Spring Break =

Progress.

New trusses. New roof. New windows.

New front porch. New siding. New doors.

New electrical. New HVAC. New plumbing. New interior walls.

All in one week.

It was exciting to see the remarkable changes everyday. So exciting in fact, we have decided that I will now be the permanent-onsite construction supervisor.

Translation: Our family will be "camping" in the front yard during the last month of construction. Children will see their father everyday. Husband and wife will communicate without small hand held devices. The weather is beautiful. And when the painter wants to know if I want antique white or chantilly lace white, I will be there to clear up all confusion.

Spring Break also included a bit of this:

Happy, wet children soaking in the Baum's new pool.

Swimsuits were optional.

Long Distance Relationships: Lesson #2

Jace, My love, your lesson tonight is this: use your cell phone charger(s).  If your vehicle's cell phone charger breaks - buy another one.  

I have been walking around tonight thinking about all the things I need to do before spring break springs on upon us but I just can't force myself into action yet.  I've got no fire under me.  I wish I could talk to you tonight.  I wish I could ask a hundred questions about the house.  What did the framers accomplish today?  How did the front door look?  Are the windows on their way?  Is the electrician still coming tomorrow?  Do you still miss me?  Do you still love me?  Do you remember our children's names?  It just doesn't feel right going to bed without our nightly ritual of good night phone calls.  I can still hear Ezra tossing and turning in the other room.  He's probably wondering why that one guy still hasn't called.

My heart tonight is remembering earlier days on Paloma,  when I would wait around for a nightly phone call.  When it would come, my heart would skip a beat and I would take the call in the privacy of my upstairs bedroom on the phone that looks an awful lot like this:

On the phone that Macy discovered at Grandma Mikey's years back, took claim of and now conducts conversations with Troy Bolton on.   I haven't told her anything about the many forbidden conversations, tears, and secrets that have been whispered thru that phone.  

My old conversations were almost always interrupted by Jordy Fuentes on call waiting.  Fights over phone minutes and usage would always ensue.  

I'm sure glad those days are over.  

Well, the fighting and the whispering and the waiting for the wrong boy to call are over.  And don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled the Fuentes family decided to extend their "conversation" into eternity and thrilled Jessica and I no longer have to share phone minutes but I'm afraid the pathetic waiting around and the ol' heart skipping a beat and the wishing I could take the call in the privacy of my own room - I still experience nightly.  

Only this time it's the right boy on the other end of the line (when he chooses to call).  Now if only I could find him one of those solar powered cell phone batteries so he'd never run out of juice, we could talk all night long about exterior paint, school assemblies, invoice #748, diarrhea, roof shingles, and address changes.  How romantic.  I bet he can't hardly wait for tomorrow's call.

Sleep tight Babe.

FOR HIRE:GAYLORD RESTORATION

Meet Team Gaylord Restoration. Eric the closet interior designer. Addie the Hustler. And children Max and Zane. They can be found almost everyday at my new abode. Ripping, scrapping, burning, hauling, and cleaning. Without invitation or compensation. I'm going to ask Eric if he will wear his Rocky Point tank top this weekend when I come to check on progress at the barn. I ask Eric his opinion on most all of my designing decisions. I value and trust his advice. The guy's got talent. I think he has a career, if he ever chooses to leave dirty floors and floods.

Addie has been my constant cheerleader since she laid eyes on my so called "Patch of Heaven". Cheerleader of my conflicted heart, promising me that life will be beautiful in the desert.

Addie and Jace have daily project meetings in the morning to map out what part of the project to tackle next. Sometimes if I haven't heard from Jace thru out the day, I will call Addie. Chances are real good she has heard from him. He calls her now on his breaks. Addie works herself to a sweat, hauling remants of the old barn to the dump trailer and tearing down walls.

She stops only at lunch, dinner, and mid afternoon when she loads the tired babies back into her car for a "drive". Jace loves her enthusiasm. She was almost as excited as Jace was when we discovered the property had a cellar/bomb shelter.

Oh, the possibilities.


So, if you are in need of a total house restoration or just someone to drive your baby to sleep in the afternoons, you know who to call. They are pretty booked right now. But call, maybe we can work something out for late spring.

Gaylords,

Not enough dinners at Chili's, t-shirts from Blossom, thank you notes, or words can express the Baum's gratitude. We will never forget what you've done. We hope to return the favor one day. And it should be publicly known that beyond your restoration skills, you run a lovely bed and breakfast. We thank you for your hospitality.

Love, The Baums

Decisions to be made.

Sometimes I dream of blonde hair. Jace does not.

Public education or private education?

Flip flops or snow boots?

1099 or W-2?

Sleep with large dog or small gun?

Yellow barn?

Or white barn?

