Our Growing Family

Dustin and I are happy to announce that we are pregnant. Over the past several weeks we have been filled with happiness, fear, anticipation, anxiety, and gratitude. We are thankful that our prayers have been answered and will be welcoming a child into our lives June 10th 2010 or thereabouts. The baby is strong with a heartbeat of 164 bpm.

Morning sickness started about four weeks ago and does not let up. Really, it should be called all day sickness because it never lets up. We were told that it is an indicator of a healthy pregnancy, but it does not make the morning sickness any easier. I am experiencing almost every attribute of pregnancy outlined in What To Expect When Your Expecting. I also learned to only read about the week of pregnancy you are in and not skip ahead. It becomes rather overwhelming and a little frightening to read ahead. So, until Wednesday I will read all about week nine and nothing else.

L&D

a happy visit

At the beginning of August, Dustin and I took care of our niece Taisa (2), and our Nephew Zac (3). Zac worships the ground Dustin walks on and was really excited to stay at our house for a few days. We were able to take advantage of the amenities Daybreak offers and the kids had a blast. Here are some pictures from our adventure!

Zac (3)

Taisa (2)

At the pool
(Love the googles!)

Taisa playing in the lake

Beach and bucket fun

Our fun at the beach ends

Time for bed!

another year has come and gone

I know what your thinking. It's June (now July), not January. For me however, the end of a year is designated by the end of a school year. June 10th 2009 ends the 2008-2009 school year at Northwest Middle School (NWMS). NWMS is an inner city school in the Rosepark, Glendale area of Salt Lake City. Those of you who hail from bigger cities might scoff, but the past two years has taught me that SLC has a dangerous inner city. Everyone has heard of Compton, Longbeach, Watts, and other cities in California that glorify gang life. Up until the late 70's, these gang ridden areas were the cheapest easiest place for illegal immigrants to settle. However, when the violence became too frequent and too intense, these immigrants needed a safer place to go. One of the many places they found was a small quiet neighborhood called Rosepark, in the SLC area. Many people left their families, children, grandparents, and friends to come to a safer place. What they did not leave behind was their gang ties and loyalties. In the 80's SLC was forced to create a Anti-Gang Task Force to help combat the gang problem that had migrated to SLC's north west side. In the early 90's the gang problem became so big that four large gangs picked up and moved to Ogden, Utah. What remains today is a community stuck in termoil. NWMS is comprised of 90% Hispanics (over 80% illegal), 4% Tongan, 4% Polynesian, and 2% other. Despite the hardships, violence, and influences my students face, they want to do the right thing. Doing the right thing is incredibly hard if your everyone around you is making bad decisions. I commend my students for ignoring the "hard looks", name calling, and bullying by other students in order to finish middle school. Cheers to a wonderful 2008-2009 year!

The Last Fetzer Graduation

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS CHARDO! You are the last Clark B. Fetzer. and the last Percy K. Fetzer to graduate. What a legacy. Graduating high school is the first day of the rest of your life, and the day you've been waiting for. Your graduation on June 2009 is exactly ten years after my June 1999 graduation. "Oly...Oly, Oly, Oly!" You have the world at your feet Rich. College, a mission, getting married, having kids, having an incredibly successful carreer, and serving others along the way. I know that getting to this point was not easy, and I am proud of the hard work you have done.
Love,
Libby

Interior Pictures

As requested here are some pictures of the interior of our home. As it is new and was originally built for an out of state investor, the interior lacks the detail and character that accompanies most older homes. Libby and I see this as our opportunity to truly make this home ours. In the coming years we will be making many modifications. At the top of our list? The most practical of modifications: a garage door opener. Libby and I, with the help of some friends, installed our new garage door opener this last weekend. I am happy to report that it actually works!

In time however, we would like to add paint, laminate flooring, a back splash for the kitchen, trim and a closet organizer. For now we are just happy to be in our new home.

Finally:.Home Sweet Home

Our Home:.
As seen from a walk we took together

25 Random Things

I was sure I would be able to avoid the 25 random things post, but I have not. I feel better about posting 25 random things than e-mailing it. I hate mass e-mails that are sent out. I feel like I am "force feeding" unwanted information to people when I do that. Friends, co-workers, and family have asked me if or when I will post 25 random things. My answer is now.

