The Leonard Family

Christmas Newsletter 2011

2011-12-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

2011 has brought a lot of changes for us and we are very excited for the new opportunities for us! We finally sold our house in Spokane in June and were able to buy a new house here in Clarkston that we love! We bought a 3 bedroom home (our only wish is that it was a four bedroom) and after two months of working on it we were able to move out of my parents basement and into our new home with fresh paint and brand new carpet. Can I say how much I love brand new carpet! Love it!

Addison is turning two this December and I can't believe how fast the time has gone! She is talking like crazy and she is so funny. She loves to color and is starting to learn her colors and is able to count to ten (except for 3, 6 and 8, she skips those). Her hair is growing so long and she has already had two hair cuts within just a few months. She is so much fun and we are trying to explain to her that she has a baby brother or sister coming on the way but every time we tell her there is a baby in mommy's belly she just looks for mommy's belly button. I know she will be a great big sister though because she loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals so much and is constantly snuggling them and putting them to bed and changing their "boppers".

Addison the Lady Bug

So from the previous paragraph you can gather that I am pregnant and the due date is May 19th. We are excited and we will find out what we are having in a few weeks. I am sort of leaning towards a boy just based on my own intuition but I guess we'll know soon enough. I am still working for the Shopko pharmacy and enjoy my job. I have to say that I am looking forward to 4 1/2 months of maternity and the best part is that it will be during the summer months this time! Oh yeah! How's that for planning!

Adam is working at Potlatch No. 1 Federal Credit Union as a loan officer and loves it. He has been there for a year now and looks forwards to growing with the company. He started a new calling with the young men and enjoys working with the youth of the church. He loves having our own home again and I can't seem to get him to stop mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house. He just loves to take care of our home.

Addison Loving on Grandpa

We went on our yearly trip to Seaside Oregon this year and Mom, Dad and Denise joined us. We had so much fun going together and playing on the beach. Addison had a blast running in the water and playing in the sand. We went to the tide pools on Canon Beach and we rented the sand bikes again this year. We had lots of fun on the beach at night hunting for sand dollars and also crabs in the sand. I'll tell you that finding a crab in the sand at night, getting it to come out and it running towards you can be a little scary and hilarious at the same time!

We are so excited to be living in Clarkston, our new home, our new friends and being closer to family. We are looking forward to the many new opportunities and adventures that await us and especially the new baby! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Love, the Leonards

Addison's First Oreo

2010-10-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Chocolate...a girls first true love!

...or maybe not

The going ons...

2010-10-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone, I officially suck at keeping up my blog but if any of you out there are paying attention to this at all anymore I should probably let you know the changes in our lives. We currently are no longer Spokane residents. I have been relocated thru work to be the new pharmacy manager in Lewiston. The last time I wrote was in the Summer and things have changed so fast. I got word in August that the position was available and I had an opportunity to move back home and be closer to family. Of course we took the opportunity and have made the transition back home. Our house is currently for sale in Spokane so if anyone is looking for an amazing house here it is!!It has been a great house and we love it so much. We are sad we have to leave our home but we are very excited about the new opportunities, the great new area we have to live and being so close to family. Adam and I went on a walk today and it was so beautiful outside. We love the river and small town feel of the valley.

For Halloween we went to Wilson Banner Ranch and picked some pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. It was so much fun. We went with Jeremy, Natalie, Ava and Emma and the girls had such a great time. Here are some great shots...For Halloween Addison was a cow and she is so cute in her costume. We plan to go to Sears and get her 10 months photos taken tomorrow in her outfit so we will have some good ones to hand out to family and friends. Here she is in her get up...

How ironic, a cow drinkin' milk!

We have also been going to Kaleb's Football games and watching him doing awesome as a quarterback, lineman, and tackle. Here is a pic from the most recent game, it was chilly.
Here is a photo of Addison hair do that she has been sporting recently (when she allows me to do it). We call it her bam-bam look.

And this is how she looks from my point of view most of the day. She is starting to walk already and has been for a good month now it seems like. She isn't too sturdy on her feet but she is pretty good at it when she does try to walk. She would just rather crawl because she is so much faster. She is such a cutie! We love her so much. She is so fun and happy and the life of the party!

It's been along time

2010-07-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since Addison's baby blessing. She is now 6 1/2 months old and has changed so much since January. She started rolling over at 3 1/2 months and is already army crawling and on the verge of a full crawl. She can get just about anywhere she wants without any problems. She is such a fun baby with an amazing personality. She is always so happy even with her double ear infection that she is battling right now with Augmentin (which has given us some pretty fun and unexpected diaper changes as of late). I just thought I would post a few of the great pictures I have taken of her in the past few months as a quick update.

Addison's first experience with solids around 4 1/2 months

Fist time in her bumbo chair! She hated it! But now she doens't mind it because she pretty much climbs out whenever she wants to. Now we have to get a high chair.

Spending some quality time with her Cousin Leah

All bundled up and ready to go on a walk with Daddy

One of the cutest pictures ever! She had just figured out how to stick out her tongue

and I timed it just right to catch it!

First time on a slide, you can tell she is going to be a little dare devil.

Hanging out on the porch with Mommy

We can never keep any shoes on her feet so I had to put in this pictures of her in her little cowgirl boots, she had then off in record time!

Another trick she has learned along with holding her bottle she can throw it back like an old pro!

Sitting up in the tub like a big girl!

How come they grow up so fast!!

Enjoying every minute!

2010-03-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since we have posted but we are just having too much fun around here. Here is Addison in her Easter dress. I know it is early but I have to get as much use out of her dresses as I can since she is growing so fast! Isn't she cute. I just love it!

Here is a picture of Addison taking a little bite out of her dress during sacrament. I guess I wasn't the only one who was a little hungry :)

And finally, a little Alfalfa impression while taking a bath. There really isn't much else you can do with her hair just yet. It is too short on top and not very thick in the back, so we really like the headbands and flowers.

Six more weeks until I have to go back to work:(

Six weeks old already!

