The Britt and Amy Huish Family

Jubilation! and Relief...

2010-09-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

We received notice this morning that Britt passed the fourth and FINAL section of the Certified Public Accoutant Exam. It has been quite the marathon. I am so proud of Britt. He has worked so hard and put up with A LOT from yours crazy...I mean...yours truly.

My Busy-ness

2010-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have been talking for years about starting my own business. From a preschool to a math tutor place to even a private school - my brain would never stop. So, with the help of a great friend, we channeled our efforts and startedI'm not one to brag, but...I made that logo...in Paint...It took FOREVER!

It is a long shot from what I thought I would ever do with my own little business. But I am loving it!!

Check out our weblog (is that a word?)

www.sweetwhimsyglobe.blogspot.com

I still have moments...

2010-07-22T11:55:00.001-07:00

...when it dawns on me that I have three children and I shake my head in wide-eyed amazement. And, yes! I want more. Why do I want more? Well. 1. I feel like a mad scientist, "What genetic creation will we come up with next?" 2. They are hilarious! See footage below

Vacation in Colorado

2010-07-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

We love to visit Ouray, Colorado every year. And this year was especially fun with my sisters and their kids. Calan had a chance to grow up a little by traveling and staying with cousins for 4 days without his mom or dad, the longest he's ever been away. He was a mountain boy by the time I saw him.

I love that part of the country. The drive can be quite discouraging, but means to a breathtaking end. We go just about every year and see all the same old mining sites, but never tire of them. Some day I want to go in late September or early October to see the fall colors.

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh My!

2010-05-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

Could that title be any more cliche?...Well, the tigers were incognito and we missed the bears to play at the farmhouse and splash pad. But the zoo was loads of fun.

Calan was a trooper and hiked the whole time, while Cora became very stealth at hopping in and out of the stroller to see each animal exhibit. The lions and giraffes put on the best show. The kids renamed the Mandrills. They are now the "mean monkeys." And the maned wolf was mentally deteriorating before our eyes. Oh! and the mangy, rabid squirrel was a highlight as well.

But it felt good to be outside. Albeit, a little warm by the time we finished up. I wished I had jumped through the splash pad jets before we headed out. But I hope we get a chance to go again soon.

Calan karate chopping the jets of water. One little boy dared to point out the obvious, "You can't hit water." But Calan was not deterred.

Cora and the "mean monkey."

Out little group of zoo-goers. Thanks, Wallace's, for the invite!

River Trip

2010-05-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had been wanting to take a family outing to the Salt River's Horse Shoe Bend for weeks now. SO, now that Britt is no longer studying for the final section of the CPA Exam, we took advantage of our free time on Saturday and went. The drive is pretty long on a dirt road. Four-wheel drive isn't necessary, but the road was pretty rough.

We decided to take Britt's old truck so that our nicer truck didn't get too beat up. His '93 F-150 has only three seat belts, no air conditioning, and no stereo. Well, that translated into a VERY hot drive with 75 pounds of children on my lap and my funny bone getting hit repeatedly by Jenna's car seat. Oh... I should mention also that it not only is 2-wheel drive, but has some wild suspension and travel. I honestly don't know what that means, but it translates into extra bumpy when you drive slow and less bumpy when you drive fast. Let's just say we had to drive slow 75% of the time.

We set up a little shade, munched on our picnic lunch, and got in the water long enough to lose feeling in our toes. Then we'd get out and stand in the sand long enough to burn the bottoms of our feet and so forth. It was almost fun. Our happiest moment we managed to catch on video.

After that, things started going downhill. The wind picked up, so our canopy collapsed on me and Jenna. The kids were hot and tired and that was before we got in the car. I doused them with water to try to keep them cool on the drive...they were not happy with me. They fell asleep on me and 75 lbs on my lap turned into pure dead weight. But in the end, we had some quality family time, explored a little more of our world here in Globe, AZ, and learned that we never want to take little kids to the river again.

