The Hines Family

Well Hello 2012!

2012-01-03T12:16:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

My head is swimming of thoughts of 2011 and what it brought to our family & what 2012 has to hold. Right now Bella is napping with grandma in the recliner, one of the babes I'm watching is napping and the other is happily watching Sesame Street...Time to blog!!!!

2011:
Pretty great year! Celebrated our lil' miss joining us, moved to California for our first duty station and I'm not going to lie I kind of like it here:-) Even though we're out in the middle of nowhere and we don't go anywhere, but that just means more family time:-) I got called as the Relief Society 2nd counselor and I finally think I know what I'm doing:-P Jeff ran his 2nd marathon in October on his birthday and is one year closer to the big 3-0:-) Spent Christmas with both of our families. It was lovely to see everyone, but man our little house can only hold so many bodies!

2012:
Jeff will be running his 3rd marathon in February. Jeff will hopefully be putting on his next stripe:-D Around the same time we will be welcoming a new addition to our family of 3, yep we're preggers again!!! You can call us crazy, but we just call it blessed and loved:-)

My goals:
*Logging in/following babyfit for a healthy mommy & baby
*DON'T gain the 70lbs back!
*Prioritize properly
*Don't sweat the small stuff
*Organize our home, there's clutter everywhere from different things and it's driving me nuts!

Well that's all.
Later,
Love,
C

The Motivation is There...Somewhere

2011-09-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,

This weekend was a whirlwind!! Jeff working 7a- 6:30p on Saturday so it was lil' miss and I all day...oi! Hitup my Weight Watchers meeting where I conquered my 5%!!!!!! I cried on the scale because it's been in reach, but never there! That night was the General R.S. Broadcast at church and I'm sooooo glad that I got my tired body there! I sat in the back of the chapel nursing lil' miss most of the time, but I'm so glad that I took her, yes she's young, but I want to teach her that you attend church and broadcasts so that you may be spiritually fed and on the right path. While I was sitting there nursing I looked to my right and saw something under the pew and I thought "oh, some kid left their toy behind" and then the toy started moving!!! I covered myself up and got up as fast as I could. Yes Susssssssie the snake wanted to come to the R.S. broadcast too!! It's so funny how snakes and mice in the buildings here are just every day normal! No word if she has been seen since she went down inside the chapels vent. I'm glad the drama was over before President Utchdorf's (sp?) talk...Forget Me Not:-)

Sunday I was so proud of Annabella! She did awesome during Sacrament which is always our hard time. It's always right when they are passing the Sacrament she starts screaming and we're out in the hall. This time she was quiet and I took her out to nurse and she was happy camper until the meeting ran over 5 minutes and she was getting antsy. Jeff got off work at 12p so we got most the day together! I was able to take a nap while he had some daddy time with Annabella...BLISS!!!

Nursing mommy's:
I don't about you, but I've struggled with breastfeeding to the point that she would get formula 3 times a week with dinner and during outings. Today I went to my WIC appointment (in order me to stay home we get help from them and I'm not ashamed of it.) and the lady gave me a lot of encouragement and told me if I kept breastfeeding I would keep all our benefits plus baby food (which includes organic) for the baby. Then she said "would you like a pump?" I told her I would love a pump because my current one sucks and not that way it's supposed to! I expected her to come out with a manual pump, but I was blown away! She brought out a Medela double electrical pump!! This thing retails for close to $300! I was so happy! She gave me a tons of tips on when to pump and I know it's going to take some time to get used to a schedule, but I'm up for it. Annabella is getting used to my nursing cover again, but I'm thinking I'm going to need to get a different one because she would rather look at the patterns on my cover than eat. I have a light colored cover and so the light comes through it and she can see the pattern on the outside. We're also working with keeping the cover down while we're in public, I think this will always be a problem:-P

Welp that is all. For those guys who read the blog, sorry about the nursing comments, but it's life!:-D

Love,
C

September Update

2011-09-20T12:54:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,
It seems like I only update once a month anymore...life!

Annabella:
My day consists of changing, feeding, chasing after this little roller who loves to scream!! We're positive her teeth have to be coming in soon because she is using us as chew toys and man are those gums hard! We have her 6mth well baby next week and we're excited to see what happens! Her head is finally starting to flatten on the one side so we're praying for no helmet for the lil' miss. LOVES LOVES LOVES her whole grain cereal with carrots or chicken noodle dinner...Yep she's my kid:-D

Jeff:
Isn't working swings...YAY! He is busy training for his marathon in 3 weeks! He got new running shoes yesterday and you would have thought he got a new car! He is just so stinkin' excited to run his second marathon on his birthday with the baby...GO JEFF!!

Calla:
I'm still here:-P Started working with the Enlisted Spouses Club...LOVE! LOVE the ladies of the Muroc Ward R.S.! I'm finally getting the hang of being 2nd counselor and realizing that R.S. isn't that bad after all:-P Getting to know more mommy's out here through ESC, Mommy & Me Bootcamp, Zumb. Enjoying teaching Annabella the new things that seemed so little to me, but are so huge to her. Still losing weight, been struggling these past few weeks, but I'm trying to let that go and just look to tomorrow.

I think that is it for our little family!
Love,
C

I Got It From My Momma

2011-08-19T11:35:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,

Another week down...WOOHOO!!! Rumor in our house is that daddy may be switching to swing shift...BOO!!! He would work 3p-11ish, 12ish, 1ish, or whatever ish they decide to let him go. This would totally mess up the baby's schedule so we're praying the rumors are wrong!

I'm down 22.9 pounds since I joined Weight Watchers online in May:-) I'm down 5.6 pounds since I started attending WW meetings July 30th. I asked my leader if I'm losing too much too fast and she said I'm OK...phew! She said once I hit week 4 they will start looking to make sure I'm losing no more than 2 pounds a week. I'm very grateful for the awesome tool that Heavenly Father provided for mommies...breastfeeding!! Talk about a weight loss plan!! I know it's temporary so I'm taking full advantage of it!

Lil' Miss Annabella is doing great!! She is figuring out how to roll from her tummy to back and back to tummy:-) She also "pushes" herself across the floor with her feet with butt in the air, it's so cute! She babbles none stop! Daddy has taught her how to blow raspberries so 90% of the time in the morning that's what I wake up to coming across the monitor:-) I'm grateful she's not a screamer when she wakes up, but is very content talking to the fan in her room until mommy finally wakes up. I think she is going to be going by 'Bella' I'm OK with that now that the Twilight saga has stopped a little bit.

If I'm not cleaning, changing diapers, napping in my recliner while feeding Lil' Miss (best 30 minute nap ever!) then I'm regaining my love for the gym! I got on the elliptical last week for the first time in a month and I rocked it! I credit Zumba for sure! I'm loving my classes twice a week and I can feel/see my body starting to look and feel better!

Jeff's doing great! He is busy training for his 2nd marathon and 1st half marathon! He's going to be running the Long Beach Marathon on his birthday in October. This marathon he can take the jogging stroller so he's pretty pumped! The half marathon is going to be in November in Santa Clarita which isn't too far from us.

Well I think that's about it!
Later,
Love,
C

It's My Choice (Sorry Heather:-P)

2011-08-11T23:35:00.001-05:00

Hey Folks,

So a lot of women are having babies (it is the end of summer after all) and I've been thinking about what I would do different when we are meant to have our next child.

Pregnancy:
- I would go with a midwife. Nothing against hospitals, I had an AMAZING experience where Annabella was born, but I want to do VBAC and the hospital here does not offer that, which in my opinion is not cool.
-I would continue to workout under midwife supervision. I stopped walking/working out all together once I found out I was pregnant.
-Really look at my food options and realize that I'm eating for two, but that doesn't mean I have to eat like I'm feeding two(if that makes sense).

Birth:
-All natural! I was induced and I really felt the contractions and I could handle them and the second I would get myself under control BAM they would up the Pitocin since the Magnesium was counteracting. To put it nicely my body was not happy!! Once I did get the epidural it took three times to stick and once it did I was on my way to the OR because baby's heart rate was dropping. I feel if I would have kept natural my body would have been able to do it and I wouldn't have been knocked out during my baby girls first cry.
-I'm not sure of the birthplace. I would love to have a home birth if there isn't a threat of complications, but otherwise I would rather go to a birthing center. We live in the middle of nowhere and the next kiddo will probably be born here so I should probably keep my ears open on a good place when that time comes.

Postpartum:
-I would relax!! I was so worried about not being super mom/wife when I got home that I had to do everything for myself and the baby. I'm horrible at asking people for help, but I'm grateful for a family who is always there to help.
-I would work with a lactation consultant if needed. I waited almost a week before finally giving in with Annabella and man was it worth it!!
-The Moby will be used from day 1!
-Plan/cook meals ahead! I was in such a feeding/changing/sleeping blur that I wasn't sure when I ate last. My mother in law would ask "when did you eat last?" and I would just give her a blank stare.
-Pump as soon as possible and get on a schedule. We have NO supply right now which isn't good since hubby takes the baby a couple of hours a week so I can run errands, go to the gym etc.

Sorry this is random, but I wanted to get my ideas written down so that when the time does come I can go back and say "SEE! This is what I want!! Not another C-Section!"

Later folks!
Calla

I Wanna Talk About Me...

2011-07-15T00:09:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,

I have no idea why I made this a family blog, since I really don't talk about them that much:-P Life is going good out here in Cali. We're settled into our beautiful home which is pretty good size for being a duplex and military house. We only have a few boxes left and it's mainly boxes (two of our shelves 'died' during the move). It's so nice to FINALLY get back into the routine with the babe and stay there!! She is officially going to bed by 8:30 and waking up at 6 and going back to sleep until 8:45am...bliss!! Jeff's work schedule has been ridiculous this past week! He's working 5:30-2:30, but is heading back to his lovely 7am shift next week...YAY!!! Now I can get my butt back to the gym!!

