CAMPAC 2011

Every year the agency Shane works for does an end of the year retreat for all of the employees. It is a fun way to get to know the other agents, make some friends and compete for awards. This year it was at the Summit Chateau in Brian Head. Let's just way we signed up for the adventure pack and didn't even realize it. It all started with a long car ride to Grandma's house. Brody was left with Grandma and Grandpa Chappell so that he could enjoy some time there playing with his Aunts and Uncle. Shane, Elsie and I made our way up to the parking lot where the shuttle was supposed to pick us up. After waiting an hour+ for the shuttle (We were determined not to miss the shuttle) a member of our group got a message saying that the shuttle had broken down and they were coming to take us all in by snow mobile. I'm thinking to myself, "Holy crap how is this going to work with a baby?" I had her in my wrap and tucked into my coat but that didn't make me any more comfortable about the situation. We also had a lot of stuff since we had to pack for Elsie which included a Pak 'N' Play. When they showed up I was happy to hear that they had a ranger that I could ride in for the 2 miles up to the cabin. We were all able to make it to the cabin safely and Elsie slept through the whole thing. The first thing we got was our room assignment which I was very hopeful that we'd get to stay in a yurt. We ended up in the cabin which in the end was a lot better since we had Elsie there. We didn't have to trek through the snow to our room or the bathroom. We also had our own bathroom in our room so that was a plus. After settling in we were able to go down and mingle with the guests that had already arrived. Within an hour of being there I had already made a friend and was getting to know a lot more people. As more people showed up the competitions started to get going. Every couple got to compete in pool, dance, air hockey, ping pong, foosball, poetry and even a triathlon for cash prizes. The triathlon was a couples thing and the events were a crossword puzzle, snow shoeing and cross country skiing (I did snow shoeing and Shane went skiing) and the final event was target shooting with a BB gun. We took 4th in that and we made it to the semi-finals for air hockey where we were quickly eliminated. I got a nice slice of humble pie when we competed in the dance competition. It was Dance Central for the kinect and I had never done it before. I was lucky to make it to the second round out of 4. On the last night we were there we hadn't had any success at winning any of the competitions so far but there was still one that was to take place during the banquet that night. Shane was working on his poem for that evening when we started to smell something burning. Everyone kept asking if the food was burning and kept checking on it but it was fine. Finally someone went into the room where the linens were stored and someone had stacked the linens clear to the ceiling under a light that got left on. The top comforter was smoking up a storm and may have been on fire but I'm not sure on that detail. All I know is that there was a lot of smoke and the comforter ended up outside in the snow. No damage was done to the cabin and we were able to stay in it after all the doors were left open and the fans left on to air the whole place out. Luckily the smoke didn't reach the bedrooms upstairs so it didn't stink up there. It's kind of ironic that something like this happened in a cabin full of insurance agents. After all that fun stuff we ate dinner and had the banquet. They started off with all of the awards for the competitions that took place so far. After that they gave out the serious awards and honored a lot of agents. Once that was all over they had the poetry contest. Most new agents don't know the secret behind the poetry contest so they end up going first and reciting some love poem only to realize by the end that all the experienced agents end up roasting each other. Shane was lucky to be in a crowd that helped him learn the ropes before this so his poem fit right in. We were very happy about that because the judge ended up picking his as the winner. After everything settled down and the kiddos were in bed many of the adults brought the night to a close playing mafia. This being the second night we'd played this the mafia hadn't won a game yet. I was able to put that to an end by somehow with my horrible acting skills deceiving a room full of people into thinking I was a citizen and winning the game. I'm still confused as to how I pulled that one off. The next day quickly came with good news that the shuttle was fixed and we didn't have to worry about riding out on snow mobiles. The entire trip was a blast and I am excited for next years adventure. I'd post pictures but in the move we lost our camera charger and our camera was dead so we only have video footage of our trip. If I figure out how to make it work on here I will post some footage but so far every time I have tried I've failed. Apparently I'm not very tech savvy and have a lot to learn. Until next time, have a great day!