My New Project

2010-05-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just got a new calling in church to be a Laurel advisor, which means I get to hang out with the 16 and 17 year old girls in the ward and try to teach them about the gospel. I say "try" because of my teacher-ability not their teachability. Anyway. As I have been planning my lesson for this Sunday, The Blessings of the Temple, I put my own spin on a handout idea I got from sugardoodle.net.

I formatted it in Microsoft Word to print out with two quotes in the left column and two pictures in the right column. Then I re-feed the paper through the printer again. It makes the handout a quarter sheet of paper with the quote on one side and the picture on the other. Chop twice and TaDa! You have an instant hand out.

Jenna's Blessing

2010-04-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend getting ready to host 50 or so family members who traveled from Mesa to be here for Jenna's blessing. From working hard on landscaping to sewing Jenna a special little dress, I was driving Britt a little crazy. But, in the end, it is was so fun to have everyone over and my house's curb appeal has significantly improved.

This week I brow beat my friend Sarah into taking a little outing to Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. I basically said "hey, let's go and you drive and you bring all the snacks." She's a great friend. Anyway. Neat little place. It was fun to get outside and stroll through huge trees and interesting gardens.

Lessons Learned

2010-04-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

I had a little time on my hands and revamped the blog. It's still not very impressive and I still need to get with the program about taking pictures, but I feel the need to explain my new column "Lessons Learned."

First, I have a love of learning. And while I feel like the chapter of my life that includes formal education has come to a close for now, I find myself gleaning what I can from life's experiences. Right now my life revolves around my three children and the crazy projects I conjure up for myself.

Second, learning is much harder for me these days. I really think I'm getting dumber. So, this column represents my attempts to reaffirm to myself that I am still learning. AND I hope that by writing them down, I won't have to relearn these lessons.

Finally, it helps me to have a sense of humor about the lesssons that I am learning "the hard way." In my formative years, I took pride in the fact that I felt like I learned most lessons from other people's mistakes. So goes the saying, "Smart people learn from their own mistakes. Wise people learn from other people's mistakes." I am spending more time in the school of hard knocks than I ever imagined I would have to.

I guess, in general, the "Lessons Learned" column is for my own benefit with a small underlying hope that other's might laugh or even benefit from reading it. My hope is that I develope the courage to share the deeper lessons that I am learning. Right now I am barely skimming the surface of the gestalt named Amelia Clarkson Huish.

Jenna Huish

2010-04-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

SO, adding a third little monkey to the mix is challenging. But we feel like we have gotten off to a pretty good start. At 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long, Jenna joined our family on March 9, six days overdue. But, according to the nurse, she was "slow cooking for extra tenderness." And so true! She is sweet and smiley from the very beginning. I finally got proof yesterday.

Calan and Cora adore there baby sister. Cora is a great little helper when pointed in the right direction. But you have to watch her like a hawk because she gets a little rough with Jenna. You know...hugs a little too tight, kisses a little too long, pats a little too hard. And of course Cora doesn't quite understand that Jenna isn't made to move like a baby doll and will protest if you try to make her arms/fingers/toes/legs bend the wrong way.

All of my prayers for a natural birth were answered. I can't think of anything that would have made the experience more wonderful. Jenna was cooperative. Britt was an awesome coach. My doctor was excellent. In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to do it again soon.

Finally...

2009-11-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

So, I have a full day workshop this Saturday for which I still have to plan and prepare the material. And what am I doing instead? Updating the blog. Somewhat indicative of how I am trying to re-prioritize. Even the blog comes before work.

Well, it's been a while. Life is good. Work, the cancer that it is, has been forced into remission since finding out in June that Britt and I are expecting our third child. Hooray! We are very excited. It is our first planned pregnancy. Soon after finding out that I was pregnant, rampant thoughts of, "What were we thinking!?!" ran through my head as I moved back and forth from the couch to the bathroom. For two and a half months straight, I didn't leave the couch except to vomit in the toilet.

