Life update

A few months ago Gerriss and I started talking about our current situation and how we have felt like we are in limbo. We have wanted to move to Texas for a while and began planning our move. We looked for jobs, places to live, everything. But at the end of it all, we couldn't figure it out. Things just never added up. Things were just too complicated. We needed a break from all the stress of life changing decisions. So we took a vacation!!

Over memorial weekend we took a trip to Boise, ID. It was a great time to clear our head and re group. We got to see our amazing family, help some family members through a rough time and just spend quality time together. Gerriss and I also attended Calvary Chapel Boise while we were there and just loved the church. It was a great time all around.

We returned to St George and got back into the grind and it was back to our limbo feelings again. We knew we needed to change something, but we didn't know what or how. Gerriss and I took a trip to Mesquite for the evening about a week and a half after our trip. I was telling Gerriss that I thought it was about time we decided on the move to Texas and put it into works. At this time he turned to me and said, "Cara I don't think we are moving to Texas. To be honest I think we are moving to Boise." At that moment I turned back to Gerriss and said, "You know what, I think so too!" You see for the past week or so, both Gerriss and I had the same feeling that we needed to move there, but we had no idea why, or even that the other was thinking it. We prayed about this of course for a while and couldn't come up with any reason not to. A few days later, Gerriss specifically prayed for an answer to whether or not we should go. Gerriss is the type that has never been receptive to small hints or nudges. He needs blunt answers. God knows this about Gerriss and so God used the best way possible to get through to him. You see, Gerriss drives around all day in a truck for his job and has the opportunity to listen to CSN all day long (christian satellite network) One of the sermons that he heard that day was about ambitious faith. The Pastor was explaining that if we are to be true servants of Christ, we need to completely submit to the will of God. In the message the Pastor talked about how if God is leading you to stand up and profess you're a Christian, move out of state, change your job, or do something dramatic with your life situation; if God is the one that is calling you to do it, YOU DO IT! At this point we are convinced. We now know that we are moving to Idaho.

We decided to take another trip to Boise to try and figure out WHEN we would be moving. All along I had a specific date in my head, but I didn't know why or how it would work so I just pushed it aside. We went to Boise over the 4th of July to not only figure out our time frame, but to also inform some of our family back there about the move so that they could help out and pray for us. While we were there we again attended Calvary Chapel Boise. Upon our arrival we noticed a pamphlet on our chairs for something. I pushed it away until the Pastor stood up and brought it up. Thinking nothing of it I picked it up and started following along as he started reading through it. The pamphlet was for Bible school that starts this fall. I know that Gerriss cannot attend school during the day since he has to work full time in order to support us as a family so I didn't even think about it. As the Pastor kept reading he noted that the classes would be held in the evening in order to accommodate those that work and/or are in other school. This just sounded great. Gerriss has has felt led for a while now that he needs to do something in the ministry but hasn't know how to get started or where for that matter. This was the most perfect opportunity. Then I read the most amazing thing next......Registration is Aug 6th! Well that settles it, the date that sat in my head this whole time was August 1st. We needed to be there by August 1st for some reason and now I know why.

So its settled, Gerriss, myself, and Oliver are moving to Boise, ID on August 1st. Gerriss will attend Calvary Chapel Bible School for one year. And our crazy new adventure will begin.

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we embark on our new journey in faith.

Thank you and God bless,
Cara and Gerriss

Just Checking

How many people out there still read our blog? We don't post very often, most likely cause everyone is on Facebook now. Leave us a comment if you are still a fan..... :)

2010 Wrap Up

I'm a few weeks late on the 2010 wrap up. Sorry. Here's what happened this last year.

