Reebok Swagger

Do you love these shoes as much as me? I never used to be a shoe girl until...Zumba. It's like I got a second life when I started doing Zumba. I became a Reebok fan once my feet were in rough shape with my New Balance shoes. I was introduced to Reebok Runtones and they are fabulous. These aren't Runtones but are obviously pretty sweet. Magic bubbles cushion my feet.

No set of wild shoes are complete without some equally wild stretchy pants

Toms

We bought Twinner Toms for Olivia and Kaylee for Christmas. It took about a month before they started falling apart.

Seriously. I don't get the hoopla of these shoes. They are cute but the top layer is peeled off of Olivia's shoes. Weird. Their company motto is "One for One." They donate a pair of shoes for every one pair bought. They should donate another pair to each buyer since they don't last. Matt gave his New Balance shoes to an interpreter in Africa before coming back home over a year ago. I guarantee those shoes are still holding stronger than the brand new Toms that were sent 3 months ago. Bummer

Sold and Bought

We sold our house about 2 hours before I left for California to visit Matt. What a blessing. It turned into a battle between 2 buyers which worked to our advantage. Anyone know how stinking hard it is to get a reasonable price for your home in Idaho when so many of your former neighbors pretty much gave their homes away. I do. You're welcome future home sellers for helping to bring home comps back up.

I arrived in California on a Friday night. On Saturday we went home shopping. We looked at two homes and put a bid on one. We already bid on another the previous Sunday but they refused because our loan is going to VA. Bummer cuz we really liked that one.

Here's how the housing market works in Cali. A house goes on the market and it has 20 offers within 4 hours. I wish I was joking about that. There are actually loads of foreclosures but the banks hold onto them and siphon them out into the market in order to get their money out of them. There are just over 2300 realtors in our future county and only 400 homes on the market. Actually there are 399 homes now because our first offer came through. Thank goodness. We really liked the home and it is in the ward that Matt has been attending. And it has a pool and an extra 900 sq feet more than what we have now. It feels a little embarrassing but I know we will be spending a lot of time there and am grateful we found it.

I found out yesterday that the actions I took to get my California nursing license were only a tiny piece of what actually needs to be completed. Oh, California, how I wish you didn't have overcomplicate, over regulate and over price EVERYTHING. I am almost ready to change careers and go into landscaping design. I don't want to work in your STD clinics anyway. :0) Seriously, after interviewing with a local junior college and finding out that they call (coddle) their students to encourage them to come to class if they don't show up, I wonder if I'm a good fit for them anyway. Nursing school should be painful...always. I found this out after replying to her question of "What is your biggest challenge as a nursing instructor?" with "The sense of entitlement from today's generation is extremely challenging." How do you get past an inherent sense of brattiness and deserving? I am not without empathy as an instructor but I do expect competence, maturity and work ethic. You are crying to a girl who gave birth to her fourth baby 4 weeks before starting nursing school, while serving in a primary presidency and working. That was only my sacrifice. Matt and my parents gave up so much in order to help me make it through. Group effort for a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. We sometimes paralyze people with our so-called help. I know there is something for me there. I just have to be patient, come up with some more cash and send in a lot more paperwork. I have to include a tax declaration as well. Why? Go figure. Welcome to the People's Republic of California.

Enough trash talk. I am SO excited to live with Matt again. By the time we reunite and move in May it will have been almost 3 years since we lived together. Everyone is missing him and even I am so done with being the tough mom. So done. The boys need the Alpha male back in the house, the girls need their daddy and I need my husband. I miss him.

Traffic in LA. Yep, it's legal for motorcycles to weave through traffic

Matthew had one requirement for the new house. It had to be party-able. Nope not a word. I think the outside bar, pool and sound system meet requirements

Offer/Counter offer

Got an offer on the house today. Submitted a counter offer. Waiting to hear. Will know by tomorrow.  Just praying that Europe can hold it together long enough for us to close on the house

What's your gift?

