News

It has been WAY too long!

Yet I don't have much to say...

Here's the news:

1. Autumn can say "bubble" and "please".
2. Steven shot his foot, now he has a wobbly toe and he and his wife just sit at home all day.
3. We are looking for a rental closer to everything in town.
4. We got a lot more than we thought we would at tax season... so we are going on a honeymoon!
5. The honeymoon is going to be the next two weeks in WA and OR.
6. Charlie is working at ZLB again :)
7. Geoff is going to Harvard this summer.
8. My father-in-law is getting married in June.
9. I am 6 weeks pregnant!!
10. I hope it's a boy ;)

Here's a few things to make this post more interesting...

The Holidays are comming to an end :(...

Alas! The holidays are over!
We started the holiday season out with baking. I think we baked for about 3 days straight... I made fudge, truffles, peanut brittle, cookies, eggnog, chocolate covered pretzels and we baked gingerbread for about 6 different houses... Our oven was constantly going, our house smelled wonderful though. We invited the family over to decorate gingerbread houses. Everyone showed up, even my mom and Seth came, it was really nice to just chill and have fun.




Christmas was awesome, as it usually is. It was Autumn's first Christmas and I think Robert and I were more excited than her. We scraped together all that we could to make this Christmas special for her. On Christmas eve we went to Grandpa Zahn's to eat dinner and then went home to open up pajamas. The next morning Autumn woke up to see the new piano and stuffed animals Santa Clause gave her, along with The Jungle Book movie from mom and dad. Robert got a leatherman, bread/butter/jam machine, and a $75 gift card to Lowes to buy new tools from me, and he got my a 2 year membership to Ozark Fitness so I can have some time to myself and to feel better and get back into shape... ;) I can't keep using the "I just had a baby excuse" anymore, haha.
We left around 9 to go to my parents house for the rest of the day. Mom and dad got Robert and I nice new jackets and an awesome new rocking chair and ottoman. Christmas was full of family and relaxing, just as it should be.



New Years eve was very nice as well, Robert took me out to dinner at Chili's and then we went home and watched movies.
As soon as New Years was over, I had to start planning for Autumn's first birthday!! I can't believe she is already 1, it is crazy how fast time flies! We started off the day giving her first present to her, it was the Little Mermaid movie, (which she watched about 3 times)Then, Grandpa Zahn and Vicki, Great-Grandparent Zahns, Steve and Emily, and Laura all came to wish her a happy day! I made a "cupcake-cake" in the shape of flowers and we all sang happy birthday and opened presents. I wish my family could have been there, but we are planning a second birthday for her next week at the lake. All in all she had an awesome birthday with people that love her very much :) What a great day.






Having family around really made me wish my grandparents were there... I miss them a lot. I hope they are doing well... Robert and I are already saving money and planning a trip out there (Hopefully for this spring...)
Things have yet to come to a slower pace, Stephen and Emily get hitched this weekend, maybe after that I can finally slow down. Hopefully I can get internet soon at my house, so I don't have to come to the Library to post anymore.

Sorry this is so long! There has been tons going on!

oh, the Holidays!

Well,
Thanksgiving has come and gone. And so have the leaves. It is now in the low 30's outside and we had snow the other day. Winter is upon us and I love it. There is something very romantic about winter time, the lights, the smells, snow...


We found a little house :) It is a two bedroom all wood floor home with a big backyard for Autumn to play in. I think its going to be a good place to make a home.



Stephen and Emily are engaged and are to be jumping the broom in January. Charlie is Best Man for Stephen, so I get to sit all by myself... that is if I go, I haven't decided yet.

Thanksgiving was amazing as usual, I love the food :D Soo good.

I am busy making a stocking and dress for Autumn, I have never really been a "crafty" person, so this is a new thing for me. I hope it turns out well.

I can't believe Autumn is almost 1! It is CRAZY how fast they grow! It also reminds me that my 2 year anniversary is coming up, goodness... I feel old.


We put up our Christmas tree the other day! It is a 6 1/2 foot Douglas Fir. It smells wonderful. Charlie even put a stringed popcorn on it...


Well, that is all I can think to write for right now, I need to get back into the flow of posting more often...

My little Autumn Nymph!

As Promised, here are the pics of Autumn on Halloween :D

Halloween!!

Whelp! Halloween was tonight!

We went to Spooktacular at the Zoo and then to Uncle Josh's to eat Chili...

And, for Autumn's first Halloween and first big holiday with us she dressed up as a....