2010-02-08T15:02:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it, it has been six weeks since little Addison came into the world! I can't believe how time flies! It has been a wonderful six weeks to be able to stay at home with her and spend lots of time together. I wish I could stay home forever but in 11 short weeks I will have to return to stupid work! Crappy!! I wish I could be a stay-at-home mom forever but alas, the world must go around and unfortunately it is powered by money. Maybe someday that will change.

As you can see from the pictures we had our little Addy blessed yesterday and it was wonderful. Adam did a great job and it was great to have our family and friends there to celebrate. Her blessing dress was actually my dress from when I was blessed. The white blanket was crocheted (spelling??) by Tara's mom and was beautiful! I have to say Addison is the cuttest baby ever! Here are some more pics from the blessed event...

Addison's little half smile for the camera. I have yet to get a real one on film yet due to the fact that as soon as she sees a camera she just stares at it.
Daddy and his little girl.

Proud Grandma and Grandpa Leonard.

Proud Grandma and Grandpa Barnes

And finally, the very proud mama!

11 Days old and lovin' it!

2010-01-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all figured out that Addison has come into the world by now. I was induced on the 28th and I have to say that it was a good experience. I know there are a lot of people out there who have negative feelings towards being induced or have had bad experiences but I have to say that mine wasn't bad at all. I went in at 7:30am and they started the pitocin drip at 9:00 and the doc came in at 10:00 to break my water...which hurts really bad by the way, I recommend getting an epidural before he does that. I was dialated at a 6 after that and then decided to get the epidural since the contractions started to be quite painful. I then had to wait. I took a lot of naps, as I waited until I could start pushing, it was quite nice. Around 3pm I was dilated at a 10 and fully effaced but they wanted to me to labor down so I wouldn't have to push as long. By 5 I was ready to start pushing and 2 hours later at 7:12pm little Addison was born. It is amazing how quickly you forget about all the pressure from pushing and how hard you had been working when they place your little girl on your belly and you finally see her. She is the most beautiful little baby and I am not just saying that because I am the proud mama...take a look for yourself

The picture of the mom is never supposed to look good, right? Proud (and sleepy) Papa

First Grandchild for Grandma & Grandpa Leonard

Addison is Grandchild number 10 but Grandma & Grandpa Barnes are just as proud!

All in all things are going great for us.

Little Addison is such a good baby and we couldn't be happier.

No pictures until I have a baby

2009-12-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

I am on strike! I am 3 days late and I am in great anticipation for Addison to come into the world. And so, I refuse to post any pictures of anything Christmas like until she is here. When she is here you will be bombarded with pictures of a cute little baby in front of our beautiful tree and maybe even some pictures of the proud mom and dad. Until then, you only get a new blog background. Sorry.

Getting ready for Addison's arrival

2009-10-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

We have been working on the nursery and trying to get ready for our little bundle that is on her way in less than 8 weeks. Can you believe it! She is almost here. We have a crib and dresser now and are only in need of a glider. I found one at Baby Depot and we will buy it in a few weeks. One thing at a time you know, I don't want to get too overwhelmed. But we are getting very excited for her arrival and so I thought I would share some pictures of the nursery and for some of you who have been asking a pic of me at 32 1/2 weeks.
You may be looking at the little black girl in the picture on the wall, we don't actually know that girl it came with the frame. We will change it as soon as we get a pic of Addison.

Alright, here is the ever famous prego picture. It is the only one I will post so enjoy it while you can. Do I have the new motherly glow? I am thinking, "man, I can't wait to work out!"

Keith "The Hottie" Urban

2009-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last night Adam and I were able to go to the Keith Urban Concert at the Spokane Arena. Let's just say it was amazing!! We were sitting on the left side of the stage in the risers in the 7th row so we have a perfect view of him the whole time. Plus there was a mike about 15 feet away from us that made me very happy when he sang at that one. He throws such an amazing concert and is such an awesome performer. He can play like the guitar like crazy!!! There was one point when he was playing and his hand was just a blur. I got some pretty good shots of him and also the opening band Little Big Town who are also amazing and Jimi Westbrook is really hot too so it was a good fun night. Little band is rockin'!! If you every get a chance to see then you should because they throw a great concert too. What a way to open the night!Don't worry Adam knows of my obsession for these guys and he is not threatened at all. He knows he is number one in my book!!

Here is a picture of me with Keith in the background at the end of the concert. This is really like 15 feet away even through the camera makes it look farther away than this. He was so awesome!! Adam also got to touch his hand as he was leaving the stage. We walked over to the side rails of the risers where he was walking off thestage and reached down. Adam was up higher than me but since he is so much taller and has longer arms (and not big prego belly in his way) he was able to reach Keith but I just barely missed his hand. How sad. Oh well, I still have the fact that he told me he loved me at the Gorge 4 years ago right :)

I just want to publicly apologize to Tara for forgetting to call her yesterday on her birthday. I blame it on two reasons...1. Keith was on my mind most of the day and that is quite the distraction and 2. I am pregnant and can barely remember one thing to the next. I have to check my work schedule every morning just to make sure I go to work at the right time. Sorry bud, I will make it up to you on Thursday when I see ya!! Love ya man.

Evergreen State Fair

2009-09-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day Weekend Adam and I went to Monroe with his parents to go to the Evergreen State Fair. We were also able to spend some time with some really good friends of the family, Cindy and Ernie in Snohomish. It was a great time to be with then and to see then again. We got there on Saturday and enjoyed some great fair food, a few rides, the fair animals, Alaskan Pig Races and of course the actual races. This is something I hadn't experienced before but I must say the races were pretty cool. I mostly liked it when they wrecked. But let me tell you after they wreck it takes a while to get the race going again. Some of the best races were the figure eights in my opinion. Talk about a ton of close calls. Here is just a short glimps. I got tired of filming because I wasn't able to pay as much attention to the action.

Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the fair.

Lots has happened...

2009-08-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last wrote so I thought instead of a long drawn out story of everything I haven't been posting I would just post some pictures so you can get a quick snap shot of my life in the past month or so...here ya go!