Weight loss for mommy:

I'm still on Weight Watchers, asked for an unlimited plan for my birthday, we shall see if the birthday fairy delivers. I finally got the Wii setup so I worked out to The Biggest Loser, but I feel like I really need to get back into the gym. Not only does the gym provide me with a wide range of equipment, but also it allows me to get out of the house even for an hour! I haven't been out of the house since Monday...MONDAY!!! I was going a little bonkers, I'm afraid I'm going to turn into one of those people who is scared of the outdoors!

LET IT BE KNOW THAT TONIGHT I DRANK MY LAST COKE!!!! Yes I'm Mormon and I drink caffeine blah blah blah. I notice that my body is just crappy when I drink pop anymore. I had a Diet Coke tonight and my taste buds were saying "GAG!! What the heck?!?!?" and my stomach does not have the best feeling. We don't keep pop in the house because we know it would be a VERY bad outcome!

My weight is down REALLY close to being past my high school weight. I will be posting my starting weight (right before babe was born) and also my high school weight when I'm far far away from them both. I would LOVE to lose some awesome weight before my high school reunion (yes 10 years...it's crazy!!), but we shall say how I do with a 4 mth old:-D We did get a jogging stroller...for FREE!!! Jeff's coworker had one and it had barely been used...lovely!!! Handles awesome and baby girl is in love with it!

Now my biggest challenge is going to be this weekend...Disneyland! I'm a little excited to go, but I'm really nervous about my eating habits while I'm gone. Upside about California is that it's state law that you have the calories listed on the menu next to the price so it's all up to me and there is no excuse and I can't say "oh wow, how did I gain weight?"

Well I think that's it, for some reason I had a serious itch to blog and I finally got to do it!!

Later
~C

California Lovin'

2011-05-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,

We are in sunny (VERY SUNNY) California! Our trip was adventure that's for sure! Thankfully we made it safe across half of the USA and are settled(for now) at Edwards AFB.

We got to have dinner with Jeff's brother and some of his family one of our first nights here. It's going to be so nice only being 2 hours from family! I'm excited for the girls to grow up around each other because neither Jeff and I really saw our cousins that much growing up.

We lived in a suite style hotel for about 4 days which was nice, but also stunk because Jeff had to drive to work an hour each way. We got moved onto base in a 2 bedroom TLF(Temporary Living Facility) which is pretty nice. We are on the waiting list for base housing and we are second in line. The lady couldn't give us an exact date, but she just said soon and probably June. We're in the TLF until May 31st, unless something changes, which we praying it does. The TLF is perfect size for us so we're hoping that our home isn't much bigger/smaller. We drove around the neighborhood where we will be living and they are all duplexes, but really nice. Garage, little deck, little back yard, concrete wall for fence since we have coyotes and bobcats that like to visit:-/ The birds out here are the size of my 12lb cat! The bugs are little and annoying, the sun is always out and bright, the wind is bi-polar and can't decide when it wants to blow, but when it does it will knock you out! Darn Santa Ana's!

I'm LOVING being a Domestic Engineer! We've got a routine pretty well down.

Annabella & I's Day:
4am - Miss wakes up
5am - Miss back to bed, mommy makes daddy's lunch & breakfast
6 am - Mommy kicks daddy(literally) out of bed
9 am - Mommy wakes up before Miss so she can eat and get ready for the day
9:30 am - Mommy wakes up Miss and gets a nice big smile
10am-5pm - Numerous feedings, small cat naps, cleaning, Facebooking(you know, the important stuff:-P)
5pm - Daddy gets home from work & gym (he works 7-3 and gyms after)
5:30pm - Dinner as a family without electronics(took this idea from Marie Osmond and love it!)
6pm - Mommy heads out for her "mommy time" at the gym
7:30pm - 9pm - Family time
9pm-10pm - The start of getting Miss down to sleep
10pm - Everyone to bed! Yes we're lame and don't stay up past 10 anymore, but if you think about it that's really 12am in Iowa:-D

We're struggling with naps right now, but she's slowly realizing that it's OK to sleep. The Moby is my saving grace for naps because I can get things done and still snuggle. She is actually laying on my chest right now snuggled in the Moby:-D

Not much else is going on. We're getting to like the base and the lifestyle. I haven't really met anyone yet, but I usually do at church so I'm excited for Sunday!

I'm back on Weight Watchers and I'm FINALLY recording everything again. I make weekly menus for dinner and Jeff and I shop together for FHE on Mondays after work. I only do dinner menus because I usually eat leftovers for lunch the next day. I'm loving trying all sorts of new healthy recipes finally. We've had awesome burgers, chili, tacos, salads etc. I'm also finding my love for veggies, hard to believe I know.

Welp, that's it! If your ever in the middle of the Mojave Desert give us a call! We're about 2 hours from Disneyland:-D

Later folks!
Love,
Calla

Happy Easter Eve!

2011-04-23T18:47:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks!

Life in the Hines household is GREAT!!! Jeff flew home this past Wednesday:-D There were tears at the airport as he met his daughter for the first time and held her, such a precious moment! It's so nice to have the other half of my brain back. I always thought I would be this huge independent woman who didn't need her husband to do anything because she would take care of it, well that's not marriage. Jeff has been holding his little girl every chance he gets which means that the grandparents are fighting for time with her:-P He has been awesome and will take her and hold her while I nap which is sooooooooo awesome!! He's changed a few diapers and will talk to me while I feed her so I'm not alone.

Lil' miss is growing! She is now 8lbs and 21 1/2 inches:-D She's getting her own little personality. She has different ways she likes to be held by different people. With me and Jeff she loves laying flat on our chests so she can hear our heartbeats, with Jeff's mom she likes to be cradled, with Jeff's dad she does the half cradle/sit in his lap, with my mom she likes to be held looking out at the World. Her new favorite(and mine for sanity purposes) is the MOBY wrap we got. I wasn't too sure if I trusted this huge piece of fabric with my baby, but man is it nice! I tuck her in kangaroo style and she scrunches up her legs under her and is asleep in seconds...BLISS!!

We're gearing up to get moving. We took the weekend off just to get our family routine back. Jeff starts RAP next week with the recruiter, we're hoping he only has to do half days so he can get stuff done at home. I'm trying to do what I can as far as packing, but with lil' miss it's hard. We'll be leaving the Midwest May 9th and heading out west! We're looking at a couple of different routes, but we really want to go to Salt Lake so we're looking at the I-80 route. A little nervous about traveling with a 6 week old nursing baby who's in cloth diapers, but we'll be stopping about every two hours and don't plan on driving more than 6 hours a day, so we should be OK(Any tips on long travel with baby will be taken!).

I think that's pretty much it! Congrats to all of our friends who have had babies this past month...YAY!! Happy Easter to everyone and may we all keep the real reason for Easter in perspective.

Love,
The Hines Family

Annabella Marie's Story

2011-03-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,
Our little Belle joined us Thursday March 24th, 2011 at 7:37pm after a rousing adventure!! I will try to recap best that my sleep lacked brain can remember.

Wednesday 3/23:
Went to the hospital at 5:30am to start my induction. Day was pretty good, little pains here and there, really just boring. By the end of the day I had made it only to a 2 and baby was still pretty high, went to sleep a little bummed, but really tired.

Thursday 3/24:
Doctor was finally able to bounce Annabella's head up enough to break my water and I went to 4 and then the labor pains kicked in! I had an epidural, but that only took to my left leg so they took it out and gave be another one that was pointless and did nothing else. I was pretty miserable all day because I couldn't rest, get up and by hour 34 I was an emotional wreck! I cried for what felt like hours! I kept saying "I'm done, get her out!! I wish Jeff was here!" yeah, it was pretty bad. At 7 the anastesoligst came in and was able to give me lidocaine and I thought he was my saving grace!! Almost immediately I got numb and was pretty happy! I have to explain the doctor situation. Since we're military I have 5 OB/GYNs and anyone of them could be on call. Well that night Dr. Perfilio was on call and I'm very comfortable with her, now when Dr. P isn't working for Uncle Sam in the Air Force she does roller derby. Thursday night she was at practice over 30 mins. away so Dr. Masters took all her pages. Dr. Masters just happened to stop by the hospital and check on me to see how I was doing. I told her I was ok, had a slight headache was hoping to get some sleep.

CRAZY TIME:
About 5 mins. after Dr. Masters left my room I noticed my nurse started frantically messing with my IVs(I think I had 5 going at one time) and then next thing I know there's another nurse on my other side telling me to roll. I think eventually there were about 7 nurses, the anasteilogist, and Dr. Masters all in my room. We're still not sure what happened (I had already had the Lidocaine before so we're pretty sure it wasn't the drugs), but my blood pressure dropped super low and babies heart rate dropped into the 60s. They told me to roll every which way, I had to get on my hands and knees too, now mind you I'm completely numb, yeah they had to move me because I couldn't do it. Next thing I remember is laying on my left side and hearing "OR STAT!" This all happened within 5 minutes and I'm VERY impressed with the service that I got, I think I had every nurse in labor & delivery, plus the only anetheoligst in the hospital wheeling me down the hall. I remember barely seeing my mom and mother in law in the waiting room because they didn't want them in the room while they were messing with my epidural. I remember going through the surgery doors and my mom yelling "Calla I love you!". Once we got into the OR all hands were on deck, they got me moved over, asked if I could feel a prick on my stomach and I could next thing I know I'm being told to take 3 deep breathes into an oxygen mask. What seemed 5 seconds later I remember hearing "Calla your in room 211 now instead of 206 and everything is fine. We're going to get your baby in a little bit for you" I barely remember opening my eyes and seeing Dr. Masters and Dr. P standing next to each other and me saying "Sorry Dr. P I couldn't wait for you to get back." (She "threatened" me not to have the baby while Masters was covering for her). About 10:30 that night I was finally able to meet my daughter and we both looked at each other like "what the heck just happened?!?!?".