*drum roll*


...
A woodland nymph! Complete with a crown and wings of sticks and leaves! She was so cute... Pictures are on there way :)

Emily and Steve came with us making it even more fun. As I type, we are all sitting in Dad's living room watching a Steve Martin movie. Steve dressed up as a mexican jack-o-lantern and Emily was... well... I am not sure... haha, but she was cute as usual.

Autumn is sleeping after a long day... She was so tired, it was really hard getting good photos of her costume. I might have to re-dress her up to take better pictures.

I have decided that it is IMPERATIVE that I get a camera. Too many important things are passing by without pictures being taken to document the memories. Sad day.

We almost have the house on Jefferson that we have been waiting For-ev-ver to get into. It is on 3 acres. It is going to take some serious cleaning and fixing up, but I believe it will be WAY worth it.

Seth has district Cross Country tomorrow! Wish him luck, I am sure he will do awesome.

I will post pictures of Autumn's costume as soon as I get um'. Until next time, adieu.

Wellllll.....

We are back in MO!
It was such a huge shock coming from 90 degree weather to 60 degree weather. We were shivering as we walked through the door of my father-in-laws. It is SO beautiful here. I guess I didn't know what I had until I left it. Here's a hint to anyone who is getting tired of Missouri... Go spend 3 months in Arizona. I guarantee you will have a much greater appreciation for it.
I have been dreaming of leaves for sometime now, and I can happily report that they are heavenly.
This is truly heaven on earth.
Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. I love the spookiness and the haunted houses and the pumpkins and all the candy. It is awesome. It brings together all of my favorite things. Since I have gotten back to MO, I have been jump-started into Halloween mode.
Playing in leaves.
Carving Pumpkins.
Drinking Cider.
It is glorious.
We took autumn photos of Autumn. I got her a Halloween outfit and stuck her in a bunch of leaves. She is too cute, I have NO idea where she gets it. Though, her dad is pretty cute...





We carved pumpkins at Geoff's... I guess it is now a tradition to carve pumpkins over there. It is pretty sweet, all the pumpkins rocked my socks off. I had bought the biggest pumpkin I could find and carved it into a creepy, flaming, baby-pumpkin eating jack-o-lantern. Awesome. It turned out better than I thought it would. I am not too good at carving...
Charlie/Robert (I am back in the mode of calling him Robert due to being surrounded by Zahns...) carved a sweet face on his that had a strange eyeball...
Laura carved one that had a runny nose...
Steve carved a sea-turtle... yeah... flippin' sweet.
Kelly carved an anime pumpkin that was awesome...
Cole a chesare-cat...
and Geoff continued his tradition of carving stick-men in danger, this time falling down the stairs.

All in all, the road less traveled has seen a lot of traffic - As Robert just said to me as I wrote this post-

The search for a home has been pretty tough, if anyone has any suggestions our budget is anything under 500... preferably around 450. 2 bedroom.
Until next time. Have a terribly frightening Halloween! :D

A lot of Happenings...

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote...

Charlie and I have starting going to the park often, its been nice to just sit there and enjoy the ducks and sunsets. There is a dog park, so Lilly can play and Autumn spends her time squealing at all of the other dogs. We sit in front of a small fire made of pine cones and watch the clouds roll by. Oh, such a peaceful time, just my little family and I.





Charlie had court... Heavenly Father blessed us beyond our understanding. The judge was a kind man with a smile in his eyes. As he joked with the other people around him, he let my husband off with about 1/3 of the amount we thought we were going to have to pay and dropped 2 of his tickets. Whew, what a relief.

We went camping that night in celebration of our bad day turned good. We drove upto to Sedona near Sliding Rock. We got to see trees and have a nice warm campfire. Autumn and Lilly came along. They both thrive in the great outdoors. Autumn does nothing but laugh and smile at everything, I swear, nothing fazes or scares that baby girl. I am so blessed. We left our campsite around 6 in the morning, just in time to see the sun rising over the infamous red-rocks of Arizona. Beautiful.





Charlie almost lost his job. A miss-communication among his managers caused them to make a mistake that caused him to be written up for a no-call no-show. He went to work today and basically got fired. He explained his situation, and they changed their tune. I swear, I hate that place more and more each day.