On August 1st we went to the Kenny Chesney concert in Seattle at the Qwest Field. It was so much fun. This is the second time that Adam and I have gone to this concert. This year Lady Antebellum opened (which we missed because it took us for dang ever to get out stupid wrist band to get to our seats because apparently a ticket isn't enough these days), then followed by Miranda Lambert (who in my opinion should have opened because I definitely wouldn't have missed missing her opening), then Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland and finally Kenny. It as a sweet show!! The only down fall was that this was the first weekend that my ankles started swelling. They were the size of the calves almost, at least it seemed to me. The funny thing is there was another pregnant lady sitting next to us and at one point in the concert we both had our feet up on the chairs in front of us.

These guys are awesome in concert if you every get the chance to see them.
Sugarland as always rocked the house! I love them!!
Kenny opened the show by flying over our heads suspended on a chair and it was so awesome seeing him so close. He always opens the new show in a new way and it is always fun to try and find where he is coming from when he starts to sing. It was a great show. He is such an awesome entertainer. I have to admit that the encore could have been better.

The 18th of August we took a family vacation to Lincoln City, OR. It was a lot of fun. It was the first time that my whole family, meaning my parents and all my siblings, were together since my wedding. It is the first time we have all been together for a vacation in who knows how long. It was so much fun. All the grandkids were there and we have a lot of fun spending time together and enjoying the coast. Here is a few photos of the best family vacation ever...

My little bro Andrew and our cute little niece Munchkin (I think that is what Erin calls her).
Emma and I playing a little game thru the sliding glass door. I would take her picture and show it to her and then she would make another funny face. I have like 5 other pics like this. She is hillarious!!

Believe it or not Emma really isn't riding the Sandrail, Adam took the picture at just the right time and it looks like she is having the ride of her life. This was probably the highlight of the trip for us. If you want a holy-crap-hold-on-for-dear-life feeling just ride the Sandrails in Florence. They were definitely the highlight of the trip for Adam, he loved it!!

These are only a few pictures from the trip. We also went whale watching and to the Oregon Aquarium plus a few trips to the beach playing in the water and flying kites. If you want to see more pics you'll have to check out other family member blogs or just wait till I scrapbook them and see them for yourself the next time you visit me. We had a great time and we were very excited to see Tara and Andy on the last day there even if it was for just a short time. I have to say, I have a hard time shopping with anyone else!

We are having an Addison or a Piper!!

2009-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

I had my first ultra sound today and it looks like Adam and I are going to be having a girl come December. It was quite an experience going to have the ultrasound. First of all it is not like the movies at all. The gel stuff was not cold and it didn't take 5 minutes to complete the ultrasound. It took 45 minutes and that gel stuff gets everywhere by the way. Our little girl didn't want to move so it took a while to get her in the right positions to do all the necessary measurements. But when she did we got some really good shots of her. We only got one picture printed from the doctors office but we also got a DVD of the ultrasound. Not all 45 minutes but just the highlights. Here are a few photos...first the 3-D ones.

And here is the one where she sin't shy to show us what she is!

I was exhausted after the ultrasound due to the anticipation of it all. Too bad I didn't have time to take a nap afterwards.

It's all done...really it is

2009-06-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I said it was done before but now it really is finished. The couch is down there, although there was some doubt from the delivery guys that it wouldn't fit in the basement. After some scuffs on the wall they got it down there. The TV is mounted on the wall along with the entertainment consol and thanks to Adam's parents and some drill bits we got the surround sound up this weekend as well. One call to our good friend Andy and we even has satelite hooked up down there too. Here is the final photos.

So if you are feeling up to watching a good movie, you know who to call!!

Some news to fill in the gaps

2009-06-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

It has been about 11 weeks since I have last written on this blog of mine and what a coincidence but I am 11 1/2 weeks pregnant!! That's right, it happened to me too. I have been trying to convince myself that it is true this whole time since unlike a lot of my family and friends I have had zero morning sickness. That's right, I said zero. Okay, I threw up twice but I only felt sick for a few minutes before and then afterwards I felt great so I don't think that counts as morning sickness. But, I have been exhausted. So that counts for something I guess. But it finally came to fruition for me today when I went and had my physical and Adam and I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. It was a healthy 164 beats per minute and everything checked out great. The doctor checked everything out and it looks like everything is going great so far. My due date is December 18, exactly 1 week before Christmas. I hope I am not overdue for the holidays for the doctors sake. So, if anyone wants to come and hang with us for Christmas go right ahead because we aren't going anywhere this year. Right now the little baby is the size of a fig, just an 1 1/2 long. It is so crazy to think there is something actually in there. So, Adam and I are soon to begin the grand adventure of parenting. Wish us luck.

It's finished!!

2009-04-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well, not totally yet. A few outlets need to be switched out, we need furniture and our TV of course but other than that here is the finished product. Isn't it lovely.

Here is the extra bedroom down in the basement. It is really nice. Izzy loves the new carpet. She took a nap on it last night while we were upstairs. It is almost unheard of for her to sleep in a room where we are not hanging out so she must really like it.

Izzy's first swim

2009-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Adam and I went to Clarkston for Easter weekend. It was so warm and beautiful there that we took Izzy on a few walks to Swallows Nest Park along the river. We wanted to see what she would do if she jumped in and got wet. Adam threw in a stick to coax her into the water. She wasn't expecting what happened. Take a look...

She then came onto the dock after jumping in the water and was leaning over to take a drink or something when she slipped in head first into a full puppy dive. She was under for a few seconds before she came up, then she swam straight into shore to get out. I missed the fall into the water but I got her swimming. She is a good swimmer.

A Quick Update

2009-04-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I last wrote on my blog. First of all our best friends moved away and now we feel lost and alone in the world of Spokane. No one else can replace you guys! But since then we have had a ton of time to work on our basement since we haven't had anything else to do. Now here is a before shot in case you have never seen it...

As you can see there is T1-11 siding covering the walls in the basement. Adam and some friends took this wall down and put up sheet rock. We did a smooth wall rather than texture and have painted it red. The ceiling was pop-corn style and we have since scrapped that off and retextured the ceiling to what I like to call Ralph-Style since it is the same technique my Dad used on our home in Clarkston. Here are some pictures of our hard work...

This is after 3 coats of paint...

And this is after 5 coats of paint! That's right I said 5!!!

