Thursday, July 31, 2008

Happy Anniversary!!


I cannot believe that it has already been 9 years! Married life with Mark has been great so far! We've had tons of adventures and I know there are more to come! I am so lucky to be married to the man of my dreams! He is honest, hard working, funny, spiritual, a wonderful father and a great husband.

I was visiting with a friend of mine about a week ago and we were talking about relationships. She said, "Of course you love your husband, Kristie...but what's so great about you and Mark is that you two actually LIKE each other. You WANT to be around each other. You have FUN together. You ENJOY each others company. A lot of people don't have that." Her comment really made me think and I realized how lucky Mark and I are. It made me sad to think that some people don't have that type of relationship with their spouse. I am so glad that Mark is my best friend, and yeah, we have a blast together! He makes me laugh every day...and I'm looking forward to another 9 years!

Love ya babe!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Temple Square


We went to Temple Square a few weeks ago with Mark's brother, Joe, and his family. It had been so long since Mark and I had been there and we really wanted to take the kids again. We took the tour of the Conference Center (which we had never done before. It's pretty impressive!) and we watched the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy Theatre in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Then walked around the temple grounds. Jace and Jackson asked alot of questions after the movie and it gave Mark and I a great opportunity to share our testimonies with them. Caden got to talk to a Sister Missionary at the Visitor's Center about the Saviors visit to the America's and I was really impressed with his comments and questions. He's a smart kid! It was such a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I feel so blessed to live so close to Salt Lake and to be able to do things like this. It is a great reminder of our Church's heritage, and a wonderful way to feel the Spirit.


Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Time For Change


We finally got our registration done for our vehicles. I was very surprised to feel so sad when I took off our Texas plates. I'm so happy to be home in Utah, but Texas was such a great place to live. It really was a good move for our family. I've said it before that Mark and I had experiences there that we never would have had here. We grew closer as a couple and stronger as a family because we really had to rely on one another. We made many great friends that we miss dearly. And I am so grateful that we were able to live in the Great State of Texas...even if it was only for two short years! Texas will always hold a special place in my heart.

So all y'all back in Texas, thank you for being our wonderful family way from home! We love you!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Dental Fiasco

So one of the perks of adopting children through the Foster Care System of The Great State of Utah, is that you don't have to fork over a penny for anything medical or dental. They come with their own insurance plan! Thank you, Medicaid. Nice right? Unless the doctors you go to are complete crooks! I loved our Utah pediatrician and dentist before we moved to Texas. They were great! Their offices were close to our home and I felt like they honestly cared about my children. I liked our dentist, but I didn't love our pediatrician in Texas, I felt like a number to her and she would never answer my questions. Now we are back in Utah in a different area and I'm having a really hard time finding someone that I can trust again. Here is the problem...the only doctors (well, dentists in this case) who accept Medicaid are either right out of school or really struggling to keep patients.

So my friend and neighbour, Michele, told me how great her dentist was and that we should see him. I called and of course he didn't take Medicaid. So, Michele's Dentist referred me to a dentist that did, but told me they didn't know him at all, just that he was on a list. So I called Medicaid Dentist and asked a gazillion questions! I didn't want to have to take Jace and Caden to a different doctor than the rest of us, so I was looking for a family practice that was really good with children, AND that took both Medicaid and our insurance.

Long story short, they SUCK! And the reasons keep adding up! All five of us went in for cleanings. The boys went in on July 2nd and then Mark and I went in on July 7th. They took a $50 x-ray on Jackson that insurance companies won't even cover for children until they are 6 and in some cases even 7 years old because that type of x-ray isn't necessary for children that age! But they didn't tell us this, so we are going to be responsible to pay for it when our insurance denies the claim. Jace and Caden both had to come back to take care of a few cavities. And knowing what I know now about this guy, I wonder if he over did it. He gave Jace 2 crowns and I found out today that Medicaid doesn't pay much for fillings, but pays a ton for crowns. So, I'm afraid that he did more work than what was necessary so he could make a few extra bucks and my poor kids are the ones who suffered for it. (Jace was in pain for 2 days afterward!)