Recovery:
We are both doing great. Annabella is now 6lbs 6oz and I'm trying to breastfeed, but all the meds and fluids I was on is making that hard. Baby is borderline jaundice, which is normal so we are working on trying to get her to poop. It's amazing how my conversations have gone from music and what to eat to how many diapers have I had to change and how much has she ate today, almost overnight! I wouldn't change it for the World though.

I did get to talk to Jeff the night she was born, but I was really groggy and could barely talk because my throat was sore from the tubing. Jeff did get to meet is daughter via Skype on Friday and he's pretty smitten:-)

I think that's it! Now we're off to me recovering from an emergancy c-section with staples (YAY!) and Annabella bringing her jaundice numbers down and eating and then pooping! :-D

Love,
The Hines Family
Calla, Jeff, lil' Annabella

HUGE thank you to my mom for staying at the hospital sleeping on the couch and taking care of baby while I slept, and my in laws for bringing me anything I needed! Also to my aunt and cousin for taking care of things on the homefront...My family rocks!!:-D

4 Weeks!!!

2011-02-26T21:56:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

I'm back to doing my non stress tests twice a week...joy:-P I've been officially diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension and also Group B...YAY! My blood pressure keeps going up and then will drop down so I had to go in for labs to the hospital today and see what was going on. All my labs came back fine, the only answer I could get was that my body may be getting used to carrying a child. The nurse told me that pre-eclampsia shows up towards the end of the pregnancy. Just have to watch for the warning signs and I'm at the doctor once a week having my fluids checked and twice a week for NSTs so they will notice if anything is wrong.

I had an ultrasound last Friday and TAH DAH she finally showed us that she was for sure a girl!! Got to see her take a couple of "drinks" and wave...so precious!! We also got a 3D picture of her, all we can see is her eyes and nose because her feet and hands are up by her face. The ultrasound tech says that she has a lil' hair though, that would explain the heartburn! I would try and post the pics, but that's were I'm blog challenged, if I post they usually take up the whole screen:-/ We're looking at a due date of March 24th if you look at her size and March 30th if you go by date. She weighed 5lbs 9oz at the ultrasound and had a huge head...ouch!

Jeff just scored a 100% on his block test to qualify him to move to the next training session, I believe he said there are 11 blocks total and I'm not completely sure what number this was. He's been running whenever he gets the chance because he plans to run a marathon in April before graduation. Only 2 months until he's home!!!:-D

Well I'm off!
Love,
Calla

My Lil' Fuzzi Bunz!

2011-02-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

Life is good! Baby girl is growing! I still have to go for non stress tests at the hospital, but they have dropped me down to once a week...YAY! She had a really strong heartbeat at my last appointment a week ago and also on the monitor on Tuesday. I was able to record her heartbeat on my phone and send it to her daddy, he loved it! Only about 7 weeks to go! I'm super excited to get her here, not only just to hold and love on her, but also so I can breathe again!

After a lot of thinking and weighing pros and cons I have decided to give cloth diapering a shot. I just ordered two cloth FuzziBunz diapers tonight and I'm super excited for Annabella to get to here to try them! Since we are going to be on a pretty strict budget and living in California (yeah budget and California just don't mix!) I want to be able to save where we can. I will be nursing until I just can't nurse anymore, I haven't decided to put an age limit yet, just going to go with the flow. I will be pumping though so Jeff can help feed her when he's home. I will also be making baby food, it will be fairly easy at first because all I need to do is take whatever veggie we're having that night and throw it in the processor and voila! I'm super excited to try this all out! I know as more kids come it will be a little more difficult, but once I get it a routine down it shouldn't be too hard.

Nothing else is really going on, this weekend I will be washing the baby clothes & bedding I have so far and setting up the pack and play and moving things around. My goal is to have everything done by March 1st so I'm not stressing on when she's going to make her grand entrance.

Well I'm off!
Love,
Calla

Oh My Lil' Diva!!

2011-01-27T18:47:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

So today was the ultrasound day, normally I would be thrilled by this, but I knew it was checking her heart to make sure it was beating OK. She's was pretty lazy during the whole thing, it was our nap time after all! She had her hands covering her face and her legs to her chest so we couldn't check to make sure she didn't grow any appendages "down there", the tech. said she still looked like a girl. They measured me at 32 weeks 0 days versus 31 weeks and also measured my lil' diva at 4 pounds! I'm carrying around a gallon of milk!!! No wonder I pee so much:-P She has the Hines big head, the Allen "beer" belly, and the Tomey-Allen-Hines big feet:-P

While they were listening to the heart I knew what the answer was and sure enough I was right. The doctor came in and let me know they still hear an arrhythmia. Her recommendation to my normal doctor is going to be that I get monitored at least once a week at the hospital just to make sure everything comes out OK. They said this is very common and usually goes away at birth. If it does get worse I may have to see a pediatric cardiologist. I go in tomorrow to my OB/GYN for my regular 2 week appointment at which point I will learn her plan of action and also get my results of my pre-eclampsia tests.

I'm so grateful that I have the faith I have because I have been able to keep calm and positive through this whole thing. I know that Heavenly Father wouldn't give Jeff and I anything that we couldn't handle. We are in a great area to have her if she does have problems because we have some amazing specialists in the Omaha area, hard to believe I know:-P I'm going to take everything in stride and give it to God, He knows what He's doing and will continue to give me the resources and education to have me learn.

Love to all,
Love,
Calla

10 Weeks Left!!

2011-01-15T23:13:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,
I will try and update as much as possible, my pregnancy brain is horrible:-P

Christmas:
Christmas was great!! Jeff was home for 12 days and it was bliss! The only person I wanted to be with was him:-P We had a doctors appointment while he was home and our doctor was nice enough to do an ultrasound her office so he could see lil' Annabella, she's getting big!! She waved a couple of times at daddy and that is the moment that I KNEW he was going to be a daddy's girl, he's already whipped!

Post Christmas:
Jeff is back in Texas keeping himself busy with school, Airman Lead Program, and training for a marathon that he will more than likely run in April. Our newest goal as a couple besides welcoming Annabella is to run the Disneyland half marathon together at the end of the year, we shall see:-/

Annabella:
Is causing mommy stress! I had doctors appointment yesterday and my doctor sent me straight to the hospital to get put me on a heart/contraction monitor because during the doppler in the doctor's office lil' diva decided to let her heart skip a few beats:-/ They want me to go back to the hospital again next Wednesday again and get re-monitored. They said that since they are just now noticing this that she could have been having an 'off' day. I hadn't eaten and drank really any water that morning because my appointment was early(for me) and I also had a really rough night of sleep which I'm sure didn't help the situation. So I'm back on my 100 oz of water a day(at least) going to bed before 1am and taking my hour nap everyday. Trying to take it easy. They did measure my belly and I'm measuring at 31 weeks instead of 29 so I'm hoping that means lil' diva comes early:-D Not too early of course, but mommy's getting excited! I can't wait to reach the 36 week mark so I can breathe a little easier:-)

Me:
My nesting phase has kicked in, but so has some 3rd trimester exhaustion so I haven't gotten much accomplished. My father in law is so graciously giving up his "office" for the babies bed and a rocking chair so I'm just waiting for that to be cleaned out so I can get in there and organize. My baby shower is going to be Feb. 19th...YAY! Can't believe it's already that time:-D

Well that is all,
Love,
The Hines Family

10 DAYS!!!!!!

2010-12-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

I'm such a little kid!! I'm beyond excited that in 10 days I will be able to see and touch my husband!! This time apart has really brought me a whole new perspective on our marriage.

Yes we struggle like any other married couple, but we also work through it. One thing that Jeff taught me while we were dating was that we had to communicate...vocally. Some people don't have a problem with this, but I do. After much love Jeff has finally brought me out of my shell and I have no problem voicing how I feel, I'm sure he regrets that sometimes:-P

I'm very grateful that I have a husband who provides for our family so that I can stay home and get ready for our little one. A lot of people ask me why I'm not working right now and that is because after prayer and pondering Jeff and I felt it best for me to stay home to take care of myself during my pregnancy and to get things in order. After the baby is born I will not be returning to work and many people ask me why and have a problem with it. I want to be home to raise my children the way our Heavenly Father wants me to raise them. I want to be there for all their firsts, I want to be the one that kisses the bumps and bruises. After trying for two years to have a baby and finally being blessed with being a mother I just couldn't have someone else raise my child. I don't condemn the women who work, I know a lot of them we need to, but our family has been blessed with great insurance and generous income that we know that I can stay home. In time when our children have grown and are all in school I may return to the workforce has a school helper or something so that I can have the same schedule as them.

Yes this was a rambling post because it's late and I'm tired!!

Goodnight all!
Love,
Calla

Christmas is how close?!?!!?

2010-12-10T05:05:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends, ours was pretty quiet. I went to my mom's for lunch and it was just the two of us, we had chicken instead of turkey:-P I ate happily and then crashed in her guest bedroom for 3 hours!! My in laws went to South Dakota to pheasant hunt, they only came back with grouse which in my opinion is one nasty tasting bird!! Jeff had an awesome lunch at Sheppard, he was pretty excited and he stuffed himself silly:-P

Jeff:
The man is doing well! He FINALLY started classes Dec. 3rd because they finally had an instructor. He booked his holiday leave ticket and will be home with us Dec. 22nd-Jan. 3rd!!!:-D I'm counting down the days! His ward at Sheppard is more of a branch it sounds like. There are only about a dozen people who show up on a weekly basis. They have FHE on Wednesday which throws him off and sometimes he forgets it's not on Mondays or Sundays which is usually when we had ours. They also offer Institute classes on Saturdays, but he has yet to attend one due to the senior missionary couple who run them having health issues. All I can ask is that you keep him in your prayers, even though I'm far away I can tell when his spirit is down (must be a wife thing.).