So that is how our basement is coming along. It isn't done yet though. We have a carpenter coming in to put up our base molding, crown molding and window casings. Here is all the molding we had to paint. We got it done in 3 days.

We also have carpet going in next tuesday. We are almost done. I will post a picture when it is all said and done. Also, while we were working on the basement we did a little work to the upstairs bathroom. A little paint and a new light fixture. Now we just need to get a new mirror and new countertop rolling and it will be done. Here is an after, I never got a good before...

So more news, I was driving home from work one day and I was able to win tickets to see Plain White T's at the ZZU studio downtown with Adam. It was so awesome. I was like 5 feet away from them. I could almost pop their zits. Just kiddin' they didn't have any zits, but we were super close!! Here are some photos...

We also made a big purchase this last week. We bought a new vehicle. We traded in old Dusty and got a 2008 Dodge Nitro R/T. I have to say it is a darn sweet ride and I LOVE IT!!! It has less than 5,000 miles and is in mint condition. The former owners are from Omak and traded her in for a Charger so we got a sweet deal on a barely used Nitro. I have wanted a Nitro since they came out and I am so happy!! It has leather seats, which I thought I would never do since they are always so cold, but I compromised when I heard they were heated. Here she is...

Just a few more things, sorry this post is so long but it has been awhile. Here are some cute photos. My family came up to visit this weekend since Jason came in town to go to a friends wedding so I got some super cute pics of my nieces, Ava and Emma. Emma loved to play with Gordon and Izzy, but Gordon was too scared and Izzy was too playful.

Gordon is just out of reach.

Hanging outside on a nice sunny day!

A few photos of our super cute puppy.

Izzy really wants Gordon to play but he is too lazy.

She got caught licking the water up after I took a shower.

Izzy really likes to eat ice cubes.

Izzy playing hard with all her toys all over the living room.

Izzy's favorite thing to do it go on walks. This is us at Manito park, it was a little rough. I thought she was going to suffocate herself. There are too many people and dogs for her to handle. She just pulls and pulls and pulls.

Ghost Tablets

2009-03-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you are aware of a phenomenon in the pharmacy world as ghost tablet. I want to let you all know about this so you can avoid such a situation as the one I am going to tell you now.

There is a medication out there called Effexor XR which is a very popular antidepressant. Well, there is a generic equivalent that have come our recently but there is one slight difference between the generic and the brand. The brand Effexor XR is available as a capsule while the new Venlafaxine ER is available as a tablet. It is still a controlled release tablet however, rather than being filled with little time release pellets as the capsule is there is a tiny little pin hole in the tablet that slowly releases the medication leaving a ghost tablet which is eliminted in the...well you know how it works.

This lady we had switched from the capsules to the tablets came up to pick up her medication the other day and wanted to talk to the pharmacist. So, I went over to the counter and I noticed that she had demanded brand capsules rather than the tablets. She wanted to talk to me and let me know that the generic does nto work and that her body does not absorb them correctly. I knew that the tablets are eliminated when you go to the bathroom and that this has made people think that the pills are not working.

So I asked her how she knew that her body wasn't absorbing them. She told me that when she went to the bathroom she saw them in the toilet. I told her that was normal. That the medicine is slowly released from the tablet and then the empty shell is eliminated. She said, "but they are hard!" Okay...I told her it is hard, it is so hard that your body cannot absorb the tablet it is just eliminated as a shell and the medicine is in your body. The next thing she told me was quite disturbing. She said, "Okay, this is going to sound gross, but I went to the bathroom and there was three in the toilet. So I reached in and felt one and it was really hard. I have never had this problem before and I don't think they are getting absorbed." I explained to her again, for the third time, that this is normal. Your body is absorbing the medicine and eliminating the empty shell. I told her the reason why this has never happened before is because there is only a handful of medication that works this way and she has probably never been on them before.

So, for all of you to avoid such a gross situation, NEVER REACH INTO THE TOILET!!! Please ask your pharmacist first. Because they don't want to hear stories about your searching through the toilet for your medication.

Warning to all Oxycontin Thieves!!

2009-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

I am going to start packing! There are far too many pharmacy robberies here in Spokane of late. And I am getting tired of it. I have to say that Shopko has not been hit yet. So far, only Rite-Aids, Walgreens and Albertsons have been targeted. And all for the coveted Oxycontin pills. These colorful little pills are causing quite the ruckus here in Spokane. One pharmacist was actually tied up at Albertsons and a customer had a knife held to their throat at Walgreens to get a few little pills!!

Now for those of you who are afraid for my life, which I am sure all of you are if you are reading this, don't you worry about me. Most of these pharmacies only have one pharmacist on duty and their pharmacy is right in the front of the store. We always have at least two people working at my store and our pharmacy is way in the back of the store. But not only that, I am going to start packing to work. Just keep a little something under my jacket just in case things go a little too far. I just want everyone to know that I will be okay here in the big city.

Snow Day!!!

2008-12-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

At least for Adam it was. I had to walk to work. Another downfall of living close to work. It started snowing around 7:00 wednesday morning and finally stopped tonight around 4:00. But, actually I think it is snowing again right now as I am looking out the window. But here are a few pictures of the snow.

This is a picture of our table and chair set on our porch wednesday night. Measuring about 12 inches...

Here is a picture of the same set Thursday morning around 7:00, measuring 22 inches.

This is the latest picture from tonight around 6:30 measuring between 25 and 26 inches. Crazy huh!! I had to walk to work today because there still hasn't been a plow on our road so instead of getting stuck like everyone else in Spokane I decided to walk. Izzy and Adam were nice enough to walk with me. Izzy really loves the snow. She loves bounding through it like a rabbit. With how deep it is she gets lost easily in the white. Good thing she is a black lab.

Since the last time I wrote we have put christmas light up on our house and also our Christmas tree up. Our house looks really cool. I thought I would show a picture of the house before and after now so you can see just how much there really is. Here is the before...

Oh, so pretty right! And the after...

I guess I sang "White Christmas" a few too many times because it's here! Snow, snow, snow and more snow. I will leave you with a picture of our beautiful tree and don't worry about us, we are warm and safe.

Especially since we got our fireplace working in our living room. I love it, it is so cozy!

