Housewarming Come and SEE

One of the things I love about my husband is his ability to make things. I needed some hooks in my bathroom and sure enough he found away. My bathroom is small but now its much more fun to walk into. My shower is just beyond this one.....

He made this small cupboard as well. It is nice to have a place to put things now instead of on the counter. This was a surprise for me when i cam home from work. It was a joy to see. He is a good man who takes good care of me. 

On another note I love getting things in the post, I am terrible at returning the favor.  (so do not expect much from me,) My Aunt Iris has always been great at keeping in her loop. Oh I just love the cards that come from her. I am sure I have saved may of them through the years. They are in random places. This one means a lot to me considering we have waited so long for our own place. THe saddest part is that i may not ever see her or Uncle Ron again as England is far they are elderly and i do not have enough money saved as of yet. Iris is a big reason I wanted to start a blog. I wanted my extended family to know what was going on across the pond. I am not sure if they all read it, but its out there for them.....because they keep me connected to my mum...(by the way my Aunt makes these cards)

We have acquired a few new things over the past few weeks for our house. We were gifted a beautiful television for which I am grateful. I have always wanted one this size for my house. The folks that gave it to us are very kind and loving. We have also had some other things given to us which have made our house become a home. 

All that said if you read this you are invited to a Housewarming party on the 15th of August from 11-1. I wasnt sure if I really wanted to do one considering my family does not like that kind of thing, but I want everyone who has been behind us and carried us through the hard times to come and enjoy our home with us. I have posted this on Facebook...but please do not feel excluded....come and see us. Come enjoy our house. 

I hope you can find the time to drop by 3022 S Indiana Ave in Caldwell 83605. Oh and thanks for supporting us......

Lamenting, Soldiers, Compassion

I came home the other day and this is what I saw. There was much lamenting and sadness, although Laura had tried earlier to fix it Dad had to save the day. I am amazed by Shanes ability to repair, build, take apart, put together...all the things he can do. He is quite amazing. He has taken apart a deck and reused the wood to make tables and shelves in the garage. (Those pictures are coming). I was glad the Kitchen Aid got fixed cause the pictures to follow are what Laura does for us when the Kitchen Aid works.

That day she had made bread...oh she is really good at that and then she made more zucchini bread. That bread has carried us through most of the weekend. She is using half white, half wheat. Delicious...She is going to be an amazing mom. 

John has been working on his scouts and he made the delicious dinner. For his first try it was pretty great. It is a pork roast, potatoes, carrots and onions. He really made a delicious dinner. Sure it was cooked a bit too long and the fat was down instead of on top but hey, i am glad dinner was made. He is really working on his merit badges. His goal is to reach eagle scout by next year. I think he is almost there. He is a smart kid, tenderhearted, and lovable. Makes life an interesting place to have him around. 

On another note, below is a photo of our dear friend Kip Weybright. He decided to re-enlist in the Navy as a Medic. He is pretty amazing. We were invited to see him re-enlist. Unfortunately, his wife could not attend his big day as she was ill. So we showed up as his family. We ARE his family. Kip often introduces Shane as his brother. Shane does the same for him. 

Here is the family watching him and his men. My girls and boys were quite impressed by the formation and the importance of the moment. There is nothing quite like watching a group of men who have the utmost respect for Kip watch him re-enlist to be there for them. Everyone of them stopped to say thank you to him for being there. 

It was quite an honor to be there for Kip. We were all a bit emotional. Kips involvement in the Armed Services has been an inspiration for my boys. Kip will take the boys to the base just so they can climb on the tanks. The love him just like they love their dad. Kip doesnt roughhouse so much but he does talk to them straight about life. Kips wife Heather is an amazing woman as well. She has dealt with many physical issues in the past year which have brought her down a bit. It was nice to stand in for her. She has a contagious laugh and is really positive and the best part she loves my humor. 

I was talking to some folks the other day from work. I discovered that my children are quite different than others. I have some good kids. I dont have kids that are smart mouthed(well not without being funny), yell at me, are not grateful for things they have, play video games instead of work, not responsible. In any case, I thought of this quote i found. 

