Troy, Lacey, and family

2010 Jan-Aug

2010-09-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

We began 2010 in Phoenix, AZ. Troy built a charter school.

The school has 4 buildings, meant to look like planets when finished. In this picture it wasn't quite finished, but you get a rough idea of how it was going to look. Troy finished the project at the end of April, ahead of schedule.

While in Arizona, Troy's daughter, her boyfriend Fielding, and I took a trip to Sedona. I loved it there! So beautiful! We had a great time hiking a few of the trails. I'd love to try mountain biking up there sometime!

Fielding and Karissa

Me

We had the opportunity to see Troy's other daughter, Katie, and her kids while we were in Phoenix. We also gathered all of Troy's kids and grandkids together for a mini family reunion.

Katie's son, Justice, 4 months old at the time

Casey's son, Creek, and Katie's daughter, Liberty

Kids and spouses, all in Phoenix for a "Troy Potter" family reunion.

Katie with Liberty and Troy with Creek at the Phoenix zoo.

Justice and Katie

Creek riding the tractor at the zoo. So cute!

Liberty and Creek riding the merry-go-round at the Phoenix zoo.

Creek being his cute self.

In May, I had the opportunity to participate in the Salt Lake City breast cancer walk/run. I ran it with my sister Lynette. It was a lot of fun to spend time with her and also my step-daughters and sisters-in-law who participated as well.

In June, my sister Mary (pictured on the left) really wanted to tie-dye, so we got a kit from Michaels and she, my sister Analeigh (in the middle), and I amused ourselves one afternoon designing shirts. Consequently, I spent several other days during the summer tie-dying with friends as a way to distract and entertain their kids. :)

My sister Mary bought "How to Talk to Girls" as a joke for my brother Blaine since he came home from his mission in the month of June. I found it extremely amusing to catch my brother Devon intently reading it one evening.

Since everyone was gathered for my brother, Blaine's, homecoming, we got a few family pictures. Sadly, Troy wasn't able to join us. He was sent out to Kansas to begin another project.

Siblings: Blaine, Lynette, me, Analeigh, Dayna, Mary, Devon, Lee

Sisters: Lynette, Analeigh, me, Mary, Dayna

On July 3, I flew out to meet Troy at the closest airport to where he was in Kansas, which happened to be Colorado Springs, CO. We spent a night there. It was fascinating to me that while we were out to dinner at Applebees, Troy struck up a conversation with a couple at another table near us and we ended up spending the evening talking to them. Troy just has an amazing, uncanny ability to meet and charm people. He thinks everyone should be able to do that, but I try to explain that he truly has a gift for talking to anyone and everyone.

The next day, we headed 4 hours into Leoti, KS where Troy was building another school. I had spent one day there with him when Dome Technology decided they needed Troy for a couple of weeks in New Mexico. So we back tracked through Colorado Springs and drove down to Elephant Butte, NM. I loved having he opportunity to visit with our good friends, the Penas, who also work and travel for Dome Technology. On the weekend, the Penas took us out fishing on the lake there.

Troy enjoyed it a lot. He hasn't been fishing in a really long time. I had only been fishing one other time, so it was fun for me to try casting and reeling it back in.

We returned to Kansas and remained there for 4 more weeks.

Troy finished the project the first week in August. It turned out really nice.

We were excited to return to Idaho and see Troy's kids, and especially his grandson, Creek.

Catching up with 2009

2010-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

As evidenced by my lack of blogging for so many months, one could conclude that I think Facebook is way easier than blogging. They would be right! I hate how long it takes to load pictures on here and label them and write what is going on in my life. Does anyone still read blogs? The few readers of this blog probably consist of my family members and one or two friends who think Facebook is the devil. But, in an attempt to at least update this record of my life, I am going to post various pictures from the date of my last post to the present. Make of it what you will.

This was in September, so it was still pretty warm in Romania. It was really fun to see a baptism there, in the Black Sea, much different from the ones we have in the United States, where you have a babtismal font just for the occasion. The elder performing the ordinance is none other than Elder Jeff Frandsen of the Frandsens of Skyline High School fame in Idaho Falls. Small world we live in! I was asked to give the closing prayer..........in Romanian. First, I had my friend Mariana translate what I wanted to say from English to Romanian. Then I had 2 days to memorize it, but it was kind of difficult for me. I was so nervous, I couldn't remember all the words, so I wrote them down on a cheat-sheet and used it during the prayer. I was still complemented on my Romanian accent, even if I did read most of the prayer rather than just saying it from memory. The words were still from the heart!

My friend Mariana's parents were very fortunate to get an apartment in the building on top of which I am standing in this picture. That is a fascinating story! They had not yet joined the LDS church at that time, but they were blessed even then. The country was still communist, and her dad had just started as a policeman. They were to be assigned an apartment. He applied to get a 3 bedroom apartment, but everyone laughed at him because they said he only had one child (Mariana) and what would he need with such a big (to them) apartment. Miraculously, they did get it, which was fortuitous because they ended up having 5 kids, 3 sons and 2 daughters, a very large family for Romania! They still live in the same apartment, which happens to be right on the Black Sea and only a few blocks from the building they use for church. It's such a nice location. The view of Constanta and the sea from the top is spectacular!

In October, Karissa and her boyfriend, Fielding, who works for Troy's company, both wanted to go to Transylvania to see the parts they had missed in prior trips. This picture was taken at the Pelesh castle. Karissa and I had been there, but Fielding hadn't. I enjoyed seeing the castle with all its fall colors!

November: The finished Dome! I think you can get a feel for the scope of it, looking at how small the people are, standing next to it.

We could hardly believe it when we were finally packing up to go home. Somehow, the last year had seemed to fly by AND take forever! It is more emotionally taxing than you would imagine to live in another country for a year, especially without speaking the language fluently, but also just not having all the comforts and food you are used to. I think we talked about the foods we craved every day! By the end of the year, we finally found a place with decent steak. The owner of that restaurant had lived in the United States for a few years. His menu had more of the items that had been lacking in our diet for a year. Toward the end of our time in Romania, one of the Butikofer kids with us out there got so sick and had a fever for a week. They couldn't figure out what was wrong until they took a blood sample and found a severe iron deficiency. We realized that, being so used to having red meat all the time, we probably all had an iron deficiency!

While we were going to miss our Romanian friends, we were thankful to be heading out. There really just is no place like home!

For doing such a great job in Romania, the company flew us all out through London. We had the opportunity to stay for a week there! I would go back any day! That is one place I think we COULD live for a year or more and not feel homesick. But then again, most of us have some ancestry there. It's our history, so it feel like home. And they spoke English, therefore everything was so much easier. I think we were so grateful to be in an English-speaking country again, we would have loved it just for that! Aside from that, the people were all wonderful and helpful, it's clean, there is something new to see or eat around every corner, and the past whispers to you from the tops of the buildings to the cobblestones that still cover many of the streets.

One of the first sites we visited after arriving, the Tower Bridge was a marvel. Some of it, you can see on the left side there, was being renovated while we were there.

One of the telephone booths, these were all over the place. Some were way gross though because it looked like homeless people live in some of them. The one I'm standing in was right down from the Tower of London, so it was pretty clean.

You wouldn't believe how much room there actually is in these cabs.

Big Ben at the parliament building.

Our first trip on a double-decker bus. I could have spent all day just seeing London from the top of one of these.

Buckingham Palace. There were so many people there! We didn't take the tour to see the inside. I wish we had, but there was so many places yet to visit, we were afraid we wouldn't have time.

Piccadilly Circus. It was exciting and busy. There were so many shops around this area, it may as well have been the biggest outdoor mall I've ever seen, though I don't think they refer to it as a mall. Troy liked some of the fashions the girls in London were wearing, so he was determined to find me an outfit similar to what they wore. Who am I to complain about getting new clothes?

Westminster Abbey. I was sad we got there so late, we missed touring the inside, but it was beautiful even still!

The Eye of London. We always see it in movies, it was fun to see in real life. We took a ride on it, and you really can see so much of London from the top! Amazing!

An experience I will never forget: seeing Wicked in London! Amazing, fantastic, insane, unbelievable, can't describe it kind of night! I couldn't stop listening to the soundtrack for a month after because it would remind me how I felt that night at that production. I just loved it! It's so funny because I will also never forget the shoes I wore then. Troy got me these great looking shoes for my birthday in Romania, the kind of heels you can wear with a dress or jeans. But they are very narrow. Negotiating cobblestones in those shoes was torture! But I made it, and we still had one of the most memorable nights ever!

We are standing outside the Globe theater, where Shakespeare's plays were performed, the first stage of its kind. I never realized, but it is right down on the River Thames, as are a lot of the historical sites.