Merry Christmas everyone!! Hope you have fun and safe holiday!

Late Birthday Present

2008-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to give Ava and Emma their birthday present and it was so fun to watch them open it and play with the present. It was a set of bath toys and they sure liked to chew on the pieces.

Here is a little video of them opening their presents. Watch for Emma and her little pat, pat that she does. It is so adorable. They are the cutest little twin nieces ever!!

The Coolest Dog Ever!!

2008-11-27T10:09:00.001-08:00

I just need to say that we have to coolest dog ever! Izabelle is such a snuggler and just loves being around people. She is so friendly and so much fun. We got her spayed last week and it was so sad to see her in so much pain. She could barely sit down or lay down on her own with out yelping in pain. Adam had to pick her up and lay her down gently on her side. Then every once in a while in the middle of her sleep she would wake up yelping in pain and jump up onto her feet. She would be so tired that she would be standing on her feet and start swaying back and forth as she was falling asleep.

However, this pain only lasted 24 hours because I came home from work for lunch the very next day and she came running up to me so fast that I thought she was going to rip her stitches out. She was so excited to see me. But that is how it is everytime now matter how long the absense. She just loves being around people.

Lately, we have been going on a lot of road trips due to the holidays and we have been able to take her with us to my parents and Adam's parents houses. She loves the trips! She is a great passenger and loves to see new people and pets. Adam's parents have two dogs, Rocky and Malone, and Izzy loved to play with both of them. Malone didn't like Izzy as much due to territory concerns.

Izzy is also a great athlete, she loves to play fetch, soccer and basketball. She is a great defensive player, even though she gets a little growly when she gets a hold of the ball. All in all, we love out dog and we know if you came over and met her you would love her too!

Husband Tag

2008-10-24T08:15:00.001-07:00

This is the first time I have ever responded to a tag. I'm sorry if someone in the past has tagged me and I haven't responded. I don't get to spend a whole lot of time on the computer because my husband or dog will want me to hang out with them. So here goes the tag given to me from my sista-in-law Natalie (her's was funny by the way) and I will be tagging my BFF Tara Sutton. Okay so here I go for my first tag!

1> What is his name? Adam Robert Leonard

2> How long have you been together? We met freshman year of college (february 2001) but didn't start dating until September 2005. I know what you are thinking, what took him so long to realize I was the coolest girl he would ever meet? I have no idea.

3> How long did you date? We got married in August 2006, so just under a year.

4> Who eats more? Adam always has. He has like a bottomless pit for a stomach and is never full it seems. But you couldn't tell by looking at us because he has a never ending metabolism to match.

5> Who said "I Love You" first? Adam did. We were in Pullman for a weekend football game and we were shopping at the Moscow mall and we were waiting for our friends to get done at the sporting good store and he said "I Love you" in the shoe section. It worked for me. I said it to him right back.

6> Who is taller? Thanks goodness Adam is, I'm already wider I wouldn't be able to stand it if I was taller too.

7> Who sings better? It has got to be Adam in all accounts. I'm not bad but I suck at hymns and I have a very narrow range in which I sound okay. He sings really good especially when he plays guitar.

8> Who is smarter? I have to take this one since I am the only one with a college degree so far, he will be finishing his this spring hopefully (love you honey).

9> Who does the laundry? I do. He will do it too if I ask or if he wants something cleaned. But usually it is me who does it and he will help fold as long as they aren't whites. He hates folding whites.

10> Who does the dishes? We both do this one pretty evenly. Usually who ever cooks the other does dishes.

11> Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Well, if the right side is when you are actually laying down on the bed then Adam does. He always sleeps on his right side and I always sleep on my belly and look over my right shoulder because I can't sleep looking at people, expecially if I can feel their breath.

12> Who pays the bills? That would be me. I have always been a little anal over my expenses. I have to know exactly where my money is and how much I have all the time.

13> Who mows the lawn? Adam does. He keeps the yard very well kept all the time.

14> Who cooks dinner? This is another one where we are pretty even. Although Adam does cook a lot of good things and if we added it up he might have cooked more than I have since we have been married.

15> Who drives when you are together? Adam always does. I don't think he likes the way I drive. He thinks I am rough on the car.

16> Who kissed who first? Adam kissed me. But we both really wanted to I was just too scared since I had liked him since we met and it took me 5 years to find out he was even interested.

17> Who asked who out first? It depends on what our first date was. If it was the Jack Johnson concert than I asked him out first. If it was our trip to Leavenworth after the concert than it was Adam who asked first.

18> Who proposed? He did. It as a very cute way he did it too. We had been talking about marriage and he surprised me by coming to my apartment and staying for the weekend. He was at my house setting everything up while I was at work and when I came home there was a trail of roses and candles to my room. There was tons of flowers and candles in my room and he came in with his guitar, serenated me with a song, got down on one knee and proposed. It was very sweet.

19> Who is more sensitive? I'm gonna have to say Adam is.

20> Who has more friends? If you are talking about people you call and hang out with, Adam does. There is like two people I feel comfortable calling to hang out with, okay, maybe just one.

21> Who has more siblings? I definitely do since Adam is an only child.

22> Who wears the pants in the family? I would say we both have one leg each:)

Fall Weekend Fun

2008-10-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good one. We started it out by enjoying my birthday present that Adam got for me. Two tickets to Phantom of the Opera at the Spokane Opera House. It was a lot of fun to get dressed up and see the show. Adam didn't know the story line so I had to explain to him a lot of the plot since it was kind of hard to hear what they were saying. I don't know if the music was too loud for the actors or is it was just hard to understand them through their accents. But the music was amazing and the Phantom had an awesome voice. Although, I have to say that Gerard Butler from the movie is hard to compete with since he is so beautiful.

Then on Saturday we went to Pullman and saw the WSU vs. USC game which was a disaster. Our poor team has a new coach this year, is trying to rebuild and had to hold try-outs for a quarterback since all of our other quarterbacks are injured. It hasn't been a good season. We have only won one game against Portland State (not in our division) and were shut-out this weekend by USC 69-0, the first shut-out in 290 games (over 24 years)! So sad isn't it. But it was fun to go to the game with friends and check out the newly renovated CUB (which is overrated, I liked the old smelling CUB better).

