vs It's a Wonderful Life
The Christmas Carol vs Babes in Toy land
Elf vs The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation vs Miracle on 34th Street
The Nightmare Before Christmas vs Holiday Inn
Santa Claus The Movie vs A Christmas Story
White Christmas vs Fred Claus

The ones in red are winners so far and will compete in the final 8.
Rules: We don't have to watch the same movie more than once unless we can't agree on the winner. The winner of each match-up is decided by the quality/ quantity of Christmas content & Christmas Spirit. (Holiday Inn is a great classic movie but The Nightmare Before Christmas was overall more Christmassy). Winners will be decided by a unanimous decision by Ray and Julie which may require a re-watch of more than one movie.

It has been fun so far and hopefully by Christmas we will know what our favorite Christmas Movie is.