St. Paul's cathedral. This is one place I'm planning to tour the next time we go to London since we didn't have time for it. I'm eager to see the inside!

The Tower of London. There are so many buildings inside the grounds here, and each of them has a rich history. Mostly, I remember the stories of political and religious prisoners who were kept here, and many never left.

After getting home, we spent Thanksgiving with my family. Being away for so long, it was so amazing to eat homecooked Turkey, potatoes and gravy, rolls with homemade jam, and casseroles of every kind. It is also very humbling to think of all the blessings we have, the many opportunities and physical comforts we take for granted in our country. Really, I just about cried the first time I walked in a Walmart after we got home.

Right after Thanksgiving, Troy and I flew out to Arizona to visit his daughter Katie, who had just given birth to her second child 3 weeks before that. Troy and I loved being around those little kids, especially fun little Liberty, who is reaching the age where you can really see her personality coming out. She's hilarious, a little goofball, who was majorly influenced by having her goofy grandpa, Troy, there with her. Just by being himself, he would get her all sorts of riled up. Those two especially enjoyed each other.

Liberty walking with Grandpa

We spent Christmas Eve with Troy's son Casey and his little family. Casey's son Creek was such a joy to be with for Christmas. I'm not sure if he knew quite what to think about the sudden precipitation of toys showering down on him.

Creek with Grandpa, Christmas day.

We certainly had a very full year in 2009!

Troy's belly-dancing debut!

2010-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

When we were in Istanbul last August, we went on a dinner riverboat cruise. This belly-dancing girl had Troy get up in the middle of the floor with her and told him to do everything she did. When she shakes her chest at the beginning, Troy tells her he can't do that because he doesn't have boobs like she does, so she made him some out of her scarf. The battery for the camera died right in the middle and I had to hurry and change the batteries, but I got most of it. This is Troy just being himself, he's so funny all the time! I love it! At the end of the video Troy goes back to where we were with all the friends we made on the cruise, 2 Romanians and 2 Italians. What a fun memory for us!

Lazy blogger........

2009-09-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been a way lazy blogger lately. It just takes so long to load pictures! We went to Istanbul, Turkey about a month ago. It was an amazing experience and we had a fantastic time! Here is a link to all of our pictures from that trip. Hope you are all doing well!

Istanbul, Turkey pictures

Work, work, work.............

2009-06-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing truly exciting lately. Mostly, we just work. The amount of paperwork we wade through just to get a few things done is insane! The guys below are all working on paperwork for the dome. Right now we are having a lot of trouble getting work visas for all the guys. We have to justify why we need all these Americans working in Romania. Aside from the issue of trying to train Romanians in very little time to do the specialized rebar and concrete that goes into these domes, we need around 5 people just to do paperwork!

At least they are kind of making progress. The ringbeam rebar is nearly all tied and they will be able to pour the concrete for it as soon as all the Americans here get their work permits. The ringbeam is where the domeskin is attached. They then inflate the domeskin like a big balloon.

The top of one of the silos affords a great view of our project.

I got a little burned out on paperwork, so I asked if I could tie some rebar with the guys. It was nice to get out of the office for a couple of days. Troy decided since I'm willing to get out there and work, he will have me trained to drive the crane. He said in his experience, women crane drivers are better anyway because they have a finer touch on the controls. I'm a little nervous about it, but at least I'll be doing something else besides paperwork all the time. In the picture, our good friend Juan Pena is working next to me. I really appreciated his patience with me as I learned where to place all the bars and tie them.

If we can't get work visas by Wednesday, we will be leaving Romania. We may see family and friends in Idaho sooner than we thought. Troy and I want to stay in Romania, but we would be very excited to see everyone! We'll see how everything goes this week.

Long time, no post

2009-04-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

It seems like I never have time to post, but really I don't make time for it. I just get lazy. I also have so many pictures, it has taken forever to load them so I can make a couple of slideshows. In the last month, we visited Dracula's castle in Bran, Romania and during the same trip saw a citadel and another castle. We enjoyed a fantastic weekend exploring some remarkable Romanian history! I hope the slideshows will load okay!

Our trip was mainly focused on visiting Dracula's castle in Bran, Romania. While Dracula's castle was fun, I got more enjoyment out of the other buildings we saw, the citadel and the other castle.

Bran (Dracula's) castle doesn't actually have very much to do with the guy it's named after, or supposedly based on. He didn't ever live there and there is no evidence that he even commissioned the castle to be built. It's still a fun, beautiful building.

Peleş Castle

2009-04-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Peleş Castle (pronounced pel-esh) was built around 1880 and was the first castle in the world to have it's own electrical power source. The guide even showed us where they had a central vacuum system and they even had air conditioning when the castle was first built. Everything was so ornate! It was just amazing! Some of the pictures didn't turn out so well because they wouldn't allow a flash, and the person taking them didn't exactly have a steady hand all the time. We only had one person in our group take pictures because we had to pay for each camera, so we all just pitched in for one. We didn't go on the tour that included all the bedrooms, but we plan on doing that when Karissa comes to visit.

Râşnov citadel

2009-04-20T11:51:00.002-07:00

This citadel was built around 1215 and served to protect the townspeople of Râşnov. There are fantastic views from the fortress. You can see the whole valley from one end to the other.

Bucharest and other parts of Romania

2009-04-20T11:51:00.001-07:00

our story continues

2009-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's so fascinating to learn about some Romanian customs! I will try to write about them as I learn. An interesting thing that I've been noticing more this week is that men always say, "Sarut Mana" to women or girls as a greeting or a goodbye. It literally means "Kiss your hand." I was told it is a very old greeting, but they still use it frequently. Also, when they finish a meal they say "Sarut mana pentru masa" "Kiss your hand for the meal, " their way of thanking the cook.

"Too many chiefs, not enough Indians" haha......The guys were showing how well they direct the rest of the crew. Really, Troy is the only superintendent in this picture. Next to Troy is Nicu Florea, our engineer friend from the Lafarge plant, Nicu Bamboi, our newest translator, and Bart, one of the Polish workers.

Sorin Bozman is the Lafarge plant manager. He's always calling me "Beauty" and Troy "Beast", but Troy objects and says it's the other way around. Troy gets along with Sorin fabulously. They have similar personalities and tend to joke around together frequently.

Our cars get caked in cement powder, which only comes off with vinegar. We take it to this car wash down the street. They charge a total of 16 lei to detail the inside and outside. That's the equivalent of about 5 U.S. dollars! I feel so guilty, I always give them a generous tip.

While we were waiting for the car to be washed, one of the Gypsy carts came by. These drive all over the roads, even the highway. A lot of times, these carts are filled clear up with plastic bottles the Gypsies collect from the landfill and take to be recycled. I'm curious if the little money they make on trading the plastic in is worth the effort. At least they are doing a part to help the environment.

The city council in Medgidia pays Gypsies as street-sweepers. They are out there all day, sweeping the gutters. Their brooms are homemade out of sticks.
What a long, arduous job!

Mariana is standing here outside a place where they make mici (pronounced meech.) They grill ground pork spiced with onions and other spices made into long meat rolls. They dip it in hot mustard and eat it with bread.

And here I am trying mici for the first time. I actually really enjoyed it! I liked it so much, I was craving it a couple of days after and went back for more.

An open air market where they sell homemade and homegrown goods.

An example of some homemade products at the market. Dried herbs, pickeled peppers, and homemade juices. I was a little hesitant to try juice placed in a reused Coke bottle. I mean, do you think they sanatized the bottles before doing that? And how old is the juice? Is it possible that it is now fermented and could be considered "happy juice." Hmmmmm........

Homemade brooms made out of reeds. I was very impressed, but didn't buy one. I haven't the slightest idea how I could attach it to a broom handle and make it stay on there for longer than one sweeping of my front entry-way.

This was the most gorgeous day since we've been here. The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, but it was warmer than jacket weather. This was taken on the bridge that leads into Medgidia. The canal runs into the Black Sea.

Mariana and I on the bridge while going for a walk. We couldn't stand to stay inside and work in the office on such a beautiful day!

Troy and I also took a little jaunt over to the Black Sea later the same week. It was starting to cool off then, but still nice weather. We hunted seashells and Troy skipped rocks on the water. It was one of the only days we've had off. We'll be glad to take a little vacation in a week. That's right! In one week, we will be flying home to Idaho to see everyone! Can't wait!

Homesickness finally wearing off.

2009-01-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

While we have been having a lot of fun out here, we've also been working some really long hours. Sadly, we still haven't had a chance to get to more historical sites, so most of our news revolves around work. At least it seems that Troy and his company are starting to make progress on the project.

