This weekend

Some of you have asked what we are doing for Sam's birthday. We plan to be at the cemetery to do our annual balloon release as normal about 5pm on the 28th. Yes the 28th not the 29th. Then we will return to our house and have cake. Everyone is welcome to come but there are no obligations. I will be bringing about 20 balloons so there should be enough for anyone who wants to show up. I enjoy big release of balloons regardless :) I will also have paper and pens unless you want to write something beforehand to attach to your balloon.

Picture update

So I managed to snap some new pictures of Katie over the last week. My work/school schedule is making me feel terrible so that is the reason these took so long to get posted. For those who didn't hear I gave a speech in my summer speech class that warranted full credit plus bonus points for best speech of the night. Even though the speech was about me I issue full credit to Samuel who was the main focus of my speech. I had other students, male female and all ages give me incredible feedback and told me how effected they were by my speech. With his birthday 10 days away I am just reminded again how he is changing lives even 3 years later. So now onto the pictures.















Eating cereal with Dad

Truly Sorry!

We will be updating the blog soon. I had to go back to full time days here in St Louis in addition I am taking a Speech Class this summer in preparation of finishing my associate's this winter. We haven't really had any picture perfect moments but there are a few pictures out there along with some updates coming soon....Check back this weekend and I should be able to update by then.

Freedom!

it's 4:21Am and in just 3 short hours I am freed from my employment here in Tucson. School is over and it's just a matter of days before we are on the road back home. And unless Katie starts saying the complete alphabet (we caught her singing A, B C D....yesterday) then there won't be any more blog posts. Maybe a post or two from the road who knows. To be fair I decided to make a list of things about Tucson I liked Yes there were a few things!

1)Working at UMC by far my favorite. Working on a real nursing floor, the supernurses I worked with and these amazing Oncology and Blood marrow transplant patients. I was in the middle of it and I loved it. I learned so much and I am upset about all the things I won't learn in the future.
2) My new grad friends at work especially Barb who makes me laugh so hard I cry. The new grad nurses are so new to nursing they are nice to everyone including me. They don't realize how amazing they are yet.
3) The children's museum in Tucson, we only went once but we loved it and plan to make some outings to the magic house and children's museum in St Louis because Katie loved it so much. What a great way to tire her out too!
4)My homeless man that sat at my exit of highway 10 going to work that held the sign that said "smile it ain't that bad" How very true wise sir.
5)Our roomy house (MINUS THE COCKROACHES)
6)A favorite for Josh......hole in the wall mexican food restaurants and not a hole in the wall like Missouri hole in the wall places, little stands where you eat on picnic tables, but it's real mexican. minus the white cheesy goodness of course.
7)eating ice cream because I was so unbearably homesick. I will have to be better about my ice cream intake now. I will miss you carmalback mountain.
8)Chocodiles..........enough said
9)Remembering all of katie's new first words and feeling closer to Josh and Katie because it was such a difficult time but we were in it together. Telling Katie I love you and having her give me big smooches on the mouth after I did.
10) waking up while I was trying to sleep during the day to Katie pulling off my blinders and trying to pull out my ear plugs and her repeating Hi Mommmy hi mommy hi mommy!
11)The mountain views.
12) Finally thank you Tucson for making me appreciate how amazing home is.
I can't wait to stand in the rain.
To lay down in the grass.
To smell the cool fall smell.
To realize we can go apple picking in October and pick up a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch.
To visit my Grandma, oh to be fair of course I want to visit you all but my Grandma first.
To see highways! Tucson has one highway about 5 miles long! outside of the interstate of course.

The only thing that would make home even better would be to see baby lumpy, orange crusher kitty and black and white kitty. *sigh* I miss them so much and never knew I could so much.

May 22nd 2009 You are all invited to a party at the Betz house! **coughmovingpartycough** See you then!

Love
Koren, Josh and Katie.

Made 110 dollars on Craigslist today

Woot Woot!

I wanted to comment

On our lack of movement on the ticker. We took a huge chuck of our extra money and paid off some debt instead of putting it towards the moving fund. No worries, the truck is booked and we will be getting home regardless. :) I can't describe how good it will feel to be home. Grass, Trees, my old house with a new paint job, St Charles, Eureka, down to earth midwesterns, a cool day, having the sun not feel like it's scorching my skin, (I know I am coming home to a St Louis summer but the sun will still feel less brutal.) actually being able to spend time with Josh, and so many more "little things" that I used to take for granted. Oh yeah and RAIN!

Very often I wonder where the last 6 months have went. It's a total blur. This was a such difficult experience but it had it's positives. Josh and I stopped eating out, we go to the grocery store and buy foods we actually make meals with, I think we even have learned how to be better parents to Katie, which has been harder than I thought since she is turning into this full blown drama filled toddler. It's a relief to spend less money and I hope it continues in St Louis. I have even become a better student. I realized I could actually do well in something Science related as long as I put myself up to the challenge.

No more time to talk, I have a biology exam tomorrow and I have to write a resignation letter for work. For the love of Pete why oh why do I have to give notice at work again. I hate doing it. Biology presentation is next friday and then I will have to pack like a madwoman. I guess all this pain will make being home that much sweeter.

Homemade play dough and the park

Ok so I am super proud of the play dough I made so I snapped a couple of pictures of it. And as some of you say I take pictures of anything.







Earlier today we got some cute and interesting shots at the park










Big hand ahhhh!