Simplifying.

First, here's a little video :) 

Isn't he SO cute! My intentions have been to be done with my to-do list, ready for the day, and have exercised by 11am but so far I've gotten out of the house at 2! All those things get done.. but boy Evie and Chet are just the cutest! It's so fun to play with Evie or hold Chet! 

Right now I'm at Panera (a casual restaurant that has free internet) about to keep studying for my Informational Systems & Computer Application CLEP test I have scheduled for Thursday. And if you know me well, you know that I HATE to study! I hate being anti-social. Hate cramming knowledge into my head that doesn't want to go in! But, I love saving money. I love getting ahead. I love checking things of my list. So here I am! 

So because I have this love/hate relationship I have decided to simplify my computer life so that my only distractions can be.. well this blog. (Amazing that I am already distracting myself!) Thus, I am logging off Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. I am trying to eliminate distractions while I attempt to take these tests and possibly pass! And it's not just studying... I realized yesterday that after talking to Jeremy I spent an hour clicking around online and when I came out all my family had gone to bed. I didn't talk to anyone! So I need to remove myself from it a little!

That's my saga for now. I'm sure I'll be posting now as this is my only internet "outlet" besides Gmail and my online banking! Lol. :) 

With love from Panera,

Paige

There's a birthday girl...

... and her name is Grandma Dean!!!!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA DEAN!!!!!!

Dad, Barbie and Grandma at Donner Lake our first year

The girls at Donner Lake our first year

Grandma Dean and Uncle Dick when she surprised him!!! ('08)

Family (minus Andersons) in San Diego for Dad's Ordination!

Grandma Dean and Evie on our front porch! '08

Grandma Dean, Barbie and Dad on Mom and Dad's first Sunday as pastors!

Mom, Grandma Dean and Daddy!

Dad and Grandma Dean at Donner Lake '08!! So cute :)

Those were some of my favorite pictures of you! So many of them I don't have on my computer so all of us when I was a baby and little girl I couldn't show! :( But I hope you know how much we love and appreciate you!!! No one could ask for a better grandma! 

Update on me: I am on antibiotics for a bacterial infection that the Dr. got from my results so I am hopefully in the process of being cured! :) My cough has gone away with my allergy medicine so that's great. I've been good about working out so hopefully I am gettin' everything in shape soon!  Gosh, South Africa set me behind a bit! But I wouldn't trade that experience for 10 less pounds! (Although sometimes that thought is tempting!) :) 

I am beyond thankful that I can get to see Jeremy and his family next weekend from the 12th-15th. His to be sister-in-law, Traci, has her bridal shower and their family offered to get me a ticket to come down and be there for the event! Thank you, Aarons! Jeremy and I didn't do a good job planning on seeing each other often! We thought after 15 weeks going 6 weeks wouldn't be a big deal but it's not that fun missin' each other so much! We have Minnesota to look forward to as June 28th I'm meeting the family out there. After that I'll meet my family in San Diego for Mom's Ordination!!! :) 

My days this summer are filled up with studying for CLEP tests (which are tests that you can take and get college credit for proficiency in a class), and Friday I start work at Starbucks! My boss is beyond great!!! And Starbucks is on a new policy where they hire less people and give them more hours to work so praise the LORD for that!!! I will actually work this summer for once!!!

That's all in my life. Loving, loving, loving being an auntie to Evie and Chet! They always put a smile on my face no matter what. Brooke could not be more of a caring mother and Josh is so attentive to them both. :) We are all just soaking in this time together!!!

With love from Sacramento,

Paige

May is coming to a close...

I love May 2009! So much has happened and it has been filled with such love and happiness :) I haven't taken many pics with anyone but Evie or Chet :) So here are some of them!

Jeremy and I in the hospital with Chet! I just got these from Brooke's computer.

Me holding Chet for the first time!

Hangin' with auntie!

Photobooth with Auntie :)

And here's a little video of baby Chet! Taken last week.

That's my update! Got a job with Starbucks Watt & Kings so I will be starting there soon, after I meet with the manager and have an official interview! Ha! Jeremy is enjoying his Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota with his family and my family is having a BBQ with some church friends today, so we have been busy setting up for that! 

Haven't gotten my results back from my blood tests so I will update when I know what's going on with my body! Feeling good these days, just not great.

With love from Sacramento,

Paige

Summer update!

Hello everyone!!!

I am loving this summer. I couldn't ask for anything better!!! As you have already seen, I was greeted in Sacramento by the birth of my wonderful nephew Chet!!!! Let me back up a bit...

