Phase 2 of the move. Hello Texas!

On Tuesday Morning,  Justin and I  got up at 4 am and headed to Midland, Texas. At first it started out great, other then the fact that I only had a few hours of sleep.  We Drove in the Dark to Thatcher Arizona, and stopped for a potty break/ light breakfast at burger king. We ordered as usual, but noticed it was taking a while for her to put in. then she starts asking me about my day and acting like we knew each other.  I somewhat questioned her, and stated we were driving through from Mesa, and She stops and asks me if I was from here. I informed her I wasn’t and she kept asking. She then Informed me that I had a twin in Thatcher, that looked just like me.

After that we took off again and headed over to New Mexico. The Next stop for us was Las cruces. As we went through town I had two cops follow me through town. luckily they never pulled me over for anything. After Las Cruces we headed into Alamogordo and White Sands. A long stretch of nothing, Although the history is cool. Right as we were leaving White sands we went through a border patrol station. I didn’t think anything of it, as I have never had any issues at border patrol as a white, blonde, hundreds of years back American. As we pulled up, Justin got waved right through, as I was used to. Then when I got up there, They asked if I was an American citizen and I stated that I was. They then asked me Where I was going. I stated that I was moving with my husband, who was in front of me from Mesa Arizona to Midland Texas. Then, They asked me if I was hiding someone in my car. I told them I wasn’t, and that it was all just stuff for the move. They asked me again as 4 people came out from the building and they got a dog to smell my car. I once again stated that I was not. They then asked to search my car. I was getting frustrated as we were on a time constraint and My husband was up on the road waiting for me. But I had nothing to Hide so I agreed. I told them how to open the trunk, and they opened it. They let the dog jump into my car and smell around for a minute, as they lightly looked through it. They finally realized I wasn’t Lying about what was in my car and they let me go along.

I was not happy about the situation. I understand they were doing their job, but I seriously felt like I were accusing me and totally violated my stuff. FINALLY we moved on from that and continued. Our next mission was to find some Cherry Cider that is a favorite of Justins Family. WE stopped off in a place called Cloud croft. It was very pretty up there ans here was snow, but there was not cider.

 As we continued we stopped off at every store we came across in search of this Cider, with no avail. Finally we found a little roadside place that carried it. We had succeeded!

After that we started another long boring drive into Hobbs New Mexico. When I say long and boring, I mean LOOONG and BORING. I am pretty sure I lost my mind completely on that drive. It’s a 2 lane road, and all you see if Semis, Pumpjack, and miles of nothing. I was singing songs on the top of my mind, questioning life and everything in it ( its 42) and playing I spy with Justin, which usually consisted of seeing a pumpjack, a truck, or a cow.

 When we finally reached Hobbs we realized we were Very much behind schedule. We had planned to arrive in Midland at around 5 pm, and it was 5 pm in Hobbs, with another hour and a half drive into town.We did a quick drive by instead of stopping for Food, and headed back on the road into town. When we Finally arrived in town, it was to late to sign into apartment so we checked into the Hotel.

Now, in Midland/Odessa, Hotels and apartments are hard to come by and VERY expensive. My dad had found a cheap(ish) hotel. We checked in and went up to the room. At first it looked nice. There is a fridge and a microwave and nice looking room. Then, we went into the bathroom. It was not good. The tub was leaking, the door was broken. We thought oh well, we have a place so that’s what will happen. I went to take a shower and found out that the handle was broken, the shower head was broken and there was no stopper. So we went Ghetto and found a cup and used a cup and a rag to shower. It was awesome. Its actually a very good time to count my blessings. I found an apartment, we have a real shower and we only have to spend one night at this place.

The next day we check into our apartment, This problem with moving from another state and not looking at the apartment first is that we never realized that our apartment was so small. after check in, we went over to Uhaul, the check in at Uhaul went very smooth, then we went to ABF to pick up our stuff.

that ended up going very smoothly. It only took the two of us about 45 mins to unload the ABF trailer and load up the Uhaul. We headed to our new apartment and unloaded, We were able to meet a few people from the new ward cause they came and helped us. We FINALLY were in our new home!

Well that is everything for now!

Over and out-

Jess

New year new life, hello 2014! It's good to finally meet you!

This year has definitely been a very busy year for me. I got engaged, went through the temple, got married, moved into a new apartment, decided to move to Texas, got pregnant, had a miscarriage, got a second job, moved out of apartment and quit my jobs. After a year like this, I am excited to see what happens to year. Since I didn't make resolutions last year, I am going to write out all my resolutions for this year.

1. Try to always be happy
2. Work out everyday that I can
3. Go back on my intolerance diet
4. Loose weight
5. Run in at least a 5k with my hubby
6. Get a good job or get into school again.
7. Get back into riding horses or volunteer at a therapeutic riding center
8. Go to Disneyland with my hubby
9. Go to the temple once a month
10. Read my scriptures every night
11. Have more patience

I love New Years since it a time to analyze where you are in life and decide what you want to change.   Change is something that is good for everyone to do, and once a year is better than never. I hope everyone had a good New Years!