Are we hard on our kids. I think for a while we may have been, as we get older the punishments changed, we got softer, our children became more vocal and we learned how to discuss the world, religion, music and all other things to make them become more well rounded. Shane gives them what he has, I give them what I can. My boys can iron their own church clothes, make their own food from scratch, wash clothing, dry clothing(with a dryer and on the line) They can take care of themselves in all ways. My girls work, budget, drive, aspire to greatness....I am pretty glad about that. I am more glad they are not jerks. 

We have much more to learn as a family, but I like it the way it is now. I like that we are always growing and becoming stronger. I love that my children can show compassion to each other when it is needed. John and Makayla have been fighting illness for a week or so. I finally too them to the clinic. When Makayla had a breakdown John immediately got up walked over, hugged her and told her that she was going to be ok. These 2 kids have been through so many physical ailments they understand when going one step more is too much. I looked at him after and he had tears in his eyes, his compassion is overwhelming. 

So maybe we have done something right in all the years we have worked on our kids? Not sure but so far the fruits of our labors are shining through pretty well.The children have compassion and understanding for others not of our faith, include others who may be left out, give of their talents and time to whomever needs it. Sometimes at the detriment of themselves ( something we are working on). Not sure where we went on this path of life or how we got here but i am liking it. 

All of this pondering makes my head hurt, but I realize that I must be a good mother. This goes back to the idea that we all struggle with our own self worth. It is something I work on constantly, as I see the progression of my children it gives me a bit of joy. So the question is what about you makes you have good self worth? What about you to you feel makes you who YOU are? How do you find ways to be positive about yourself? as well as how does the joy come from that? Do you get joy from that? All things I still have to ponder...things I still have to work on.

Tough, Brilliant, Encouragement

I am always a bit surprised when someone randomly says "Hey I read your Blog". I wonder what do they think? do they think I am a weirdo? maybe I shouldnt have said whatever....oh the things that go through my head.  I also read other peoples blogs and think i should be more like so-and-so or I should be more spiritual. I wonder what people think sometimes as I get older I think that I want to be me.

This week at work has been a tough one. I have worked very long hours for the last few weeks (50+ hours). The company I work for is going through some huge changes and growth spurts. It is affecting everyone and some days almost too much to bear for some of us. I have to say I work with some of the most amazing people, they are resilient, ambitious, encouraging, kind... I could go on and on. The Medical Management side of the company is going to split into 2 teams one for the new company we just took on called JBS and the other will be for the plans we are already taking care of. We are doubling in size in a just a few months. I got chosen to be on the JBS team. This is not something I wanted, in fact I asked to please be on the "Originals" team because I am so comfortable with what I am doing. Here is the interesting part of the story (sorry this was so long getting too)

In a meeting with my team lead and the Director of Medical Management I was told that I am a leader, one to be groomed for the future, and get this Brilliant....Brilliant is a huge word...I do not see myself as brilliant. I am pretty smart. Apparently the Director has not had anyone come in and learn all that i have learned in such a short time, be successful, and still want more. I keep asking for more, I want to learn all the little aspects, why things are the way they are, how can we make processes easier, how can we train better to help those who are struggling to understand. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment I have worked in the past few weeks helping to train the newbies. My ability to do all that I do must come from the years of Trivial Pursuit Genius Edition and Scrabble. I am not a good tester but as far as learning I put it in the vault and pull it out when I need it. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that I may be really smart. I have never felt that way, but I have never had a high....whatever i dont want to go into that.

The director and my lead have been great in guiding me to be more careful with the no filter I have in my head. I have been working hard to be careful of what I say. Those of you who really know me are aware of my NON Filter. I have a work persona that I have been using to make sure that my um...interesting Moira side stays in check.

I have to say that I have serious goals of where I want to be in 3 years with this company and I made those very well known, and to may astonishment they agreed with the path I wanted to take. In fact, the encouragement I was given has made me want to strive that much harder to achieve that goal. Today felt like a beginning when I was left in charge of the team for a short bit as both leads were in meetings. I also found that many were asking me for help. I found ways to answer questions, calm fears, give encouragement and yet still get my work done the best I could. The best part was having someone text me to thank me for the encouragement i gave her through the day. I dont recall doing it, apparently I did something! It is nice to have the validation but to know that I helped her is much more important. I knew her day was particularly difficult and frustrating. She is amazing and I am more grateful for her than she knows.