I also got my new camera this week and was able to take some good photos of us at the game.

I really like this one of Brian and Andy. And here is the new jumbo screen that they put in the stadium. It shows a really nice picture, I just wish it had a better score to show.

Most of our entertainment came from these five guys that were standing in front of us. They were the only guys standing in our whole section and they stood the whole time. One guy (far left) looked like he hadn't taken a shower for a week and was getting really upset about the game. I don't know what he expected going to cheer on the cougars playing USC in our worst season in history but he was very passionate. I tried to get a video but they left at half-time. This other guy (brown cords) was dancing around and shimmied his butt the whole time. It was kind of weird. All in all an interesting, non-showering, group of WSU gentlemen.

On Sunday, Adam and I took Izzy to Riverside State Park and walked around the Bowl and Pitcher part of the park. It was so beautiful. I got lots of good pictures which I will post later because right now I have to get ready for work. But it was a great weekend and I enjoyed spending time with my friends in Pullman. It would have felt like old times if our football team actually did any good.

The Oxycontin Thief Caught!!

2008-10-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

If some of you haven't been keeping up with the oxycontin robber that has been robbing Rite-Aids here in Spokane he's finally been caught. He has been robbing pharmacies since June and was finally caught on Friday night at the Rite-Aid right across the street from where I work. Mom called me up all frantic saying that they caught a robber trying to rob Shopko Pharmacy. I was thinking holy crap my pharmacy got robbed!!! But, it wasn't us, it was the Rite-Aid and luckly the cops thought he was going to strike either October 2nd or 3rd so they were already at the Rite-Aid under cover ready to pounce if he came in. And sure enough a man came in late at night dressed in a red sweatshirt and sunglasses and slid a note across the counter demanding oxycontin and that he had a gun.

I have to admit I am relieved that he has been caught, but I have been having grand visions of me being the one who got to catch him. I had a plan that if he came to my pharmacy I was going to leap across the pharmacy counter, round-house kick to the head and knock him out and then call the police and take the reward money of $10,000. But alas, no such luck for me. The dang cops got him instead.

My other idea was that once he slipped me his note saying, "I have a gun give me all your oxycontin". I was going to slide him a note saying, "I have a shotgun hidden under my counter, get out of here before I blow your balls off."

Our New Puppy Izabelle!

2008-08-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

We got a new puppy yesterday from the Collville Animal Rescue. Her name is Izabelle, Izzy for short, and she is a black lab. She was the only black puppy from a litter of 10. Her mom was a dog named Sophi who showed up at the animal shelter one day. They went to get her spayed so they could adopt her out to a family and found out that she was very pregnant and would be having lots of little puppies at anytime. We found out about Izzy on Petfinder.com and wanted her right away. She is such a cute little girl and is very sweet. It didn't take long for her playful personality to come through. She is very fun to have around. The only problem is she still has a little bit of a hard time being away from all her brothers and sisters over night. There was a little difficulty last night but hopefully she will sleep through the night soon. We wanted to share our puppy with all of you.

Our Two Year Anniversary!!

2008-08-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

Adam and I celebrated out 2 year anniversary this month and it was great! We went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It is called Wolf Lodge and it is a great steak house. Oh, the steak there is delicious. Adam and I try to enjoy more than just steak by getting two different dishes and spliting them. I get the Lil' Dude which is like a 12 oz sirloin and Adam gets the delicious Tiger Prawns and we split it down the middle and enjoy a little surf n' turf. Well, it was a little different this time. The shrimp was cooked a little different. Usually it is battered and this time it was split down the middle and barbequed. We weren't expecting the change but it was still good.

So we got the bill and I opened it and I had to look at it twice becuase I was so sure the waitress got the prices wrong and charged us twice for the shrimp. I looked at it a third time and realized no, it wasn't charged twice the shrimp really did cost us $49.95 for 6 stinkin' shrimp!! My jaw dropped and I looked at Adam and I said, "Uh, did you know the shrimp was $50 bucks?!!" "What? Your kiddin'!" He took the bill from me an sure enough his jaw dropped as well. Usually when we get this meal the total bill is $50.00 not just one plate. Add on the steak, two huckleberry lemonades and a diet coke and you got yourself one expensive anniversary dinner. We weren't quite expecting this.

We were sure the menu didn't say $49.95 so we went and got the menu and looked and sure enough next to the Tiger Shrimp it didn't say $49.95 it said "Market". What the crap is that all about?! Just because it says market they can charge us whatever they want? I can't believe our waitress didn't let us know what the current "market" price for 6 Tiger Shrimp was $50 stinkin bucks. Needless to say, we paid our stinkin' bill and left the restaurant learning a lesson of what "market" truly means and knowing that we wont get taken by those restaurants ever again.

It reminded us of when we got taken for $45.00 when we parked in a parking lot in Hawaii for a tour. We saw a sign that said early bird special $7.00/day before 9:00 am. It was 5 minutes to 9 according to our car clock and so we took our ticket and parked and ran to catch our tour bus because we were way late. When we got back and rang in our ticket and said $45 dollars Adam just looked at the lady and said "excuse me?". Our ticket rang up saying we got here at 9:01 and we were charged $5.00 an hour to park there. It wasn't even a parking garage for crying out loud. Our car was hot when we got into it. What is that about!! Ripped off again. No more I say!

All in all, our anniversary was great! We have enjoyed the last two years and they sure have gone by fast. We are excited about the years to come and what this next year will bring.

Our Trip To Oregon

2008-07-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Every year Adam and I take a trip to Seaside, Oregon. It is actually a tradition that was started by my friend Tara's family and they were kind enough to take me on their spring break trip one year in college. I loved it so much that I decided to continue the tradition with my own family. This year instead of just Adam and I going by ourselves we invited my parents and my sister Denise. It was a lot of fun spending time with them in one of our favorite places. They had never been so we showed them all the fun things to do in Seaside including the arcade, flying kites, and riding the sand bikes. Mom took a turn on the sand bikes and after a tough start on the sand she got going and was riding all over the beach.