Pictures Catch Up

I figured since I haven't posted in a while I should put some pictures up showing some of the big events that have happened in our life in the last year.

Shane graduated with his bachelors in finance and I got my general associates.


Brody and Grandma enjoyed some broccoli out of the garden. This was all his idea since he decided it was cool to get it out of the garden to eat.


He played in his pool as often as he could and loved every minute of it.


Elsie joined our family on July 21st, 2011.

She was 8lb 15oz and 20in. tall

Brody turned 3 on July 31st and had a lovely birthday party. He had an awesome train cake to go with it.

Elsie had her first bath and of course she calmed right down as soon as the water hit her hair. I love the look an babies faces when they feel the water run through their hair. Hers goes really curly when it gets wet.


Brody and Elsie played together. It was hard to rein Brody in sometimes and teach him that she was really fragile so he had to be soft with her.


It's always fun to have a girl around because I love to dress her up in cute clothes. Here she was waiting for me to get ready so that we could go to church.

Brody made things easy for Halloween this year. He decided to be a monkey again for the 2nd year in a row. He decided this after I bought a sheet and spent a lot of time turning it into a ghost costume for him. I got him to try it on and he decided to be a monkey instead. Hopefully the ghost will work for next year. It was a little big on him this year. Elsie was a duck. She really didn't mind wearing her costume and even took a nap in it while we were out trick or treating. This picture was taken afterwards right before they took off their costumes so she was getting a little bit tired of being stuffed in it for so long.


We celebrated Christmas in Cedar City with family.

We finally managed to have a picture taken with all of our family in it. It's sad that Elsie is 5 months in this picture and it's our first picture together.

Elsie got to play in the walker I played in when I was little.

Elsie and Shane are showing off beanies they got for Christmas.

Elsie started off the new year by figuring out how to sit up by herself without falling over. I really hope to be better at posting on my blog. Things have really settled down since we moved and now I have even more of a reason to post. Hope everyone enjoyed!

Catch Up Q&A

Q. Where are you living now?

A. We've moved a bit North of where we used to live. I guess you could say we live in the valley of cheese now.

Q. How are you liking your new location?

A. We love it here. We are renting a beautiful home and the valley is beautiful. It is a bit bigger than our previous location but we enjoy knowing that there are more shopping options other than Wal-mart. We do miss being away from the majority of our family but so far we've been able to visit often because of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Q. How many kids do you have?

A. We have 2 kids. Both of them are such a joy to have in our family. Brody is 3 and he thinks he is the boss of the house. Every time we play a game he has to tell everyone what color they will be playing with. He has more energy than any of us know what to do with and can be the biggest sweetheart. He loves his sister and is always giving her hugs and kisses and trying to make her laugh. Elsie is almost 6 months and has a smile that can melt anyone's heart. She has a big sense of adventure and is starting to explore the house more and more one roll at a time. She loves her toys and her mom but loves to stare at dad with a big grin on her face. Brody is a big joy in her life because she loves to watch him play with his toys.

Q. Where are you currently working?

A. Shane is an agent for American National Insurance. He is currently licensed to do life insurance, home and auto insurance. He is in his first year of starting his business and we look forward to seeing what the future holds. I am currently a "play" at home mom since I get to stay at home and play with my kids. I am also considering expanding a business promoting going green by shopping for household items through Melaleuca. It was there I was introduced to the last brand of lotion I will ever buy because it cleared up the eczema I had been fighting for 3 years in about 2 weeks.

It is crazy how life can change so much in a matter of months but as I look back I can see the Lord's hand in our life. We searched for months for the right place to live with no luck. With the home we are currently living in, we applied for it and within 4 hours the landlord called us with the news that it was ours if we wanted it. After much thought and prayer we took a leap of faith and accepted his offer. It all happened so fast but it all felt so right. I can't imagine life going any differently and look forward to what the future holds.