JOE + LORI = DAEVID

October

2011-10-16T22:32:00.009-06:00

October is a great month!

Our Anniversary, My Birthday ;) Halloween. Even though I hate the cold weather, I do love Fall I love Fall colors! I am not much of a fan of Halloween, but now that I have a baby I am excited to dress him up!

To start October out Daevid got really sick and was running a high fever. I took him to the doctor and he ordered blood tests to see what is going on. His blood test showed that his white blood cell count was up to 2500 and normal range is 1600 so he said that Daevid has to be hospitalized. :( Daevid was a little trooper he spent 3 days in the Hospital. We don't know what was wrong with him, the doctor said it was probably a virus. Daevid is doing much better now ;) At 6 months old he is 16 pounds 6 ounces and 28 inches tall he is growing to fast.

For my birthday Joe got me a camera. I just had to share the fun pictures I took, even though I am not a good photographer! By the time I got the camera all set up Daevid fell asleep. I let him nap for awhile and then took pictures. He didn't last long he hated it towards the end.

I found these fun Halloween Jammies in Vegas so I just had to get them for Daevid's first Halloween :) Glow In the Dark Skeleton Jammies

2011-06-17T22:54:00.005-06:00

Just some more fun pictures of the little guy. At 2 Months and 2 Weeks old.... He is now 11 pounds and 23 inches tall. ;)

He is now learning about his tongue he will stick it out and some how start sucking on it.

He is starting to talk cant make any sense of it but he will go on and on. He is so stinkin' cute.

OUR LITTLE ANGEL IS HERE

2011-04-21T17:25:00.017-06:00

Our little guy is finally here. He was born March 29,2011 at 7:27 pm. He is 6 pounds 2 ounces and 19 inches.

I was in labor for 13 hours they started me at 6 am and nothing was really happening I was having contractions but I couldn't feel them. The Doctor came in at 10 am and broke my water and then at that point I started having contractions that I could actually feel. I got my epidural around 12 and it really freaked me out, I hated that I couldn't feel my legs and then I was worried the whole time that I would get a spinal headache and then need a blood patch to fix it and I also worried that I would be damaged from the epidural. I guess all this comes from my billing job and hearing peoples stories about how bad their epidural's where. LOL!! I guess I got a great Anesthesiologist I didn't have any after effects. The epidural started wearing off around the time I needed to start pushing so I figured that it would be ok so I can feel when to push. The epidural machine started beeping because it needed to be refilled, I told the nurse I didn't need it so she had another Anesthesiologist turn it off completely. While pushing I got really sick and started throwing up and I think that this is another reason why I hated the epidural, I was stuck... I couldn't move so I ended up throwing up all over myself. Baby was finally born and I felt no pain until the Doctor start sewing me up, at that point the epidural was only left working in my feet and toes so I felt everything he was doing.

Daevid was born on a Tuesday and so his middle name is African, meaning "born on Tuesday". Daevid Kwabena Arthur
Joe picked out his first name from the Bible and I decided how we where going to spell it. A lot of people kept telling Joe that he should name the baby after himself, at first we where going to have Joe be the middle name but then we decided that when we have another boy he will be named after Joe. Our kids middle names will be the day of the week they are born.

This is one of the nurses that helped deliver Daevid, she kept asking Joe if he would just give her our baby. It really freaked Joe out by how many people kept asking us for the baby. He was like, while the baby is here in the hospital he is going to stay with us always. The nurse told my Doctor that she is hoping that we will give her our baby and my doctor was like oh no I am in line way before you. Just after we had our ultrasound to find out that we are having a boy the doctor was like are you excited that you are having a boy? He was like if not, I will take him for you.

DR LAMB

GRANDMA

FAVORITE AUNTIES LISA & LUANN

PROUD UNCLE BRAD

DAEVID KWABENA

PROUD PAPA

Daevid is such a good baby and we are so glad that we have been blessed to be his parents.

At my Half Weigh Point :)

2010-06-20T19:24:00.000-06:00

My work did a fitness challenge from February to end of May. The first place winner got 50% of the cash, a road bike and a photo shoot... So I joined and I won first place :) With 13% loss. The 2nd place was at 9% loss and then 7 %. I think I did pretty good.

This is me at 45 pounds lost..... I'm at my half way point. I need to lose 45 more to be where I want to be.

VEGAS BABY!

2009-10-15T22:17:00.000-06:00

I have the best husband ever! He makes me so happy :) I thank God every day for letting me have such a wonderful person in my life.

We went to Vegas to celebrate our 1 year Anniversary and my Birthday. This was Joe's first time to see Vegas. It was funny, one night we where on our way to eat dinner and Joe was like WOW!! Vegas is only good for smokers and REALLY BAD THINGS! I had to laugh, I guess I didn't prepare him for all the stuff that goes on in Vegas.

The Bellagio had this really fun Fall display. The colors where amazing! There was this pumpkin that weighed 632 pounds, it was huge.

And since we just happened to be in Vegas, we had to go to IN-N-OUT. I am so excited that Salt Lake is finally getting an IN-N-OUT can't wait for it to open!!