Now for the most important news of late:
We are coming home. MSU, unexpectedly offered us a very good deal. They are offering to forgive Charlie's outstanding fees if he returns to school in the Spring. This would save us a LOT of money. So, we are yet again changing out path and heading back to the Ozarks. I am very sad and happy at the same time. I love AZ. I love being with family. We have made awesome friends here that I will miss as well... But I also miss my mother and the green. It all comes down to school, and school is where we must go. So, Missouri... the Zahns are coming back.




I want to go to the fair tonight... We may go, that should be a fun time. :D

Life is so confusing, yet so amazing all at the same time. I am excited to see the leaves.

It's finally hitting home...

I have come to realize a fact that is very, VERY hard to swallow.
It is fall.
Yet, My scenery is not going to change. Great scott, what will I do.
Where are the changing leaves?
The 70 degree days?
The pumpkin patches?
Alas. They are gone...

Sad day. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving... I am having serious withdrawals.
This weekend in Conference! I am super excited. I adore conference, it is such a spiritual boost.
I started my new job and I love it. It is awesome, very laid back and refreshing at the same time.
I am training right now, but soon I will be working Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
I take care of animals that have neurological problems... It is pretty neat. I am the only one there at night, so it is also less stress on me.
I am excited for the pay check so I can get Charlie a moped :D

So to those of you who have leaves in your yard, enjoy it... because there are parts of the country that can't have what you have.

Lack of Moolah.

I had the coolest dream last night. I dreamt that Charlie was Superman, and that he could fly me around and stuff. It was pretty nifty. The strange thing was is that he was wearing his suit and vest and seemed a little taller than usual. Oh and I forgot to say what I was doing... I was a zoologist that always had a zebra at my side. It may have been a strange dream, but it was pretty neat for me.. eh anyways, I think I'll stop rambling now.





I am going to try to donate plasma today so that I can afford to buy scrubs for my job tomorrow. I hope it works out. I have to call and ask my aunt mary if she can watch autumn, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. It takes around 7 hours to donate as a new donor, so it is going to be a VERY long long day. But I guess it is worth it in the end, I will be able to get Scrubs and groceries. Woo. :S

This Just In:

Charlie's Job Sucks. Seriously, it is the most terrible place ever. I hope he gets a new job soon...

Lessons Learned the Hard Way...

I have been at a loss for words lately, so I think I may just update on the things that have been going on and then maybe I can think of some insight to go along with it...

We have had a very ROUGH week. My poor husband got into a fender-bender last Saturday, on the highway. Well, his license was suspended in MO and we neglected to take care of it before we moved (bad, bad, BAD move) So push comes to shove and the cop that dealt with the accident impounded our car. This was one of those moments where you just feel like hitting your self in the head repeating the word "stupid". ..
Well, my darling (yet sometimes lacking common sense) husband, walks/takes the bus home from Tempe/Mesa area and decides not call his poor over-worrying wife to tell her he is okay... by the time he got home it was 4 hours past the time he got off work... So lets just say, it was a VERY bad day. Well... I stress and cry a lot about the whole situation, feeling completely helpless for a few days, until by some miracle we come up with a way to get our car back. Talk about a load of bricks off the chest, Phew!
Though a bad week it was, it was definantly a learning week. Kind of a slap in the face to let us know that we are slacking on some of the important things in our life.
So, enough with the stessful stuff and onto some happy news:

Autumn has two new teeth! She can now officialy bite things, good for you autumn! They are so cute, those two little white stubs sticking up from her bottom gums... hehe

I got a Job!!! Hooray for me!!!
I will be working at a Vet Nurological Center Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., taking care of animals and stuff like that. I am excited to finally contribute financialy to our family and to also get out of the house for a little bit each week. I am so excited for this opportunity! Expecially because with the money I earn, I can buy Charlie a Moped to drive to work :D

What else? Tomorrow is Grandma's Birthday! Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Well... it's 11 p.m. and Charlie still isn't home... He probrably wont be home for another hour, so I guess I should go to bed, since I have to get up so early.

I will close with a few things that I have learned/strengthened this past week:
1. I love my little family more than anything, I hope they know that.
2. There is nothing better than friends that you can just "hang" around and be bored with and feel comfortable and happy together.
3. I love my car. Thank GOODNESS for my car.
4. I think I want another baby soon...
5. I miss my mom.
6. When I get down to the bare-bone facts, my soul belongs in the Ozarks. It's where all my family is from... we are all okies at heart, and the Ozarks are a hard thing to forget.
7. I need to get my degree.
8. Smiling really does make you feel better.

Well, until the next time, adieu.

I think I am going to make this my "personal thoughts" blog and just update everyone every-so often on the happenings of my family...

