Things are getting Exciting!

I am so excited right now. I should know that when you are down God always leaves a window open to let his love shine through.

I have been having a really hard time lately, not content with what I have been up to and so on, so I decided to finally call a ranch here in Dayton that a friend had given my name to. My friend had worked for them for several years and had to move to be with her hubby so her position needed to be filled. So I finally decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and call. To my delight they wanted me to come out immediately! I wont be getting paid until the season starts but I will be around my favorite creature on earth. This facility teaches summer camps for horse lovers of all ages so it will be challenging at times but a I am up for that thrill. Also this barn is unique cause they do not use what I would call "saddle" horses, saddlebreds, arabians or quarters. They use what is called Spotted Draft Horses. This is a breed that has been developed by combining good draft horses with good "saddle" horses. The ones I will be working with look very similar to the one pictured below. I can not tell you how thrilled I am. This year is going to be good after all.

No motivation at ALL!!

Okay this is just sad. I used to be so good at updating the blogs I have. I have had a lot on my plate lately. The only good thing that has been happening is the snow is melting and we are getting 60 degree weather now. I love wearing t-shirts and am loving the sunshine. Travis has been on his Psych rotation at the VA hospital this month. Not one of his favorites for sure but he gets home earlier so I get to see him sooner.

Its really pathetic but that is all that is new with us. I am not working as much, because of the slow business right now, and Travis has been busy. Its really sad but hey thats what you get. I am sure things will change as the weather gets warmer so I will try to do better at updating the blog. Until next time...

Another Special Valentines Day!

It was on this very special day that a man asked a very special question.

Some of you might know that it was on Valentine's Day that Travis proposed 6 years ago. So ever since we have tried to make sure we really give extra time and effort for this holiday. Some may say it is a greeting card holiday, but it is more special to me.

This year my handsome man went all out and prepared a wonderful meal just for me with all my favorites. He knows me so well.

I am so grateful that he chose me to be his companion, what a lucky girl I am to have him for eternity.

Travis' new project

Can I just tell you I have a very clever husband. When he sets his mind at something he will find a way to get it done. His latest project has organized our whole pantry and made shopping so much easier. Has anyone ever seen the canned food organizers? You can stack from the top and then they roll to an opening at the bottom. Well Travis figured out how to make them out of cardboard. Here are just a few of his steps.

I told him that he should make a bunch and then sell them. He would make lots of families happy. I am so lucky to have such a clever imaginative man as a husband.

Welcoming in a New Year!

Okay well another year come and gone. I had one more thing to add to our holiday happenings. Travis decided that it would be fun to have a puzzle that we would put together during the holiday season. He thinks it would be a fun tradition to start. So here is our first 1000 piece puzzle that we finished I think a day after christmas. It was fun to have something to do when it is freezing outside.

So on to what is new. Well a New Year is what is new. I still can't believe that 2010 is really here. Not only are the youngsters are work making me feel old but the years keep flying by. Wow, where is the time going?

Well to celebrate we took an idea from Travis' older sister and had a Fondue party. We had 2 Fondues going with cheese and chocolate with all the fixings to go with them. It was supper tasty and fun to have friends over to relax and enjoy.

I have to share that we have not had even half as much snow here in Ohio as we have had in the past 3 states we have lived in. Sure it has been cold on some days but I have been loving this foggy weather with no snow. For example it is the middle of January and we have NONE!! I am loving this!! All you cold people can come visit me for the winters, this is a nice change.

So with all my rantings we welcome 2010 in and say goodbye to 2009, let the fun times begin!

Ye Old Christmas Letter 2009

Dear Family and friends,

Here I start another Christmas letter for another year. We have been plenty busy this year with the many happenings we have had in the crazy year of 2009. The beginning of the year was kinda rough once again. We spent christmas with the Sloan clan, which was awesome. We got to see families new homes and see all the new things they have been doing. It was a long drive but we made it in one piece. The only bad thing about the drive was how windy and cold it was. But once we were there the fun never ended. We made snow forts with nieces and nephews and had snow ball fights in them and then a sledding trip with the little and big kids of the family. We truly miss being close to everyone. Once we got back to Des Moines it was back to work for both Travis and I. Travis was busy with trying to choose a rotation site and with the last semester of the ‘in class’ classes. I on the other hand stayed busy with the crazy retail business. I was asked to stay as a permanent part time employee at Bath and Body Works. It definitely doesn’t pay as well as some of the other jobs I have had but it is fun and I enjoy it. Even though the year started out good and we were getting ready to get into the swing of things again I should have known it was too good to be true. I came down with pneumonia in the beginning of January and missed 3 weeks of work because of it. I have never felt so horrible in all my life. There was some positive things to me being sick though. It was discovered that I have a autoimmune disorder, Hypothyroidism. I had never been checked for one before and it was just luck that she checked while I was sick. We were able to get the treatment started immediately and now I am on meds to keep my hormones in check.

Well after I was back on my feet life went on. I continued my Achievement Days with the young girls from our ward and Travis stayed busy with school. It was soon after the year started that we were told where we would be going for Travis’ third year of school. We originally thought we wanted to stay in Des Moines but after some research and fasting and praying we decided it would be better to head further east. So we waited to hear back from the school. Sure enough Travis was able to get his first choice to Dayton, Ohio. We were very excited yet sad to leave our friends in Iowa.