The picture on the side of the port-a-potties is so amusing to all of us!

The Black Sea with part of Constanta in the background, and the beach I hope to frequently visit in the summer!

Trying more Romanian food, I'm about to eat liver. Notice how I'm trying to seem excited to try it? No really, it wasn't that bad tasting, but I don't care for the texture. It might have been even better if it had been warm. The food was kind of cold.

This is Alin, our branch president (all of 28 years old), and one of our office translators. Here, we are about to go into a state authorized document translator's office. This office is a tiny box in the wall, maybe 6 cubic feet. I hope she doesn't pay much rent for that place.

Mariana, Alin's wife, is such a darling! I love her to death! Everyone in the office just adores her! She is such an amazing, brilliant, caring woman. She helps me so much in the office and around town running errands. She speaks English, Spanish, French, Portugese, and Romanian. She helps me quite a bit with the Romanian language. I couldn't do much without her!

Gearing up to go down into the pit to give the workers some lunch. They were in the middle of pouring concrete and couldn't really take a lunch break.

Troy paused in the middle of raking concrete to pose for me.

The concrete floor they were pouring with two pump trucks. It took Troy until 7 am the next morning to finish this floor. I worry about Troy spending all night out in the cold night air sanding the concrete, but he still seems stay healthier than me.

Larry, the other superintendent on the Dome, me, and Mariana out looking for deals on cars for the company in Bucharest. Doesn't Larry look so pleased to be out doing it? He was getting pretty impatient by the end of the day.

Still walking around the car lot looking to find an affordable but still decent car. I am loving the other pair of boots I got for Christmas. They are so warm and comfy!

Nic came with us to drive the other car back home. He found this hoody in Constanta. Not "Welcome to Miami"? Instead it's "You are welcome to Miami." Is this a subliminal message meant for the Cubans? "Here, take Miami, you've pretty much already overrun it." We all had a laugh over it.

I feel like Mariana and I are becoming good friends, though I'm not sure how she feels. She probably thinks I'm a huge dork most of the time! ;p

Here are some observations I've made since we've been here:

Romanians are still insane drivers! It's hard to remember sometimes that they actually have rules for driving. All my previous conclusions about drivers here have not changed. They driver like crazy people (Troy says they are aggressive drivers and that his brother Thayne would fit right in) and they honk at the slightest provocation. At least they don't flip people off.

Never go grocery shopping on Friday night or Saturday. People drive their shopping carts like they do their cars. It's crowded beyond belief and people don't hesitate to ram their cart into the back of your ankles! They are not polite about getting through the crowd either. If shopping carts had horns, they'd be laying on them the same way they do in their cars. They don't say excuse me or pardon, they just butt right on through wherever they need to go.

Romanians steal. Many of them will take off with whatever they can. They have security guards EVERYWHERE. They have them in the parking lots at the mall, one for each aisle of cars. They have them at every single shop in the mall. There are 7 or 8 outside Carrefour, the Romanian "Walmart" inside the mall, and too many to count walking all around the store at all times, especially the electronics department. Out at the jobsite, we've had to replace nearly every small tool we have because the Romanian workers we had subcontracted from another company took off with them all. We found out they stealthily throw them over the fence and come back for them later. They have cameras all around the jobsite, but it's hard to catch these guys in action. At night, there are guards all around the jobsite, otherwise the gypsies would be over the fence and taking off with the rebar. Now, I suppose not EVERY Romanian steals. We have long discusions at work with Mariana and Alin about "overgeneralizing." Now it's kind of a joke with our Romanian friends. We end a lot of sentences with, "because we all know Romanians steal." They take it with good grace, mostly because we all know Americans steal too. In fact Americans are probably worse because many act honest on the face of it, and enact dirty deals behind the scenes.

Romanian missionaries come back for Romanian girls and take them to the States. Alin gets frustrated because he would really like to continue to build the membership here, but we told him it's hard to expect them to live here. While Romania is great and all, the U.S. just has so much more to offer! Alin has never been to the U.S. so we told him he can't understand. We really want to take Mariana and Alin home with us to see what it is like. They would really like to be able to go to Temple Square and see Salt Lake. I hope we will get the chance to help them do that.

It's hard to find a truly fantastic restaurant here. Troy said at least the food isn't as bland as it was when he worked in Latvia. They do attempt to Americanize a lot of the food, but I guess it's just hard to get quality goods here. In the U.S., there is enough competition to make people try harder to give better quality. Here, you're just lucky one guy can get it for you. At least McDonalds is better here. Can you believe that? McDonalds here actually is way awesome! The chicken tastes like real chicken breast instead of processed meat, and the burgers are bigger. It does cost a little more here (figuring in the exchange rate), and there is not the same variety of choice, but it is so worth it!

There is a mountain of paperwork for everything you do. If you get in a little fender-bender on the street, you spend half the day in the police station. If the police pull you over and you have an undocumnted scratch on your car, they think you are trying to get away with something because you didn't report it (nevermind the fact that most people don't have time to spend half their work day filling out forms.) Out on the dome project, when the inspector comes for each stage, everything has to be documented, stamped, signed, discussed fully in a two hour meeting to make sure nothing was missed, and finally they are passed off to continue the building of the dome. There has to be a piece of paper for every fragment or particle they are putting into that dome (at least that's how it seems.)

Romanians appreciate us trying to learn their language. Even though most of them speak at least a little English, we can always get a smile from the grumpiest person by trying to speak Romanian (probably because our accents are so horrible.) The state inspector we had was being a real hard-nose, tearing us down at every turn for tiny things. Then one day he addressed me, maybe thinking that I was Mariana, and I told him in Romanian that I was sorry, but I didn't understand and asked him to repeat it more slowly. I still didn't understand all the words he used, but I got the gist of it and was able to get the document he was asking for. He seemed to lighten up after that, even later wishing us a Happy New Year in English! You would have had to be here to see the turn around in the way he treated us.

Overall, I'm starting to really love it here. Troy suggested that when we go home in February, we could ask to be transfered to a different job, but I found that I don't want to leave just yet. We are making so many friends and learning so much about this culture. I'm excited to continue to gain all the experience we can here!

Why can't wit be inherited......from your in-laws?

2009-01-03T05:06:00.000-08:00

I freakin' love my aunt's blog! She makes me laugh, all the time! In fact, sometimes my husband gets annoyed because I'll burst into spontaneous giggling at awkward moments in our office trailer at the job site because I'm reading her blog.

Here are a couple of her recent posts I particularly loved:
I missed it!
Aha!
Happy New Year!

I wish I was half as witty! It's a blog I don't mind reading over and over! Hope you don't mind me sharing Aunt D!

Craciun Fericit! Happy Christmas!

2008-12-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Buna Ziua! (Good day!) Ce faci? (How are you?) Craciun Fericit! (Happy Christmas!)

See? Starting to get a few phrases down. No really, I'm learning more phrases than that. I taped post-it notes everywhere, all over the office, with Romanian words on objects, which has really helped. Also, the other day I spent the whole morning and afternoon driving around picking up things for the jobsite with Mariana, one of our interpreters, and I asked her to give me directions and commands all in Romanian. Just simple phrases, but it really helped! I can see why I haven't gotten very far with learning Spanish. You can study in a book, listen to CDs all you want, but until you are actually there, seeing and hearing the language used in context, you will never truly get it. Learning Spanish has had it's benefits too though. There are a lot of words and phrases in Romanian which are similar to Spanish. All in all, I'm determined to be able to at least carry on a conversation and understand what others are saying by the time we leave Romania.

This is a traditional Romanian dish called sarmale. It's made with pork simmered for several hours in tomato sauce or paste with spices, then the pork is wrapped in pickled cabbage. I tried this at the branch's Christmas pageant/party. It's kind of a different taste, but with sour cream and parmesan cheese, it's pretty good!

This is a wrap we have for lunch a lot of the time. It is marinated pork with french fries, cabbage, and mayo wrapped in a sort of tortilla. It may sound (or look) gross, but this is really awesome! And fattening. Romanians eat A LOT of carb foods......breads and potatoes especially.

This was so amusing to me. This stray dog was laying right in the way in front of the automatic doors at the gas station where the warm air would hit him sometimes. People in Romania treat stray dogs like mascots they don't have to take responsibility for. They feed them, partly because they don't like to waste food so they give them leftovers, and partly because they hate to see the dogs starving. But it just makes the dog population keep growing. When the government tries to do anything about it, people hide the dogs because they become attached to them or something, and it's illegal to kill them unless you "accidentally" hit them with your car. No, we don't try to hit the dogs, but they sure are an annoyance.

