What did you do over your summer vacation?

Tomorrow's a day away.....

It has taken me a little while to update what has been happening with the Life of Fife. The past month has been very busy with a lot of decision making and a lot of stress. It all started the week my brother came home from his mission. My whole family was in town and catching up. On the way home from a Mariner's game, my sister in law asked me how my job with the Crooks was going. I told her I really enjoyed their family and loved getting to know the kids. I was getting to a point where I was comfortable with the kids and we were really bonding and building relationships. I explained my travel and work schedule for the next few months and I realized that I wouldn't be around very much. I think it was the first time it really hit me how much time was required with the job. But even still, I was excited to go to California, possibly go to Disneyland, Lego Land, etc. I was excited to meet Ruby, their new daughter, when she arrived from China. I was excited to take Ciara and Hunter on field trips during the days when school started. I didn't think much of it until I got an e-mail from Jennifer that night.

What timing! Jennifer was checking in on how everything was going with the job. We both thought everything was going well, but her old babysitter had called and was looking for a job and said she would absolutely love to have mine if it wasn't working out. This made me start thinking....fast! Maybe I was getting a little hesitant about the time commitment for a reason. After talking to Mike and Jennifer, I felt this strong impression that I should give their old babysitter the job. It sounded perfect for her. I knew I would miss the kids and working with Mike and Jennifer, but I think after time, I would miss being home and being with my family and friends throughout the year. The whole decision making happened so incredibly fast but yet, so easily. It felt right for everyone. The word on every one's lips was WEIRD. Within a couple of days, the Crooks had a new nanny and I didn't have a job or a car. I still worked for the Crooks for two more weeks which included a nice trip to Langley, British Columbia. A few days after coming home from Langley, my dad and I found a nice little car online in Portland. A little granny owned it and only drove it to the library and the golf course so it was a great deal. My dad picked it up and will drive it to Seattle in a week. It will be nice to see my new set of wheels. The granny had some style. :) I feel blessed to have that work out as easy as it was. My dad even knew the lady's nephew. They went to high school together. WEIRD.

After I talked to the Crooks about leaving, I worked hard and fast to get teaching applications out to districts. I knew everything would work out, I just didn't know how. I contacted everyone I knew and networked, networked, networked. I knew my chances of getting a job were slim since school was starting in a couple of weeks. As of now, I still don't have a teaching job but I still feel like everything will be ok. I had a couple of interview opportunities. They were great practice but they didn't feel right. I know the perfect job is out there for me and I may end up subbing for awhile until I find it. I'm ok with that. I know I have made the right decisions in my life over the past few months and I'm being led to something amazing. Maybe at the end of this path will be my Mr. Right?? It could happen. :)

For now, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive during this time. So many of you have written letters of recommendation, filled out forms, sent cards, called to check in, etc. I am so blessed to have great friends and family who truly care. One of my favorite things I did with the Crooks kids was sing along with the Annie soundtrack. They were the cutest things!!! I have their voices in my head singing away..."The sun'll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow, you're always a day a way." I'll keep you updated with what's in store for my tomorrow.

Trailer Sweet Trailer

If you were wondering where I lived when I was on the road....wonder no more. Here are a few pictures of my home away from home. I lived in the smaller trailer with Catherine. It was fun living with a 14 year old. She made made me realize how old I really am, but taught me how to fit in with the teenagers these days. She was a great roommate and we got along very well.

Here's Holly posing outside my trailer.

My Bedroom. The closet is to the left of the bed.

This is looking from my bedroom to the rest of the trailer. Straight ahead is the bathroom. The front door is to the left. I was set up to cook, but I mainly used the microwave.

This is the Crooks' RV. It is really like a small apartment on wheels. It is very nice with a lot of room and storage for everyone. They set up a play area between the two trailers for the kids to play outside.

I am standing in the master bedroom looking at the living area. The door by the TV leads to the kids room. It is set up very nice and it was comfortable being there most of the day with all of the kids. They have a lot of toys and art supplies to keep us busy. I tried to get out of the RV once a day with the kids either going swimming, to the zoo, park, to a movie, bookstore, etc. I did more cooking here since it was set up very well and easy to do. I was hesitant at first to light the stove and oven with a match, but after my eyebrows stayed on, I gained confidence.

Big, Bigger, Biggest

Here are a few pictures of what I drove working for the Crooks. The van was hard to get used to at first, but NOTHING like the truck. It was a workout to drive because every muscle in my body became tense as I was behind the wheel. After awhile, it was fun to drive but my muscles hurt afterwards. I have to say, I got a lot of looks from guys as I was driving past them. It kind of made me smile as I listened to my Hairspray Soundtrack. What more could a guy want than a girl driving a truck and listening to show tunes??? Maybe I'll have to borrow that truck from time to time.

The Suburban, The Van, The Truck

I didn't mind driving this one around. I didn't get scared on the golf cart, unless one of the kids were driving. Hunter has some great skills, but I was hanging on for dear life! :)

If you look closely above the back wheel, you may see the scratch I made from a fence. I felt SO bad until Mike showed me all the other scratches that other girls left on the beast. I then felt like I left my mark and I was officially part of the family.

Justin's Airport Homecoming

The whole family was able to be at the Seattle Airport to welcome Justin home. We wore sunglasses and acted like the drivers you see picking up passengers. We all had a sign with different nicknames we call Justin. Even Gabrielle had a little sign. She was excited to meet her uncle for the first time. There was so much excitement and anticipation as we waited for him to walk out. It was an amazing feeling watching him walk towards us and to see our family all together again. It was very surreal! The first stop after the airport was Dick's. It made the homecoming that much better!

Just Two Years Ago....

.... my younger brother left to serve a mission for our church. He was in the Baltimore, Maryland area. He completed his 2 years of service and returned home on Thursday. My older brother and his wife and daughter flew into town for the homecoming. It has been great being altogether as a family again. This picture is before Justin left. I'll add the most recent picture of the more mature and grown up Justin soon.

Calgary, Alberta

Here are a few pictures of our trip to Calgary, Alberta. Calgary was beautiful and it was a neat experience going to different places with the kids throughout the two weeks of us being there. Thank goodness for a great GPS system and Google Map!

Cooling off eating ice cream at the Calgary Zoo. It was a HOT day!

Outside the Prehistoric Park at the Calgary Zoo.

Hunter at the jungle gym at Spruce Meadows.

It was a great place for the kids to play!

Sophie climbing up the slide.

Holly and Kai on the slide.

Ciara and Holly smiling for the camera.