Coming back to America was so wonderful. Jeremy picked me up from the airport with a beautiful purple bouquet of flowers and we just hugged forever! I couldn't believe he and I were finally together!!! I said my goodbyes to friends and introduced him and we were off! Being back in LA was surreal and it was so nice. I had a little honeymoon stage of being in awe of ketchup and driving on the right side of the road.


Jeremy and I went back to APU and I got to see my wonderful friends Elli and Catherine. Although I was SO TIRED it was so refreshing to see them. I wish we could have just had a week together to talk and laugh and be together. It was sad for me to not have Kalie there as well, so I am looking forward to seeing her the next time I can!! I miss her a TON!

That night Jeremy and I got together with his family for dinner at Legends, a favorite of mine in Azusa. Once again, to me I felt like I was pulling an all nighter so I was tired, but it was so great to be able to order familiar food and be with his family! I have no idea how we spent the next day, but that Saturday we packed up Jeremy's apartment, scrubbed down the bathroom and room, and got him moved out! His parents came out to help move him out which was such a help!! I don't think we would have gotten out of there at 2 if they weren't there!!! We grabbed lunch with them and headed to his house to unload. They were gracious enough to also keep some of my things in their shed for the summer!

Mr. Aaron taking a well deserved break!!


We spent the next few days until Tuesday with the Aaron family. We celebrated Mothers' Day with the family on Sunday and Mrs. Aaron hosted a big family dinner which was GREAT! I appreciate a home cooked meal so much more now!!!! :) And her cooking is soooo good! We also went to their church which also was so nice. Although I had the opportunity to go to church sometimes in South Africa, it was so nice to go to a familiar American church! We also had a lot of time just to hang out and talk. I enjoy their family so much so it was great just to relax and hang out!

On Tuesday afternoon Jeremy and I flew to Sacramento. My family greeted us in the airport with signs and smiles!!! It was hilarious because I was coming down with my camera in hand and they all had theirs too!! It was so great to be with them again... of course I missed them all so much!! And it was equally as great that Jeremy could be here too!! We were NOT ready to be apart from each other yet!!


The time Jeremy spent with me and my family in Sacramento was often spent just hanging out. We had some family dinners, meals with my parents out and about, doing a few things for me to get settled back home, movies, and hanging out! We were so grateful to be able to stop by Jeremy's great aunt and uncle's house in Grass Valley, just minutes from our friends the Turners! Bob and Marie have a beautiful home in Lake of the Pines and we were able to see their great car collection and sit and visit with them. Here are some pics of that day:






Jeremy had never been to the drive in movies, and since Sacramento is the "City of Trees" and not much else, we decided to take a trip there! We watched Angels & Demons (which we liked) and 17 again (which was surprisingly funny!!!).



But this quiet vacation wasn't going to stay quiet for long!!! On Friday the 15th we had a "Paige is back in America!" pizza & pool family night. Brooke looked so cute in her swim suit and big belly, and we all wondered when she would finally have this baby! Well, my feet were in the pool for about 10 minutes when Brooke told me to watch Evie because she was taking Josh away. Yes, labor had started! As she was already so progressed in labor we decided to book it to the hospital, as contractions were now only 3 minutes apart.

Evie saying "hi!" to Jeremy :)

And yes, four hours later she was holding her son!! :)


Here's a moment of our chaos!


And here is Jeremy and my pursuits in getting to the hospital! Haha.. you can tell I'm a little emotional. Glassy eyes. So excited and SO rushed!


I don't know if anyone can tell this story as good as my dad, but Josh and Brooke take off and my parents in another car behind them. It is 5 o'clock traffic and the freeway is stopped. After about 5 minutes of stop and go, and Brooke in a LOT of pain, Josh takes off down the median. My parents take off after him and stuff is flying from Josh's car at my dad's. (Apparently there's a lot of trash in those medians!) Well, Josh lost my dad but they both ended up at the hospital. Jeremy and I followed behind with food and forgotten belongings from the others. Everyone ended up making it to the hospital in time for the big event!!!

We were logging the events of the day and here is as follows:
9:24: I wrote in that the doctor was getting her gown on and everything was getting in place.
9:29: after TWO pushes and literally five minutes, Chet was in Brooke's arms!!!