Christmas dinner in Romania. Nic, one of the American workers here, joined us. We really missed having a big Christmas dinner with family. I started feeling a little homesick Christmas Eve. I don't think there has been a single Christmas when I wasn't home to see my parents and siblings who could make it. *sigh* At least I was able to call them on Skype (an internet call service) and visit for a while. It was great to talk to everyone, including my brother Blaine, who is on a mission in Colorado, a little bit (thanks, Dad, for working so hard to make sure we could conference call!)

I attempted to make a pie. I use the word "attempted" because I couldn't find all the ingredients I usually would have used and I couldn't find canned pie filling either. So, the pie really didn't turn out. Do we really realize all the conveniences our country affords us?

Women here wear boots, everywhere. Teenagers wear sneakers. Teenagers wear boots too, but most women do not wear tennis shoes. Maybe that's one reason several people have mistaken me for being younger. Ha! I wish I still looked like a teenager!

The outfit I got for Christmas.....wool coat, boots. Hey, I had to make an attempt to fit in! Plus I've been looking for an excuse to spend money on a really decent pair of boots! Do I look Romanian yet? Maybe once I learn the language, they won't be able to tell. If I never open my mouth to speak, they really don't know. Most Romanians have dark hair. I've seen only one or two blonds, and not like a true tow-headed blond, but more of a dirty blond. Troy and I fit right in....uh, except for the language.....and customs.......and driving. Well, actually we're starting to fit in with the driving too. Now the problem will be that when we get back to the states, we'll drive like crazy people and get pulled over for wreckless endangerment or something.

I hope you all had a great Christmas! We missed our families, but we are having a great time out here!

The dome site, Medgidia, Romania

2008-12-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love my safety gear?! Sexy! Nicu, on the right, took me up to the top of one of the silos at the cement plant in Medgidia where the dome is being built. Nicu is such a nice guy! He is one of the engineers for Lafarge cement. He had to get the same schooling as engineers in the U.S. do, but he makes the equivalent of $15,000 USD per year! Food, clothes, electronics all cost the same here as at home; Romanians just make less. Nicu lives in a tiny 650 sq foot apartment with his wife and son, and can't afford a car. We told him how much engineers in the states make and it blew his mind. But it doesn't matter. He will never have the chance to work there. The Romanian government doesn't give many people visas to go to the U.S. They would never come back to Romania. We have so much to be grateful for in the United States! I don't think many people realize how much we take for granted!

Here I am at the top of one of the silos. Behind me is the pit for the dome.

The pit where the dome will be constructed. Right now, they are just working on the tunnels. You can see one of the tunnels being erected on the right side of the pit. They are still bringing in rock and dirt and compacting it for the foundation on the right side. Our office trailer is the little blue box to the right of the ramp on the other side of the pit.

You can see the quarry where they are getting the rock for the foundation. In the distance to the left of the quarry are vineyards stretching over the hill.

This is just a short clip of our office trailer and the pit where they are building the dome. We'll try to get some other videos, maybe especially when they blow up the dome skin.

First Glimpses of Romania!

2008-12-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

A Whole New World

2008-12-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Google comes up with all the links in a different language when you're in a different country? I didn't have a clue. My whole Google page and my blog log-in come up in Romanian. It makes it a little more difficult to navigate, but at least all the links are familiar so I can guess which one I need to click on. Thankfully, once I've signed in, everything is in English.

Well, we've been in Romania 2 1/2 weeks now and it's not so overwhelming as it was at first. I am SO GRATEFUL we have translators who have helped kind of ease the transition into this new world. Our translators, Alin (pronouned Aleen) and Mariana are a young husband/wife team who translate out at the jobsite where Troy is building. Alin is actually the branch president here in Constanta (pronounced Constantza.)

I don't even know where to begin with all we've experience in the first couple of weeks here. Many things are very similar, but others we are still getting used to. When we first arrived, our house didn't have heat so the first two days I spent in 4 or 5 layers of clothing and my coat. We finally got the gas for the house turned on and were able to take showers and cook. Our house is in one of the nicest neighborhoods here. The furniture isn't that comfortable, but it looks nice. We are very fortunate to be where we are at and to feel safe where we live. At least we don't have to worry about gun crime here. Nobody, not even the cops, carry guns here.

Our first grocery trip was interesting. The grocery store, Carrefour, is in the mall. It's very similar to back home, but I couldn't read any of the labels. I relied a lot on the pictures on the labels, but still ended up buying carbonated water (gross) instead of regular bottled water, creme cheese instead of butter, hazelnut chocolate spread (similar to Nutella) instead of peanut butter (which is hard to come by here) and ground turkey instead of hamburger (which actually turned out better anyway, since ground turkey is healthier.) Sadly they don't have Doritos or Oreos here which I'm going to miss, but at least Troy can have his Coke, which everyone knows would just about kill him. (J/K......sort of) They do have really great chocolate! It's not as rich (probably because they actually use sugar here instead of high fructose corn syrup) so I can eat a lot of it!

We ate at the Pizza Hut in the mall where we found the menu was in both English and Romanian. Most people, especially those under 30 years old, speak at least some English, so it makes it a little easier on us. At the Pizza Hut, we tried a stuffed crust pizza thinking it would be at least a little familiar, but they don't really have pepperoni, it's more like sliced sausage, and the pizza we got had stuffed crust not only on the outside crust, but the inside as well. Still, it was pretty good.

Romanian drivers are absolutely insane! Seriously, I used to think Utah drivers were bad......but there's no comparison. Romanians are infinitely worse. I don't even think a description can fully portray how it is. First of all, the roads are terrible; potholes, cracks, and uneven surfaces everywhere. Most roads have only 2 lanes, but they need to be 4 or 6 lanes. The roads that are 4 lanes usually have cars parked in the right driving lane, so they may as well be 2 lanes anyway. There just isn't enough parking in a city built when there weren't many people who could afford cars. People park wherever they can, including the sidewalk and the road where people drive. People who have car troubles don't pull their vehicles over to the side, they just stop in the driving lane. We saw one guy who was stopped in the driving lane talking on his cell phone. At least he wasn't trying to drive and talk on his cell phone I guess. Some intersections have stop lights, others have only a caution light and are very difficult to get across because everyone tries to cross at once. I do like that the stop lights here have a count down to when the light will change, rather than having a yellow light before it turns. Sometimes it makes waiting for the light seem longer though. There are very few street signs so it's sometimes difficult to find an address, or to get directions anywhere. People also either drive too fast or too slow. They will cut you off and act like it is your fault. If you are hesitant, you are more likely to get hit. Pedestrians step out into the road without looking and just expect you to stop. They don't always walk on the crosswalks either. We've very narrowly missed 10 or 11 people who just stepped out onto the street. At the stoplights many times there are women with babies or young children going car to car begging. I don't know how they don't get hit sometimes. Since the roads are only 2 lane with so much traffic on them, people are passing other cars all the time, but they nearly hit headon in the other lane many times. Seriously, I'm so surprised there aren't more accidents. We did pass a really bad accident the other day. It looked like someone had tried to pass on a two lane highway and did end up in a head-on collision, causing other drivers around them to swerve out to miss them. One big diesel truck with a trailor hit a tree and wrapped around it, another couple of cars swerved and rolled. And the emergency crews trying to get to them were having a really hard time getting there through all the backed-up traffic because people weren't really pulling over much for them to get there. What a mess! I can't imagine how long it took them to sort out everything there. It made me extremely grateful for our emergency response (and the fact that people pull over for emergency vehicles) in the U.S. !

So far we haven't really eaten anything I would call "authentic Romanian food." We did eat out with Mariana and Alin at a Turkish restaurant the other night, which was really good. Alin and Mariana got the tripe soup, which I have never tried, and I may the next time, after I get over the fact that it's a soup made from animal stomach.......... We probably eat worse things in the hot dogs back home, right?

At church, they have one of the Elders translate for us. If I were one of the Romanian members, I would find it very distracting, but they seem to take it with good grace. I try to sing the hymns in Romanian. One of the Elders copied his language program for me, so at least now I know a few phrases and I know how to pronounce everything. Larry, the superintendant over the dome, spoke in sacrament meeting today, and one of the Elders translated from English to Romanian. The Romanian members really appreciated Larry's talk. He spoke about the pioneers and the trials they faced and then he spoke about modern day pioneers, like the members in the branch, who are the first members in their area. They seemed to really relate to everything he said, even though it all had to be translated for them. Their gospel doctrine lessons are different from back home because the lesson manuals haven't been translated into Romanian yet, so while everyone else will be doing chruch history this next year, our branch will be studying the New Testament. The members are very welcoming and make an effort to greet us in the little English they know. It's great to see how the Church is spreading throughout the world, and also how it is the same wherever you go.