The rest of the semester was spent researching new places to live in a new state, lots of studying on Travis’ part and some laid back relaxation on my part. We were able to have a few last adventures while we were still in Iowa. We went to our last DMU Winter Gala which was a blast. We partied with good friends and danced until my feet about fell off. We also visited a cute community outside of Des Moines called Pella that is known for their Danish history and their tulips (and windows!). It was great. We did make a quick trip to Dayton to check out the area and to finally decide where we wanted to move. We were in awe with how beautiful the area was. It helped to make the move a little better knowing that the people were so welcoming and the town so peaceful. So the rest of the semester Travis studied like mad for his first Board exam and I packed like a crazy person.

Summer was an insane blur for the most part. Travis was crazy busy trying to study as much as he could before he took his board exam at the beginning of June. He was excited to have a week or two to relax before we got busy again. Since we were heading further east we thought it only fitting to make a huge road trip to see family on both sides. Travis’ family was already planning a family reunion for all the kids and their families. So since this was already planned we worked our plans around that. We saw the Sloan Clan in Lava Hot Springs in Idaho, my sister and best friend in Rexburg, my family in Placerville, and lastly our friends in Boulder. There was a lot of swimming, playing and visiting along with some long drives. It was a great break from our crazy busy schedules and we were sad to leave.

Once we got back to Des Moines we had to move fast. We had barely a week before we wanted to be on the road to Dayton. It was nuts. We had wonderful help from elders from our ward to help us load our moving truck so it was done a lot faster than if Trav and I did it alone. The drive was crazy. Since we have two cars now Travis towed one and I drove the other ahead of him so I could get the keys to the new place. All I can say is that I hate google maps, they really are not accurate anymore especially when you are trying to drive through big cities like Indianapolis and Dayton.

Once we got to Dayton or rather Miamisburg, (thats our town), the exploration began. Travis relaxed for another couple of weeks and helped me make our apartment look like a real home. We bought a new couch, new dining room table and even painted the dining room, kitchen and living room. The place looks awesome.

I was able to transfer my job at Bath and Body Works from Des Moines to here in Dayton. It made it a little easier to settle down knowing that I had a job even though I still looked for jobs in Agriculture. There was never any luck but I continued to keep a positive look on things. I really love this store. The people are awesome and the management is great. They notice and compliment on the good I do. It was an amazing change from the jobs I had in Des Moines. They even gave me a seasonal promotion to Shipment Team Lead. I am the head person who runs the back room. I am not seen most of the time but I am the one that makes sure you have the products out on the floor. I enjoy the responsibility and the hustle and bustle of it all. Travis has really seemed to enjoy the rotations he has had this fall. He started out with Family Practice then off to OMM, then Physical Medicine and Rehab, then Family practice/EM, then Surgery and the last rotation for the semester is Internal Medicine. I love hearing about all his cases and the things he learns. I love how he is chasing his dream to become a doctor.

Other than work we have our hands full at church too. I was asked to be the CTR 7 primary teacher and Travis was asked to be the Cub Master. I laughed so hard when Travis was called. Several wards we have been in have asked me to be in scouts and I always had an excuse, work. Well I guess they gave up on me and went after Travis. I really don’t know how he feels about it. I am getting used to being in Primary. I keep my cool most of the time but I do lose it sometimes on crazy days. I am learning to be patient and humble and I think that is what I was meant to learn.

The holiday season is kind of a sad one around here. We did not get to go home for Thanksgiving. For one we both had to work almost the whole week but we also are way too far away. We did have a fantastic meal though. We got together with friends that weren’t going home to Utah either. Each family made different things and played some games. It was relaxed and fun and then we were able to talk to both of our families to make sure they knew we missed them. Christmas is going to be the same. I have to work like a crazy person and Travis only has a week off so we made the sad decision to stay here. We are hopeful that even though we are away from friends and family we will make it a good memorable holiday. We hope to make some trips to see family next year but time will only tell.

We are so grateful for all the support and love from you all. We hope that the Christmas season finds you and yours healthy and happy. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you all.

Until next year.

Love,

Travis, Kamala, & “Rocco”

Okay Let's Catch Up!!!

Okay, I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything but I doubt you have even noticed, so here goes.

I have been insanely busy with work, and getting us ready for the holidays. There is really too much all close together so posting stuff was the last thing on my list of things to do so I apologize.

We will begin with the latest happenings in the Sloan (midwest) family.

Christmas was fun and even warmer than the last 3 we have celebrated. It poured down rain the entire day making the grass even greener. I was thrilled but Trav was bummed.

Our lovely mini tree with all our goodies.

I thoroughly enjoyed our traditional pancakes with strawberry breakfast. Yummmy!

Travis is the King of Pancakes in our house. He makes them so much better than I can.

This was the week before Christmas. There was a Christmas Tree lighting in a near by town so we went with our friends the Kraczek's to enjoy them. It was tons of fun and we even took a ride in a horse drawn carriage.

The freezing cold couples getting a group shot.

Thanksgiving feast that we shared with the Kraczek's. It was a feast and oh how it tasted good.

After being married for 5 yrs I figured that we deserved to own special place settings. I splurged a bit but doesn't it look good?

I know this one is quite old but I had to post it. As many people know Halloween is my favorite holiday so I had to post our porch decorations.

(we forgot to do pumpkins this year)

This was at the Haunted Hay Ride that a local fire station put on. The line was enormous so we ended up just chilling by the fire for a while instead of going.

Just decorating cookies with the Kraczek's.

Lastly we celebrated Travis' birthday at the beginning of October. As you can see he was a pretty happy birthday boy. Gotta love that handsome man of mine.

Well thanks for hanging in there and getting caught up with all our craziness. We have enjoyed our first semester here in Dayton, can't wait to see where 2010 puts us.