Garage: Attached or detached?

Cox or Qwest?

Loud alarm system or sleeping pills?

Camp with Jace in newly purchased barn or just visit during construction?

Install tin in upstairs bath only or kitchen backsplash too?

Small town? Big city?

Kindergarden: All day? 1/2 day?

Spaulding or Saxon?

Baton board or shake shingles?

Add a quatro to the mix?

And the one I can't ever seem to decide upon:

What's for dinner?

What are you having?

Have you met Jace?

Did you know that he turned 30 yesterday?

30.

I'm married to a 30 year old.


I wanted to interview him for his 30th birthday because he is so good looking and stuff. But it went something like this:


L: Do you want to say anything about turning 30? How do you feel?


J: (answer: something completely inappropriate that I can't post on my blog in case my future posterity ever reads it.)


L: Anything you want to do in the next 30 years?


J: Have a few more kids. A swimming pool.


L: Anything else?


J: Nope.


That sums up my Jace. I get a kick out of him. I think you would too. He really is the life of our party.


I would like to say something about my friend's 1st 30 years. He's accomplished much. To some it may not seem like much but to me (and him) it is much. Back when I first met Jace he told me one day that he was going to have a house paid off by the time he was 30. That's sweet, I thought. But 30 years and 4 days into Jace's life he will do just that. And one of these days I will post of picture of that house....like when we rip off the roof and the balcony, add a garage, and re-side the entire structure. Have I mentioned that we purchased a PROJECT? He never mentioned what kind of house he was going to have paid for but just like everything else he does, he is going to go at it 100 mph. Jace runs at full speed and accomplishes much and I for the most part enjoy watching him do it and try to keep up. I can't wait to see what the next 30 years will bring with Jace, with his determination, a lot of Divine help, and a little luck.


But back to our party.


Jace and I share the responsibility of raising the children. Some of my responsibilities include bearing them, changing diapers, feeding, bathing, homework, tucking in, ect. Jace's responsibilities are limited to the clipping of all fingernails, supervising dangerous activities, bike riding lessons, piggy backs, and whisker pies. And for this the kids adore him:

He does make cute kids.

He tells me it's hard work.

Did I mention I got a 3rd place ribbon at the local science fair this week? I mean Macy did.

And that the boys both got hair cuts?

And that I got my hair colored this week?

And my 30 year old husband enjoys all the new hairdos around here?

Isn't life grand?

Happy Birthday Babe! We love you.

Have you met Noah?

Did you know he turned 5 yesterday?

He counted the days till his birthday for weeks. He ate 2 applesauces and 1 green vegetable before his big day, so his muscles would be big. He tells Macy about once a week about his desire to marry her. Macy doesn't feel the same. He has named our next child (we've ordered a girl) Miss Darla. Miss Darla Baum. He speaks of her often. Macy doesn't love the name of her future sister. (This is not an announcement).

His father called with early morning birthday wishes. We missed him yesterday. We think he missed us more though. He bought us a house yesterday (you've heard that before haven't you?)in honor of Noah. We can't wait to live with him again in our own house.
Macy decorated the table and wrapped the presents. Noah requested lasagna and pizza for his birthday dinner. He requested his cousins presence at dinner and then at the candle blowing ceremony.

Noah is one cool kid. One you should know. I bet he could beat you at Mario Kart Wii. He is a true gamer. He is slow to complain and quick to obey. He doesn't feel a need to fill a room with chatter and he can entertain himself for hours. When he does talk, it is usually hilarious. He asks lots of questions, mainly about Star Wars. He told his cousin Cash this week that he is Heavenly Father's bestest friend.

We love having Noah in our home. I love his smile and then his laugh that always follows. I love his enthusiasam for life and his simple 5 year old world. I wish I was more like Noah.

He is still my handsome baby - growing up too fast. His hair is award winning and receives daily compliments. He still has Mike Seaman hands and Lyndel Baum eyebrows. I'm so happy to call myself Noah Baum's mom. He is one cool kid.

Happy Birthday, Skittle!

Remember that one time we moved to Vernal?

One of the 1st nights Jace and I laid together in our own bed in Vernal, I said, "Won't it be so interesting to see how this plays out?  Vernal?"

Jace answered, "Yea, I guess it will be we love Vernal and raise our family here or it will be, remember that one time we moved to Vernal?"

Well, 13 days after my arrival in Utah, we can officially say we are going with the latter.  We will be asking "hey, remember that one time we moved to Vernal?"

We are moving home.  Well to Arizona anyway.  At this point it looks like we are moving to the valley.  I have mixed feelings about living in the valley again but I'm thrilled to be back in the state I love and back with family and friends.

I could give you a list of reasons why we should have stayed in Vernal.  Jace's job being at the top of the list.