When we made it out to Troy's job site, we started finding out why this project is going so slowly. There is a mountain of paperwork that comes before anything can be done. And then there is a committee that debates it. Right now they are still trying to get the tests passed for the compaction of the foundation, but having trouble finding someone who can reliably test it. They've been working on this dome since June and are still barely getting the foundation done. And now the superintendent, Larry, who has been over this dome has recruited me to manage all the paperwork. Lovely. I can hardly wait. Really.

Now we finally have internet, so I will try to post more frequently. All in all, we're having fun and experiencing something new every day.

I'm leaving on a jet plane......don't know when I'll be back again.

2008-11-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

We're going to Romania!!!!!

Troy's company is sending him to work in Medgidia, Romania. We'll actually be living in Ovidiu, which is close to Constanta in the south-east corner of the country on the Black Sea. I am a little nervous, but very excited to be leaving the country for the first time. It will be fascinating to visit with and learn about another culture. I know they won't have a lot of the things we're used to being able to get here in our country. It will likely make me appreciate all the blessings our country affords us all.

I'm not getting much sleep with all the preparations going contantly through my mind. We'll be flying out next Tuesday. Just a few days left to get ready, trying not to forget the most important things.

We are hoping to visit Italy during the holidays. Troy's family keeps in contact with the Italian foreign exchange student they hosted 20 years ago, Paolo. I wish we were going to be home with our families for Christmas and New Year's, but what an opportunity we'll have to explore some of Europe!

Accessorizing my accessories

2008-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

There's something about having my electronics all matching that makes them more fun to use. I feel like I have brand new toys. I bought these skins on ebay from vcom. They are inexpensive and they protect while renewing the look of my laptop, Blackberry, and iPod. I love it! Troy hates that I made our computer "girly." But he can't argue that it doesn't look better.

Hmmm......

2008-11-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

*Sigh* At least our country will still be terrorist free through the holidays. After that, President Bush's watch will be over and he will likely be thankful to pass the reigns on.

Here's a satirical article illustrating what President Bush probably would like to say to the American people at that point: Bush's Resignation Speech

Future Hall of Famer?

2008-10-31T06:57:00.001-07:00

I know Troy hopes his little grandson will be the next Brett Favre. You never know. Maybe Creek will put that natural Potter athletic ability to good use.

Barack Obama: Spinmeister

2008-10-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game ever since I read it. Now that I've started reading what he has to say about the presidential candidates, I appreciate him even more. I wish I had the ability to write as he does. In this article, he says everything I wish I had the eloquence to say.

Barack Obama: Spinmeister

Gadianton reborn?

2008-10-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

"For there was one Gadianton, who was exceedingly expert in many words, and also in his craft, to carry on the secret work of murder and of robbery....." from the Book of Mormon, Helaman 2:4

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and anyone is welcome to comment on this post (in a clean, non-hostile manner please.) I just wanted to share some thoughts I had.

The LDS church put out a statement in sacrament meetings recently, and also reiterated it in General Conference......

"Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest......Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government."

Despite some of the things he has said and done recently, I truly believe John McCain to be the more moral choice this election.

For starters, Obama believes in partial-birth abortions! That means he thinks it's okay to carry a baby to term and then kill it as it's being born! I'm certainly of the opinion that abortion is wrong in most cases (with the exclusion of danger to the mother, and possibly rape situations on an individual basis), especially if the mother is using it as a form of birth control, but killing a life that is fully formed is absolute murder. There is no morally gray area when it comes to partial-birth abortion. A candidate who supports such a thing will never have my vote.

People say Obama has a lot of great ideas, or things that he totes as his ideas: healthcare reform, renewable energy research, automatic college education credits. My problem with the ideas he wants to put in place (besides the healthcare program, which, Obama's and McCain's plan included, I believe still won't fix the underlying issues plaguing our healthcare system) is, as always, how will we pay for it? The answer is higher taxes.

Obama's plans will ultimately raise taxes. In Illinois, as a Senator, he voted time and again to raise taxes. I know he says that taxes won't be raised for the middle class, that he is simply going to repeal the tax cuts for the wealthy given under the Bush administration, but I don't believe that will last after he gets started with the expensive programs he wants to impose, not to mention the $700 billion bailout. Also, he's said that he wants to raise taxes on small business owners, but only those who's businesses make more than $250,000 a year. Nearly every small business makes at least that much. A quote I saw recently stated a small business with only 8 employees makes $370,000 a year. That is not a very big business at all, and under Obama's proposition, they would pay higher taxes. That means my dad would pay higher taxes. My father's business is helping to make ends meet, but I know it would struggle more than it already is under higher taxes. The already gasping-for-breath-economy would suffer even more under Obama's leadership.

Besides the probable tax hike, I think Obama is an all-out liar and deceiver who simply flatters people, tells them what they want to hear, but plans to do things however he chooses once in office. Yes, I realize every politician tells people what they want to hear, even John McCain. But Obama wants to FORCE people to get 401 K's, FORCE them to have healthcare (which I think people will end up paying for themselves, either through increased taxes, or because the government fails to have enough money to pay for it.) From Sunday school lessons, we recall that that is what Lucifer's plan entailed--forcing everyone to do right, thereby ensuring our return to our Heavenly Father, but not learning anything in the process. Obama doesn't want to give people choices and let them fail or succeed on their own, he just wants to tell them how it's going to be and that they're going to like it whether they want to or not.

I read a fantastic article written by Orson Scott Card regarding Obama and the media's misrepresentation of facts: Would the last honest reporter please turn on the lights? I absolutely agree with Mr. Card, that our media is totally biased about Obama. They are already saying that they will probably stop reporting on the election by 8 pm because it will be over, Obama has already won, etc. I think this is a dishonest, obnoxious ploy to make those who would vote for McCain think there is no chance, make them want to stay home Election Day because "it's already over."

My dad told me he heard a call on a talk show from a man in the military who stated that if Obama were to apply for military service, he would never make it through the background checks. His associations with volatile racists and known terrorists would make it impossible for him to serve in the military. And yet, this is the man some people want to become our Commander-in-Chief, the man who in times of war has the penultimate decision? When it comes right down to it, I believe Obama will feed our country to the communists and terrorists. He doesn't care about our country, he has no patriotism whatsoever, and in the end, he will save his own skin.

A veteran returned from Iraq had this to say: Dear Mr. Obama.

And to those who would pull the racial card, stating I'm just a bigoted supremacist, I just want to say, I would very gladly vote for Condoleezza Rice were she to run for president. I sincerely wish she would! She is everything our country needs right now! But sadly, I watched an interview where she said she would never consider running for president, she doesn't want the job. I hope one day she will change her mind!

I admit that I don't know if McCain is the best candidate the Republicans could have chosen. But Obama just plain scares me. In this case bad is better than worse.

I'm sure my opinions will probably fall on deaf ears. Most people have already decided how they are going to vote. I just hope we are all prepared for what lies ahead either way.

Another Creek video

2008-10-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

I wish I had my own kids to gab about on here, but since I don't, you will all have to endure the constant posts about Creek for as long as Casey and Chelsea live near us, which may be a while as long and Casey and Troy are working for the same company.
On weekend mornings, Troy and I have been accustomed to nice quiet sleeping in. Not any more. Creek wakes up at 5:30 am (sometimes earlier) every weekend morning. He doesn't cry or anything. He yells. It's not an angry yell. It's an "everybody wake up and play with me" kind of yell. It's a shout for attention because "it's still dark and the day isn't interesting until someone is up seeing what I'm seeing and playing with what I'm playing with." It would really be kind of cute if it wasn't so early.
This morning after the boys left for work, Creek was doing it again. I tried to catch it on video, but he stopped yelling as much when I got downstairs, proving my theory about his desire for attention. There are still a couple of shouting bursts recorded. If you take the time to watch this, picture him yelling like that constantly, over and over.........at 5 am.
It's still fun to have a baby in the house.

Mississipi Riverboat!