Started off the year with both of us turning 25! We're half way to 50!!! Ahhhh!
Cara coached volleyball for High Country! Way to go High-C 15's!
We lived with my parents until April in order to save enough to move to St George. Thanks Mama and Papa!
We saved and saved and finally made our way to our new little home.
Gerriss got a job at Stake Center Locating(where he still works) it pays the bills.
Cara got a job at Speed Lube(where she still works) it also pays the bills.
Oliver learned to be in the house without supervision and not go potty. YAY!
Gerriss' parents came down from SLC for Memorial Weekend. We had so much fun!
We had a hot summer of course, and spent a lot of time in the water.
Cara and Gerriss got swimmers itch from being in the water at Sand Hollow. :(
Cara and Gerriss took random trips to Cali to the beach over the summer and LOVED it!
Oliver reverted back to his bad self and started going potty in the house again.
Cara, Gerriss and Oliver went on many hikes, walks, and drives to explore this beautiful town.
Cara and Gerriss bought a truck that sits in our driveway.
We went to Cali with our friends and got really sunburned when it was overcast.
God worked miracles in our lives!!!!
Cara and Gerriss decided to change it up and are now attending Calvary Chapel
We have made a million new friends and love everyone there
Cara's parents came down from SLC for my moms birthday and we went to Toquerville falls. That was awesome!
Cara's brother came down for his birthday and we all went shooting. Adam is a good shot! Must be his military training or video games, one of the two. :)
Gerriss and his friend started an investment company, its still in the works.
Cara started a vinyl cutting business called Little Sticky Notes. Lots of cute stuff!
Cara made Thanksgiving dinner all by herself! Turkey and everything! It was yummy!
Cara and Gerriss went to Calvary Chapel's Christmas Eve Service at the Dixie Center and had the best time ever.
We went to our Pastor's house for Christmas day and hung out and had lunch with their family. We are grateful for all of them!
Cara's parents came down for New Years Eve and we partied it up with our Youth Pastor, then came home and went to bed a like 12:01.
For New Years Day we went to Las Vegas! Good times! CPK, enough said.
Cara and Gerriss are teaching the 1st-3rd and 4th-6th kids at Calvary Bible Club.
Cara and Gerriss are gonna be turning 26!!!

So that was a point by point summary of our year. Hope you all enjoyed that rundown. We haven't changed much over the past few weeks. No new plans just yet but new things are in the works. We are currently babysitting my brothers dog Sabaa for a few more weeks. Oliver sure enjoys the company! We may have to get a little doggy for him to play with once Sabaa leaves. We are looking forward to our 5 year anniversary trip here in a few more weeks. We have decided to take a trip to San Diego this year. We normally end up in Huntington whenever we go to Cali, so we decided to mix it up a bit. Pictures will be posted following the fun! We hope that all of you have had a fabulous start to this great year! God has blessed our lives so much over this past year with all the changes and excitement. I can't imagine what He has in store for us now.

God Bless
Cara

Inspiration and and Update

I was reading through FB tonight and read a friends status that said that I inspired her to start a blog. Me who posts only once every few months now that FB rules the world. Well I wanted to catch everyone up on our lives with out having to read through pages and pages of status updates. So here goes.

Gerriss is still working at Stake Center Locating as a utility locater for the time being. He has recently started a Real Estate Investment company, called Tetelestai Real Estate Investments, with our good friend Chris Emans. They will be focusing mostly on wholesaling properties. They are just getting it off the ground at the moment so not too much to report on at the moment. He is also continuing to do internet marketing but it doesn't bring it quite the income so it is more of a tool to learn more about how to market better on the internet. Aside from that Gerriss always makes time for me even with his busy schedule and I am grateful for that.

I am working at Speed Lube as the office manager still. I have really enjoyed working there. It is a lot to learn and a completely different environment than I have ever worked in, but I think that it has challenged me in different ways and I am grateful for the experience. I am also starting my own little side business of selling vinyl. I am still in the beginning phases of it, so not too much to tell quite yet. I am excited though. I have finally figured out something that I like to do that I can get paid to do. I will keep you posted.