Ttfn
Jess

Christmas and Phase one of the move

Christmas is over and now I have to act like an adult again. Drats! :) I love christmas and I'm sad to see it already over. This christmas was me and Justins first christmas together. It was also my first Christmas in Arizona. It ended up being a nice quiet day that we spent together, just the two of us. :) we opened presents and just spent the day being lazy.

Earlier in December my parents came down to see us and to spend time with us. We went to a house here in mesa with model trains through the whole backyard. It was very cool to see. The people living there must have spent a long time building up the collection.

After seeing that we went on a drive to see Christmas lights. We aw a house that has lights that go along with music playing, and we also went and saw the Mesa LDS temple lights. They were very cool. My parents were unable to stay real long and we were sad to see them go. Today is New Years Eve and Justin and I are officially moved out of our apartment. Yesterday was our moving day. It ended up taking longer than expected, but went fairly smoothly. We rented a uhaul and hauled our stuff to the middle of Phoenix to ABF to fill a trailer with our stuff. They are shipping it over to us. Filling the Uhaul was a little crazy. We found out very quickly that a King sized bed doesn't fit into a 10 foot truck. It took us a while to figure out how we were going to haul it and we were finally able to squeeze it into the very top. We were able to fit all of our stuff that we wanted to and headed over.

It took us a while to find the location but we found it. We pulled in and found out that instead of having a pod, we actually got a full trailer. We measured off 7 feet (since that was what we ordered) put the loading ramp up to the trailer and started to unload. It was actually very easy.

After we had finished we had to figure out how to put in the bulkhead and how to lock it up. We figured out the bulkhead very quickly but our locks we had brought didn't fit! Luckily the nice people inside told us where the nearest Walmart was. We rushed over and got some locks and finished up.

It was a very long day. I have figured out today we went up and down the flight of stairs at our apartment (36 stairs) at least 25 times. Today we cleaned to apartment and turned in our keys. I am kind of sad to say goodbye, but excited for our new adventure. I really hope our new apartment is ok. If its even half as nice as the one we were in I think I will be ok.

7 days from today and we leave for our new home in Midland Texas. I hope I'll survive!

Happy New Years! -The Whatcotts

~The Married life: 4 months of Marriage~

Back in March of 2013, while on a vacation in Utah, I got engaged. He proposed in St. George Utah, on a cliff overlooking the valley. It was soo amazing! I had been hoping it would happen on the trip, but was completely oblivious to it happening then.:)

In July 2013, I got married. My husband and I were married in Manti, Utah at the LDS Temple. It was the happiest day of my life!

On the day we got married, My husbands uncle offered us a job opportunity in Texas. Of course he wanted to move right away and look into this, but we decided to wait, as we had just signed a lease on our apartment, and I really didnt want to jump immediately into a move after getting married. We decided to wait until January to move so we would both have more time to prepare.
 In October I got a second job working part time at Petsmart to help pay for the move. Having a second job made me really appreciate my husband more, and realize how precious my time with him was. I am on average working 50-60 hours a week. I am lucky enough to have a husband that helps with the house chores!
The week of Halloween I had been feeling a little off, and decided to take a pregnancy test. It was positive!
We were going to parents! We had it confirmed by a doctor and started the process of making doctors appointments and changing my diet.

Later that week, I ended up miscarrying. It was a very hard time for my husband and I, but in the end, we knew it was a blessing in disguise, Since moving at the beginning of the second trimester would be very stressful, and would increase the risk of loosing it then.

It is now December and we have less than 30 days until we move! we have been packing and sorting all week. Its been a little crazy. We got our first tree and have it up in our slowly emptying apartment. This time next month and we will be in a new state, with new jobs, exploring our new start. I am excited to move with my hubby and excited to see what comes from the move! :)

Hopefully it all turns out well!

Merry Christmas from The Whatcotts!

Over and out

Jess

Life, and the world we live in.

It's been a while since I have written. A lot of that is due to the many changes that have gone on in my life the last few months. I have been in and out of jobs since losing my job in Oncology in November and started dating a wonderful man. For those of you that knew, I got offered a job working in Utah as a wrangler at a horse ranch for the summer, and had plans to go to China or the Ukraine to teach english to the kids this fall. However, due to some certain curcumstances, I decided to turn down the job as wrangler, and put of taching english in a foregn country for a little longer.



Back in Febuary I started a job working as a nanny for a 4 year old boy. It was the most wonderful, yet time consuming and exhausting job. I loved going to work, and I loved that little boy. Most days were filled with happiness, frustration, tears and love. It definately started to prepare me for motherhood, and definately opened my eyes to motherhood. At about the same time I started that job, I started dating my current boyfriend. He supported me fully with that job, and would do what he could to help me.