25 Random Things

1. Instead of saying swear words out loud, I sign them. (ASL)

2. I recently started wearing jewelry. (necklaces)
3. In college, I got so frustrated with a music theory class that I threw my workbook over the cliff on Fourth North. (Dustin and Trent retrieved the book later that night)
4. I passed music theory.
5. I'm an ultimate Aggie.
6. While learning sign language, I told a guy who asked me on a date that I could not go because I had to make out all weekend. (I meant work)
7. I LOVE to cuddle. Especially on Saturday mornings.
8. My favorite game is Ticket to Ride.
9. My favorite color is red.
10. Most of the time, I like not being able to hear. It is peaceful.
11. Our mail gets stolen quite often.
12. My favorite TV show is Chuck.
13. I never received academic awards or recognition in college, but I did receive student of the
year from the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
14. I got a D in Biology. To this day I am proud of that D. I worked harder, and spent more time
in my Biology professors office trying to understand the study of life than any other class I
have ever taken.
15. I don't understand Biology.
16. My first A in college was in a stress management class.
17. I stopped biting my fingernails when Dustin was in Iraq.
18. Now I only bite my fingernails when I am really nervous.
19. I have to give myself a shot every day.
20. When people clap, it hurts my ears.
21. I have never had braces, and my teeth are really straight.
22. I love my job.
23. I love being married.
24. I love to travel.
25. Coming up with 25 random things about me was harder than I thought.

Happy Birthday DDT

To my dearest husband, my "cheeseburger",
my best friend, my love love.
HAPPY 29th!

A Place to Call Home

Libby and I have finally purchased a place that we can call home. The bank has finally accepted our offer and we will move into our first home next month. For a long time now, Libby and I have been searching for a home in the community known as Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah. This community has only existed for about 6 years now, but already has 7000 residents as the community appeals to families at every stage of life. The community was designed by renowned planner Peter Calthorpe to adhere to the principles of New Urbanism.

New Urbanism is not new as it essentially copies the planning methods used before World War II. Towns used to be constructed in a manner that did not lend itself to automobile use. Instead, people would walk to shops or to work. They did not have to take the interstate, but rather walked a short distance to the office or maybe even down stairs to thier occupation. This mixed-use idea was deserted after the war as most everything since was built to accomodate cars with new zoning laws that separated commercial and residential uses.

This resurgence of traditional planning is encapsulated in Daybreak's design. Grocery stores, schools, gyms, restraunts, parks, trails and even a 65 acre lake will be within a short walking distance of our home. Libby and I have dozens of parks to go to along 22 miles of trails. We also look forward to the new Oquirrh Temple that will be completed this year as we will only be 5 minutes away. TRAX will also be built in Daybreak so we will not have to drive a car to go downtown or to the U. All of the homes feature traditional architecture instead of the banal stucco boxes you find in most new neighborhoods. This architecture gives the neighborhood a more welcoming feel and distinquishes it from other neighborhoods in the valley.

Our home is a modest bungalow with a large porch and a nice backyard. It has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms which will provide room for our growing family. Things we are most excited for? A dishwasher, a garage and our own backyard. Oh yeah, and a closet that is larger than 12 square feet!! Having been a nomadic apartment dweller for the last decade it will be nice to finally call a place home.

New Year, New Adventures

Dear family and friends,
It has surely been a year full of wonderful new experiences and adventures. One of our most notable adventures was our trip to D.C. We got to see Ellie, Jeff, and their kids as well as Anna, Luke, Jack, and Elsa. We love spending time with family. Going to the Baltimore Aquarium with Elizabeth, Sarah, Anna, Jack and Elsa was definitely a highlight of our trip. Trips to the cabin, fishing, house hunting, Christmas with Mom and Dad, and marriage round out some of our exciting experiences and adventures in 2008.

Dustin is still working for a defense contractor here in Salt Lake City. He enjoys his work, especially every other Friday off. He works in the Human Resources department doing something important. I know that the work he does enables the other 64.000 employees to have health benefits and security clearances to name a few. He is a wonderful husband, and I feel blessed to be married to such an outstanding man.

I am still working at North West Middle School in a classroom for students with emotional and behavior disorders. I enjoy my work, and love the students I work with. My health, I hope, has plateaued for now. I had a Solu-Medrol treatment on the 23rd and 24th of December, so right now I feel pretty good. Thank you to all the family and friends that continue to support us through this "bump in the road."

The most exciting news is that we are buying a house. It is not ours yet, but it looks like we will be closing around the 27th of January. I enjoy driving around neighborhoods and saying "Oh, I like that one!", or "Definetly not that one." Actually house hunting and making appointments to see a house is not my cup of tea. I will be glad when all the papers are signed and we can just go window shopping from the car again.

We hope the New Year finds you happy and healthy. We look forward to a year of new experinces and adventures. We hope some of our adventures will find us close to family and friends.

Love,
Libby and Dustin