Oliver is doing fabulous! He is learning not to chew on everything. He has graduated from his kennel to his own room. I made a craft room this past weekend and we have also made room for Oliver to hang out in there during the day when we are at work or when we are gone in the evenings. He actually has taken to it quite well. He is no longer eating all of our things, and he doesn't bark and cry all day like when he was in his kennel. I like it better too cause I don't feel as horrible if we are gone since he has a nice recliner to lounge in and all his toys and his food and water. He has it pretty good. Like my brother says, he has us pretty well trained. :)

Other than that some news for both of us is that we have started attending Calvary Chapel. Gerriss and I have gone through some big changes spiritually lately and have made a very difficult, but very very informed decision. We feel that we have been led down this path and are completely and utterly happy because of it. We have truly found a brand new and wonderful relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. We also have found a body of fellow believers that love us no matter where we have come from and have taken us in as their own. We love everyone there and are so grateful for their fellowship.

We are absolutely loving St George and enjoy the warm weather more and more as it gets colder and colder up in Salt Lake. We are always going on new adventures and exploring new areas. Its nice meeting people that have lived down here their whole lives and can show us the really cool places that only the locals know about. If you are in the area you should come visit! We'd love to have you! Talk to you later!

God Bless

09/11/01

I will never forget! I am proud to be an American! God be with you always!

Iron County Demolition Derby

We went to the demolition derby this weekend up in Parowan. Can I just say that I don't think I have seen so many hillbillies in my life! First of all, I was in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere, and then we were all gathered to watch old junker cars race and crash into each other. IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME! I am totally going to make this a new tradition in our family. I feel so grateful after a night like that to come from a town where most people have all of their teeth... :) But in all honesty, it was a blast. There were some people driving the mini cars that I knew, and one of the derby cars that was supposed to be in it was sponsored by the place where our good friend works. The only thing was they couldn't get it to run that night so that had to forfeit. But it turned out ok, cause the driver was a little hesitant to want to do it anyways. I wish I had pictures or something to show for it, but I was too busy people watching and cheering on the derby to think about pictures. I am totally stoked for next years derby and will be able to come prepared with my cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and a little bit of yeehaw!

Small Town Lingo

When Gerriss and I first relocated to St. George, one of the first things I noticed was how fast and mumbled everyone talks. It has been a challenge to get used to it, especially working with the public so much.

Well after four and a half months I think I got it down. The other day I actually used the phrase "I already done did it" and didn't even flinch.

Exploring

We have been all over this town over the past two months. We got a state parks pass so that we can go up Snow Canyon and go to Sand Hollow as often as we want and we sure are taking advantage of it. Here are some pictures of our adventures...


This is Pioneer Park. Its just a fun place to hike around and explore.


This one is a picture of a small 3" tall cave, but up close in the picture it looks like a life-size cave.


This is Gerriss in a lava tube on a hike in Snow Canyon. We found another one this past weekend with his family that we still need to go exploring into. Its a giant cave that you need a headlamp to go deeper into.

There is an area called Kayenta that we go to in the evenings sometimes to look at the stars. It is pitch black out there and dead silent. There is also a park near our house that we go to often that has a little stream running through it that has little frogs all over. They have such a peaceful croak. We love to go there and just sit close by and listen to the melody. Gerriss got a metal detector and has found some pretty interesting things. We even found an old matchbox truck in our backyard. He has a little jar that he keeps all his findings in. One day the thing will pay for itself, or at least that is our hope... :) We have really changed a lot of things lately about our city life to try and blend and mesh better with this country style down here. I work at a lube shop so being girly is out of the question. I MUST get my hands dirty on a daily basis whether I like it or not. I am enjoying being in a completely different environment than I am used to. Plus I work with mostly men so that is a big change as well. Gerriss has started listening to country music since he drives around all day and that is the only decent thing he can find on the five channels to choose from, two of them being country. He even got a cowboy hat! Doesn't he look sexy!!! :)



I wish we had more pictures but we are too busy exploring that we forget to bring our camera. Good thing we are living here and can go to these places all the time so that we can get many many many pictures over the years.

Home Sweet Home

Well we have been here almost a month and have loved every second of it. We have something fun and new to do every night, and even if its not new its just nice to be back to a normal routine. Here are some pictures of our cute little place.

Here is our patio, our front door is just to the right.


This is one of the tiny bedrooms. We are using one as an office and the other as a storage type room. They sure are small.