Me:
Same ol' same ol'. My belly is growing and I'm feeling a little more pregnant everyday. My doctor finally told me that I would be seeing the base dietitian and that I had no choice:-( It wasn't that bad actually, it was alot of stuff I already knew, but she was able to tell my daily calorie range etc. I'm trying to eat healthier and more on a regular schedule(every 2.5 hours). I'm also back on the treadmill just walking for about 15 minutes a day for now, she wants me to build up to 30 minutes. I can't believe I'm 11 weeks away from full term!!! Belle will be here before we know it:-D

Nothing else is really going on, just trying to remember why there is a Christmas and keeping the spirit of Christ in it.

Love to all,
Love,
Calla

Pink bows and PCSing

2010-11-11T11:52:00.000-06:00

Hey folks,
WHAT A WEEK!!!!! Well mainly what a Tuesday!!

Ultrasound:
Baby Hines was being difficult for the ultrasound tech and we had to stop half way through due to me having a severe back spasm. There was so much pain I started crying and I have a really good pain tolerance! Well we resumed and even though Thumper had it's legs closed the tech could get a look and saw no boy parts only girl parts! We're having a girl!!! I told Jeff on the phone that afternoon and I said "you know how you have said you can only make boys, well you lied" he still doesn't believe me:-P Her name is going to be Annabella Marie and we'll be calling her Belle for short. Next week I'm going to the Carter's outlet store that's near us and I'm trying to lean away from tons of pink:-P My lower belly which she calls home is starting to stick out pretty good and I'm being cautious of my weight due to the doctor worrying about me.

Orders:
We got our orders on Tuesday as well. We are moving to Edwards Air Force Base in California, it's 2 hours northeast of L.A. It will be nice to have our lil' girl grow up with a cousin near by because L.A. is where Jeff's brother lives. We've already got plans to take the girls to Disneyland next summer:-P Jeff is supposed to report to California April 23rd, but that's just a couple of days after his tech school graduation on April 20th. We're hoping he will have enough leave built up, also use his 10 days paternity leave(he won't be here for the birth), and be able to work with his hometown recruiter for 2 weeks to get things organized. We've thought about moving ourselves so we could get some of the money the Air Force is going to pay, but at the same time moving with a newborn and driving 21 hours away would be a lot better with just one vehicle...We shall see!

Well I think that's it!
Love to all,
Love,
The Hines Family
Jeff, Calla, Annabella

Power of Prayer

2010-10-20T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,
I've had a heavy heart for the past couple of weeks and now I can breathe!

2 weeks ago I had a quad screen done which helps determine if the baby has down syndrome/spinal defects etc. The screen did come back with a 1 in 216 chance that the baby did have down syndrome. The had me retest and changed my due date the these new results came back negative!! A wave of relief has come over me! New due date is March 30th. We will not be having an amnio done due to the risk being too high of losing the baby. We will take whatever Heavenly Father gives us and we will be joyful.

Jeff is doing really good. He passed his PT evaluation at with no problems. His final weigh in was 161 lbs!! Mind you he went in to the Air Force at 173 lbs! I'm counting down the days until I get to see him...6 days!!

That's all for now!
Love,
The Hines Family

Oh Boy!!

2010-09-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,

So a lot has actually changed since I last posted (I seem to say that a lot).

August:
Got all moved in to the in-laws, life is going good there. Kicked Jeff off to Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas-I cried like a baby!!!!

My handsome husband his first Sunday at Lackland AFB!

September:
Got all signed up for my lovely military insurance(woot!). Took an OB Orientation class that is mandatory on base...LOVED IT!! It was pretty cool, I think every first time parent should have to take the class. There was one couple expecting their third in the class, I think that's a little much. In order to even make your doctors appointment you have to take the class no matter what. After that I got to have 7 viles of blood taken and a 1 hour glucose test done...JOY!!! I will be getting my numbers on Wednesday at my doctors appointment so I'm hoping all is well.

We have a month left until Jeff graduates from Basic Training and moves on to Tech. School!!! I get to see him soon!!!! It's hard being away from him, but I know it's for the best. I'm sure it's only going to get worse especially as the pregnancy goes on and more changes occur. He now gets to call home weekly, which I love!! He is also writing as much as he can. He is in a great ward on base there. They have about 150-200 members and he is in a band flight that has 4 members in it so he's surrounded by good. When he called home Sunday he sounded pretty tired, he said he had a lot to get done and it was already 7 at night.

Biggest news for me is that I quit my job!!! I went in on Friday and gave my recognation. I was so tired of working my tail off for nothing. Plus being sick and leaving early wasn't helping me any either. It's going to be hard for us at first, but this is what I wanted to do. I want to be a stay at home mom and I'm very grateful that the Air Force is helping our family do that. I will be saving 40 miles roundtrip on my car everyday.

I also switched wards to Bellevue 2nd ward. It's another stake, but it's only about 10 minutes down the road from where I'm living so once again I'll be saving mileage. After talking to my old Bishop I knew it was the best move for me to make. Heavenly Father calls us all to an area for a reason and I believe mine was to love 3 very energetic little boys and help them get to the waters of baptism. I was released from my calling as primary teacher for the 7-8 year olds and I cried like a baby!! I look forward to see where "my boys" go, they are sweet spirits.

Well I think that is all for now!!
Love,
Calla
"The 'single' knocked up lady:-P"

Minor Changes

2010-07-30T08:48:00.001-05:00

Hey Folks!
So since my last post some minor things have changed. Jeff will NOT be doing his tech school in Biloxi like we thought, he will be staying in Texas and going to Sheppard AFB for 17 weeks. It's only 9 hours from here so I want I could go see him. Travel may be a little difficult since I'm pregnant!!!! Found out on my birthday that we have a little cutie headed our way! I'm due at the end of March, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we are entering the crucial 6th week. I haven't had any morning sickness just tired and when I eat...I EAT!!:-P

We just bought a new car...4 doors!!! It's so pretty! I loved not having the car payment for almost a year and now we're back to having one again...blah!

I will also be moving the last week of August to my in laws home while Jeff is away so I can work on getting us ready to move. My in laws have been great and stored most of our things for us and I know not all of it is going to get moved!

Well I'm off!
Love,
Calla

Gotta Blow the Dust Off!!

2010-07-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

Hey Folks,
It's been awhile since I posted anything. This summer has been a whirlwind of excitement and activity! I love being busy, but I also enjoy the time like now where I can relax without any worries. I will try to post events in order.

May:
Jeff ran his first marathon!!! He did so awesome!! He ran the Brookings Marathon in Brookings, South Dakota. They had an amazing route!! TONS of bike trails and perfect weather, only one section with hills. It's a college town so it was pretty calm while we were there. Jeff's dad took Ellie(their dog) and kept up with him most of the way and then we all met up at mile 17 and cheered him on. Everytime we would see him he was just all smiles! I would cry almost everytime because I was just so stinkin' happy for him!!! As he crossed the finish line they announced that this was his first marathon and there were cheers and applaud and then they announced that he lost over 150lbs. to run the race and the place just erupted!! I cried, he cried, his parents cried...IT WAS AWESOME!!!!**I will get pictures soon, need to borrow my in laws memory card**

June:
June 5th we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Winter Quarters Temple. We are so happy that so many people came to join us in this special event. We are very fortunate to have families who support us. We have been going to the temple ever week pretty much and we are so glad to do the work that needs to be done and continue to bless our marriage. Here a TON of pictures from our temple sealing. Special thanks to Zola for doing our photos!! She did our wedding photos as well and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else!

July:
WE HAVE AN ANSWER!!! Jeff will enter Basic Training in San Antonio, Texas August 30th!! I can't remember the official title of his job, but he's basically going to be a plane electrician. It was on his job list, but towards the bottom. We have talked about it and if he doesn't like this he's going to have 20 years to train in something else. With him leaving came with alot of things for me. I quit my job at Wal-Mart and now work at West Communications as an XM Radio Rep. I take inbound calls. I get Suns & Weds off and work 2p-10p. My body was starting to really strain with me standing for 8 hours a day so this is a very nice change! After Jeff graduates Basic I will more than likely moving to Montgomery, Alabama to live with my sister and her family for 3mths while Jeff is in Tech. School in Biloxi, Mississippi which is only 3 hours away. Not sure what I'm going to do there yet, but praying that I will be able to become an at home agent with West, which means I stay home and take calls.

PHEW!! I think that is pretty much it!

I hope and pray everything is well with all our friends and family!!
Love,
The Hines

Waiting...Waiting...

2010-03-03T23:56:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,
So it's been since Christmas since I last posted...LAME!! Jeff has turned his Office packet to the Air Force and now we wait for the committee to make their decisions. We heard some rotten news that the Air Force was getting rid of quite a few jobs, but we are praying that it will all work out. We will have an answer June 4th on where we stand for the rest of the year...WOOHOO!!!

We have finished our temple prep. classes for the most part and will be ready to go June 4th and 5th...WOOHOO!! We are trying for a baby right now and as my husband says "we're not pregnant, but it's not from a lack of trying!" and that's why I married the big dork:-P

We FINALLY took our honeymoon! We went to Las Vegas for a week...AWESOME!! I will post pictures and more details of the trip soon when I'm more awake:-P

I think that's pretty much it. NIGHT!

Love,
Calla

Remembering Christmas...

2009-12-22T14:29:00.000-06:00

It seems more and more every year that the retail of Christmas over powers the true meaning of Christmas. For me Christmas in the past has been about family and friends. This year Christmas was about retail because I work for one of the big retail giants. I have become Scrooge that's for sure!! As I went the http://www.lds.org today to look for an email address of a church member I saw the new postings for Mormon Channel on YouTube. Please take time to watch them if you haven't already, they really bring the true meaning of Christmas to the front.

Love from the Hines family and a merry Christmas!!

What Shall We Give?

Christmas Spirit

Anniversary Weekend

2009-11-30T06:28:00.000-06:00

It's really hard for me to believe that Jeff and I have been married a year now!! The year went by so quickly! We sure have had a rough one and we are praying the many years to come are better.

This weekend we "left town" aka went to Jeff's parents which is about 15 minutes away from where we live and just had a blast! The in laws were in California so their house was empty so of course we had to take advantage of a full size house!