2008-10-12T08:37:00.001-07:00

Casey, Chelsea, Creek, Troy, and I finally took the Mark Twain riverboat for a little dinner cruise last night. We thought a little novelty was just the thing for Casey's 22nd birthday (which is actually today.) It was so neat! The night was beautifully calm and not too chilly. We had a great time walking the decks before dinner, smelling the woodsmoke, possibly from wood-burning stoves in people's homes, feeling the wind on our faces, and thinking about the book, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I remember reading about his journey on his little raft down the Mississipi and passing riverboats similar to the one on which we were traveling. It's so very interesting to be able to match the places in the book with real images. It makes the story that much more vivid. I love it! I really need to go back and read "Huck Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" over again. I don't think I've read them since high school.
A buffet was served, and while it wasn't anything fantastic, the food was still tasty. The best of the food: the brownies served as dessert! Best brownies ever!
Little Creek made it that much more fun and exciting for us. He couldn't stop looking at the new sights. I thought he would get whiplash from trying to take in everything at once. Having a child of any age with you when visiting a new place always makes you take a more careful look at what you're really seeing, in my opinion. You end up thinking about how they might be looking at the world through their innocent, less experienced eyes and you kind of begin viewing everything with fresh perspective.

2008-10-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Lacey, Troy, Creek, Casey, and Chelsea right before boarding the riverboat

Captain Lacey?

Taking a walk on deck before dinner

Excited to be on the riverboat

Geez, are we gonna eat already or what?!!

MMMMM.......tasting the table

Are you guys gonna feed me real food soon?

2008-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

And for those who are interested in seeing a very short video clip of Creek, this is a perfect example of how he was continually trying to see everything at once.

Lee and Becky's wedding

2008-10-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

My brother's wedding was a month ago, but I didn't get pictures posted at the time. This is a picture of my family, but none of the spouses, except Lee's (of course) are in this picture. They weren't able to come. My brother Blaine is missing too, he's on a mission in Colorado Springs, CO. From left to right, Lacey, Dayna, Dad, Mom, Becky, Lee, Mary, Analeigh, Devon, Brooklyn (baby), Lynette.

The happy newlyweds, Becky and Lee

The getaway car

The Howard sisters, Mary, Lacey, Analeigh, Lynette, Dayna

2008-10-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

That was interesting. Thanks Jani!

Newly entrenched!

2008-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

So we're now in Hannibal, Missouri and I finally got everything situated and put away last week. It's a smallish town with little in the way of the entertainment we enjoyed in Cleveland, however it IS Mark Twain's hometown, so there are a lot of tourist attractions with names like "Huck Finn Park" and "Tom Sawyers Cave." We haven't been to them yet, but we are planning on it. I will have pictures on here shortly. There is also a riverboat ride with a buffet dinner we wanted to try soon before it gets too cold. And Nauvoo is only a couple of hours north of here, so we are hoping to take another trip there and spend a little more time exploring. Troy said the dome he is building is smaller so we will only be here a couple of months. It is beautiful here with all the trees and right by the Mississippi River. I can't wait to experience the onset of autumn while we're living here!

My McCain vote solidified by Sarah Palin

2008-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

I was thunderstruck when they chose a virtual unknown to run with McCain. I did a lot of online searching the morning they announced it. The more I learned, the more I really liked Sarah Palin. She's amazing.

She saw where there needed to be change in her state and took responsibility to accomplish it. She uncovered corruption in the government, promised to fix it when she became governor, and kept her promises when she was elected. She reformed their budget, even cutting her own paycheck! What a noble concept for some of our overpaid delegates who only continue to unreasonably adjust their own incomes. There are people who accuse her of unlawfully dismissing government employees, but she wanted unity in her administration, so she got rid of the people who would cause her problems (at least she didn't have them murdered, making it look like a suicide) and the Alaskan courts found that she doesn't even have to have a reason to fire anyone. The biggest accusation came from her former brother-in-law, who said she let him go as retaliation for the ongoing custody battle between he and her sister, however he had been caught drinking and driving, in his own vehicles and also state vehicles, as well as misusing his power (example: using his taser on his 10-year-old step-son.)

She is accused of being anti-feminist, but really she simply doesn't fit their idea of what they consider "feminist", just because she doesn't support murdering unborn babies and thinks that the caribou in Alaska won't be bothered at all by adding a few oilwells and a pipeline. The woman goes hunting and fishing in the Alaskan wilderness! She became governor against incredible odds! For preaching equality, acceptance, and free-thinking, sometimes liberals are the most closed-minded people! I also think she is thought to be anti-feminist because she chooses to embrace her role in motherhood. Obviously, I've been brought up to consider that a sacred duty, a natural and positive part of life, but I will never understand why some women try to rebel against their inherent desire to nurture, or why they wish to become more masculine. I believe women can be careerwomen, leaders, AND mothers. It's not a choice every woman decides to take and it doesn't have to be. She has 5 children, the oldest is in the military, the youngest is an infant who has down-syndrome. She has overcome enormous obstacles in her life, and just keeps going. She has a very strong character and force of will.

She may be inexperienced, but I believe that might just make it possible for her to bring new ideas and fresh life into our government and associated administration. She might be "far from perfect" as one opposing interviewee stated, but I'm pretty sure that nobody currently living on our planet is. She is the well-rounded, "all-American" type of person who makes a "perfect" representation of what our country SHOULD stand for--high morals and ethics, family values, and strength of character.

Plus she was born in Idaho, and went to college at U of I. ; )

I don't really care that people say she is so inexperienced. They may think I'm an idiot for saying that, but Obama is inexperienced as well and has way less moral fiber. It is infinitely more important to support someone who is going to make choices based on right and wrong, not on who will be offended. Our forefathers didn't always have experience either, but they stood by their values and did the best they could. I think we can expect at least as much from Sarah Palin.

For more info, Sarah Palin

HUGE chess set!

2008-08-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Troy and I found this great shopping area near our apartment in Cleveland. There are all kinds of stores, restaurants, and a Regal movie theater. There is a plaza where they have live music on the weekends. And also in the plaza is an area with tables set up for chess play. In the middle of the chess tables, is a huge chess board. It was pretty amusing to try to play on that one. I'm not that great of a player though. Not quite as big as the one on Harry Potter, but it reminded me of it.......minus the pieces destroying each other.

Weekend with the Penas

2008-08-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Troy's friend, Juan Pena, has come to work with the same company as Troy since there is a huge shortage of building work going on in Idaho Falls with the crash in the housing market. Juan came out to do some concrete work on Troy's dome this past week and we had the opportunity to spend time with Juan's family. I especially enjoyed spending time with Ashlee, Juan's wife. We had a great time even just talking. I miss having my close friends around that I could talk to every day. On Saturday, we went out to one of the sandbars out by Lake Erie here in Cleveland and had a BBQ. It was fun to go out and enjoy the sun and play in the lake. The water was surprisingly warm, even Troy got out in it.

The Pillars of the Earth

2008-07-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fantastic, well-written historical novel! The characters draw you into their world. You desperately want the heroes to succeed and the villains to get justified punishment. The plot is unpredictable and begs you to keep reading, but it's a difficult book to finish in one sitting as it is a little less than 1,000 pages long. The book covers a time of civil war in medieval England and tells the story of the building of a cathedral, the struggles against devious, evil men to accomplish it, and an enduring love. There are several detailed sex/rape scenes which might prevent more conservative readers from enjoying the rest of the book, but I still loved it from beginning to finish and I am starting the sequel.

View all my reviews.

Achmed the Dead Terrorist

2008-07-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many people have seen this guy, Jeff Dunham. I saw his act on Comedy Central. He's hilarious! A warning to some though. This video has some vulgarity in it. Also, some of the jokes relate to earlier parts of the act so you might not get them. He still freakin' funny!

Another week in the life of......