We went to breakfast at Pig N' Pancake, our favorite breakfast place in Seaside, and I happened to see Shannon my roommate from college and her family. How random is that? It happened to be their last day in Seaside and our first so it was good that we got to see each other before they left. I got a picture of Shannon and I in Pig 'N Pancake but sadly I lost that camera on the beach so I dont have it to share with everyone. Bummer. It was a great trip anyway.

The major improvements are done!!

2008-07-24T15:57:00.001-07:00

After almost two months of living in the basement of our new house we were finally able to move upstairs to enjoy our new carpet and paint and all the other little things we did. As promised here are some before and after pictures of the house.

The Master Bedroom Before and Then...

The Office Before...And After

The Spare Bedroom Before...........And After

And of course the living room before and after...

Our Favorite part and place to hang out is probably the back yard and patio...

It's Been a Long Time

2008-07-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote and I haven't had time to post any stories. We bought and moved into our new house and we love it! We have been working really hard on it to get it to where we want it. Since we have the time we have been living in the basement while we work on the upstairs. We have painted the whole upstairs and we are waiting for our carpet to be installed. Once that happens we can finally unpack and get settled. We can then have a big ol' BBQ and house warming party so you can all bring us gifts...I will leave a list of items we want at the end of this blog. Just kidding, we wont be asking for any gifts, maybe a bag of chips to bring to the BBQ or something. I will post before and after pictures later and maybe a pharmacy story or two. Hope everyone had a happy 4th! Thanks for all the help with got with painting from our family! We love you all.

Our Trip to Hawaii!!

2008-05-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

So, we finally took the trip that we have always wanted to take when we got married. We went to Hawaii! It was the coolest and most fun trip I have ever been on. We stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu and we had a week full of so many fun things to do it was awesome. The highlight of the trip was probably the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was so much fun walking around all the villages and the night show was awesome. We saw some really amazing spinner dolphins up close and got to feed a lot of really cool fish when we went snorkeling. The Jack Johnson concert was fun but very exhausting trying to find a parking spot in the very busy and congested Waikiki. We want to go again soon and probably just stay up on the North Shore as much as possible. It is so beautiful and there is so much more we want to do next time.

A Whole New Life

2008-05-18T16:00:00.001-07:00

So, I am kind of getting a start to a whole new life. The old life consisted of living in an apartment and driving 45 minutes (at least) each way to work and spending lots and lots of money on gas. Not only that but I worked in another state which required me to pay state income tax which really sucks by the way. I have recently had a job promotion to manage my own pharmacy which gives me the opportunity to work 2 miles from home. And better yet it is in the same state so not only do I save lots and lots of money on gas and state income tax but I can also walk or ride my bike to work (I am trying to talk my husband into letting me get a little Vespa scooter to drive to work). We have also recently found a house on the market that more than fits our needs and is a great price for the location. I tell ya, the slump in the housing market sure has blessed us. So we are moving into our first home in about a month. I am so excited! We have lots of plans to paint the rooms lots of cool colors and put new carpet upstairs and we are very excited to get started! How long does closing take anyway? Can't those people just get out of our house already, sheesh?!

So lots and lots going on but lots and lots of good things. And a puppy will be joining our family as soon as possible!

Some Pharmacy Stories

2008-05-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a while so I thought I would share a few funny stories that I have experienced lately.

Need some Echinacea

These lady came up to me and asked, "Do you have any Echinacea?"

"Why yes we do, let me show you where that is." As I take her out to the vitamin eisle she asks, "do you have any liquid A?"

I answered back a little confused, "I don't think we have any liquid vitamin A but we can look."

She answered back, "no, do you have any liquid Echinacea, eh?"

Yeah, she was Canadian, she never wanted any liquid vitamin A.

A Hooker is Cheaper

This lady comes up to the counter and is enquiring about Caverject, which you may not know is sort of like liquid viagra that you have to inject into the male penis. Yes, you read correctly...inject!!

She apparently has been having a hard time finding the stuff because there has been a short supply of the injection. Yes, again you read correctly, there has been a short supply of a medication that is injected into the penis.

So we looked it up on our suppliers website to see if we could get any in stock for her. And by george we could! We let her know it could be in the next day no problem. So she asks how much it is because her insurance will not pay for it since it isn't medically necessary, even though her husband strongly disagrees with that (I should note that this lady is kind of scary looking and the fact that her husband thinks caverject is medically necessary is a little too much information for me). So we look up the price and let her know that a package of two injections is $170.00. Her eyes open to the size of...well, never mind we don't need to be comparing sizes do we, and she yells, "How much did you say?"

"Um, well $170 dollars."

"I don't think so, he can get a hooker for cheaper than that for all I care. It isn't worth that much to me."

And I am not kidding when I say she yelled this right in the middle of the pharmacy with LOTS of people in line. I'm just glad her husband wasn't there.

The craziest phone call ever...so far at least

2008-02-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that my last post wasn't my craziest phone call ever so I thought I would tell you about my craziest phone call ever. It happened when I was still an intern about 2 years ago. I answered the phone and this is what happened.

Me: Hello, Shopko pharmacy this is Jen.

Man: Yes, I was wondering if you could help me with something.

Me: Sure, I can see what I can do.

Man: Well, ya see I have my meat here and me and my woman are trying to do the hibbity-dibbity and I can't get it up. Is there something I can do about that?

Me: Well...uh. (I'm thinking, is this guy serious because if he is, I can't laugh at him but if he isn't I should hang up on him. But just in case he is serious I have to give good customer service so I tried to answer his question).

Man: Isn't there something over the counter I can take for this?

Me: Well, the only things I know about that are proven to help with this problem are only available with a prescription.

Man: Are you sure there isn't something over the counter I can use.

Me: No sir, there is not anything that I would recommend for you that is over the counter. You may want to call GNC. They might have something herbal for you to try.

So, I have to admit, I have recommended several crazy individuals such as the man on the phone to GNC. I always wonder if there is some poor guy working there who gets to help the weird ED guy as well as the little high school girl from India who wanted something to enhance her breast size.