Saturday:
Ate Roman Coin Pizza...YUM!! Took a nap....AWESOME!! Went and saw New Moon...WOOHOO!! Ate more Roman Coin...MMM!! Shopped Target for all of the $3.99 movie deals...SCORE!!

Sunday:
Slept in...WOHOO! Slacked off and didn't go to church...I will repent!:-D Layed around in PJ's all day and watched football(go Eagles, stupid Bears) and Stormchasers(ADDICTED!) Fought off heartburn from too much food...UGH!

So it was a great uneventful weekend and I'm just fine with that:-D I left my crackberry at home and was actually shocked how much I didn't miss it. Jeff and I also made a deal that we would not use the internet. It was really nice. I was shocked to realize how much technology runs what I do in a day!

**SOAPBOX TIME**
Dear filmakers:
Do you realize that it's the Christmas season? You know, CHRISTmas season? Well could you do me a favor and save all of the end of the world movies for the summer please? I don't need you bringing me down when I should be cheerful, merry, and bright. It's hard enough going through the Christmas season without some family members who have moved on to the Celestial kingdom, I really don't need to see your Hollywood ending to the world!!

Thank you!
*************************************************************************

I think that is it, sorry about the most random post ever! It's 6:30am and I should not be awake!

Later!
Love,
Calla

Finally Have Some Time!!

2009-10-26T22:28:00.002-05:00

Hey Folks!!
I finally have some time to update...yes I know it's been forever!!

Jeff:
Got the green light from the doctors and is on the qualified and waiting list yet again for the Air Force. He is currently getting his massive application for Officer finished. He was telling me about all he has to do and it's crazy!! We will find out around June 4th if he makes Officer, IF he does he will leave in November 2010 for Officer Training School. IF he doesn't make Officer, he will be leaving he beginning of July for Basic Training. So either he leaves before my birthday or our anniversary:-/ I'm OK with it because I know that this is something that he really wants to do and it will be a lot better for our family.
Jeff also got called to be a Ward Missionary this past Sunday and I think he's pretty excited. This calling will keep him busy on the nights I have to work, which is good!

Calla:
I'm working, working, working! I got promoted at work to working in our Jewelry department, I could see this career move being bad for our budget:-P I love it!! I'm full time now so that means insurance should be active by November...WOHOOO!!! Thankfully my insurance will tied us over until Jeff gets us covered in July or November 2010. I'm now teaching 7/8 year olds in Primary, love my calling even though I want to rip my hair out sometimes:-P I have 6 boys in my class, yes 6 and they are all boy!! It's such a great joy to watch them get it, you know when they understand what I'm saying and you can just see it 'click'? Love it!! They are some smart cookies too!

We are loving being close to family for now, trying to get in all the time we can before we start moving everywhere.

Nothing else is really going on, we're kind of low key.

Well I'm off!
Love
Calla

Super Awesome Blog Backgrounds!!

2009-10-26T22:15:00.003-05:00

My dear friend Cristi is just so talented!! She is an amazing photographer and very savvy when it comes to making blog backgrounds(I use her creations constantly!). She is currently doing a contest on Cristi's Creations for a chance to win one of her beautiful photos!

Here's the link:
http://cristiscreations.blogspot.com/

It's so easy to enter!!

I hope you become addicted to her creations as much as me:-D
Happy blogging!!
Love,
Calla

Hungry Girl Mac and Cheese

2009-08-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

So I got this email about a mile ago and kept it in my inbox for awhile and I FINALLY got the chance to try it....yum!! I'm a cooked veggie hater, ask my family they'll tell ya:-P This is from the Hungry Girl website so I can't take any of the credit. I did change the veggies, we got the package with broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower because we didn't see just broccoli. This was the perfect side dish to our bbq chicken and spinach w/ romaine salad.

ENJOY!!

Hungry Girl Mac and Cheese

1 package Green Giant Family Size Cauliflower & Three Cheese Sauce (freezer aisle)
2 cups uncooked Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Rotini Pasta (or another whole-wheat or whole-wheat-blend pasta)
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
Optional: salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box, and then drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the cauliflower & sauce package in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 12 - 16 minutes, until sauce has melted and cauliflower is hot.

Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, remove it from the microwave and add cooked pasta. Set aside. Unwrap cheese wedges and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, and then add to the bowl.

Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the Laughing Cow cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta and cauliflower are coated in cheese sauce. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 202
Fat: 4.5g
Sodium: 825mg
Carbs: 36g
Fiber: 5g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 8.5g

The Story

2009-07-26T17:06:00.002-05:00

So my last post pretty much summed up everything that went on last week EXCEPT my return visit to my doctor on Wednesday. Everything was supposed to be return, run in for a quick shot and run out. Well that didn't happen.

**Wednesday**
Got to the doctor, about 10 mins before my appointment, but ended up sitting and waiting for about 30 mins. When I got up to ask the nurse how long it would because my blood sugar was dropping(or so I thought, I had massive cold sweats) I realized that I couldn't really hear what she was saying and then I noticed there were black spots all around her and I was holding onto the counter for dear life! Thankfully there was a nurse right behind me with a wheelchair and running me down to an exam room. They checked my oxygen and I was breathing at 88%, which isn't good, and also my blood sugar was 144, which is very high for fasting.

Needless to say they got me stable and sent me straight to the hospital. I got checked in, hooked up to some lovely drugs and rested.

I was in the hospital 2 1/2 days. I'm feeling OK now, still don't have all my energy back, partially due to my lungs and partially due to my meds making me drowsy.

I went to church today with the plan to leave after Sacrament because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it the whole time. I never realized until today how long our halls are! Our building is the Stake Center so it's larger, but a girl with pneumonia and carrying scriptures and a purse, it's huge!!!

Well I'm off, nice nap this afternoon. I should be headed back to work Wednesday!

Love,
Calla

What To Do???

2009-07-22T04:27:00.002-05:00

Hello Folks,
Let me give a play by play of this past weekend.
**Friday**
~Calla's 26th birthday, has lunch with the family(love China Buffet!), went to see The Proposal with Jeff(LOVE IT!), finally walked the new pedestrain bridge with Jeff(yes we walked all the way from Nebraska to Iowa).

**Saturday**
~Went to the Winter Quarters Temple with Jeff(pictures to come)
~Went to lunch with cousin Jodi and Jeff(We are Red Robin's #1 fans!)
~Noticed throat was a little itchy

**Sunday**
~Woke up with migraine, still went to church, left after only 1 hour of Sacrament
~Got home, temp was 100!

**Monday**
~Went to work, feeling ok, ended up going home after 2 hours.

**Tuesday**
~Temp was 101.7! Went to doctor, got diagnosed: pneumonia!
~Got told I can go back to work until at LEAST next Wednesday!
~Not allowed to go anywhere until at LEAST next Wednesday!
~If this doesn't get better on my follow-up appointment next Tuesday, I will be admitted to the hospital. The doctor wanted to admit me, but since we don't have insurance she gave me the other option of coming in and seeing her every morning and getting a shot of penicillin shot in my thigh...JOY!
~Codene cough syrup is my new best friend!

Yes our life is looking a little gray, but it's my faith that keeps me going. We know it's going to be hard, but we will get through this.

Please pray that all will come out OK and the hospital is not in my future.

To my loving husband: Thank you for being a nurse! Your awesome! I love you!
To my momma: Thanks for putting up with me and making soup:-D

Well I'm off to sart going nuts! We shall see if my family lets me live after being home so much:-P

Love,
Calla

P.S.
Congrats to Jeff's brother Chris and his wife Amy!! The first grandbaby and great grandbaby was born yesterday! Samantha Kaitlyn...can't wait to spoil her:-D

My Firsts

2009-07-16T10:54:00.002-05:00

These are my firsts. If I tag you it means I want to know yours. Copy and paste this note into your notes, delete my answers, and fill yours in--because INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. Then tag me back (as well as anyone else whose "firsts" you want to know about. . . .).

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Caleb Massie, thanks buddy!

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Nope

3. What was your 1st alcoholic drink? Oh dear! Ummm...Smirnoff?

4. What was your FIRST job? Pretzelmaker

5. What was your FIRST car? My mom's old Ford Tempo

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? No one yet

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Jeff, wondered when he was going to be home.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?Mrs. Nelson Underwood Elementary

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? Salt Lake City to visit my sister

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and do you still talk? I have no clue! They all lived in Woodbury with us so when we moved I lost contact.

11. Where was your FIRST sleep over? Taurus's house in 2nd grade I think

12. Who was the first person you talked to today? Jodi

13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? My dad and stepmoms, I was their flower girl. They would have been married 20yrs yesterday

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Let the dogs out

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Sweetfest

16. FIRST tattoo? The one on my right shoulder, memory of my father.

17. FIRST piercing? when I was 5

18. FIRST foreign country you went to? No where yet

19. FIRST movie you remember seeing? Ghost

20. When was your FIRST detention? In 6th grade, I was ALWAYS getting put in ISS

21. What was the first state you lived in? Illinois

22. Who was your FIRST roommate? Miss Patricia Neale...My favorite Canadian!!

23. If you had one wish, what would it be? Bill free

24. What is the FIRST thing you would learn if you had the chance? Spanish

25. Did you marry the FIRST person to ask for your hand in marriage? Nope, we went totally two different ways!

26. What was the first sport that you were involved in? Soccer.

27. What were the first lessons you ever took? Flute in 5th grade

28. What is the first thing you do when you get home? Get my stinkin' shoes off!!

29. Who was your first kiss? Brendon Certoma, first boyfriend/fiance as well when I was 18

30. Who was your first crush? John in 2nd grade

Songs that say it all

2009-06-19T21:10:00.002-05:00

Today one of my dear friends got married and two songs really stuck out to me. The song she walked down the aisle to and one in their slide show. These songs made me cry because they are so true about my life and the way I feel towards my husband.