Here is a view of our front room looking towards the kitchen. Yes that is Oliver running towards me. :)


This is our front room with our new TV that was our house warming gift to ourselves.


And here is our kitchen. Its nice and big with tons of cupboard space.


I would show you our bedroom but its just a normal bedroom with not a lot of space as illustrated in the other bedroom picture. The rooms may be small, but the intention when designing this place as we have been told was "where do we spend most of our time and what rooms in the house should we use the most square footage on?" Thus we have a huge kitchen and a big living room. But the big reason we loved this place was because of the big fenced in yard that Oliver can play in. Here are some pictures.

Here is a picture of the carport area. Look how cute my little car is! :)


And here is an idea of the yard and all its glory. Its HUGE! Of course Gerriss gets to mow it. I just get to play in it with the puppy. :)


All in all we are sooooooo happy here. We miss everyone, but we are making new friends and replacing you all. :) Just kidding. We love you all and can't wait to see ya'll when we come back up for our many visits. Anyone is also welcome to come for a visit as well, we would love to have you.

St George

Well its official. Gerriss and I are moved out of Salt Lake and now live in St George. We moved here Easter weekend, then I drove back to Salt Lake to work one more week and get some other things done and then joined him down here on Saturday. We are absolutely loving it here. It's warm already! I don't have to ever feel snow again, there are some mountains (I think to the north) that I can see from my house that get snow on them if I ever want to look at it. Gerriss will be able to ride his motorcycle year round. Oliver has a yard to run and play in. He loves to bark at everything that comes near his yard, acting like he is ten times bigger than he really is. :) The birds are so happy that they get to see the sunshine and are involved in the conversations again. They start chirping at seven in the morning and they don't stop until bedtime. Hopefully I can get used to that again. Its a good thing I love them. Gerriss is starting his new job today! He will be working for a utility locater company. He is happy that he will not be sitting at a desk all day and that he will be outside getting a great farmers tan as well. I am still looking for work but usually find it fast in any market, its just figuring out what I want to do down here. I will still be coaching volleyball for the same club that I was coaching for up in Salt Lake but just for their St George teams. There is also a greater opportunity for beach volleyball down here so maybe I will look into learning how to coach beach. Who knows? I am just so grateful that I have this opportunity to figure things out, that I have the chance to do things at my pace and find a job or even a career that I want to do for a while.

We are so thankful to my parents for letting us live with them for the past few months while we were saving up to move. We are grateful for their continued support with all of our dreams. Thanks for always believing in Gerriss and I and helping us make one of our many dreams come true. Thanks to Gerriss' family as well for their support and their help in getting us all loaded to move out here. We couldn't have done it without you. I hope that everyone has a chance to come down here for a visit to see our cute little place. We are so happy here! We love you all and will miss you!

First Tourney

We had our first tournament this past weekend. We placed 13th out of about 40 teams. Not bad for our first time playing an actual game together. I sure have a lot to learn this year. I am so excited for this opportunity! I can't wait to see the stats from our next game to see how well we have improved since this weekend.

Hi-C 15s Travel

So volleyball has started up again. Yipee! I am now coaching with Heather, the club director. We will be coaching the 15s travel team together. I am so excited to be able to learn from one of the best coaches. The girls have a tough year ahead of them with two awesome coaches who only allow PERFECTION. We have our first tournament next weekend. We still need a lot of work with passing and serving until we are ready, but there is no time. So we will just throw them to the wolves and let them figure it out. I will let you all know how it goes. I wish our team good luck and hope that they learn what we need to work on throughout the season. Go HI-C 15s!

Mullet

Gerriss has been growing his hair out lately and has gotten it almost as long as it was when we first starting dating. I am loving his long curly locks! He looks so adorable! Well, tonight I decided to watch some good old Labyrinth and saw good old David Bowie aka The Goblin King with his SEXY mullet do. So I suggested to Gerriss that he grow his hair out just like his. What do you think?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Please do not judge my mixed blog at the moment. I am in the middle of re-designing. Anna Gailey, creator of Twinkle Light Blogs, is in the process of creating a wonderfully beautiful blog background and header for Christmas for me. Until then. This is what you get! :)

Glitter Toes

Hey I am having a glitter toes party at my house on the 21st from 10am to 12pm. If you want to come, post a comment and I will send you my address. Get your toes done all cute for the holidays, (yes it will last that long) eat some yummy treats, and hang out with friends and family.

