Heather's New Job

Yesterday I started a new job. It was a good day, and I think the switch will be good in the long run, but changes for me in general are difficult. I like my routine.


I won't go into detail about the time I spent agonizing over my decision to take a new job. It was tough. Nothing in my life ever seems to be black and white. It's all in the very gray realm. However, after much prayer, I feel like I have made the right decision and now can move on in my life.


Part of the distress of my job-hunting experiences is what is known in the dental field as the "working interview." It's where you go work in the office for a day or more and just try each other out. There is no committment on either side, and it gives you a chance to see if you can mesh together or not.


I usually have crazy things develop when I am doing a working interview. I have had kid emergencies crop up at really inconvenient times, and once a car accident on the way to the interview, making me over an hour late. Gee, that leaves a great impression.


When I was interviewing at my last job I developed a sudden and severe allergic reaction during lunch. As my lips and eyes swelled up to huge proportions, I was downing Benadryl like you wouldn't believe, but it wasn't working. I had to go back to work, completely embarassed about my appearance and the situation. They were super nice and one of the girls drove me to the walk-in clinic so I could get an epinephrine shot to stop the reaction. She waited with me there for over an hour as they were observing me. After that fiasco, I thought for sure that I would never hear back from them. Crazily enough, I got the job, and it's been where I've worked for the last five years!


So it wouldn't be overlooked, this recent interview also had its crazy moments. The doctor took me and their other hygienist to lunch. It was a great teriyaki place, but unfortunately it was about six or seven blocks away from the office....and we walked. Of course by the time we left the restaurant, there was a freak rainstorm outside. I don't know how many of you have been in a true Washington rainstorm, but it's intense! You feel like buckets are literally dumping on you! The streets flood with rivers of water because the drains can't even keep up. And they always seem to hit all of a sudden! Needless to say, none of us had umbrellas, or even hoods on our jackets! We had to run all the way back to the office, and got so completely drenched it was ridiculous! I may as well have jumped into a swimming pool. I scurried into the bathroom and tried to fix my plastered hair and streaked makeup into something presentable. I still had three more patients to see. Everyone said I looked fine, but I was mortified! I ended up having to throw out my purse because it was so waterlogged. (This included all my essential paper items: my dayplanner, my checkbook, all my doctor's business cards, etc. It was traumatic!)


But now I'm working there....


I guess the sticky starts are all par for the course for me. Who knows, maybe these events even help seal the deal, because I am certainly not going to be one of the applicants they forget anytime soon! After all, how many times do you meet an abnormally petite gal with puffy eyes and streaked makeup, who has a tendency to rear-end irritating lolly-gaggers at traffic intersections?

Impromptu Photo Shoot

On Friday I set up my photography backdrop for a photo session for one of my friends. After she left, the girls were having a lot of fun posing and acting so cute that I got some photos of them as well.

(The girls totally posed themselves here! Even Erica's hand on Elise's leg! So cute!)

When the kids brought home their order forms for their school pictures I decided I would rather take them myself. So, to each of their grandparents and other important relations waiting for a set of school pictures for their walls, here they are!

Eat your heart out, Dorian photographers! Ha ha!

Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky with the group shots. This was the best one. Go figure....

These Things I Love....

Today I was thinking about the year 2009. These are the things that stand out in my memories. These are the things that I love and want to always remember:





*listening to Heidi practicing the hymns on the piano.

*watching Erica learn to walk.

*watching Elise start to crawl.

*listening to Ethan read from the Book of Mormon.

*watching as Eric served so many, without a single word of complaint.

*watching the numbers drop on my scale by 25 pounds :)

*hearing Erica say "I love you!"

*watching Heidi as she lovingly nurtures her younger siblings.

*observing all the books my book club has read this year.

*listening to Elise's laughter as she played in the sand on the beach at Ocean Shores.

*watching Ethan's excitement over his new kite, and new-found kite-flying skills.

*cuddling with Eric, and having the chance to reconnect with him during our now-regular date nights.

*serving at the temple every month for our Ward Temple Nights.

*spending time with our families, who are never close enough.

*sharing intimate moments with my friends, and realizing that they are more of a blessing in my life than I could ever be to them.

*watching all four of my children as they have blossomed and grown so much! I am so proud of each of them!





I just know that 2010 is going to be just as amazing!!

Christmas Day at the Beach

Christmas morning dawned bright and sunny, with a crisp winter breeze. It was a perfect day to enjoy our annual visit to Mukilteo Beach after all the presents were sufficiently torn into and our tummies were full with Eric's yummy breakfast.

Erica was very entertained with the ferries that came and went at the dock and all the seagulls flitting around.

She also learned how to toss pebbles....Watch out! They were flying everywhere!

Elise applauded her sister on!

Ethan made use of the telescope my dad made for him for Christmas. Ahoy maties!!

Heidi, under the delusion that it is not still winter here....Of course, it made for a good picture! She is sporting a new Christmas outfit.

Heidi is also a fabulous photographer. Here she caught the old ma and pop.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

'Twas the night before Christmas.....

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all is quiet at the White house.

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Quiet for now, that is.....

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The kids have just gone down for bed, and although visions of sugar-plumbs are not yet dancing in their heads, they are at least starting on the journey down the road to dreamland. Now as I enjoy the peace for a few moments, I have been reflecting on this evening, and what a great night it was.

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We were lucky enough to enjoy dinner tonight with our friends the Sisco family. I had originally not taken her up on the invite to dine with them, since I was planning a nice turkey dinner for us at home. However, I have been a little neglectful this past week and did not get my turkey out of the freezer to defrost soon enough. It should be ready for a Christmas feast tomorrow, but as for today, we were turkey-less.

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So we enjoyed ham and potatoes au gratin, with rolls and salads, and plenty of desserts to round out our bellies even more. After stuffing ourselves past capacity, we played games together and then sang some Christmas songs around the piano before heading home.

Here is our homage to good old St. Nick, in the hopes that he will not forget the White house this evening!!

Right before bed, the kids opened the traditional gift of new jammies. We then gathered together in a circle for family prayer and thanked our Father in Heaven for this wonderful season to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be grateful for His life of service and love, but especially for the sacrifice He made for each of us. As the kids went to bed I quietly played some of the Christmas hymns on the piano. "Silent Night" was the last one I played. I wanted the feeling from that song to be the last thing dancing around in their heads before they drifted off to sleep. With all the bustle and excitement of what tomorrow morning will bring, I want them to always remember the true meaning of this holiday.

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Silent night! Holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and Child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace;

Sleep in heavenly peace.

My Girl Can Dance!

Tonight I was playing some tunes while I goofed off on the computer. Erica decided this song was more than she could resist, so she climbed up on the coffee table and showed us her moves!
My girl can dance! I must say, she got it from me, not from her dad! Ha ha!

Going Nuts

I just had a patient the other day who is deathly afraid of squirrels. You know, the cute little critters that daringly dash out in front of your car, just begging for some kind of ridiculous accident. (I am just now picturing explaining to an officer that you side-swept three cars on the side of the road because a squirrel ran out in front of you....)


Now, I can understand having a phobia over rats. I mean, they are dirty, gross, and ruin all sorts of pantry items which happen to be stored in the garage. They do not have bladders, so they pee everywhere as they scamper around. GROSS.


I can even see mice, they are just a miniature (and much cuter, I must say) version of a rat.


But squirrels?


She told me how she was traumatized last time she was at our office because a squirrel kept coming up to the window in the operatory (which is full length) and looking at her through the glass. Then when she got home afterwards there was another squirrel running all over her yard while she was trying to get into the house. She swore the office squirrel had to have followed her home.


Wow.