The nurses called this a "textbook delivery" and told me to not be as hopeful! Ha!!! Brooke did GREAT and had that baby with no problems in 5 minutes! We were all laughing at how easy it all was! We were all back home by 10:30pm (minus Brooke, Josh and the baby of course) and Jeremy noted that it was like going out for a movie, but instead there's a baby! :)

Of course I was BEYOND happy to have been able to be there for the birth!!! I thought I had missed it all when I was in South Africa, so to be there and be able to witness everything from the epidural to the cutting of the cord, I loved it!!! Such a special moment :) And I sure have been enjoying him!! And so has Evie :) She's had a few rough patches but is adapting to be a big sister so well! Chet was quite fond of Jeremy... I mean if a baby had biases I'd say he liked him a lot :)




Here is a little clip of Evie. She's just in her diaper since she was "Spaghetti Evie" (Aka "I'm going to get spaghetti everywhere Evie!") If you listen, she has a high pitched "YEAH!" which Barbie mimics at the end. So cute!!


So that's all my big news! The only other thing I have to mention is my health.
Sunday night while watching Star Trek with Dad, Josh and Jeremy I broke out in hives all over my body. After the movie we went to Mercy San Juan's ER and I got admitted. During the time there they got worse then better so by the time I saw the doctor (about an hour later) they had faded a lot. So thankful for Jeremy for being such a calming presence! He really was great. I got some Benadryll and a steroid and I was fine, until Tuesday morning at 5am when I woke up with them again! Luckily I had a Dr's appointment about all my sicknesses at 8:45am. Crazy enough, even with Benadryll in my system I broke out AGAIN at the Doctor's office while I was talking to her! I got a Cortysil (sp?) shot and have been better since. Today I got a lot of blood work done and stool and urine samples taken. My Dr really wants to figure this whole thing out and thinks I probably have a parasite. Luckily she isn't worried, just wants to get me fixed! So I will update when I find out what else is goin' on! But I feel pretty good so no big complaints!!!

Oh, and I'm still job searching so I'll update on that later too :)

For pictures of Chet please visit my sister's blog (theodgersfamily.blogspot.com) since she will be updating them regularly!! I can't keep up with this growing boy!!

With my LOVE from Sacramento, California, United States of America!
Paige

Chet Dean Odgers!

was born on May 15th 2009 at 9:29PM in Sutter Medical Hospital in Roseville, CA.
He was 7lb, 11oz, 19 1/2 inches long!
Dark hair :)
Goooood loud cry!!!

Brooke's labor was SO QUICK! We were having a family pool night with Nathan, Stacey, Taylor, Barbie, Jeremy, Brooke, Josh, Evie, Robb, Mom and Dad. Pizzas just arrived and most of us were in the pool and Brooke started getting contractions. They went quickly to the hospital since Brooke was already 5CM dilated and it was about a 30 min drive. Halfway through their drive Mom and Dad texted me to come ASAP since Josh had left them (they were driving behind) and went on the median during 5 o'clock traffic and lost them! Jeremy and I took off and got to the hospital. Within about 3 hours she had gotten an epidural and was ready to push! It only took 5 minutes and 2 pushes for Baby Chet to come!!!! Honestly, the quickest birth ever!!! He gave a few great cries and was lulled to sleep and both Brooke and Josh's voices. He was able to stay in the room and lay on Brooke to warm up, which was so nice in comparison to Evie who had to leave for a few hours due to respiratory issues. We all left within the hour since they were ready to nurse and sleep!!! Jeremy stated it best, "it's like we went to a movie!" So quick and flawless :)

Brooke's blog will have more:
theodgersfamily.blogspot.com

With love from Sacramento. (And LOVING it back home!!!)
Paige

Chet is coming! And I'm a Junior!!!

For those of you who haven't heard yet, my nephew Chet Dean Odgers (named after both Brooke and Josh's beloved grandpas who have passed away) will be arriving in the world shortly! Obviously I am really bummed I am missing the birth, but I couldn't be more excited to come home to him!! The time change is a huge bummer and I found out my sister is in the beginnings of labor way after it had started. Her water has not broken and she hasn't had regular contractions so he's not coming right now, but he should be here in the next day or so as she was 3-4 CM and 80% effaced yesterday. Praise the LORD my Mom is coming home today (Sunday) from a wedding in Michigan because Brooke wouldn't have had either of us there to be her coach!

For more details she has a blog (theodgersfamily.blogspot.com) and there you can see her Twitter updates below her picture where she updates regularly. Chances are, with me leaving Monday morning for High Africa where there is no internet and not getting any until Thursday, you all will know much more than I do. Hopefully we can work things out so I find out when he is born!!