14 Region Team

I will be the assistant coach for one of the 14s region teams. There are a lot of talented girls and I am very excited to get started. We will learn a lot this year and grow to be great friends and teammates. There will also be some awesome wins in the season as well! GO HIGH-C!

New Background and Header

My SIL is a genius! Anna Gailey made this awesome background for me and made the way cute header. I sat here and watched her work her magic and I don't have any clue what she was doing, but it all ended up looking marvelous. Anna will be starting a background blog so that others can enjoy her creations. For now she is taking orders on her blog which I have a link to on my sidebar or at the bottom of my blog. Thanks Anna for all the hard work you put into this, it looks great and I LOVE IT!

High-C Volleyball

Better known as High Country Volleyball Club. I am starting this year as a coach for High Country. If you know of anyone who loves or even likes volleyball who is between the ages of 12 and 18 please send them this way. All the information that you need to know is on their website. Not only is it a great atmosphere to learn volleyball, we will also be able to teach the kids responsibility, goal setting, and for some even give them a purpose. I was in 9th grade when I first joined High-C and I went from average volleyball player to a varsity starter. I also had bigger goals for myself than I had ever imagined. Had I not gotten injured my junior year, I am certain that all of them would have come true. Kim Norman, the technical director of High-C is one of the most talented coaches I have ever known, and all of the coaches will be under her direction. She is the volleyball coach at Westminster College and has taken the team all they way to nationals. Not only is Kim a great coach, but this year we will have the privilege to work under the direction of Carl McGown who is one of the most successful and most experienced coaches of volleyball. Carl and his team have created Gold Medal Squared a program designed to improve players and coaches teaching specific tactics and tools to be undefeatable. Please take the time to read through some of the links that I have put on this post and see if it is something that fits for your kids or someone you know. This is a life changing club, and I am proud to be a part of it and would love some of my family and friends to join me.

Oliver

This is Oliver our new dog. He's a chiweenie! He is five months old and is the cutest dang thing ever. That toy that he has is completely destroyed after only one week of playing. We learned our lesson quickly and got him toys that are a bit more durable.


He is pretty small, this is him compared to one of Gerriss' shoes and a basketball.



This was a few hours after he got his shots. I am not sure if you can tell, but his head is swollen and he has hives all over his body. It was so sad, he had to go to the doggy emergency room. He is ok now though, all back to the ball of energy that he normally is. :)

Snowbird

Well this is year two of a great new tradition. My dad and I hike up Snowbird every September as a farewell to the summer and as preparation for ski season. Last year we made it all the way up to the tram and were able to ride it down, but this year we had a lack of time so we only made it up to the chair lift and then rode that down instead. It is only about 15-30 minutes away from the top (15-30 depending on how tired you are from the hike). It was a lot of fun. I didn't take as many pictures as I did last year cause I was sort of brainless. I hurt my foot about six weeks ago and didn't think anything of it. I just thought it would go away with time. Well it ended up that my heel pops out of joint and thus makes my whole foot hurt and makes it impossible for me to walk. I decided to go to the doctor the night before my hike to see if he could fix it. Well he said it would take some more work then just one day. So he taped it in place so that it wouldn't pop out at least during my hike and I will have to continue going back until it stays by itself. Long story short, even though I already told it, my foot was in a bit of pain the whole time and increasingly got worse. But I was determined to get to the top so I didn't stop! Thus the no pictures. :) I did find this picture online though that shows a trail that looks like the one that we followed, but I am not sure. But it at least shows you the mountain that we hiked.


Anyways, I am glad my dad and I were able to go. We had some great talks and a lot of laughs. Thanks for going with me. Can't wait til next year!