Life in the Valley is becoming a lot more comfortable. Though I miss the green and the rain, the atmosphere here has a quiet serenity that cannot be found in other places. My daily routine has transformed into a much more laid back attitude. I get up with Autumn, let Lilly out, feed them both, then spend the rest of the day talking with my amazing grandma and playing with my beautiful little girl. I am so low-key that it is driving me insane. I feel like I need to get out and go somewhere all the time. I need friends, I need people who want to do things. My husband comes home tired from work, only to find an anxious wife ready to go hiking. I fear for his sanity, almost as much as I fear for my own.

As I mentioned above, I need friends, and I do believe that Charlie and I have found some for the first time since time in forever. They are a lot like us and are very easy to talk with. I am hopeful :) I just pray that they found us likable as well...

I have come up with an idea that may solve part of my dilemma. I need a night job. Something to get me out of the house. I have applied for a few, and only a bakery has gotten back with me. Hmm... I would be baking from midnight to 7 a.m. every morning... It sounds sort of adventurous, yet has a hint of "blah" to it... I miss my animal rescue... I was rescuing a dog every two weeks. Oh well, sacrifice for the better good. Above all I want what is best for my family... and that probably requires a Mom that is always home and ready to love, care and protect, even if it means she is bored out of her mind.

Maybe I will hire a babysitter for one night a week...

Ohh so many Ideas, yet none seem to come through in the end.

Where is Charlie? I need a back massage...

Arizona

Updates:
I have slacked off on this "blogging" business. We have just been so busy getting everything settled. I am overjoyed to be here, it is so much nicer and comforting than Springfield MO. We are at my grandparents house for a time, until we can get school and everything figured. I love being with my grandma and grandpa, I feel like I am finally catching up on time lost from my life with them. Charlie really loves it here. He likes the mountains and the off-roading adventures :). We went exploring in Payson this past weekend, it was awesome, we just kept taking random dirt roads in the middle of the desert. Autumn is busy teething... it is TERRIBLE! I feel so bad about having such a cranky baby in the house... I am quickly trying to find a way to settle her down. I miss my family (specifically my mom :( ...) but I am still having a good time. Charlie has a new job. He started today... He rode his bike about 20 miles to work today, and plans on riding home too. I hope he isn't over doing it and has enough water... my poor red-head husband...

New Information I have learned:
NEVER see the new Mummy movie. TERR-I-B-B-BLE , that is, unless you go with people that want to just make fun of it...

My goals for today:
-Get my child to stop screaming all the time.
-Organize our little room
-Finish unpacking
-Plan Charlie's Birthday

My goals for the week:
-Make friends
-Gain better self-esteem
-Make the largest cupcake the world has ever seen

I will keep everyone updated on how my goals go...

New home for Dog

I just wanted to let everyone know that I found a home for the little dog :) I have a good feeling she will be very happy there.
Whew, that is a relief!

my heart is so confused, :(

I have found myself in a very emotional rut...
As some of you know, I have been doing a small-scale animal rescue for the past year. I was rescuing about one animal a month and finding good homes for them after I had cleaned them up. I have had dogs, cats, squirrels, birds... anything and everything. I gave them a bath a lot of love, hoping to fix their hearts and find forever homes for them. It has been so rewarding, but recently it has become extremely difficult. About 2 months ago a tiny little girl came wondering into my life. She was a shaky, soft-eyed little puppy that someone had dumped on the side of the road. I called her my "lil' bit". She was a little 7lb poolky (silky terrier/poodle) that stuck to me like glue from the day I got her. Lilly (my pug) and her got along amazingly, I would think that they were long lost sisters or something. Well, to make a long story short, I had fallen in deep love with my little friend. I had never let myself get so close to a dog (besides Lilly) before... I don't even know how it happend. Well, when we decided to move to AZ I knew I had to make a lot of sacrifices. From selling most -all of my possessions to finding homes for half of my family. We found a home for our guard-dog, a wonderful family with 40 acres. All that was left was Lilly and lil'bit. I loved them both so much, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to put 2 little dogs on my grandparents, I just couldn't do that to them... we are already going to be intruding enough on them. So, I had to find a home for my little love. I met a girl that was really nice and had two kids, she fell in love with lil'bit. Through teary eyes and a very sad heart I handed the little girl to what I thought would be a loving forever home. That is where I left off last weekend. Now I sit here with sad news in my heart. I just found out that the forever home is an abusive home. The girl came to me today asking me to take my little friend back because, "she runs and hides from my kids. They have fed her everything they can get their hands on and now she isn't moving much... I think she is sick." She went on to tell me that her kids pull at her and shove her around...
She finished her reason with how she has had to keep her in a little kennel all day to keep her from the kids. I can't express my sadness and worry. I immediately told her I would take the dog back. I can't go get her till the morning and I am so worried.
So, here I am. I don't know what to do. I have searched for this dog a good home for over a month now and it seems like the only loving home she has in the world is my family. I do love her and I would give anything to keep her! Gahh! I don't know what to do. My heart is torn, I need advice!