Check out this video on Gifts

I like to fight. No really. I persistently resist/fight what I know in the deepest parts of my soul to be true. I fight it if it's something that I know I have to do but don't really want to do. It's what happens when I am in labor. I try negotiating to get out of birthing a baby. No joke. The harder the contractions the more desperate I became. How can I get out of this? It's a necessary process, one that really is not negotiable. However, the method of birthing is negotiable. Ha! Bring on the epidural. That's sticky too because I have seen that needle and it sends me into full on hypertensive panic. Ugh! Just close the eyes, bend over the belly and control the breathing.

Before I returned to college I fought it. We came to Ricks College for Matt to get his degree, not me. College was uncomfortable and I convinced myself that it wasn't meant for me, even though my patriarchal blessing talks about it. It took a clear manifestation that not only was I going back to college but I would also become a nurse. Okie Dokie. So I did. I and my family (Thank you esp Matt and my parents) for helping me do it. It's not easy going to nursing school while working, having four kids, one of which was birthed 4 weeks before starting and being in a primary presidency.

A couple of months ago I was crying to my parents about how I felt unrest, unease in my life. I speculated if it was because I was supposed to get my Masters. But I did not want to do it. I know what it takes. Today as I job searched and talked with a recruiter, I did something else. I applied to a Masters program. Um, didn't have that on my to do list today.

Here's what I texted to Matt: "I just applied for a Masters program"
His response: "What!"
Me: "Yep. Just got off the phone with the recruiter. Paid the application fee and will visit with the nursing specialist on Tuesday. I can't deny any longer that I am meant to do more."

Matt is funny. He seems to think I am a smarty pants. He's been saying to me for years that I need to get my Masters so I can teach full-time. He's talked to some of my patients and students from the RN program at BYU-I and feels that their comments about me confirm what he already knew. I'm not trying to say I'm a superstar but just that I have to own the gifts that I've been given. I never appreciated what was in me but my good husband did. Love him.

So on Tuesday I will discuss my future in a Masters program with a mentor. Time to put my thinking cap on a little tighter. I will let you know how it goes. Until then, enjoy this video on gifts that I put at the beginning of the post. What's your gift?

We're what?!

Who shoved that for sale sign into my frozen yard? My realtor 

It's true. We are moving...to California. Hmmm...that's weird since most people are moving out of that state. Anyone who really knows me also knows that I am not a fan of socialism, Marxism, Communism or any other ilk of that flavor. So why California? I could say it's because Matt found a job there and we can be together again as a family. Or I could say I want to live closer to the beach. I could say that I want to increase my children's appreciation for other cultures. Really the first reason is the only legit one but it's not THE REASON. The reason we are moving to California is because that is where God wants us. I am as sure about that as I am about the fact that I am going to be replacing my dishwasher because mine just died today. More to come on this. Anyone want to buy a fabulous house at a phenomenal price?

Just Some Pics

Kaylee and Olivia 

I gave the kids roses for Valentines Day...made out of bacon

Spencer and Ethan had a winter campout. They played games and didn't want to come in for breakfast because they were toasty warm. Olivia even tried to get them to come in

Matthew working on the roof

So can you tell me where the gym is?

Matthew packin' heat. Oh wait, that's actually a caulking gun

Cooper chillin' on the chair in my room

Kaylee had a big change

14 inches for Locks of Love

She loves her short hair

It's pretty dang cute

Cooper playing Risk with himself wearing Spencer's C.A.P. hat. Conquering the globe

His shirt says, "Beards really grow on you."

Little piggy face. Matthew's face was covered in bbq sauce. No shame for this carnivore

UNLEASHING THE DORMANT SPIRIT

UNLEASHING THE DORMANT SPIRIT

Watch this fantastic video that my Bishop shared tonight at Relief Society

While I wait for Spice Cake to finish baking...

So I have been a little slack in updating the blog. Fully aware of that. What is funny is that I wrote "you can keep up with us at mattandcodele.blogspot.com" on our Christmas cards. Ha Ha Ha! Since there is too much to write. I thought I would do the longest picture post ever. For real. The longest EVER!

All too familiar with this airport

Loading up the Suburban

Homecoming from Nepal

Powderpuff. Kaylee is pretty fierce

Kaylee was playing defense. Did anyone notice that she weighs about 98 lbs soaking wet? 