And it came to pass...

I feel great now. And couldn't be more excited that we are having another girl!! I just hope she is as sweet and cuddly as her older brother and not sassy and feisty like her older sister. We are still on the search for a few good names to take with us to the hospital. I'm not due until March 3, but Britt and I have the hardest time settling on a name. Cora is 2 now and Britt fesses up that he still doesn't really like her name.

Other than that bit of news, not much has changed. We still live in Globe. We still own an enormous dog. I still work part time training teachers for Gila County. Britt still works as an accountant for Freeport McMoRan. Our kids keep growing and we love watching them learn and play. Here are just a few photo highlights from the past few months.

In June, we spent a few days in San Diego with the rest of Britt's family. And took the kids to Sea World. I'm embarrased of my daughters sleeveless shirt. And that isn't my love handles sticking out. It is the waist band of my shorts. And notice, Calan never, ever takes his "marfer" off.

In September, the kids and I spent a week in Seattle visiting the Hendershotts. Ketsy was a marvelous hostess. And within 2 days, my kids were acting so ridiculously spoiled that I was going crazy and I'm sure we were driving Ketsy crazy too. I love my sis. She is an amazing person, friend, mom, and sister. I look up to her in every way. Plus she is super cool!

Seattle was beautiful! The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

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Halloween this year! Calan is the Red Power Ranger with his "marfer" and "mo-eagle" (not to be mistaken for a mohawk). Cora was nice enough to wear her homemade poodle skirt.

Confessions of a Workaholic

2009-02-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ok. So it's been a while since I've updated the blog. It seems as though I have had over 6 months worth of really good excuses why I haven't posted anything. But I came to realize that all of the important things I feel like have been doing are meaningless unless I reflect on them and learn from them. And what exactly have I learned? Well, I have been spending hours and dollars on things that aren't as important as I thought.

EVENT #1: October 2, 2008

It started out relatively innocent. I allowed an Enrichment Activity to take priority over Cora's 1st Birthday. I spent a lot of time researching everything I could about water storage so that I could share my knowledge and enthusiasm for self-preparedness with the sisters in my ward. For myself and the five other sisters that came, it was a pretty good activity. We celebrated Cora's first birthday a day later and the lack-luster of the party was forgettable. I'm not saying that I would throw a Disney Princess party on her birthday if I could do it over again. But my daughter deserves more love and attention that what is convenient for me to give. I did manage to bust out the video camera but the file is too big.

EVENT #2: Christmas Season 2008

It was the first year since getting married that Britt and I have been able to go to the cabin in Greer and cut Christmas trees, a tradition that my family has kept up for as long as I can remember. It was snowy and beautiful. We found a great tree. It was the beginning of a great opportunity for our little family to establish an atmosphere of love and celebration at Christmas time. However, it wasn't to be. The ridiculous havoc that Christmas season creates overshadowed everything enjoyable. Our beautiful, fresh tree was only half decorated by Dec. 19 because of the outrageous efforts I made to impress my coworkers (late night and early morning of baking cinnamon rolls and coffee cake), pull off an enormous canning activity (we canned over 2000 lbs of food), avoid DI Day (don't even get me started about DI Day), and help the ward get ready for the annual Christmas Party (what little decorations the tree had were ripped off to decorate a tree at the party). All this ends, just in time for us to pack up and spend a long sleepless week at the in-laws. Oh! and some Christmas cards didn't get mailed out until Jan. 8. Merry Fishmas!!

