El Paso, TX

As you all know I am in anesthesia school and am more than halfway done!! I will graduate in December of 2011. It has been an extremely hard and intense program for me along with the emotions of not being around my family as much. I have known all along that I would have to come to El Paso, TX for four months to do a rotation and have dreaded it for months.

Two weeks ago the time came to say goodbye to my little girls and head on this journey. It was the hardest day of my life. I held back the tears as I kissed my girls goodbye and left them at my mom's as Mike and I drove away. Once in the car where they couldn't see I let the river of tears run almost the whole way to Las Vegas where we stopped for the night.

Luck was with us when we went to dinner at the hotel and sat down at a slot machine and together won $300 plus dollars at the slot machine with only a couple pushes of the button! We got up the next morning and headed towards Phoenix, AZ where we were going to spend the night. When we got there it was only like 4:00 so we decided we would go ahead and keep driving. Let me tell you, by the time we got to El Paso around midnight I was completely tired of the car! We got into my apartment and realized that we needed some toilet paper and headed to Wal-Mart. We finally made it to bed around 2:30 and got some well deserved rest!. The next day was New Year's eve. We got up and went to Target to get a few things for my apt and then came back and went out with some of my classmates for a little New Year's eve fun! On New Years day I took Mike to the airport and have been lonely ever since.

It is so hard knowing that I made this decision to go back to school and that I have to be away from them because I chose to. I know everyone tells me that the time will fly and that I will miss them more than they miss me, but I still feel like a horrible mom for leaving them.

During the first week and a half here I cried every night after I talked to them on Skype, and I tear up every time I receive a picture message of them. It is getting a little easier now as I know I get to go home for a few days next week! I just hope and pray that my family will benefit from this sacrifice that we are all making for me to continue my education. I pray that it will teach my children that education is very important and that they will strive to do the best in school that they can.

This is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it has also made me come to realize and appreciate my husband for everything he is and isn't. He is the best dad my girls could ask for, I realize that every time I see him kissing and hugging them or joking with them to cheer them up. He is the best husband that I could ask for. Not many men would agree to let their wife go back to school well knowing they were going to have to do more than their 100% of duties at home and work. There is no way I could have done this without him. I am thankful that he is not jealous, and that he encourages me to go out to dinner with friends and co-workers so that I am not alone and depressed here. So, thank you Mike for all you have done for our family! XOXO

Here are some pictures of my home away from home in El Paso

The clubhouse is pretty nice, and I can't wait for it to warm up so I can hit the pool!

Discovery Gateway

This was our first time to The Discovery Gateway. We met Stephanie and her four little ones to play for a while. The kids had a lot of fun hanging out and playing with their cousins.

Braeden, Alexis, and Hali in the life flight!

I thought it would be funny to put Colson on the scale in the supermarket area! Funny how good he sat for me to weigh him!

The kids had a great time and it was fun to play with them before I had to head to El Paso.

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas morning was a little different than what we are used to. It was our first Christmas morning not having Grandma and Grandpa Weighall here to watch the girls open presents. We normally wake them up super early so Grandma and Grandpa can watch them open presents and then make it to Steph's house before her kiddo's are up. It was kinda quiet without them there.

So since I didn't have to wake the girls early, I didn't do my traditional wake them up with the camera flash! Alexis came into our room around 9:00 and then went and woke Hali up.

This is what they saw when they came around the corner into the family room!

SANTA CAME, SANTA CAME!!

Santa even ate some of the sugar cookies and drank some milk!

The girls were very excited about their new Barbie house, but immediately wanted to start digging in to their stockings to see what "little treasures" santa had left them.

After all the presents were opened the girls had a little breakfast and then we headed upstairs to get ready for Gage, Tori, Grandma Kathy, and Grandpa Gary to come over for round two of Christmas!

We all enjoyed opening presents again!

Alexis absolutely loved her snow white doll from grandma and grandpa!

Gage also loved his new fishing pole from Mike and I!

Tori got a new camera from Mike and I and this adorable hat that Grandma Kathy made! Doesn't she look cute!

The little girls of course made grandma play barbies with them! I admit I played with them also!

After we cleaned up mess number two, we waited... and waited... and waited for round three. My family, Steph and Travis, Kylee, Braeden, Madison, Colson, Grandma Net, Grandpa Steve, and Uncle Brent finally showed up around 6:00. We ate some dinner and then opened presents from each other.

I don't have any pictures from this round of Christmas. Steph used her camera so I will have to get them from her. It was total craziness with a million presents and paper strung all over! The kids had a blast as always!

I do have this cute picture of my mom's dog Ruptcy though!

Stephanie got her kids into their pajamas and was getting everything ready to go. When she went to look for Madison this is what she found:

Madison and Lexi had crawled in her bed and were watching a movie together. Madison said, "I am sleeping over"! Seriously the cutest thing ever! Unfortunately her parents took her to their car kicking and screaming! I hope these two will grow up to be the best of cousins ever! They are only six weeks apart after all and share half the same DNA!

So once again all the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over. My girls are another year older, and so am I.....bummer! I hope that they will always remember the love that I have for them and the reason for the season as it comes around each year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

LOVE,

ANGIE

(AKA; MOM, WIFE, DAUGHTER, SISTER, GRANDAUGHTER, STEPMOTHER, AND FRIEND!)

Christmas Eve!

We had a nice and relaxing Christmas Eve this year. We met my sister Stephanie and her family at the movie in SLC at 2:00. All of us went to Narnjia except for Gage and Mike. They went to another movie in the same theater. After the movie we all met up at Outback for dinner. Stephanie's in laws, and my mom and brother were also there.

I like going out to eat on Christmas Eve so no one has to clean up dinner mess!! After dinner we headed home and let the girls open their "Christmas Eve" present.

Lexi was very excited to get her christmas moose! She took him out of the package and immediately started hugging him!

You can tell this two little cuties were so excited that Christmas was in the morning! After we took these pictures Hali said, "I am going to bed now, goodnight". She then headed up stairs and crawled in her bed and went right to sleep. Lexi on the other hand wanted me to read her a story first, which I did, then I had to snuggle her for a while, which I did of course! I almost fell asleep with her, but I did get up around 11:00 to make sure Santa could come!