I wrote this post for you!!

I made the mistake a few months ago of naming specific people who have made a lasting impression on my life. Of course, I didn't name every single person that deserves to be on the list, and because of this, lots of people were offended! So, to all those I didn't mention by name, this post is for you.

I got the idea from my good friend, Lydia. She did a post a little bit ago and without naming people, wrote a trait or talent that each person has. So, thanks for the ingenious idea, Lyd!

If you're reading this, I know who you are, and this is for you.

*You're one of the best friends I could ask for. I know I can always call you about any random fact or just to spill my guts out and you'll always be there to listen. The pizza isn't so bad, either :).

· *If I could describe the word 'loyal,' it would be you. You're practically a sister to me. What I'm thankful for most is having a best friend who gets me.

· *You have so much courage and a great sense of self. You're very honest, sincere, talented, and apparently have a great memory of things that I don't remember happening!!

· *Thanks for always being a good friend and being on my side even when I'm probably wrong. You're one of the best parts about me marrying into this family and I love you!

· * You're a very patient and fun mother who I've always looked up to my entire life. You've always been supportive of my decisions, support I've needed many times from others and didn't get.

· *Essentially, you've always been a good and trusted friend. You make me laugh, you understand why I get irritated, and you have a beautiful gift of music, art, and comedy in general!

· *You're not afraid to try anything! Whenever I hear about a new trendy craft or skill, I'm sure you've already done it.

· *I'm thankful for you because you are as sweet a friend as they come. I liked you even before you broke out of your "shy" stage, and I admire how you look at life and live it to the fullest. You fulfill every single goal you set and are a light to others.

· *Man, sometimes reading about your life makes me tired! You're a very cute mother of 3 and are probably the most considerate wife I've ever known. You're honest. You're also very self-less and I admire your patience!

· *Every time I read your blog posts I laugh! I'll tell you again, please write a book!!

*I don't think you know how beautiful you are. I know it's not fair why some people are blessed in certain ways and others aren't, but you deserve to be happy and to have everything everyone else has. You're a good friend, and you're always very sincere.

· *Some women are born with amazing maternal instincts, some have to work at it (like me!). You are a wonderful mother and never think twice about serving others.

There.

Thank you.

Everything's shaping up for 'ol Erika

Last week was bad. Our car almost died! I was driving home on Friday (Oct. 29th) from the party store when I noticed that our oil light was constantly blinking at me. I called Dustin right away and told him what was happening. He asked if the car was smoking, was making funny noises, or even smelled questionable- None of the above. He then inquired where I was and finding out that I was only about 1 1/2 miles away, he told me just to come home. I was watching the dashboard like a hawk making sure the temperature didn't rise. It was an intence and scary drive, especially since I had Lillie in the car with me.
After I pulled up and got out of the car, I noticed there was a trail of oil down the road I just traveled. I went inside and in a panic-stricken voice called out to Dustin. He went outside and popped open the hood only to find that every square inch of the hood and engine was covered in oil. He even took one of our wheels off only to find more and more and more oil. The dipstick was bone dry, and even after adding 2 more quarts of oil, nothing was registering. That night was the Trunk-or-Treat, so we hurried and blew-up 50 water balloons for Lillie's costume (pictures to come in a later post) and all packed in to the 2-seater pickup to drive a little over 1/2 mile to the church parking lot, don't tell.
Luckily, we found a guy in our ward who specializes in Honda/Toyota mechanics (thank goodness!). We towed our beloved car over to his place a couple days later. A butt-load of money later (which would have been at least doubled at a 'real' place) we got our car back ONLY TO FIND that there must be car-angels out there watching over us. Apparently when that oil light flashes, it means there's no oil pressure at all going to the engine.... and usually when that happens, when an important seal has broken and all the oil has been gushing out of your engine, your engine usually explodes in about 15 seconds- rendering your car as a 2,000 pound paper weight.
You see why there must be car angels? Because I drove the car for a good 6 minutes after that happened. I was even driving it on I5 at a high speed for a good mile.

Well, naturally I didn't see it as a blessing at first. I was pretty upset! It's not like we just have that money laying around for this kind of set-back. All the money we had been saving to go to Idaho for Christmas has now gone to repairing our only vehicle. Another blessing, though, is that with just 90 dollars remaining to our name until the next payday (2 weeks later), I was miraculously able to buy groceries for our family of 4 for only 36 dollars. I bought all the usual stuff and have a dinner menu for at least 15 meals. Coincidence?

Things started shaping up in the most inconceivable way. Not only did the previous 2 miracles happen, but I also received a ticket to Time Out for Women! To make a long story short, My bro-in-law's mother wasn't able to go so she gave me her ticket. I spent this past Friday and Saturday at the convention center in Portland with Tacie and Laura. We even stayed in a nice hotel, ate at Red Robin and everything. No kids, no diapers, no bedtime routine, no accidents, no tantrums. I haven't slept that good in years. The speakers were incredible and with the theme of "Hope," I really did come back home with a renewed importance of my role as a mother- something I have been struggling with. It was an experience I had been praying for and that I really needed.

On top of THAT, I just received tickets for the Mo Tab Christmas Concert featuring David Archuleta! Tickets were so difficult to get that they turned the entire thing into a lottery, with just one entry per address. AND I WON! I've been trying to get tickets to this thing for 4 years now. We're not sure if we're going yet, but just receiving the tickets in the mail made my day yesterday.

PLUS, Dustin is on-call for his work this week. That means he's still working 40 hours a week, but after work from 5pm-7am he has an activated cell phone for emergency maintenance matters. It's a blessing (contrary to what your instincts might think) because all it means is more moo-la. So, maybe we can afford gas to Idaho and back plus a moving truck rental/expenses?! We'll see. Hopefully he gets called in a lot... (he want to, too)

So there you have it. It looks like things are finally turning around!

Can you belive it??

This was our tiny 6 pound 8 ounce Jack when he was just 9 days old...

...and now here's our handsome, happy little Jack a year old already!