2008-07-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

My, what a horrendous week I've had. I flew to Idaho last week to try to get the house we were living in on 10th Street in Idaho Falls cleaned up and ready for sale. Troy's son, Casey, has been living there with his family and there was some upkeep on the house he was unable or unwilling to do. The inside wasn't too bad. I did clean the carpets, which made them tons better, and the floors desperately needed mopping. The outside, however, was much worse. The lawn was very yellow, almost dead. When I got there, I immediately started getting water on that. Even watering for 8 hours at a time for each spot, the lawn was just barely starting to look better when I left. Troy's sister, Tanya, is continuing the watering of the lawn while we are gone and we are so grateful to her! The lawn itself hadn't been mowed because we didn't have a mower at the house and it was difficult to get one over there. The yard was covered in garbage. It's on a corner and for some reason people seem to think it's a public trash dump. I had to recruit help to get our big things like the washer and dryer out of the house. Troy's brother Thayne and a neighbor of his helped me with that. (Thank you Thayne!) I moved all of our things to storage so we won't have to worry about them while we are traveling for Troy's job. I finally got that house cleaned out and the yard looking good by the end of the week. I never could have finished it in a week without my family's help. Mom and Dad were so great to come over and help when they could. My siblings Mary, Devon and Analeigh helped me a ton too. Mary helped me when we were getting Casey moved into his apartment and she helped clean the kitchen and got the cupboards wiped out. Devon helped in the yard and swept the sidewalks off since they looked really messy with leaves and dirt all over them. Even Analeigh, who is eight, helped quite a lot by sweeping and Swiffering the floors in the house so it was much easier to get them mopped. Mom helped me clean the rest of the house and Dad and Devon helped me move the heavier stuff into my storage unit. Dad helped me get the yard into shape in a big way. He helped weed and raked up the lose leaves and sticks in the yard and picked up a lot of the garbage in the yard and mowed the back lawn. I truly don't know what I would have done without their help. I would have had to stay for another week. I'm so thankful for their help.
By the end of the week I was exhausted! I still managed to go see my sister Dayna in Las Vegas (easy enough to do since I can fly for free anywhere Jet Blue flies.) It was so fun to see her family! I really enjoyed spending time with them and playing with my nephews, Ethan and Alec. I spent the night on Friday and then on Saturday we went to Ethan's basketball game. He doesn't always know what is going on, just like all the other 4-year-old kids that were there, but I still think it was good exposure and will prepare him better to know what is going on next year. After his game, there was a pioneer days parade put on by the 3 surrounding stakes in their area. I was surprised that they had an event like that. It wasn't as big of a pioneer day parade as the one in St. Anthony, ID of course, but it was pretty good, and they had a fair afterward in the park with booths full of free food and games. Dayna said that there are a lot of LDS members who own the businesses that sponsored the event, kind of like the Vandersloots in Idaho Falls. They had pancakes, Great Harvest bread with honey, free water bottles, snowcones......and they had a dunking booth, a ring toss, sack races and other fun games. There was a fire truck there spraying water out over the crowd. All the little kids were running around trying to stay in the stream of water going back and forth over the park and the adults were trying to stay at the edge and not get wet. The firefighters probably got a real kick out of purposely trying to get those adults. They would tilt the hose back a little farther so the water would reach across the field. They could probably tell by the screams that they were getting the adults they aimed for. It was fun all the same, even though we were intending not to get wet. Dayna and Brandon got a babysitter later and we went out to see a movie for Dayna's birthday. We wanted to see the new Batman movie, but they were sold out at the times we could go, so instead we went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (which was the only movie that would finish in time to take me to the airport.) Dayna and I both thought it was better than we imagined it would be. I probably wouldn't see it again, but it was worth seeing once. After the movie, we went shopping. Dayna got to buy a new outfit for her birthday. That's always nice, especially when you don't get to do that on a regular basis (as our whole family has a tendency to never have enough money for that kind of thing.) After that, Dayna and Brandon dropped me off at the airport and I flew the red-eye home. I got to Pittsburgh (Jet Blue doesn't fly to Cleveland) at 9:30 am Sunday morning and was so thankful to see Troy after my long week. It has taken me two days to recover, but now I'm feeling great and ready to get back to my regular schedule.
Troy and I are probably going to be out here in Cleveland for another 3 weeks and then we'll be going to the next place his company assigns him. They said they may send him to Oklahoma next, but that isn't set in stone. If there is another project that is ready first, they may send him there. It sounds like they have domes coming up in Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Romania, so we could still end up going to any one of those. His company is so unpredictable, we just never know. I'm hoping to make it home to Idaho about the time that my sister Lynette and her husband Jared are getting there so I can visit with them and meet their new baby Brooklyn. I hope to see everyone in Idaho and Utah again soon, but once again, you just never know with Troy's company.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday!

2008-07-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Create your own glittery text at pYzam.com

Potter for president!

2008-07-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this on someone else's blog and I was amazed! You'll need to stop my music at the bottom of the page to hear it.

Trip to St. Louis

2008-06-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Troy had to drive down to St. Louis to drop off a trailer for work. We decided that while we were down there, we would do a little sight seeing. We had the opportunity to go to the arch and ride up to the top. It was so interesting to see the history of St. Louis and the monument built there. We rode to the top in little tram cars that a claustrophobic person could never remotely consider riding in, they were so enclosed and small. At the top, we could look down over the entire city. We could also feel the whole structure swaying in the wind. I would hate to try to go up there on a really windy day. From there at the top, we could also see the extent of some of the flooding we had noticed coming into town. They said that the Mississippi is usually not that close to the memorial. Hopefully it doesn’t flood any farther!

Sandbagging on the Mississippi

2008-06-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

On our way out of St. Louis, we came to another area, Winfield, Missouri, that showed severe flooding.....homes in the middle of several feet of water, people trying to get their belongings out in boats, people in boats searching for stranded people and animals, fields and fields of ruined crops.....You see it on the news, but it’s always infinitely different and more personal when you see it with your own eyes. Troy and I passed by a high school that had been set up as a post for the National Guard. In the back was a mound of sand where people were working to fill sandbags. We decided to stop and help out. We spent about 3 hours shoveling sand into sandbags, tying them off, and loading them onto pallets to be taken out on trucks, hopefully to save as many homes as they could. The people working next to us didn’t have a home in the flooded area, but were out there trying to help save their neighbor’s homes. They said the levy just broke that morning at 5 am. There was another kid next to us helping out who was from Rexburg, but lived out there in Missouri with his wife. The more Troy and I travel, the more we find what a small world it is! Who would have thought we would meet someone from Rexburg, ID while in Missouri, during a flood and filling sandbags no less! A lot of other people were like Troy and me, on their way somewhere, but stopped to help. There were a few from California and a couple from Washington. Troy said that if every person passing there stopped to help for just a couple of hours, it would be amazing what could be accomplished. As it was, there were still quite a few people helping, some who had been there all day! It’s very heart-warming when people pull together in the middle of difficult times and work to rise above it. By the time we left, we were very tired and sweaty, but it felt like we had done something to help those poor people out there.

Carthage/Nauvoo

2008-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Since we were over that way, I convinced Troy to go up to Carthage and Nauvoo area, Mormon church sites I've been wanting to visit. It was very rushed because we had to be back to Cleveland by Sunday afternoon. Troy and I stopped first in Carthage to see the jail where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. Even though such an awful event occurred there, it was peaceful and calming on the grounds. We only spent about 40 minutes there, then we headed to Nauvoo. Though we were still rushed, we did get to take a wagon ride around to many of the sites in Nauvoo. We could see how fun it would be to spend the whole day there, taking time to go to the boot-makers shop and the brick yard and other places where they show you how the Latter Day Saints made things in that era. We hope to make it back there again someday and take our time enjoying it.

Shawshank prison!

2008-06-29T14:51:00.001-07:00

At the last of our very long trip this weekend, we passed Mansfield, OH. Troy thought he remembered that the prison from the movie Shawshank Redemption was out there. I looked it up on my phone and got directions and we were off to check it out. It looks like a castle from the outside! A pamphlet they had there says that the architect wanted it to be a beautiful building to encourage the inmates to change their lives. They were going to tear the building down, however the historical society came in and wanted to restore the building. It is pretty run down right now, but they are using the proceeds from the tours to raise money to preserve the building. Troy and I took the "Hollywood" tour which included the parts of the building where much of Shawshank Redemption was filmed. We saw the warden's office and the space in the wall where the safe was. We toured the area they used as a commons where the prisoners ate in the movie and we saw the solitary confinement cells. The pipes they used to show when Andy was escaping were still there! They were actually pipes they built into wood platforms and open on the end to film. The tour guide said that what looked like sewage was actually Hershey's chocolate syrup and crackers and cookies mashed in together. Even the room where Brooks and Red went after they were released from the jail was there. They didn't actually film on a different site for those scenes. They used part of the prison and made it look like a halfway house. It was pretty cool. We walked through the prison blocks. The cells are tiny and they usually were occupied by two people. How weird it was to walk down the cell block where there were prisoners about 18 years ago! There were other movies they mentioned were filmed there as well. The Russian prison on Airforce One and the prison in Tango and Cash were a couple they noted. There were still props from those movies at the prison too. We had so much fun seeing everything! All in all, it was worth the stop to see it!

Good weekend!

2008-06-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Besides my class reunion this past weekend, we got to see Troy's new granddaughter, Liberty. She is so cute and little. I'm pretty much jealous because my babies will never be that small (if I ever manage to have any.) I wanted to visit with my parents longer, but Troy was anxious to get to Provo and see the baby. We drove down to Utah Saturday night and stayed with Katie and Brandon. Almost all of Sunday, Troy was holding Liberty. He didn't want to give her up for anyone else to hold her (except of course when she needed to be changed. Troy is a wimp.) It was really cute to see him with her. I hope I can have kids soon and that Troy will be as excited about our babies.