After about a month of nannying I got a call from a store that I had filled out a application for a while ago. It was Lane Bryant and they called me in for an interview. I decided to go in for the interview and I was hired the same day. It was very bitter sweet leaving my little 4 year old that I had grown to love so much, but I knew it was what I needed in my life at the time. LAne bryant had promised me enough hours to pay my bills, but as time progressed I was still not making enough, so I started looking for another job. I came across an ad for Banfield; the pet hospital, and decided to apply. I went in for an interview and ended up being late due to traffic and understimating the distance I had to drive. I did the interview anyway and appologized greatly for being late, but as I left the interview I was sure I didnt have the job. I called and talked to my mom about who reassured me that it wasnt as bad as I thought and that she was praying for me but I just knew I didnt get it.

2 days later I recieve a call from an unknown number and (as usual) I dont answer and let it go to voicemail. It was a call from banfield, and they wanted me to come back for a second interview. I just about died. I didnt think there any way I would have made it passed the first interview, but I was determined to show them that I wasn't a slacker. I went to my second interview and showed up a half hour early. That same day I was called and offered the job! :)




So as of now, I work at Banfield, Lane Bryant, and AVS. As well as volunteer on Friday nights to help a non-profit organization called Hoofbeats with Heart with a Gymkhana to raise money. As busy as it sounds ( and is) I couldnt be happier. I love all my jobs, and I love the people I work with. I also have the best boyfriend ever who puts up with constant change in plans due to long hours at work, moodiness due to the same thing, and some days not seeing me. I dont know how I got so lucky to have him, but I sure am lucky and blessed.



Another thing I have started doing recently is Swing Dancing. My dear friend Keith is slightly obsessed with it, and got me going. I go with Justin almost weekly to learn and dance. It is sooo much fun! I think everyone should learn how to swing. Its a good way to meet new people, and a fun thing to do on the weekends.


Well I think that is enough for now. sorry for boring you. :p

Goodbye 2011, HELLO 2012!!

I know it's a week into the new year, but I decided to avoid the 5 million people who are posting about the new year and do it a week later! :D Anyway... 2011 was a big year of learning. I had my first official boyfriend, and my first breakup, my first bad car wreck/ totaled car, my first experience buy a car on my own, I got laid off from a job for the first time, and to finish the year I ran my first half marathon.

A few other things that happened this year, is figuring out I'm intolerant to a lot of foods and loosing a lot of weight when going off of them. Figuring out what I want to do with my life, and going for it. I also made a ton of new friends this year, good and bad. I have been playing on a Ultimate Frisbee team (the best ever!), a softball team, and playing volleyball with the branch. All in all 2011 was a great year!
Looking back at the last year, I actually have huge hopes and goals for what I will accomplish this year, and already it has been an amazing year. Here are a few of my goals for this year

1. Continue running. Run at least one more half marathon and beat my time.
2. Get all A's in school this year.
3. Continue dating.
4. Fulfill my calling, no wait ROCK at my calling.
5. Become less centered on me, and do more service.
6. Two words. Bed time.
7. Don't turn down a talk in church.
8. Start a journal and write all my stories in them so one day I can tell them all to my children.

There are more, but I want to keep this simple. :)
As for number 7. That will be fulfilled in 2 weeks, as I got asked to speak in church in 2 weeks. :S Hopefully I will do well!!

I brought in 2012 by going to a fun dance party in Chandler. It was fun, and the group was great! I couldnt have asked for a better way to bring in another great year! Then Wednesday night I went to DDP (decentralized dance party)- which was awesome! And one of a kind - one of those awesome stories I hope to tell my kinds one day. Well its a little late, and I have to work on #6.

~~That's all for now from the thoughts of Jess~~

Today I will Be Happier than a Bird with a French Fry!

It's finally November, and as we all know, November is a Month of gratitude. It is also No Shave November. For today though I want to talk about gratitude.
Today in church we talked about graditude and the lords tender mercies. A friend of mine said " Tender Mercy is having your car start in the morning." How true is that? The lord doesnt HAVE to have our car start every morning, but it does, because He loves us. It definatly made me realize, what other things do I have that I take for granted? I am currently training for a half marathon and ran 4 miles last night. I ran those 4 miles slower than I had anticipated and I was a little upset about that. I had no right to be upset though. I have a good enough back and knees to be able to run, I didnt get hit by a car while running, and most of all, I was able to run 4 miles fairly easily. Instead of looking back at thinking "I should have done better" I need to look back and look and all those blessings!
Another thing I am grateful for is my friends. I have the worlds most amazing friends. Friends that I can talk to whenever I need. Friends that listen to me rant and rave about something that has upset me, and just give words of encouragement and ask what they can do to further help me. I know without my friends I would not be able to make it through all the trying times that I have had lately. I have also realized how important it is to have good friends, friends that lift you and want to help you be a better person. If you dont have friends like that currently, maybe you should start looking for new friends. It will make a huge difference in your life! I know from experience.
Im grateful for my family, but I have covered them in a blog before so I wont go in to detail in this blog. Last I am grateful for for my church. I am soo glad I went to church today. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for all the blessing that my Heaving Father has given to me. I am thankful to know I am loved, and for the scriptures. All in all I am very grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I am grateful for sooo many more things, but I dont want to bore you all to death with them all. :)

These are all my thoughts for now.