The Day Before You

Words & Music by:
Matthew West

I had all but given up
On finding the one that I could fall into
On the day before you
I was ready to settle for
Less than love and not much more
There was no such thing as a dream come true
Oh, but that was on the day before you

(Chorus)
Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

In your eyes I see forever
And it makes me wish that my life never knew
The day before you
Oh, but heaven knows those years without you
Were shaping my heart for the day that I found you
And if you're the reason for all that I've been through
Then I'm thankful for the day before you

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)
The day before you
Was the last day that I ever lived alone
And I'm never going back
I'm never going back

(Repeat Chorus)

http://www.last.fm/music/Matthew+West/_/The+Day+Before+You

-------------------------------------

Make Us One

By Cindy Morgan

Make us One.MP3 - Cindy Morgan

Children beloy
Fresh from the foe
Hand´ neath the moonlight
Lord please make us one

We hear the tide
Roll throught the night
Come lead the weary
Lord please make us one

Children rejoice
Come to the voice
Song of the angels
Healing the broken ones

Seasons of Rain
Battles Unwon
Lead to the fountain
Wash and make us one

All hearts rejoice
With might voice
Make us a rainbow
Lord please make us one

Light in the sky
Breath of our life
Unite the rainbow
Lord please make us one

Make us a rainbow
Lord please make us one

THIS SATURDAY

2009-05-29T00:43:00.002-05:00

Here we go:
Jeff's Baptism

Saturday May 30th
7pm
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Council Bluffs Stake Center
2302 Butler St.
Council Bluffs, IA

Hope you can make it! It's been a long time coming:-D

Jeff's Baptism

2009-05-18T19:53:00.000-05:00

For those in the Omaha metro area here is some info:
Jeff is going to be baptized May 30th!!

Council Bluffs Stake Center
Saturday May 30th @ 7pm

If you need the address let us know!

We've Got a Date!

2009-05-18T19:36:00.004-05:00

Well Jeff called the Recruiter today to check in, which is normal for all recruits to do every Monday just to let the office know they made it through the weekend and didn't get in trouble. The Recruiter said that he had a job contract for Jeff!! We are sooooo excited!!! We were expecting to wait another month, but only ended up waiting 2 weeks! Jeff will report to Basic Training in Texas on August 25th and after 8 1/2 weeks there will more than likely we will be headed to Mississippi for tech school, I get to join him since his tech school is 8 months or longer(not sure the exact timeline). His job title is Weather Apprentice. We're looking forward to August and how fast the next three months will go and also how fast Basic Training will go.

I'm nervous about moving, but I'm all for it. If we do end up in Mississippi we will be only 3 1/2 hours from my sister and her family which would be awesome! We would also be right on the Gulf of Mexico, not to sure about the hurricane season, but we'll get there when the time comes:-D

We're right next to Biloxi:

I'm off!
Love,
Calla

Blog #3

2009-04-23T16:39:00.001-05:00

Gotta blog just once more today:-D
Jeff and I met with the Air Force recruiter and he is set to be sworn into the United States Air Force on May 6th!! I'm sooooo excited!!! Since he scored high on his ASVAB he will be put at the top of the list for jobs, which will be one of the 3 that he applies for. Looks like he will be going into video/media which is pretty much his degree.

I will keep you all posted on when he will leave for basic, it could be as early as May, who knows.

Love to all!
Love,
Calla

Update

2009-04-23T11:03:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't blogged in awhile because I've been busy and then sometimes just lazy:-P Life is going great for us right now. Jeff and I both have jobs, they are part time, but they get the bills paid and eliminate stress so I'm good:-D

JEFF MADE WEIGHT!!! For Jeff's height he must be 175 pounds to enlist in the Air Force, but with so many people enlisting right now they want him at 170lbs, well the other day he hit 169lbs!! I'm sooooo excited!! Today we meet with the recruiter to get the show FINALLY going. We are expecting at least a 3-7month waiting period because they need people to retire before they can bring new people in, which makes total sense.

Everything else is going well. We hear the new soon to debut Hines family member is California is growing and ready to make her big entrance in July(Jeff's brother and wife are expecting their first child, also the first grandbaby, and great grandbaby) We are all so excited!!!

Well I'm off, gotta get up and get going!
Love,
Calla

PS
www.jonschmidt.com
check it out!!

One of My New Faves!!

2009-04-23T10:41:00.001-05:00

I'm soooo in love with this!!! I love Jon Schmidt, have since I first discovered him while I was attending SVU. This song is amazing! I'm so excited for his new album to come out:-D

Road Trip

2009-03-15T18:09:00.002-05:00

So I get these little itches for road trips and I have a really big one now! I don't know if it's the super nice weather or what, but I want to throw my junk in the trunk, get my hubby in the passenger seat(he hates driving our car) and just go!!! I REALLY want to go back out west. I love it almost as much as I love the east coast. Jeff has never been to Wyoming or Utah so I want to take a week(so we don't have to rush) and just drive! Maybe stay at my best friends in Wyoming and then continue on to Utah. I would love to go to SLC, see my best friend and her new lil' family, see friends from home and college. I think it sounds stinkin' fun and Jeff said he's even up to it!!!

We haven't had our honeymoon yet since we got married in winter and the weather is just unpredictable around here. We were talking about flying to SLC and then driving from there to L.A. via Nevada to see Jeff's brother's family. I'll keep you posted on what happens with the trip:-) I know we want to do it before Jeff goes to basic so we have some time together and with family.

Well I'm off, my amazing hubby comes back home tomorrow!! YAY!! It's so sad we've been apart 5 days and I'm depressed, how in the world am I going to handle 8 weeks of basic??? OI!!

Love,
Calla

P.S.
I'm praying really hard we get sent to either Hill Air Force Base in Utah or Denver for our first orders!

I'm Employed!!!

2009-03-07T21:34:00.002-06:00

Yes I have a job!! WOOHOO!!! Today was orientation at Wal-Mart, hey it's a job! I'll be working in the children's area mainly and then doing whatever else they may need me to do. I got really lucky, they are letting me have my Sundays off!! YAY!!! It's so nice! LOVE IT!!! I'm also getting close to 40 hours a week, eventhough I'm part time, which is truely a blessing!!

Nothing else is really going on, just excited to be back in the workforce. I'm still in LOVE with Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody"! Jeff heard it last night for the first time and I told him how it almost makes me cry everytime I hear it because it reminds me of how I was when we first started dating, lonely and depressed, he agreed because he was feeling the same way...awww!

Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
I've been roaming around
i was looking down at all i see
painting faces, building places i can't reach

you know that i could use somebody
you know that i could use somebody
someone like you

and all you know
and how you speak
countless lovers undercover of the street

you know that i could use somebody
you know that i could use somebody
someone like you

off in the night,
why'd you live it up?
-i'm off to sleep
waging war
to shake the cold(?)
---?

i hope it's going to make you notice
i hope it's going to make you notice
someone like me
someone like me
someone like me

somebody

(i'm waiting)

someone like you
somebody
someone like you
somebody
someone like you
somebody

i've been running around
i was looking down at all i see

Have a great Sunday!
Love,
Calla

Kings of Leon

2009-03-04T23:47:00.003-06:00

So I'm officially in LOVE with Kings of Leon. I just heard their new song "Use Somebody" on the radio today and I just want to cry everytime I hear it! This song reminds me of the time right before I met my husband. He lifted my head up and showed me what life is and I love him for that everyday. I just got their 2003 album tonight, they sound WAY different, think Jet. I want to get their other 3 albums, yay for Amazon!!!

Please check out their YouTube channel and hopefully you will enjoy just as much as I do.

Also we may be seeing Ben Folds soon....WOOHOO!!!!

Later!
Love,
Calla

My Hubby!

2009-02-26T12:20:00.003-06:00

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Biggest Loser, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons, Family Guy, a cheesy 80's movie

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Depends, caesar or italian depending on his mood

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Mushrooms

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Probably water

5. Where did he go to high school
Bellevue West

6. What size shoe does he wear?
Hmm...good question, that one I don't know!

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
A little turkey and then pile on all the veggies you can find and add some spicy mustard.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Oh geez...hmm...Slim Fast?:-P J/K

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Blueberry streusel from Aldi's

11. What would he never wear?
Have you met my husband? He thinks vests are cool for pete sakes!

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Cubs, New York Rangers, Boston Celtics, Kansas City Chiefs

13. Who did he vote for?
Don't know, we don't discuss that:-)

14. Who is his best friend?
He has a few, I'm number one of course:-P Kevin, Sean, Keith, Sylvia

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Color my hair

16. What is his heritage?
Is stubborn a heritage?:-P I'm not sure, we're working on his family tree.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Anything chocolate

18. Did he play sports in high school?
Football

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing Tactic Arena online or any other video game, reading comic books

20. What is one unique talent he has?
Hmmm...He can pick out some amazing flowers on a budget!

And Then it Just Hit Me...

2009-02-17T23:59:00.002-06:00

Hello,
Today it hit me that my "Big Bro" is gone. I received a letter from his mom in Arizona, which was very touching and I also received paperwork from the county lawyer to separate the estate. I didn't think I would have such a rough time with it, but I am. I feel like I'm becoming unglued and all I want to do is curl up in my bed and pull the comforter over my head and not get up for a few weeks.

I just wish I would have been able to say goodbye. All I can do now is wait until I see him again in Heaven and tell him I missed him.

Love your loved ones no matter what!

Love,
Calla

Wedding Photos!!

2009-02-13T14:03:00.002-06:00

YAY WEDDING PHOTOS ARE HERE!!!! I just got the photos back from the photographer today and I'm super excited!!!

I posted all of them on Facebook and Myspace so you can look if you have those. I tried posting some on here, but it was going to take forever!!! Here are the links for Facebook to check them out there.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024393&id=210400558&l=c153a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024394&id=210400558&l=f9951

Enjoy!
Love,
Calla

Inkheart

2009-02-12T20:09:00.002-06:00

Today the whole family(mom, aunt, uncle, cousin, Jeff, and I) all got together and went and saw Inkheart for my cousins birthday. I hadn't really paid attention the the previews and really had no desire to see it, but my cousin and husband both wanted to see it. WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!!! It was soooo good!! There are three books in the series Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath. I'm dieing to get my hands on them!!! Guess it's time to pay those library fines:-P

I encourage everyone young and old to see this. It keeps you on your toes and you jump in spots too. I love it!!!