EVENT #3: Starting Spring Semester

The Spring was developing into a lot of great opportunities at work and at home. In addition to the regular "to do"s at work, I was going to be able to teach my very own workshops. Britt and I also had a plan to landscape the house by mid-February. Planning and scheduling is so fun because it promotes hope and excitement for the future. I was enthusiastic about keeping busy and meeting goals. In no time, work "to do"s sucked the hope right out of me. And I grew so tired of being away from my family on Saturday's, and asking friends, neighbors to babysit my kids during the week. It all came crashing down when Calan spent two days with a raging fever and rasping cough. I realized one Saturday morning that I was facing a choice of meeting my obligations at work or meeting my son's needs. Why did I find this so difficult to deal with? If you asked me any normal day, what was my highest priority? I would, without hesitation, tell you that caring for and loving my husband and children are the most important thing in the world to me. And after bailing out of work, and spending the day in urgent care and filling a prescription, I was still edgy and snappy because of guilt.

Lesson Learned:
My family is more important than any other work I could choose to do. Watching my children learn and grow and be happy brings me more satisfaction than any evaluation or assessment could. It doesn't happen everyday, maybe not even every week. But the precious moments I spend with my little ones and watch them try and learn new things, I will cherish forever. Calan's latest catch phrases include, "How many times do I have to tell you?" and "That's STUPID!!" If that is what my 3-year-old is gleaning from the example I set in our home, I have some serious changes to make. And Cora, well, she picks up on anything that makes big people laugh at. Here is her latest.

Now what? Well, I have a few unanswered questions for myself.
1) How do I bury this burning desire to be important and change the world?
2) How can I enjoy my time at home and still feel like I have a brain and am continually improving it?

We are here! We are here! We are Here!

2008-09-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

We finally moved in (a month ago)! I just haven't had a chance to update the blog, which is good because I refuse to be a slave to the blog.

NEW ADDRESS

2381 N Agazziz Terrace

Globe, AZ 85501

The house is basically finished, but the "to do" list never ends. One headache replaced with another.

And, because I am a glutton for punishment, I started a new job back in July. It was quite unexpected and really bad timing, but I felt it was necessary to take on in order to keep my sanity. Britt will tell you that statement is enough to prove I've completely lost it. Anyway. I teach and coordinate professional development workshops throughout southern Gila County. I know it's hard to believe...me teaching teachers. I didn't ever say I was totally qualified for the job. It has been a pretty steep learning curve. But I love it! Most of what I am doing right now is teaching teachers how to have fun with math as they teach it to kids. I didn't realize how much I miss MATH. Call me a nerd, I don't care. I LOVE Math! In fact, I'm designing a t-shirt for myself that declares that very thing. I'll be sure to take a picture when I get it made.

My Digital Camera

2008-07-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I have really been enjoying the nifty little functions on my camera these days. We have had some spectacular sunsets recently. So I had to capture one from right out our back door.

We also had a wonderful 4th of July in Show Low with Britt's family. Mike (an in-law) has an extensive collection of karaoke songs. So we all had some embarrassing fun with that. We were also able to see a long fire works show. We left before it was over because we couldn't sit through anymore. It just kept going and going. But, in my boredom, I discovered the fireworks setting on my camera.

It's going up fast!

2008-06-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

I took the first picture at about 8:00 am and the second picture at about 7:00 pm on Wednesday. The crew is putting in long days, especially Nat. Things are definitely moving right along. Oh! And according to our concrete guy, the front corner of the garage is ready to support a sky scraper. It's awesome being able to envision what the finished product will look like. And although stressful at times, I'm having fun picking out cabinets and countertops, flooring and paint.

More on the House

2008-06-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay.

Day 8: Relatively uneventful, aside from some tractor repair issues and our weekend backhoe guy disappearing off the face of the planet.

Day 9: The replacement backhoe guy...super nice and did a great job. He just underestimated the size of the footings under ground and ripped the front corner of the garage off as he was digging the water trench.

So, I am learning so much about the construction process and reinforced concrete. Concrete and rebar...whoever invented that is an allstar. Like strawberries and cheesecake. They make an incredible combination.

It seems to me that the hardest thing we've come up against so far is having a backhoe operator on hand. So, by the time we build our next house, I have decided that I am going to learn how to drive and operate a backhoe. It sounds like a pretty decent part time job for a stay-at-home mom, right?