On a happier note, we are one more day closer to AZ.

So so sorry!

I want to apologize. I made a REALLY big error in my last blog :(... We are not leaving in June, I meant to say July, but for some reason I was thinking that we are still in May this month...
Anyways, I think my brain completely deteriorated during pregnancy...

Sorry everyone. These are the true dates:

Leave MO - July 27th

Arrive in AZ - July 29th

Gosh, I am such a goober.

Wait, Wait, Wait...

I think I am starting to really like this "blogging" buisness. It is actually quite addicting... I just need to get down how to do all the creative stuff with my page...

There have been some changes to our plan. Charlie and I are now leaving Missouri on the 27th of June. Things have worked out so that everything will be done by then and there really isn't anything to wait for. So just to let everyone know (I don't even know if anyone reads this...) We should be there no later than the 29th of June.

I am starting to get sad about leaving my family. I will miss my mom incredibly, it is hard to think about right now. I don't want to raise my kids the way I was raised and never be able to see their grandparents or cousins. I don't want them to feel the way I did growing up so far away. I remember always feeling left out as a kid, when all I could do is look at pictures or hear over the phone about all of my family spending time together. It made me feel pretty alone at times. My feelings have changed since I have grown and have started my own family. I know now that though my family was 2,000 miles away, they still loved me and I still loved them, and that is what mattered. All in all, it was hard. It has taught me good lessons as well... I now know that it is of utmost importance that my children have as much time as they can with their family... They need to know their grandparents and greatgrandparents well so that they will love and respect them the way that I love my grandparents. Two of the most important people in my life are my grandma and grandpa Auwen. I cannnot find the words in my heart to express how much I adore and love them. It has been so hard for me to be so far away! I can't wait till I am close enough to be able to hug them both everyday. They are such amazing people, I love them so much. I know that my children will as well. 4 weeks exactly till we leave, I think I might go insane waiting. The only thing that will keep me patient is the thought that when I get there I can give grandma and grandpa a huge hug.

First Steps Done!

Well here we go! It Has Begun.

Our Lease ends July 31st...
We budgeted the trip...
Charlie put in his transfer notice and starts in Tempe on the 11th of August...
We got a NEW CAR!! :D

It is all going down folks, I am so excited... and stressed.

We traded in our "crap van" for a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero. SO cool. I love it, I feel like I am on a safari every time I drive it.
Charlie couldn't be more happy about transferring. He will be going to a better facility and better pay. No complaints here!

The only things left to do are to pack, sell (everything besides autumns stuff and our clothes), and say goodbye. I feel down about leaving my family and friends, but it is for the best. I can feel the sun on my face already.
We are almost home.

Getting Started... Again.

The times have called for change so I have decided to start keeping track of our adventures and help let family and friends know what thrilling feats the Zahn's have conquered. So, welcome to the "Blog" of us, please make yourself a nice plate of cookies and some milk as that will help you have the warm sense of well-being that I hope comes from this.

Since Charlie and I got married our lives have changed drastically many, MANY times. We have moved 5 times, had about 8 different jobs, started and stopped school 3 times and have had way way too many different rescue animals to count. That has all happened in a year and 3 months. I think we are ready for a little stability for a change.

So here is our new beginning! We are selling 99% all of our possessions, getting a new car, and driving ourselves 2,000 miles away from what we have known so far. By the end of July we will be in Arizona starting fresh, raising our daughter and going to school (again) It will be a rough start, but so was our first start. Things just haven't been working out right, nothing has been meshing... so a change of scenery will do us good. Lets just hope my little red-headed family survives the sun :)

I am excited to make up for some time lost with family in the great AZ. As I am a natural Arizonian I hope to breath in the familiar air and smile because I am not choking on the familiar humidity that has clogged my brain for so long. Missouri, I will miss your green... but I am oh so ready for this.