For all of this news I know that I get it all from my Heavenly Father. I pray daily to be guided to have someone in my path to help. I have been given such blessings in my life. Everyone may not believe in God like I do but for me, Heavenly Father is my guide and my help. He brings me to the path I need daily to accomplish all i need too. I think with the employment I have, the employer I have, my knowledge that Heavenly Father has given me all, I will be successful, I am smart, I am blessing others.

Even if it is just with a smile, a joke, a fix of the computer, or a back rub on a crappy day....I am worthy of all He gives me, Because I AM a Daughter of God and He loves me (even when I dont love myself)...What do you espouse to that gives you encouragement daily to be good to others? What is it that makes you feel blessed or encouraged? Whatever it is and I know you, it affects me in wonderful ways. Thank you for being who you are and loving me for me....Thank you

Kitchen, Boys, Caldwell

While all of the moving has been going on we have a new found joy of a kitchen. Kitchens are wonderful things they bring a family together. Laura has become an amazing cook and it is fun to see her enjoying life like that. She is creative anyway, but the food she makes is DELICIOUS. Here are some samples of what she makes 

Pies are yummy she has also made banana bread...i didnt get one piece not even a crumb but my house smelled wonderful.

She has also made dinners and they have been great too. Ok maybe there was one that i had to choke down...I mean choke down...it was salty but eh it was still a great effort. She is great at getting the house work done and making sure her brothers are on task. I am grateful for her. 

She is an amazing lady. 

Not to mention she is probably the most beautiful 15 year old I have ever had with that color hair. I mean seriously look at that girl She makes me smile. 

On to some other things. 

sometimes i take random photos of my boys when they are laying on my lap. Jake is so stunning sometimes. He has a New England dry humor that is funny and brings great joy into our home. Its funny because he says he cannot remember his time in Maine but he sure remembers Nana cooking. 

John had been at scout camp for a week and this morning I think his body was done. He has been working hard to recover since the beginning of the year from being around mold. For a kid whos lungs dont function as well as they should he has been quite the trooper. A few weeks ago he came down sick i was hoping he would be better by camp. I thought he was and he kept it at bay now he is home and sicker than he has been in a long time. He ended up staying home from church and sleeping and sweating out the sickness. 

****Sidebar  apparently whilst at camp he was walking down a trail paying attention to some squirrels, when all of a sudden wham! he got kicked by a momma deer! (now you would expect this from our family) Apparently he got between a momma and her baby so she let him have it. He was fine and put some ice on the spot. It is a story for the books...And welcome to our family. 

Life is getting back to normal in the Henrie home. Well i am not sure what normal is but apparently its coming. Shane and I went for a ride yesterday and it was lovely to see Caldwell, well the outskirts of Caldwell. There are spots where it is all farm fields and beautiful scenery with mountain ranges in the background, orchards and canals...it is so lovely.

My camera is not the greatest but there are fields of corn, wheat, sugar beets and other things including the Owhyee Mountains in the background. The sky was so beautiful. Shane never likes me asking him to stop for the photos but i want to remember what i saw. This definitely does not do it justice, dare i say it was magnificent. 

We have been blessed as a family to finally have a place that is ours. Our trials are still fresh in our minds, still tender, but we are finding ways to move forward and find joy. Find happiness in being a family again. We know there is much in store for us here. Do we miss people who are on the other side of Boise, yup i sure do. But it creates an extended family for us that gives me a warm spot in my heart.

Now that i am back on line and life is going to (hopefully) settle down i am hoping to write more. I am not that great at my journal writing so this is going to be it. Like or lump it people. Read it or dont

I dont really care just know that i am here....

Finally a HOME

It has been a while since i have written. Life has been a series of ups and downs and I have not been able to blog much. Not for lack of not wanting too, but sometimes its just best to not write anything until you can get your head together.