Calla's Real Name

2009-02-10T00:08:00.003-06:00

1.YOUR REAL NAME:
Calla Renee Allen hiens

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Annette Eugene

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)?
Max Ira

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Hinca

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Cat

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Renee Fort Madison...say what?

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Black Coke Zero

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Cahi

9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Chocolate covered strawberry oreo

10.SKANK NAME: (1st pet's name, street you grew up on)
Snowball Atlantic

11.GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of first name plus 'izzle')
Calizzle

12.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Shaft

13. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Kierra Kit Kat

Marriage Survey!!!!

2009-02-07T13:58:00.002-06:00

♥ What are your middle names?
Jeffrey Thomas, Calla Renee

♥ How long have you been together?
Oh geez...Almost 3 years, married 3 months

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
5 years

♥ Who asked who out?
Not sure, I think we just said we would meet up to watch a movie while he was home for Christmas.

♥ How old are each of you?
Jeff is 26 I'm 25

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
I think we're in a tie right now. His brother is in LA and my families all over.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Not yet

♥ What about pets?
Yes, 2 cats Shaft and Thaigra

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Probably the stress we have right now with moving, but we will get through it.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Nope

♥ Are you from the same home town?
We grew up 15 minutes from each other, him in Bellevue, Nebraska and me in Council Bluffs, Iowa

♥ Who is the smartest?
Him! Mister Doesn't Need to Study for Math...gag!

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Toss up

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Red Robin!!!!

♥ Who has the craziest ex?
We're thinking me

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Him

♥ Who does the cooking?
We do it together, but Saturdays are his days to cook eggs:-D

♥ Who is more social?
Me for sure!

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Me!!!

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
Both of us

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Him! Mr. Sprawl out on his stomach!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Me

♥ Where was your first date?
AMC Oakview theater to watch The Inside Man

♥ Who has the bigger family?
I do

♥ Do you get flowers often?
Nope

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
split between the two families.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Not sure

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
I think 5 mins:-P J/K about 6 months.

♥ Who eats more?
me.

♥ Who does/did the laundry?
Me

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Me;-)

♥ Who drives when you are together?
I do, I go nuts when he drives and I stress him out.

Terry Allen

2009-02-06T12:29:00.002-06:00

This article is about my brother. I haven't talked to him since I was 12, so over ten years due to a falling out my dad and him had. We've been trying to find him since he left. I got a call today that he passed away. He will always be my "Big Bro", I could never say Terry when I was younger so I always called him Big Bro.
RIP My Big Bro.
Love,
Calla
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAMBRIDGE - They sat at Rosedale Cemetery in a single row of cold, metal chairs, the only family that Terry Allen ever really would have.

Frost steamed from their breath as they silently bowed their heads. Above the sound of winter winds racing across the barren landscape, the Rev. Dawn Keenan sang "Amazing Grace."

The sun, set high in an endless blue sky, shown bright on the ivory, ice-hardened snow. The crunch of footsteps soon indicated the arrival of others, coming to say goodbye to the Geneseo resident.

These were Mr. Allen's co-workers from Tyson Foods in Joslin. They made the trip to Cambridge to say goodbye to a friend.

Mr. Allen, 47 -- described as a quiet, solitary man they never really knew very well -- died alone Thursday in his third-floor apartment.

Nobody claimed him.

Henry County Coroner Dave Johnson has not been able to locate any of Mr. Allen's next of kin.

"We believe he's from Iowa," Mr. Johnson said. "He did not report to work for a few days, and friends at work became concerned.

"He was found at his home," he said. "I've made over 40 phone calls to different people by the name of Allen with no luck."

Some years back, Mr. Johnson bought plots in the cemetery southwest of Cambridge for people such as Mr. Allen. In the past 15 years, Mr. Johnson has helped bury five people who died without any family.

It's the county's responsibility, he said, to take care of the deceased if the body is not claimed.

Mr. Allen's life must have had an impact on someone, his co-workers said. At least it did to them.

Dawn Lane of Colona came in the bitter cold to say goodbye. She met Mr. Allen through her husband. They traded books.

"He came to our wedding," she said. "He was a quiet guy, introverted. He was my friend; it's sad he passed."

She paused a moment.

"I couldn't stand the thought of him being out here all by himself."

Other co-workers shared similar sentiments.

Stephen Market of Geneseo, Jeremiah Larrison of Silvis and Troy Scott of Moline all worked in the freezer with Mr. Allen at Tyson's. It was Mr. Scott who called police after Mr. Allen missed work, something he never did.

They described Mr. Allen as a man who came to work early, read voraciously and kept to himself. He had a sister, they said, but never spoke of her.

"The man knew so much," Mr. Scott said, his hands pressed deep in his pockets.

"We came to honor him,"Mr. Larrison said. "No man should be buried alone. He was a good guy."

As Rev. Keenan read from the Gospel of John, another co-worker, Fonda Redell of Moline, approached with a small vase of plastic flowers. Dave Moore of Stackhouse-Moore Funeral broke up frozen clods of earth to fill the vase Ms. Redell brought as another co-worker placed his hand gently atop the casket.

The man looked down and paused, then slowly walked away from Mr. Allen's eternal resting spot.

"He knew me by Turtle," said Jon Ruggles of East Moline. "We'd just sit and talk -- movies, articles, information. I enjoyed the same thing -- documentaries, on polar bears to books.

"He was always a good guy," he said, adding his friend had some health problems. According to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Allen died of natural causes.

His landlord, John Nelson, of rural Geneseo, said he knew little about his tenant -- other than he paid his rent on the first of every month. The apartment, however, is a mess, he confided:a lot of clutter, a lonely existence, an overabundance of books.

Mr. Allen's estate is unknown at this time, according to Mr. Johnson. Henry County's public administrator, Geneseo attorney Curt Ford, will have to sort it out, Mr. Johnson said.

As Ms. Lane made a final pass by the casket, a funeral director briefly opened the lid. She placed a book she had borrowed from her friend inside Mr. Allen's casket, joining the others in saying goodbye.

25 Things...Stupid Facebook!

2009-02-04T14:33:00.002-06:00

I got tagged three times!!! DANG!! I'm not going to tag anyone else because that's just mean:-P

1. I've been engaged twice

2. Met my husband while working at the zoo.

3. Hated my husband with a passion when I first met him.

4. If you would have told me I would have married Jeff I would have laughed in your face!!

5. I've been playing the flute since I was ten years old.

6. I started out at SVU as a major in Family Life so I could work for LDS Family Services.

7. Graduate with an Associates in Business Administration

8. Still want to finish my degree in Family Life, just gotta find somewhere good to do it.

9. I want no more than four children, one of them has to be a girl!

10. I'm a die hard hockey freak!!! Didn't attend my first game until I was a sophomore in college now I'm addicted(thanks Ang!)

11. I'm finally figuring out my natural hair color(I'm too lazy to color it)

12. There is a grand total of six kids in my family

13. I'm preparing to go the temple

14. I've never gotten a speeding ticket or any ticket for that matter

15. I'm the only child between my mom and dad

16. I'm a true blue daddies girl!! I'm the only girl he has:-D

17. Someday I want to live in the country

18. I don't know where I'll be living this time next year(thank you Air Force!)

19. I had my first kiss at the age of 18

20. I had my first boyfriend at the age of 18

21. I'm a Mary Kay Consultant, with dreams of driving a pink Cadillac Escalade(yes we have those!)

22. I want to have a Siberian Husky and Wiener Dog:-D

23. I love all types of music from classical to death metal.

24. I still have yet to go on a honeymoon with my husband

25. I love having a small portion of my family around, even when I don't seem like I do:-D

Dusting Off the Good Book

2009-01-29T22:11:00.003-06:00

So tonight the Elders and one of the members from our ward came to our weekly date night and the member challenged Jeff to read the Book of Mormon. We've been reading the Doctrine and Covenants as a couple every night, so we kind of went backwards...oops:-P

After they left I was on a mission, a mission to find a reading chart! We have one for the Doctrine and Covenants and also have one for the New Testament that they had available at an LDS store I went to in Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised on what I found!

My friend introduced me to SugarDoodle I love it!!!! I found a family chart on there and then I went and googled Book of Mormon reading chart and found one on about.com which I printed off on card stock (you know your Mormon if you have cardstock on hand!)

Well I'm off, Jeff has already started reading...WOOOHHHOO!!!!!

Love,
Calla

Thank You Jackie!!!

2009-01-29T14:30:00.002-06:00

So as many of you know I lost my job in December, hence why we moved back home earlier than expected. Well I had to change my address on my unemployment information because they won't forward mail. I've been trying for almost two months to change it over the phone, but kept getting voice mails or just crappy music. Well today I FINALLY got someone!!! This woman named Jackie, she was great! So happy and joyful! I love her!!! She released over 2 months worth of unemployment money I've been waiting for...GO JACKIE!!!

To the cruddy state of Illinois:
You may stink, but you have an awesome employee named Jackie and I love her:-D

Lovely Sunday

2009-01-18T20:54:00.003-06:00

Today was just a perfect day! I became an official member of our new ward as Calla Hines**giggle**, Gospel Principles was packed(we ran out of chairs!), Relief Society & Priesthood actually had the same lesson so Jeff and I could discuss how we felt about it, we both loved it because it was about parables. I also setup an appointment to see the Bishop to make that huge step...going to the temple!!! I'm ready to make that step and my husband is very supportive of me and has continued to show his interest in the church.

Winter Quarters Temple

I'm FINALLY getting my hair chopped off this week!! WOOHOO!!! I'm going short, I mean short! I'm so tired of the long heavy hair I have.