Bad pic but these girls totally cracked me up

The powderpuff cheerleaders. Justin rocks the miniskirt

Watch out for the guns

Kaylee and Emilie B

Mason M and Kaylee

Kaylee's friend TJ doing our yard work. He's a keeper

I moustache you a question

Homecoming week brings the crazy outfits

Matt on the docks at Seattle

It was stinking cold in Seattle! These cozy jackets were not enough. We spent the first couple of days swimming and hot tubbing at Shane's then crossed over the mountains to this wet cold in Seattle. Brrr!

Olivia loved the water

Cooper happy to be chillin' on the docks

Ethan looks like he's got a secret.

Waiting for the Argosy Cruise Ship

Still waiting

Seattle's shore

And we're off

I think Matthew purposely gives me these crusty looks. For real. He laughs about it and thinks he's pretty funny

Ethan enjoying the ride

I do NOT love boats but this one felt ok. Ok enough to smile and walk around on deck

No wind. Kaylee's hair does this naturally. 

Spencer was probably teasing Kaylee

Typical Cooper

Jokester

Could I get a Dramamine cocktail please?!

Does this boat go any faster?

This is at the Pacific "Boring" Museum, according to Spencer. It's actually called the Pacific Science Center

Will my dinner be as large as this chair?

Hey, remember how vacations are supposed to be fun? Did we miss that? 

Strumming on Spencer's face

You mean to tell me that a hobbit made this thing? Prove it

This sound is not big enough for my vibe

So here's how it happened. Some little guy shoved me into this person coffin and I figured I might as well smile since nobody has ears like that

Are we done yet?

Too much fun happening here

Cooper

Matthew

Wooh Hoo. Nobody, and I mean nobody, rocks the gargantuan guitar like this kid

My distaste of heights could not keep me from shooting to the top of this needle. So glad I did it

Super cool view of the harbor

Matthew

Ethan..."stay on target. stay on target."

My honey holding tight. My knees were a little weak. Dang! I married a ferociously good-looking guy

Two handsome boys

Look. A bunny rabbit

Yep. That's a smile

Lovin' the view

Long day

This girl turned 40! 

Gratton M going on the zipline

More zipline fun

Zipline set up for Halloween parties. The little ones partied in the afternoon and the big kids took over at night. It was so stinking windy but fun. We had the zipline, firepit, hot chocolate, loads of treats, game show, loud music (our neighbors love us) and a scary movie

Hansel and Gretel. I designed and sewed these costumes. They turned out so super cute

Yes that is snow. I cannot get over how cute these two were.

Big eyes make all the difference

Trunk or Treat. Spencer wore Lederhosen to match the little ones

Olivia handing out candy

Dorothy. I designed and sewed this one for Kaylee

Another one of Kaylee

Back to Seattle. This was at the zoo

Mmmm. Fudge bars. Ask Linda about that one

Olivia

Hey Boo Boo. Let's go find some picinic baskets

The otters were exciting

I have my height limits. This ferris wheel would not happen

Aquarium in Seattle

Spencer and Olivia riding a whale

Ethan too cool to ride

Cooper and Olivia

Ethan

Walking from our parking space. 

Another Space Needle

Kaylee and Matthew 

Student Council Float. Matthew has the black shorts

Matthew Student Council retreat in Island Park. 5th from the left

Spencer wrestling. Standing up

We sent Cooper's coat to Nepal with Matt to give to this little boy. His father worked at the hotel where Matt stayed. Cooper wasn't entirely thrilled that we gave his coat away but when he saw him he felt so happy to have a connection with a little guy in Nepal

Olivia's Christmas list for Santa. She meant Barbies. But really, in a few years she will want exactly what this asks for.

Matthew going to his first formal. Pretty handsome

Christmas formal

More Student council. He's behind the polar bear

Brooklyn and Olivia were brought up on stage during a performance we attended in Billings

Kiri, Maddi and Kaylee. Three cousins hitting up the New Year's Dance in Billings