Crazy Fake Nurses

2008-02-24T22:38:00.001-08:00

I had a pretty crazy phone call the other day. It definitley wasn't my weirdest one ever but it is up there. It was 9:00 on a Thursday morning and I was by myself with 3 of my techs. I answered the phone and a man with a hispanic accent is on the other end....the fact that he is a man with a hispanic accent is very important to the story. Here is the conversation...seriously.

Me: Hello, Shopko pharmacy this is Jen.

Nurse: Yes I would like to call in a prescription, can I speak to the pharmacist.

Me: That's me.

Nurse: (speaking quickly in hispanic) Oh, great. I would like to call in a prescription for Andy Anderson (name change). I need to call in Lortab 5/500...then there is another 5 off to the side I guess you know what that means. And the doctor is Dr. Swenson, you have filled for him before. And...

Me: Hold on, what is your name?

Nurse: Darcy.

Me: (I'm thinking this guys name is Darcy....) And your a nurse?

Darcy: Yeah, what's up? (lots of attitude)

Me: And what was the doctors name?

Darcy: Dr. Swenson, duh.

Me: And where are you calling from?

Darcy: (more attitude) Tanzana.

Me: And where is that?

Darcy: (even more attitude) LA! Hello! What is up with that?

Me: And your really a nurse?

Darcy: Yeah dude, what you don't believe me? (remember the hispanic accent from a boy named Darcy)

Me: Yeah, actually I don't believe you. I think you are trying to call in a fraudulant script. What is your phone number?

Darcy: What's up? Why do you want that?

Me: Because I am going to call you back and verify this script.

Darcy: Fine, it is 818-555-3938 and I will answer the phone when you call.

Me: Alright, sounds good.

I was being as polite as possible with my comments but my tone was definitely not polite when I was talking to Darcy. I was so mad at this point at this so-called-nurses rude attitude and arrogance. I had silenced all the techs and everyones attention was directed at me when I accused the nurse of trying to call in a fraudulant script. So I called the number back. And Darcy did not answer. A girl answered the phone:

Girl: Doctors office.

Me: Yes, is this Dr. Swanson's office?

Girl: Yes, it is.

Me: Yes, I would like to speak to Dr. Swanson please.

Girl: He isn't here today. Would you like to speak to his nurse Darcy.

Me: No I would not. Is there someone else I could talk to?

Girl: No there isn't he is the only nurse here today.

I thought it was kind of weird that there was no doctor in the office and that the only nurse was the hispanic boy named Darcy. So I told them to fax the prescription to me because I refused to talk to Darcy again. However, no fax came that day. In fact Darcy called later that night after I was off work and attempted to call it in to one of my coworkers. However, I had told them the whole story and my co-workers told them we would not fill prescription. Fraudulant script averted!! I couldn't believe how upset this person made me. I wish you could of heard the little boy named Darcy mouth off to me and try to get a narcotic filled from 3 states away. Yeah right buddy, only a rookie would fill that script.

You want the truth??

2008-02-06T22:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, so sometimes as a pharmacist you don't tell the whole truth. Take the following story as an example. A lady came to the drop off window with a prescription for an anti-depressant. I told her it would take about 5 to 10 minutes and went ahead and filled it. After she was rung up she wanted to be counseled on the prescription.

Customer: "So I was wondering if I could drink a few beers while I'm taking this medication."

Me: "Oh yeah, that is okay. There is no interaction with this medication and alcohol. Although, at first until you get used to it may make you a little drowsy and alcohol could intesify that side effect."

Customer: "But if I just have a beer or two that is okay."

Me: "Yeah, no problem."

Customer: "What if I drink like two or three beers a day, is that okay?"

Me: (Actually, I was thinking at this point well, I thought we were talking about the ocassional drink but you are talking about drinking like 2 or 3 beers a day, I'm pretty sure that makes you an alcoholic...but I don't really want to get into that with you so...) "That's okay."

Here is a case where I don't tell the whole truth. The only reason anyone would be drinking 3 beers a day is if they are in college (which this lady has far surpassed and I am pretty sure never went) or if they are an alcoholic. Of course you shouldn't be drinking that much lady!! The whole truth is that it is not okay to drink 3 beers a day, but the partial truth and my answer to keep my counsel session short and sweet, is yes, you can drink with this medication.

Why the title?

2008-01-26T16:29:00.001-08:00

So I figured I should probably explain why I titled my blog "That's Me!!". Well, it is because that is the phrase I say the most at work. I guess to the world I am a young pharmacist. Everytime I answer the phone, talk to someone in the store or whatever, people say, "actually I want to talk to the pharmacist" and I say "That's me!". And then there is an uncomfortable pause on the phone or they say "Oh, I didn't realize, you sound so young." Or if I am talking to the person in person they say, "Oh, you look too young to the the pharmacist", "How old are you?!!", or my favorite one yet, "You can't be more than 18 years old". First off, it is really not that hard to believe that I am a pharmacist. I graduated when I was 17, almost 18, years old...pharmacy school is 7 years...that means I was 24 when I graduated and I am now 25. What do you expect when you see a pharmacist, some old guy behind the counter?? One thing is for sure though, since I am the only woman pharmacist at the store I work at I am the one who gets to talk to all the women about vaginal dryness and anything else that goes on down south for us women. Ain't I the lucky one.

I finally did it

2008-01-26T15:57:00.001-08:00

Alright, so I started my own blog. I have actually been thinking of it for sometime now but kept thinking what would I write about. I have no kids to tell funny stories about. I am not a writer or someone who would ever claim to have ever done well in English class on purpose. But I am a pharmacist who often times has hilarious stories about people from the other side of the counter. Don't worry, I will tell stories of myself as well.

I decided to finally start it while I was working. I am working right this second as a relief pharmacist at Target pharmacy. That's right, I am getting paid to write this! Isn't that crazy. Don't worry I am not abusing the Target corporation for their time. I have been here since 9 am this morning and we have only filled 37 prescriptions. And for those of you who don't know how slow that is, I usually work at Shopko and we do over 400 a day! So I am bored out of my mind!! So after reading my sister Shauna's and my sister-in-law Erin's posts and making lots of great comments I got bored again and decided, why don't I write my own blog. So, enjoy...I hope.