When Mark and I went in for our appointments, they told us that we had to redo ALL the work that had EVER been done! And the guy used scare tactics! "If you wait on these, you may be looking at root canals or even worse, extractions." Between the two of us, he wanted over $8000, yes, Eight Thousand Dollars! And that's out of pocket for us...that doesn't even include what he would be charging the insurance! I needed a filling but he told me that he couldn't do just a filling that he HAD to do a crown. I talked to him about it to see if there was any way to hold off on a crown since our insurance has a 12 month waiting period (don't even get me started on that one!!) for any major dental work (including crowns and root canals). He still said that there was no way around doing the crown, he wouldn't even discuss options with me. This guy is not concerned about what is best for us at all! He is just trying to maximize his profits.

So, I got a second opinion. I went to Michele's Dentist who is now our New Dentist and can I just tell you how great he is?!! He was able to do the filling for me right there on the spot! No crown, no argument, no problems!

Interestingly enough, I got a call from Medicaid Dentist's office manager the day after I had my filling done. She said, "Medicaid Dentist spent some time this morning going over your x-rays, and he's really concerned about that tooth. He says that after putting alot of thought into it, he is pretty sure that he will be able to do a filling on that tooth. But as soon as your insurance kicks in, you'll need to get a crown put on it. So give us a call and we can fit you in on Monday. We have an opening at 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am and even 11:00 am. So, give us a call and we will get you taken care of." (Having that many openings on the next business day makes me a little nervous!)

See what I mean about wondering if Jace really needed those crowns? I am going to go to Medicaid Dentists office on Monday to pick up all of our x-rays. New Dentist said that if I brought him all the x-rays and the service plan for Jace and Caden, he could tell me if Medicaid Dentist did exactly what needed to be done, or if he did extra work to pad his pocket book. As much as I hate confrontations, there will probably be one. I know they are going to ask why I went elsewhere and that is just a conversation they do not want to have with me. (Mark is ready to turn him into the Better Business Bureau.) So, wish me luck. I'm not looking forward to Monday!

As far as Jace and Caden are concerned, I am taking them back to their old dentist. My parents and Mark's parents live right there, so we will just make a day of it. I'll drive the distance if it means that they are well taken care of!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Then And Now....

Tara and I met in the 10th grade when I was 15 years old. (That was 20 years ago!!!!) Her family moved into our ward and we quickly became inseparable. We did everything together. I taught her how to drive a manual transmission in my little Mazda 323. Believe me, looking back, that is a scary thought! Disneyland, girls camp, youth conference, shopping, toilet papering teachers houses, just hanging out! We had so much fun!! My family moved away a few years later and she went to live with her mom in Newport Beach. Even living so far apart, we still found ways to get together and we would see each other quite regularly. She always had the funnest beach parties to go to!!! Over the years we had kept in contact, but then life just got in the way. I went on my mission and afterwards moved to Utah. After Mark and I got married, Tara and I lost contact for several years. While we were living in Texas she found me again and we’ve had so much fun catching up!

Last week, Mark finally got to meet her! Tara and her husband and kids were vacationing in Utah for a week so of course we had to get together. We drove to Park City to see them. We let the kids run and play while we made dinner and then sat and talked and took lots of pictures! It was so fun to see her after so many years!! I think it had been like 10 years since I’d last seen her. It was before Mark and I got married and we are celebrating our 9th anniversary this month. It was probably right after I came home from my mission. Wow, time certainly flies! Anyhow, it was so fun to see her and just catch up! Today I had to go digging through all our old pictures and oh, the memories came flooding back! We had way too much fun together!!! I wanted to post some pictures we’d taken over the years! And then some from Park City last week.

Then....






And now....