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Ricks College (BUY-I) 1992

As we go through life there are certain moments in time that are defining moments of our selves. Places in the road of life that are critical to our outcome, molding our future. These moments are often unnoticed to us at the time. While we are walking our path we are unaware at the time how important a certain choice will be. It isn't until years later that we realize what that moment and time really meant to us. Its long after the moments have pasted that we can reflect and fully embrace how a certain time, with certain people, making certain choices was such a self discovery, one that helped us to grow into the person we are at present. One of these times for me was my time and the friends I made my Freshman year at Ricks College (now BYU=I) in Rexburg Idaho.
Growing up in a large Southern City (Atlanta, Ga) I had never left the East Coast, never flown on an Airplane and NEVER been surrounded by more than a handful of LDS friends at one time. My testimony was FAR from my own, I was 18 and still riding on the testimony of my Mother. I left my home, the wonderful and energetic city of Atlanta, and all my friends, friends that I went to Elementary, Junior High and High School with, to fly across county by myself and live in a dorm full of girls I did not know, a religion I barely understood, and to a small town half the world had NEVER heard of!
As I walked into my new dorm for the first time (which by the way was at the very TOP of a hill, an elevation I had NEVER been, I was now out of breath and my nose was bleeding) I was greeted by one of my new roommates. Shortly there after I met the other two roommates and they could not have been any more strange, unknown and foreign to me if they had been from a different planet all together. And in alot of ways they were. Two of the roommates were from some small towns in Idaho where the population was the size of neighborhood back home and the other was from New Mexico. They all had grown up completely surrounded by the church and its members, they were the reason the term "Molly Mormon" was invented! Not to mention the fact that I was completely dumb founded as to why in the world it was snowing in October and why my nose hair felt so stiff and weird! I was completely miserable! I cried for an entire 2 months straight, planning my escape out of this alternate universe every night! Trying to figure out exactly where Idaho was actually at on the map, and how I was going to get home from there.
On a cold winter morning as I was walking to my first class with my head down as to not look anyone in the eye ( like I always walked!) wearing my wool socks with my Birkenstock sandals, it all changed for me. Someone reached out to me and with four simple words, my Ricks College experience changed and as a result of that experience my life changed. I meet some of the most amazing people my short time out West. I made friends that I would hold in the highest regard for the rest of my life. Some I chat with through email from time to time, some I read their blogs others I haven't spoke with since 1993 and a there are a few that I have tried to find for years with out any luck. Yet every single one of them hold a special place in my heart and are in my thoughts often. You don't have to spend a life time with a friend to have a friend for life, time is invalid compared to the impact someone can have on your soul. To all of these friends that may find my words, know that I love you and you are a special soul that touched my heart in ways you will never know.

Fall In the South!!

With tween/teen hormones flying like crazy in the Pooler Home, we still find time to have some fun!!!!

Fall in the South..... With the world being as it is today its important to always remember the pleasures, beauty and miracles in your daily lives. Being born and raised in the South I have come to have a bit of a love triangle with my home land. A love hate relationship in some manners. The South has some of the kindest and most hospitable home grown people. We are brought up to say "Yes Ma'am and Yes Sir", we have been taught to love the simplicities of life and live accordingly, and being from the Bible Belt Religion is just a way of life. Being an LDS church goer in the Bible Belt has proven to have a fair share of challenges to say the least! Living in a large Metro Area I have the opportunity for diversity. Neighbors on one side of us are a very nice Homosexual older couple that have the most gorgeous landscape of anyone in the neighborhood, while on the other side of us our neighbors are some "good ole boys" that have a Rebel Flag flying from their porch, but they make some killers Fried Chicken! Life in the South as an active Latter Day Saint always exciting to say the least. So when fall time comes we take the time to admire the beautiful colors around us exploding from the many trees in our yard and on our roads. What we realized recently is that the beautiful colors all around us go far beyond the changing leaving on the trees.

Only 2 more to go!!!!

There are only two more Nascar races to go and we are all sooooo excited for the season to end and have Jeremy back home for a change! Carl Edwards is currently in 2nd place in the race for the cup, so make sure you watch and cheer us on to win the season!!!!

oh but she's soooo cute....

Ashelyn busted....

So, this is what you get when the boys are out repelling down trees in the back yard and they decided that giving their little sister a rock climbing chalk bag is a good idea........

And my little scarecrow, punk rocker and hippie on Halloween.....

And last but not least my dare devil boys and Ashelyn trying to keep up with them....

My wonderful son Devlyn!!