All in all, this whole house project has really got me wound up. So much that I often feel as though I will snap. If you ask a few of the concrete guys or Nat, they'll say that I already have snapped a couple times. But yesterday, I got a little frantic after the garage got ripped up. I had to get the backhoe returned to the rental place full of gas, otherwise it is a $25 pick up fee and $6.50 per gallon for fuel. Well, in an effort to save $75 and relieve my itch for learning how to operate heavy machinery, I climbed up on that backhoe, locked the boom, raised the bucket just right, and headed to the gas station. I even drove about 200 yards on US60. Just as I locate the gas tank, I realize I had left my purse in the truck parked back at the job site. So, I'm not sure what lesson I should learn from this. Leave it to the boys to do men's work, or ditch the purse and carry a man-wallet. It's an internal struggle. My pride says," Don't tell me what I can't do." But then my feminine nature speaks up and says, "You really are not cut out for this line of work. You're better off refining your homemaking skills at home." So my best compromise is, "At least, do your hair and makeup and carry your cute purse while you drive the backhoe to the gas station. Then everyone that sees you won't think you are a nasty backhoe man with a long ponytail."

Jacky Jack and Our New House

2008-06-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Jack has joined the family. And so far it isn't so bad. Of course, I have spent a total of maybe 20 minutes with him. But he's alright I guess. He is actually really good with the kids. Calan absolutely loves Jack. They are best buddies.

We also started on the house! Woohoo! I never new that there could be so many errors/complications.

Day 1: After trenching for 1 hour, the guys hit solid rock.

Day 2: A chunk of money later, they rent a Hammerhoe and dig the whole layout of the house, just in time for the inspector to say it is 9.5 ft too close to the street.

Day 3: After backfilling yesterdays work, they dig it just right. But the lot is too sloped, so we had to change up the foundation plan a little and step the garage down eight inches.

Day4&5: I guess not much can go wrong while concrete dries.

Day 6: The Backhoe we rented for the weekend sprung a leak after 2 hours of digging and we managed to cut the neighbor's phone lines.

Now on Day 7, things seem to have settled down, for now.

Look for some pictures soon.

Behind every good woman...

2008-05-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

...is a mountain of dirty laundry.

My mom hung that somewhere near the washing machine in the house I grew up in. I have to admit, while it is true in her case, my laundry has piled up because I have been completely consumed by my latest novel, not from doing great things.

Stephenie Meyers' new novel The Host is totally captivating. The whole premise of the novel is somewhat like that old Bodysnatchers film; humans becoming hosts to aliens souls. But what I found most interesting is that the whole time I was reading the book, it fused itself to my brain like I was a host and it my soul. I know, I am a total freak. It is a really good book though. And it helped me realize that I need to get a life.

So then, just after finishing the book, Britt and I sit down to watch I am Legend. Uh... hello! I was up all night from nightmares and crazy thoughts. My paranoia was driving me to the edge. I had come really close to loading Britt's .22 Rifle, but was too afraid to let any part of me out of the blanket.

Nevertheless, the sun came up to another beautiful day with lots of chores for me to do, including laundry. And can anyone tell me why children cannot resist playing in the heaps of clean laundry? Calan and even Cora just can't help themselves. They love to sift through the clean, unfolded laundry and demolish the piles I had actually managed to fold. The little boogers!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2008-05-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my mom treated me and my sisters to an afternoon of massages and pedicures. It was a lot of fun. Thanks, Mom! I missed out on the spray-on tans. Well, really I just feel like I missed out on seeing how sun-kissed or orange everyone else turned out.

My mother is an incredible woman. It's hard enough to think of a gift to get her, but on top of that she gives me and so many others so much. For all of her strengths and weaknesses (mostly strengths), I love her. She is awesome! As a mother, wife and woman, I hope that someday I will have blessed the lives of everyone around me like my mother has. All of my efforts to be a better person are to honor her. I'm also grateful that I inherited her cheekbones!