I could give you a list of reasons why we should come home as well. This story HERE being close to the top of the list.  I need Jace at home with me at night.  I need him at church with me.  I don't necessarily believe Vernal was a wrong choice for us or that it is a bad place but we feel good about our decision to move back.  We feel blessed to have friends and family who help and support our decision.

Besides, the sun shines in Arizona like everyday of the year.

Stay tuned....I'm sure this saga is far from over.

My ninth day in Vernal

Tuesday marked my 9th day living in Vernal. Tuesday seemed to be just like my other days in Vernal. Jace went to work at 8 that morning and left on a job. A job that should have brought him home late afternoon. He instead waited 6 hours out in the field for the job to even start. He called and said he would be home late that night. I fed the kids, scooted them upstairs about 8:00 , into pajama's, read books, read the Book of Mormon, Macy said the prayer, then Macy and I moved into her bedroom to read the 5th chapter of Charlotte's Web together. It was then we heard someone at the front door.

The front door gets stuck. A lot. We waited to hear Jace walk into the house. We waited to hear him knock to let us know the door was stuck or locked. We instead heard the same noise. Someone was grabbing the door handle and trying hard to open the door. I told Macy to stay there. I took myself out to the stair landing. This the view I have from there:

Thru the small window on top of the door, I saw a head. A head that did not belong to my husband. Many thoughts went thru my head. Maybe it's Paul from work. Maybe it's a neighbor. I ran downstairs to the door. I believe I would have opened the door at this point had this individual not grabbed the door handle again and forcefully try to open the door. I instead checked to make sure the door was locked and not just stuck.

I asked, " Who is it?"

He answered, "Beau."

"Beau who?"

He then gave me his last name.

"What do you want? I think you have the wrong house."

He answered with something right as my noisy heater turned on. I don't know what he said.

It was clear to me at this point I was in trouble. I ran to the kitchen, called 911 on my cell phone, and booked it back up my stairs. I could see him thru the door window. He had on a white t-shirt. He was white. He was tall. He was shivering. He was freezing. And he wanted in my house. He kept trying to open the door. I was on the phone with 911 for maybe 15 seconds when I watched my door come busting open. Wood, trim, and sheet rock went flying. I was in shock. I was screaming to the operator, "He's in my house. He's in my house."

I had no idea who was going to come thru that door. And no idea what was going to happen next. In walked a young kid dressed in prison clothes. White shirt. Black and white striped pants. I knew immediately what was going on. I knew where I had seen these clothes before. I knew this kid had to be one of the prisoners I had seen many times working at the care center less than a block from my home. I knew he had escaped earlier that day. I knew he was desperate and freezing. I knew that he knew that Jace wasn't home. I knew he was there for me.

I've never know such terror. While I feared for my safety of course, the only thought I had was, how am I going to protect my children laying in their beds from what they are about to see and hear?

I screamed at him something like, "What do you want? Please don't hurt me."

He slowly scanned my entry way with his eyes down. He then sat down on my stairs, leaned against the wall and shook. I stopped screaming. I stood frozen in the same spot at the top of the stairs. My children never made a noise. Beau never looked up at me. Not once. Never said a word. I continued to answer the operator's questions, all the while wishing I knew where Jace's pistol was and wishing I had paid better attention when he was trying to teach me how to shoot his rifle that stays in our closet. But I knew I could not leave from my spot I was standing. I didn't want him to move. I needed to know where he was. I needed him to stay away from my kids.

Beau and I stayed like that for 2 minutes before the cops got to my house. At the end, Beau, I could tell had not made up his mind whether or not he was done running. He started scooting up my stairs backwards. The cops were yelling his name. He finally stood and walked to my door. Still hidden from the cops view he reached up and grabbed a piece of splintered wood off the door jam. Then slowly walked out with his hands up. The police had their guns drawn and were yelling for Beau to get down. They continued to scream threats and profanities until Beau decided to get on the ground. They handcuffed him and hauled him to the car.

It was over.

But not really.

Statement was given to the cops.

Boxes were stacked in front of the broken door.

Mike Mosley came and collected me and the kids.

Macy cried for hours with me.

Jace said a prayer that the kids would be able to sleep that night.

The police department called hours later.

Beau's story is - He thought he was at his sister's house.

Beau was highly intoxicated. Desparate and freezing.

Jace nor I slept a wink that night.

I haven't had a good night sleep since.

I have so many unanswered questions. Questions that probably wouldn't help me sleep better at night or feel at peace again. But questions I want answered.

What we do know was answered that night was Macy's prayer.  She asked twice in her prayer that night before Beau came that we would be safe and "safe and kind."  It was the first thing I said to her when I climbed back up the stairs after Beau was handcuffed.  I hope she remembers and takes that with her - Heavenly Father protected us that night.