Jeff and I have been working out everyday together, except Sundays when we walk the dogs. It's really helping us not only physically to get in shape, but also helping us to stay in a positive moods, must be all those happy brain cells:-D

Jeff also took the ASVAB and is scored a 96 out of 99!! WOOHOO!!! This pretty much means any job he wants in the Air Force, he gets...YAY!! He's looking into video production right now.

Well I'm off, crazy random update, but it was an update:-)

Love,
Calla

Job Interview

2009-01-09T14:05:00.002-06:00

So...I have a phone interview next Thursday!! WOOHOO!!! I know I still have a lot to prove to get the job, so pray that I will do well and stay calm. Phone interviews are new to me, so it will be interesting.

Everything is going well. We're are getting unpacked, I think I only have 4 boxes left to unpack. Jeff takes the ASVAB on Monday so pray he does well, his practice test QT score was awesome! He is still job hunting. Found out yesterday during our meeting with the recruiter he has about 14 more pounds then we thought he had to originally lose so back to the gym he goes.

We met with our elders yesterday for the first time. We have a plan to go see the new Joseph Smith movie next Thursday night for our "date night" with them. They started talking to Jeff more about baptism and temple work, so we shall see:-D The ward here is a good ward. Still getting adjusted to things that's for sure, it will all take time!

Well I'm off those last 4 boxes and laundry are calling my name!

Love,
Calla

Waiting for Sunday

2009-01-03T21:53:00.002-06:00

So I type this as I patiently wait for Sunday to come. Now anyone who has known me growing up knows that this is not natural at all! Lately I've been understanding life a lot better and why we have the Sabbath day. As a young adult I have had my troubles that's for sure, but now I'm starting to get on the right path again. With the help of my amazing husband, who is now taking the lessons from the Elders, and my Mom, and friends who hold values like me, things are going great!

Tomorrow we start going to a new ward. We will be in my mom's ward, the Kanesville Ward, I know some of the people there already from before, but new members have moved in and boundaries have changed so it will be interesting to see what it is like. We also have a great Bishop I hear, I've never met him I don't think. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for our little family.

May everyone have an AWESOME Sunday filled great joy!

Love,
Calla

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T16:23:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!

Today hasn't really seemed like Christmas to us due to moving and it feels like we just got married yesterday so things are still a little nuts around here. We did have a wonderful day though. We went and saw Marley & Me, we recommend it for everyone!!! Make sure you bring the tissues!!!

We know the season is crazy, but always take time out of your busy schedules to remember the real reason of Christmas. It's not about presents, or stuffing yourself full of Christmas treats, it's about Jesus Christ and what an amazing thing we have! Last night we started off our Christmas by going to midnight mass. Being Mormon I didn't grow up with mass, but Jeff did because he's Catholic, but I have always enjoyed going to Christmas Eve mass back home. We decided to start this tradition with our little family. Not only do you get to explore another religion, but you also get to really bring Christ into Christmas and remember what it's all about.

Merry Christmas to everyone wherever you are! May 2009 be amazing and full of blessings!!

Love,
The Hines Family

We're On the Move!

2008-12-22T16:16:00.002-06:00

This past month has been crazy! The day I got back from the wedding to work I was let go by the company...oi! I'm doing OK, I'm grateful for the time actually because I can concentrate on things that have been neglected with the house since the wedding was a busy time. Jeff and I talked and prayed about it and found it the best thing to move back to Council Bluffs and move in with my mom for a little while. Not only moving in with her will it help us, but it will also help her. It's going to be interesting for all three of us to adjust, but it will be OK.

I have applied for a few jobs right now so I'm doing the waiting game. Jeff's last day at Bed, Bath, and Beyond will be on Friday. He tried to transfer with the company, but the closest thing was in Des Moines so that was a no go. He's really focused on losing the last twenty pounds to get in the Air Force right now.
Here our the choices for bases we would love to be at...if only the Air Force will see that too;-)
1. Omaha...duh
2. Missouri...short drive away
3. Colorado...a good drive away
4. Alaska...Jeff's choice, no taxes and we'd get paid to live there!

That's pretty much all right now. If you want our new mailing address just email us at cjhines57@gmail.com and I'll send it to you!

Lots of love and holiday cheer!
Love,
The Hines Family
P.S.
Still no wedding pics, I will see the photographer when I get back home so keep looking!

We're Officially a Family

2008-11-30T22:53:00.002-06:00

On November 22nd we became a family! YAY!! We were married in Chicago by Bishop Thomas. It was just our parents present at the ceremony and the Elders who have been coming over faithfully every week. It was small and just what we wanted. Everything for that ceremony was top secret.
On November 29th we had our big wedding back in Council Bluffs were all of our family and friends were present. It was a small group, but it was perfect. I'm goping that I will have some pictures to show soon. Our photographer is going to try and get us our pictures by the end of January. For the reception we placed disposable cameras on all the tables so people could take pictures of us. We're hoping to get this placed on CDs within the next couple of weeks.

Well I'm off. We are headed back to Chicago tomorrow and then back to reality.
Love
The Hines Family...OFFICIALLY!!!:-D

End of Summer Update

2008-09-01T20:53:00.002-05:00

So I've(Calla) been super lazy and updating this thing. So here goes a MASSIVE update and hopefully I don't forget anything.

**Jeff**
Is still working summer festivals, but they are finally starting to slow down, which means he will be home on weekends now:-). He still loves his job at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

**Calla**
I've been a travelin' fool this summer!! Dayton, Council Bluffs, Dallas, Nauvoo. I just returned from Nauvoo today. I was able to visit with my brother, uncle and a dear family friend. Being from Nauvoo I still consider myself a semi-local because I know people at church when I go. It's hard to believe they have something like 3 wards there! INSANE!!!! I took some pictures of the flooding and also of the temple so I will try and post those some time, if you ask my mom I stink at posting/sending pictures:-P

**Us**
Our goal is to get invitations out sometime this week. Even though we live together we rarely see each other with both of us working, me doing Mary Kay, and church events. Only 3 months until the wedding, it's REALLY starting to sink in!

Not much is really going on, I'll try to be better at this and who knows maybe get Jeff involved too:-P

Love,
The Future Hines Family

Summer in Full Force!

2008-07-02T22:11:00.003-05:00

Hello,
So as I was reading all of my friends blogs I realized that I was neglecting our own:-( So here are some updates.

Calla:
I'm super excited to go visit my brother and his family this weekend in Ohio. One nice thing about living in Chicago is that I'm equally away from each brother, about 5 hours, so 3 day weekends are perfect! Now if only I could get my sister to move from Alabama...HA! In two weeks I head home to Iowa to spend my birthday weekend...WOOHOO!!! I'm so stinkin' excited to see everyone! I haven't been home since around Christmas I believe, so it should be a blast.
I am now officially a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and I love it!! What girl doesn't love to play in makeup? So if your ever interested, let me know;-) Thanks to Mary Kay, my mom and sister and I will be in Dallas at the end of the month to enjoy four fun filled days of training and just spending time together, what can we say we're a Mary Kay family:-)

Jeff:
Summer is in full swing with this man! I think I see him a total of five minutes between jobs, poor guy. He is working his full eight hours plus at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and now he has festing working right after that anywhere from one to six hours, just depends on the workload. I will say I've gotten used to him being home on weekends and now that he's not, it kind of stinks:-( He is looking forward to October when we go to Milwaukee for his birthday for a short weekend vacation. We are still waiting to hear back if he has a full time position at the store or not.

Etc:
The bar where we work is now open. It's nice to see some life in that place again. The kitchen is being remodeled still so no pizza, but trust me the second they have it we're there!! Wedding plans are still kind of idle right now. When I go home on the 18th I will have a lot to do, decorations, talking to the Stake President, figuring out the whole marriage license thing etc. etc. etc.

I think that's pretty much it from our end. Hope everyone is well wherever they are:-)
Love,
The Future Hines Family

Oh Calm My Troubled Heart

2008-06-10T22:54:00.002-05:00

This week has been a strong test of faith for the whole family. Calla's mom is not doing so hot in the congestive heart failure department. She had to go to the ER due to trouble breathing and then had to do a sleep test which she failed because she quit breathing a few times in the three hours she got sleep. Now her heart is working at an 18 when it should be around a 50. Next Wednesday she goes to see the heart doctor to see what happens next and also to see a sleep specialist to figure out about her sleep apnea. If surgery is in the works for the heart Calla and her sister will go home to be with mom while she recoups. So we hurry up and wait, please keep us all in your prayers we need strength right now more then ever.

Nothing else is really going on Jeff is busy working everyday pretty much. He can't sit all the way because he has something wrong with his tail-bone so he's walking like an old man(Calla offered to get him a walker, but he declined:-P). Calla is trying to keep busy with work and church to keep her mind off of things. She has to make the decision if she wants to join church choir or not...hmmm.

Think that's about it!
Stay dry wherever you are and for those with major heat, come take some of our water, we don't need this much!

Love,
Future Hines Family

Drum Roll Please

2008-05-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

Woohoo!! We've got a blog! It must be official:-D Life is b-e-a-utiful right now in the lovely Chicago suburbs. Jeff and I are both busy working gearing up for the wedding in six months. Changes have been happening a lot these past two months and we have not been anything, but blessed.

Jeff:
Got a new job that has normal hours and works with a good group of people. Is currently working three jobs, but only until October. He had his first food festival this past weekend in downtown Chicago and next weekend he heads to Wisconsin for a three day fest.

Calla:
Getting geared up in ultimate wedding planning mode. Her mom was here this past weekend from Iowa to buy THE dress. The dress story: Went to David's Bridal, found a dress in budget range that made them both cry, dress got rang up at the register: Sale price: $250...Register price: $99!!!!! Calla and her mom nearly fainted from shock!

Pretty much that is the whole kitten caboodle going on right now. Things will probably start getting busier in June. Pretty sure this blog will be filled with wedding planning blah, blah, blah, until November:-P

Love to everyone near and far!
Love,
J.T. Hines & C.R. Allen