I was so glad to have been able to enjoy Mother's Day on Saturday because I woke up Sunday morning totally sick to my stomach. So while Britt was at meetings all morning, I tried to get myself and the kids ready for church. I almost gave up. By the time, we returned home and took a good nap, I was feeling better; well enough, at least, to bust out the video camera.

Finer Things Club

2008-05-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

My first Enrichment Night was a huge success! We had a great turn out and the food was spectacular.

Thank you, Judy Fielding! She put on a great spread of veggies and cheese and crackers. I didn't know a vegetable platter could look so magnificent.

Thank you, Megan Wallace! She headed up the desserts - Chocolate Lava Mini-cakes served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a raspberry sauce. They were to die for. I ate three. One for each love handle and one more because they tasted so good.

And a huge thank you to Mom. She helped me gather and borrow all the decorations, which was by far the most work. From leatherbound books to paintings and everything else that set the stage for a beautiful evening.

I'm so bummed that I didn't take pictures. Everyone that came contributed to the evening too. We shared good books, music and other inspiring stuff.

Inhale...1...2...3...Exhale.......

2008-04-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see. This morning Britt described me as "looking a little rough" and a friend of mine said I'm "running around like a chicken with my head cut off." But I'm glad to say, it's from being disorganized and actively busy, instead of disorganized and depressed.

Britt and I decided to look into building a home here in Globe and are moving forward with the plans. We found a lot in a nice neighborhood and my big brother Nat helped us with our floor plan. We are really excited! There is still a small chance that things won't work out, but we are hopeful and prayerful that they will.

Oh! We also decided to get a dog. It's a Dogo Argentino aka Argentine Mastiff. Right now he is actually in Argentina. We expect him to join our family on June 7. His official name is Jacare de la Patagonia. But we'll call him Jack. Here are some pictures of him.

Remind me never to...

2008-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

A) ...get sick again! Last week was rough. I had some mix of stomach flu and food poisoning that lasted a very long 3 days. Cora felt very neglected and Calan realized his full potential for naughtiness.

B) ...test drive the truck of my dreams. I knew I was spoiled and thought I was a Ford Girl. But I love my new Toyota Tundra. (A moment of silence for my little box car ... it will be missed.)

C) ...miss Enrichment meetings. I just got called to be 2nd counselor in the Relief Society Presidency which means I oversee Family, Home and Personal Enrichment... I guess. I'm not sure what my new calling will entail, but I'm willing to bet that there isn't a soul in the whole world that knows less about Relief Society stuff than I do.

Gearing up for Summer!

2008-03-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Calan got his summer haircut. It was a challenge to get him to sit still, but his Easter candy helped. I didn't realize how long we had let his hair get until I really got going. After a bath, Cal finally got a chance to check himself out in the mirror and exclaimed, "My hair like Ans!" Just to clarify, "Ans" is Calan referring to his Uncle Anson, my younger brother.

Happy Easter!!

2008-03-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed celebrating Easter this year. Our good friends in Globe and our family back home in Mesa made it extra special.

We had an Easter egg hunt and lunch at the park on Saturday with all our friends, the Wallaces, the Whites, the Blads, the Hudsons, the Philpots, the Williamsons. Yes, yes, Britt and I stepped out of our shell a little and have managed to make some friends. Hard to believe, I know. All in all, good food and lots of candy make for a great party.

I'll admit that my favorite part about holidays is dressing up my baby girl. I just can't resist pink ruffles and bows.

We spent Easter Sunday in Mesa. Britt's parents planned a fun-filled day of egg hunts, egg cracking contests, delicious lunch and dinner, and a spiritually filling sacrament meeting.

I learned a few lessons for next Easter.

1. Cheap candy is a waste. You have to invest in the good stuff.

2. Friends and family make it fun and special, but taking a quiet moment to reflect on the atoning sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ is what makes Easter truly meaningful and memorable.