There has been alot going on for Devlyn the past few weeks! His birthday was July 30th and he turned 12!! I can't believe my baby boy is twelve now! Time really does fly by, treasure those moments you have with the kids because they are gone before you know it! :( He had a great birthday and loves his gifts. He is really into the illusionist/magician Chris Angel so he took all the money he received from out of town family and bought a ton of "magic" supplies. He is actually doing really well with it!
Devlyn was ordained a Deacon this past Sunday at Church, and that was a really cool experience for both Devlyn and myself. (Jeremy was out of town of course!) My little baby boy can now pass the sacrament......crazy!! This past Weds the youth in our Church ward took a day trip to the Columbia South Carolina Temple to do baptisms. Which has to be a day trip since its the closest Temple to Charlotte and its still over 2 hours away! I vote for a Temple being built here in Charlotte, but yet I see that they are building yet ANOTHER temple in Utah! I guess our time will come. Anyway...since Dev turned twelve and was ordained this past Sunday he was able to go with the youth group!!! He had the best time ever!! He was glowing when he returned home and was telling me all about the trip. He said "It was so beautiful and peaceful and I just had the best time! I loved it there. I did 15 people and I feel like a missionary now. Its cool!" I am extremely proud of Devlyn and really glad he was touch by the spirit and able to feel a little slice of what the Temple is all about!

Summer time Fun!

So J.C apparently loves frogs and has captured many that I have made him release unpleasing to him. But he decided to introduce his sister Ashelyn to them and she loved them as well. Devlyn and J.C love the slip n slide but seem to have even more fun in Ashelyn's baby pool on our back porch!! Who knew...

We like to train them early in the art of computer science!

With summer time fun also comes summer time boredom for those of the Middle School tween age groups I am finding out. Its harder to keep them busy and occupied at this age, but its also important to keep them busy because when they are bored is when they either destroy the house, come close to killing each other or get into mischief that isn't always a good thing. So the boys found their Dad's shaving cream and went with it! Pretty funny except they scared Ashelyn so bad she didn't want to talk to them for a few days! Life is ever changing and never dull with two tween boys that are only 9 months apart!

New Home!!!

Well its been a while since I have been able to post on the blog and I have missed it!! We are finally moved in to our new home and J.C is finally here with us. Its been crazy around here that is for sure. We have moved way too many times during our marriage and let me just say that while I may be a professional at moving now I still dread it with every being of my body!!!!

My sister in law Wendy came up with the kids to visit us from Atlanta. We all went to an amusement/water park near us call Carowinds. They had a blast! It was really nice having some of my side of the family here for a visit. We are here in North Carolina with very limited family and NONE from my side, so its always a treat to see my relatives. My niece Amanda stayed to spend the summer with us and its has been such a help having her here. She is wonderful with Ashelyn and is actually the only one that hasn't been grounded yet this summer! LOL

Devlyn has a birthday coming up on July 30th, he will be 12, and that is starting to make me feel old!! J.C will be 13 in October 13th and Ashelyn will be 2 on October 2nd.....are we done with the baby making or is there room for one or two more???? Honestly, it depends on the day you ask me.....lol

Jeremy was home for a week and a half and it was really awesome, but he left this morning for Indianapolis and wont be home until Monday, and the kids and I miss him already. Here are some pics of our new home.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTORSPEEDWAY

Jeremy is in New Hampshire this weekend for the race. The #99 Team will be starting 7th!! We really need another win so cross your fingers!!
We at home just finished "farm sitting" for some friends of ours and also packing and getting ready for the move on Tuesday! Farm sitting is no easy task by the way! It was fun but I am not quite sure I would want to do it full time! We are all so ready and excited to move and be done! I am ready to just relax and take a break....do we as mothers actually get one of those?

SERENA GOOLSBY!!**~~

This blog entry is for my twin sister Serena. She is a wonderful wife to her husband Mickey and an awesome mother to two beautiful girls... Kaylin and Josey!! Her family lives on a several acres of beautiful land in Villa Rica Georgia. They have a very prosperous garden growing this year and I can't wait to taste some of the yummy veggies!! Along with several chickens, there "son" Max (a dog by the way) and a very LOUD African Grey Bird named Roxy they have a few squirrrels that run the porch! These squirrels wont let you go in or out with out giving them some peanuts! Kaylin is the oldest and is 13 going on 18 and knows it! LOL And little Josey is almost 3 and she is such a busy body for sure!

Recently Serena, who has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis since she was 21 years old, had a surprise pregnancy that sadly ended last week. She was pregnant with twins and miscarried the first twin three weeks ago and last Wednesday was admitted into the hospital due to the second twin being a Ectopic pregnancy, which is a fertilized egg that has implanted outside the uterus. Emotionally drained and physically healing, Serena is doing very well under the circumstances. She is a very strong women and even though I hate that she is going through this, I have all the faith in the world that she will come out of this an even stronger and more beautiful person than she already is.

I have made a garden flower pot to put in my yard in memory of the two angels that are now in heaven waiting to be united with their mommy in eternity. I found a perfect flower called "Serena Angelonia"!! How perfect to find a flower for my sister that is her name sake "Serena" and her little angel's "Angelonia"!! I have put the Serena Angelonia's in a flower pot here at my house to show tribute to my sister and her two angels. This flower pot will be with my family here in North Carolina every day representing our missed family in Georgia. Keep my sister and her family in your thoughts and prayers.