Have you missed us?

So here we are:

In Vernal, Ut. We moved up last Saturday. We gave up on buying a house for now, choked and then rented this twin home. For the monthly price - that snow covered yard should be beach front. This whole place up here is backwards. Forget a resession. Some smart investor is pocketing some serious cash with each and every rent check written. Even so, we are go glad to be back together under one roof. The home attached to ours is vacant. Interested?

I bawled saying goodbye to family, bawled when we pulled out of Snowflake, and then bawled somemore when Jessica and her family left me here in this foreign land. But then life went on.....boxes have to be unpacked, diapers changed, dinners cooked, and bills to be paid.

The boys still need haircuts. They still play and make messes in their room:

Just like in Arizona.

Macy still sings and dances along to her iPod. Dresses herself and doesn't let me touch her hair:

Just like in Arizona.

Mr. Lowe the local, friendly produce man sold me a crate of Arizona oranges (tamales, salsa, and beef jerky) out of the back of his truck. Ezra eats 4 a day.

Just like in Arizona.

The southern view out our windows is of a field of horses.

Just like in Arizona.

The high temperature today will hit 3. Just like in Arizona. Right? (don't even tell me). This is a whole different kind of cold. It burns your skin. Supposedly this has been a mild winter.

I found and have been attending Zoomba and kick boxing aeorbics. Just like in Arizona.

Hannah Kelley babysits. Just like in Arizona.

Jace leaves for work in the morning and returns in the evening. Just like in Arizona. He's liking his job and we feel so blessed to have it.

We go to dinner with friends (the Kelleys and the Mosleys). Jace brings strangers home for dinner (lonely Paul from work). Jace's relatives stay the night (Brad and Teesha came over from Colorado to go to the temple with us). We can see the temple out Noah's bedroom window:

The gospel is true. Just like in Arizona.

We hear rumors of lay offs, hard times, and Obama. Just like in Arizona.

We aren't the only new transplants to the area. Far from it. People from Arizona and Californa have been flocking to the oil fields for the last couple years. I run into these folks almost everyday (the internet guy from AZ just this morning - bless him - I'm finally connected again)and we each share our battle stories of relocation to a new state, what we are paying in rent, what we bought our houses back home for, what we sold it for or what we wish we could have sold it for, oil, and struggling friends back home. This is all never far from our thoughts and conversations.

We miss home. We miss family. We miss friends. Don't forget about us. When Holbrook strikes oil, will someone call? I know someone with experience now.

Greetings from Vernal.

The 2nd house deal in a month fell thru yesterday.  We found and offered our money and heart for this tiny, little, bank-owned house a couple weeks ago. (For those of you following this saga, and I know there are so many: the 1st big, bank-owned house did not come with water shares- so we walked.)  What was even cuter than the front corner window was the price.  The bank selling this house called yesterday to let us know that their Quality Control Division would need 1 to 4 weeks to "assign an underwriter and review the offer."  We replied it would take our Quality Control Division approximately 1 to 4 minutes to respond with "you can take your house and shove it."  Like the bank who has no sympathy for us, the family trying to live together in the same state, under the same roof, who needs a quick closing date and who would gladly rid them of the bad debt they had acquired.....we are having a hard time mustering up any sympathy for them, their divisions, procedures, and protocols.

Moving on.

Ezra has been puking since last Friday.

Jace has been on the same job for 2 days.

The temperature has not risen above 20 degrees.  It was something like -14 degrees when we arrived.  8 inches of snow cover the ground.  My "fashion" boots from Arizona are quickly going to be replaced with water proof boots.  Any suggestions?

Moving on.

Macy has discovered she does enjoy living with dogs (Porcha and Chang)and would like our Girl to move into the house with us, so that she can take her on "walks" every 4 hours.  Sounds fun to me. 

Cam Mosley is Noah's new found best friend.

Cramped as the living quarters may be, it is nice to have the Mosleys from Taylor here with us.

The Kelly's from our Snowflake ward arrived on Saturday.  It will be so fun to see them and have their girls over to babysit just like at home.

Moving on.

I am so glad to be with Jace.  Even if it is only when I sleep by him at night.

Jace likes his new job.  I am grateful.  We can almost see the light.  We are almost done chasing checks and jobs.

Mike Mosley set me up with Skype.  Family and friends, what is your Skype name?  And don't give me email addresses (that didn't work, Kirsten).  I need your Skype account name.

Now if you'll all excuse me, I have another appointment with my realtor.  Maybe today will be the day someone in Utah will get serious about selling their house.  The one with a For Sale sign in front of it.

I'll be seeing you. Some of you thru my web cam and some of you back in lovely Arizona.