As I sit here my family is sitting in their own home watching Big Jake (a John Wayne movie) and enjoying time together. It brings such joy to my heart to finally be somewhere that is ours. Somewhere that nobody can ask us to leave from, it is safe, there is no awkwardness from walking through someones home to our place of residence, there is no mold, no place that is too cold or too hot...i could go on and on. This is ours, just ours.

There is this wonderful guy named Dave who helped us find our home. A few things about Dave: 1. his wife can hit like nobody's business (and she is a little lady) 2 He has 2 of the cutest sweetest little girls in the entire world 3. He can play the piano like nobodies business and the organ (which he plays at an insane volume and makes me smile) 4. Last but not least, apparently he sells houses!

Do you know anyone who needs to buy or sell a house go see this guy!!!

Seriously look at those delicious girls he has!! Tess on the left and Gwen on the right. so so yummy...

Seriously dont be too judgemental i took this photo and it was like 110 degrees out and we dont have a lawn right now but this is the front of our lovely home at 3022 S Indiana Ave Caldwell. I like to say its old but in reality it was built the same year that Shane and I were born. Meant to be ours i suppose. 

Preliminary move in photos we didnt have everything unpacked yet and it was a mess but i was excited to get some photos up. 

So the story on how we got here. A few months ago we looked at a lovely farm with 20 acres and were told at the last minute that we could not move there and the underwriters would not sign off on the loan. We were essentially homeless for a bit. I remembered a friend who said she had some space in her home we could use if we needed too, well we were in need. We ended up at her house with her family for a while about 3-4 months. We paid rent to them as we were using water and electricity and living in their home. It was not an easy time for all involved, their family was having some hardships and we were as well. I am forever grateful for them allowing us to be in their home. We learned quite a bit as a family and became even closer than we were before. 

We found another house and were almost ready to sign but the monthly payment was going to be almost double what we expected to have to pay. It would have really stretched our budget beyond its capacity. We prayed together as a family and as husband and wife and came to the conclusion that it would not be worth it. Shane and I went looking  and boy did we ever look, Sometimes 3-4 hours a night until we looked at the last house, this house. We walked in and looked and it was the house for me. Shane looked for a long while to see if there were any problems he could see off the bat, there were none to be found. We put in all the paperwork and signed on the house a few weeks later. 

On the day of the move the kids and Kip(the coolest guy in the world) came and packed up the entire storage shed. Shane came home and they moved the first load. When they came home some awesome guys Dru Nakaya, Tyson Harlin and Kip Weybright (again) came and loaded everything in a an hour or so. Dru looked beat and went home (I dont blame him, my daughters gave him quite the run for not saying anything, he is a man of few words) Tyson and Kip said lets do this. I had to go to bed that night everything was moved to our new house. I cannot thank those men enough. Dru was even ready for bed when i called and got dressed and came over. Who does that? The other 2 well they stayed up for most of the night helping. I am humbled to know them, i hope someday to repay their kindness. 

Very long story short, humility can happen at any time. Sometimes we are compelled to be humble. Sometimes we need it sometimes we just need to be reminded that we are important and loved by others. During the time we were staying in our friends house were some of the hardest times we have had as a family. We didnt have a kitchen (we didnt not want to impose on those with whom we lived) or a laundry room. Sometimes we are put in the depths of despair, sorrow, frustration, whatever it is and then a light appears in the form of friends. People who love us no matter what we think, what or opinions are, or what our religious beliefs are. 

I have watched my sister for the last year grieve the loss of her sweet daughter before birth. I am amazed at her stamina, strength and concern she has for others. She is loved by so many and I can understand why. When I was in my worst moments over the last few months she called and let me be real and bitch and let me be me. I would like to think I may have done that for her at some points over the last year as well (if not with great humility I apologize and love you so much) She has been my example over the last few months of survival and learning to find joy. Humility comes in wondrous ways, having this house gives me a sense of peace and serenity. I am grateful for all those who are examples to me, and for that example, my sister, who has showed me that love and support is important, and i should except that....

There will be more to come....Laura has had a kitchen.......