In other news, I am DONE with this semester and can now happily proclaim that I am a Junior in college! Wow, where has time GONE!?? I can't believe that I only have 3 semesters left!!! But it also makes me very excited :) My latest career I'm pursuing is Wedding Planning. So I'm excited to see if that takes me anywhere :) I figured being in Africa would make me want to turn my life around and go into Social Work or the Peace Corps but I actually have been more affirmed with being in Business and pursuing things along that road.

I am beyond ready to be home again. With classes done and my bags packed all that's left for me to do is TRAVEL! But I must wait :) High Africa (our little debriefing retreat) is going to be a really fun time and I will be home soon enough :)

Last night I figured out that to switch back to US time I have to first stay up for a long time and then sleep what for me is 8am-5pm on the plane. I would appreciate your prayers as I travel and try to adjust as I tend to get sick/ulcers when I have lack of sleep and am eating weird traveling food/stressed. Ha! Sooooo it seems like these next few days have me doomed but God is bigger than that, yes? So let's pray I feel good!!! :)

Thanks guys. Can't wait to post if I have the chance when Chet is born!!!! :) :) :) If not I'll post when I'm back in the States!! Oh, and I'm assuming it goes without being said that I am BEYOND excited to see Jeremy!!!!!! We're going crazy... it's about time I had that man present in my life again!!! :)

With love from Africa,
Paige

Almost done!

Wednesday:
Eventful day in my life! I had class this morning, went to Green Market Square which is a huuuge market, then to the Waterfront for some different kind of shopping. We leave here on Monday and will be out of the loop with technology until we land in Washington DC in the wee hours of May 7th. I feel much more accomplished having checked some things off my "to get" list. There's not much time or money left so I hope I've gotten enough!

After all of those activities some of us headed back to school, messed around on our computers since we're practically done with class work, went home to eat dinner quickly then headed out to a fashion show! It was held in a parking garage, which seems shady but was actually REALLY cool! It was held by a local rich college and there was a good show. In between the outfits they had different dancing groups perform and I loved watching all the hip hop. It's so weird to me that so much of South African music and culture is actually American! My parents here were listening to oldies on Saturday and I knew most the songs!! So funny how technology spreads the media and what's popular quickly.


We were at Hillsong Church on Sunday and 5/6 girls on stage had skinni jeans tucked into pants. It was funny because for us that fashion has already come and passed and we are looking onto the next fad, so we felt that this style was out to date. I laughed when my roommate Katie reminded me that we have already had winter and thus South Africa has seen what we did and now when they're going into their winter they pick out our biggest trends!

That's my news lately :) Had a fun night. One of the mentors, Tom, is really fun and has done a great job of getting us out and doing fun things if we want.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going on a field trip to see Afrikaaner culture/tour more of Cape Town area. Hopefully that night we can go out and do more fun things as we celebrate the end of a great semester!!

With love from Africa,
Paige
(7 more days until I'm on a plane! 8 until I get to LAX!!!!)

Thursday:
Today was an odd day. The tour of the Afrikaner (white) culture was pretty boring as we just went to a few monuments. Luckily I enjoy hanging out on the bus! I bring both my laptop and iPod and end up using up the batteries on both when we go places through watching movies then listening to music. It was hard today especially since we were just getting out and looking at statues. Felt pretty pointless. But then I kind of feel like, "oh well, what else would we have done with our time? spend money?" so it's alright. Taking pictures was fun at least :)



Afterwards got to Skype with both Mom and Dad and it was SO great!! It's the second time I've got to talk to them with something other than email. They are headed out this weekend to Michigan for our youth pastor Brennan's wedding!!! Talking to them made me tear up (well, ok, I cried) because I miss them SO much! Excited to see them soon :) Then I came home to my lovely South African parents and ate a delicious dinner. I went over to Micah, Grant and Chad's place where Katie was and watched the end of 4 movies (The Incredibles, Collateral, James Bond: Die Another Day we almost finished and You've Got Mail) which we had started on the bus or hanging out but got cut off early. So that was fun :)

Now I'm back at my home. I just went through a ton of pictures from Freshman year and re read my diary from the beginning of this trip which was so weird to read! It feels like so long ago yet like yesterday at the same time. Guess that's how life feels sometimes!!

As of Friday (when I am posting this) I have 5 more days until I am leaving on the plane and 6 more days until I am HOME!!!! I think it's about 22 hours of flying but I don't even care! Just excited to be back :)

Today after class some of us are going to Canal Walk which is a big mall to hang out for the day and probably see a movie. :) We'll see :)

With love from Africa,
Paige