Class reunion

2008-06-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to my 10 year class reunion this weekend. I was so excited to see all the people I haven't seen since high school. Troy and I had to plane hop again on standby so this time we flew from Pittsburgh to New York to Burbank, CA to Salt Lake and then we drove up to Idaho Falls. We got to Idaho Falls about 40 minutes late because of when our plane got in. I was mortified to have to walk into the room in front of everybody and be stared at. At least people actually recognized me. It was disappointing to be so late. I didn't get to talk to all the people I wanted to this weekend, and a lot of the people I wanted to see weren't able to come, but I did get to visit with my good friend Tressa. It is so weird to see how we all have changed, grown. It was fun to see everyone's cute little families, their kids and husbands. It makes me wish I could get to know them better or that I had kept up with them better after high school. Actually I just wish I had opened myself up more in high school and reached outside my comfort zone to be friends with more people, socialized more. I tried hard this time not to restrict myself to the people I knew well, and I got to talk to a lot of the people I didn't talk to in high school. I had a great time!

Cavaliers vs. Celtics game 6 video of Troy and me

2008-06-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Finally got that video of Troy and me during the Cav's game. You only see us for a few seconds, but how often does anyone get the chance to see themselves on T.V.?

Finally getting results!

2008-06-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been trying this video workout called Turbo Jam for the past two months. It's not like I was totally overweight to begin with, but I felt out of shape. I used to run and lift weights, but after a while that gets old and it's not very fun for me. I saw this workout on an infomercial (how cliche, right?) and decided I'd try it because it claimed to work your abs throughout the whole workout. I love it! It combines a lot of different moves that work the core and your body from head to toe. The combinations in the video make it interesting and fun. The person who created the workout, Chalene Johnson, has so much energy almost to the point of hyper, she makes you want to pump up your intensity. At first I felt like I wasn't getting any results even though I was doing the workout every day and eating right. Finally, Troy said he can see the beginning of a six-pack and he said my butt looks lifted! I know that most husbands might say that just to make their wives feel better about themselves, but mine isn't one of those. He tells me exactly what he thinks even when it ticks me off. So of course I'm very excited! I would recommend these videos to anyone who wants fun fitness training you still want to do even on days when you don't feel like working out.
Here's the link if you want to check it out: Turbo Jam

2008-06-03T05:35:00.001-07:00

Name tag

2008-05-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is a tag sent to me that seemed amusing. I thought I'd give it a try.

1. ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, street you grew up on): Misty Calico (Lacey) , Bandit Canyon (Troy)

2. GANGSTA NAME (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Rocky Road Sneaker (Lacey), Sherbet Nike (Troy)

3. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Blue Puma (Lacey), Blue Tiger (Troy) Incidentally, Troy really likes that name

4. SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Marie Rexburg (Lacey), James Idaho Falls (Troy)

5. STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name, last two letters of your first name):
Potey (Lacey), Potoy (Troy) I have to say that my star wars name comes up short........

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Yellow Snapple (Lacey), Black Tanqueray (Troy)

7. NASCAR NAME (names of your grandfathers): Merrill Delwyn (Lacey), Teddy James (Troy)

8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 6th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Montgomery Memphis (Lacey), Anderson Anaheim (Troy)

9. SPY NAME (favorite season/holiday, favorite flower): Spring Daisey (Lacey), Summer Orchid (Troy)

10. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now): Peach Polo (Lacey), Kiwi Green Pants (Troy) I absolutely laughed until my stomach hurt over Troy's cartoon name. Maybe it's not even really that funny, but it sounds so close to Spongebob Squarepants, whom Troy decidedly despises.

11. HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree): Bagel Aspen (Lacey), Bacon Maple (Troy)

12. MIDDLE EASTERN NAME (your first and last name backwards) Rettop Yecal (Lacey), Rettop Yort (Troy)

Okay, this was fun, we got some good laughs. You should try it.

Katie had her baby!

2008-05-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Katie and Brandon! Troy's daughter Katie gave birth to Liberty Linn Jolley last night. She was 6 lbs 4 oz and was 18.5 inches long. Liberty came a month early. She had low blood sugar yesterday, but she's fine today and Katie is doing great. Katie and Brandon are so excited and they are taking tons of pictures: web.mac.com/jolleys

Visit their picture website to see Liberty and view the little movie they made.

"Single serving friends"

2008-05-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

To get to Idaho this past weekend, we had to take several different flights. Thanks to Katie working at Jet Blue, we were able to fly for free, but we had to be on standby. We drove to Pittsburgh, flew from there to New York, barely made the standby list onto the plane from New York to Las Vegas, flew from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City, and rented a car to drive to Idaho Falls. Long trip, but it afforded us the opportunity of meeting some really great people on our flight. On our flight to Las Vegas, I sat next to some very nice women who made the flight a whole lot less tedious. Camille Auerbach is sitting on my left, Jeanette King is on my right. They are both from New York. I loved talking to them both because of course they have that New England accent. The way Jeanette spoke it reminded me of Judge Judy and Camille reminded me of Marissa Tomei on "My Cousin Vinny." Troy and I hope to make a trip to New York to see "Phantom of the Opera" and Camille offered to be an unofficial tour guide to the best spots. We're hoping to make that trip in July.

Off to Idaho for the weekend

2008-05-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sadly, adding onto my post from last week, the Cavaliers lost in game 7 to the Celtics. Lebron James tried hard, but one person can't carry the whole team. Oh well.
Troy and I are excited to be going to Idaho for the weekend. My brother Blaine is going on a LDS mission to Colorado Springs, CO. This will be the last weekend I see him for two years. Also, Troy's daughter Katie is having a baby shower. It will be nice to see everyone this weekend and catch up!

I love this picture of Katie with Creek curled up asleep with her cute little pregnant tummy. It's so adorable!

Cavaliers vs. Celtics game 6

2008-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Troy and I went to the Cavs game last night. It was amazing! As Troy says, how often do you get to watch some of the best basketball players in the NBA........Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and of course Lebron (King) James! I was told that by the black guy next to us that we were on TV just before half time. My parents recorded the game for us so we'll see if we can get a copy of it. Anyway, I've never been to a pro basketball game before and I loved it! Since we're currently living in Cleveland, we had to cheer for the Cavaliers, and they won! It was a perfect Friday night. Hopefully the Cavs can pull out one more win on Sunday night to continue in the playoffs!

Congrats to Lynette and Jared

2008-05-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

My sister Lynette and her husband Jared have now welcomed a new little Fields to their family! Lynette gave birth to Brooklyn Kaye this morning around 8:00am. She was 7lbs 13 oz and was 20 in long. Congratulations to the new parents!!!!!

Enjoying Cleveland

2008-05-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Troy and I are having a great time out here in Cleveland! Troy is still working for Dome Technology. He is the superintendent on the dome they are doing for Cargill which is a salt mine. I have been home mostly. I tried to get a job at the hospital, but they didn't want to hire me just for the summer. I guess next time I won't be so honest about how long I will be able to work......It's okay. I have a lot to keep me busy. I'm catching up on the reading I meant to do after I graduated. I'm also learning Spanish.
We have been going to a lot of Indians games. I love it! I'd never been to a pro baseball game before this year. It is so much more fun than watching it on TV. It's exciting to be in an area where it's easy to get pro-sports tickets. It is our plan to see a Cub's game and a Yankee's game by the end of the summer. We are going to game 6 of the Cavaliers and Celtics series tonight! How awesome is it that we have the opportunity to watch one of the most amazing players of the game, Lebron James!

Big decisions

2008-02-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Troy came back from Latvia this past week and his company is now sending him to take care of several jobs in New Mexico. Troy and I did a lot of talking this week and have come to the conclusion that neither of us likes to be apart for so long. I gave my notice at work today and will be joining Troy wherever he goes, which in the next year may include Turkey or Morocco. I'm kind of scared and kind of excited to try traveling to foreign countries. It would be amazing to visit Istanbul or see the pyramids! We'll keep posting as we go and hopefully share some great pictures.

New grandson!!

2008-01-13T20:57:00.001-08:00

Troy was very excited this month to see his first grandson! Creek Warren Potter was born on January 2 and weighed 8 lb 10 oz! Troy was extremely eager to be the first in the family to feed Creek coke like he did with Katie. He always swears that feeding Katie coke made her smarter. While he did give Katie coke (crazy man) he did not actually give Creek coke in this picture. Chelsea would've killed him.

Troy back in Latvia

2008-01-13T20:55:00.002-08:00

Troy decided he liked it well enough in Latvia, he went back to work there for three more months. He's much better equiped this time. He took a laptop so he can call people when he wants now. Troy took his new Playstation 3 as well. He's pretty happy that he has entertainment this time around. Not being able to watch ESPN 24-7 just about killed him in December when he was there.