We went to see the Lions at the MGM. We just happened to be there at the right time. The Lions where sleeping, but then the trainers came and got them up to feed. It was really interesting to see, the Lions where eating right out of the trainers hands and they would put the meat on the glass and they would go around and get it off.

This Picture is really creepy.

On the last day of the trip we had it all planned out what we would do. LOL. We only got to do 1/2 of it. We got talked into going on one of those timeshare things where they give you a free gift for checking it out. They offered us $100 to gamble the slots. We decided (really I decided) that it would be fun to gamble on someone's dollar. We went on the little timeshare deal and it took forever, Joe was like this is not worth it. I began to think the same thing. By the time we where done Joe was like does that ticket ever expire? cuz he was not feeling the love to go gamble. I was like lets go eat and then you will feel like going. We went Planet Hollywood to start our fun night of gambling. We turned in the ticket and get a card that you swipe in the slot machine and that would give us a $100 credit. The guy said that we have to use the whole amount on the same machine and we can't cash out their $100, but we can cash out our winnings. I wasn't taking this serious cuz I have never won, so I picked a penny machine LOL... cuz that way a $100 would last longer. HEHE. The machine had 4 jack pots that you can win if you get to spin the wheel. Well I hit the blue jackpot won $50 dollars and then I hit the Green jackpot and won $166.00. I was wondering how this would work out, so we called a worker over to find out how we get our winnings. She said that we just push the cash out button and if we still had some of the $100 it would still show as a credit. I cashed out with $200.87. :)

Pretty good for not putting any of my own money in.

Bridal Vail Falls

2009-09-27T22:41:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with Joe! He is amazing and he makes me really happy. It seems like with us both working 2 jobs its hard to find time to hang out.

Today was a really fun day. Joe actually was done with work by 1pm, so we decided that we would go to Provo and do something fun with Lisa. We decided to hike up to Bridal Vail Falls. Joe has never hiked a mountain before and he is really scared of heights. When we first started hiking up to the falls, he turned around and ran back down. He was like never mind this is crazy. I told him that it was just this first part that was hard and then it gets easy after that. He decided to do it and he made it to the top.

I love this time of year when the tree's are changing colors.

I was really surprised how much water was still coming down the falls for this time of year. I remember the last time I hiked the Falls it had very little water and we where able to walk out on the falls. This time around there was way to much water to walk under the falls.

It was way fun and I was glad that we got to spend time with Lisa.

Spider Web. You can see it very well in the picture. :)

This was an interesting plant. I just had to share.

DEREK'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

2009-09-19T21:21:00.000-06:00

I'm I little late posting this. Can't believe that Derek is 1 already.

I am counting the days to get out of here!!!!

2009-04-26T21:39:00.000-06:00

I will be so glad to move out of this apartment complex! I moved into a studio apartment last July trying to save money and I have been hating it since day 1. When I first moved in the studio it smelled like smoke. I went to the office and complained and they said we will put a note on the smokers door and let him know it is bothering other people and that he should smoke outside. Well that didn't help all my stuff is now ruined from the smell of smoke, I bought 3 air fillers that run all the time but doesn't help. A few weeks after I moved in, this Samoan moved in right next door and boy did he love to party every night. He would play loud music all night. One weekend before Joe went home for the night, he went and knocked on their door and once they opened he said it was a cloud of smoke and they where doing drugs. He asked them to be quite cuz I had to be to work early in the morning and they just laughed at him. So after that I was scared that they would do something... around 2 in the morning I could see 2 huge guys standing right outside my window and then I got really scared and so I called the police. HUM West Valley Police, I guess don't take stuff like that seriously they never came. After 3 different parties that the neighbor had and I called the cops again and again, not once did the police ever come out. Then it got really bad I started having bad headaches every day and I thought that it was from my neighbors drug parties. I went to the office and let them know what my neighbor was doing. They said that I would need to go Thur the security guard that watches the complex at night cuz then whatever is going on they can kick him out. So the next party I just called the security guy and he came right over and broke up the party. Finally some help here... I had gone into pay my rent for the month and the lady in the office said well your neighbor is in the process of getting kicked out, she said that there was alot more stuff going on, then just drugs. A note was then put on the neighbors door saying that the property had been taking over by the State of Utah and no one could enter... kind of interesting. Then early one morning it was around 4:30 am I was woke up, because it sounded like someone was trying to break into our apartment. Come to find out it was the neighbor trying to get into his apartment by kicking the door in. Finally after that process another guy moved in and he has been really quite. As of lately my other neighbor has gotten really bad. WHen I first moved in I spoke with the girl that lived next door and she said that her husband is never there, but she is and she cool if we are noisy. I thought that was interesting but didnt think anything of it. Then she started having all these different guys come over... interesting. Then around Christmas time there was 1 guy that has been around a lot so I decided that is her husband. It has gotten really bad with them they fight all the time and it is to the point that I cant have anything hung up on my wall cuz they throw each other around and have knocked stuff off my walls. It really sad cuz I know that he is beating her. Its really sad and depressing to live here in this place. I will be glad once we leave. I am just praying that the new place we move into has good neighbors.

IT'S A BIRD!!

2009-04-18T20:03:00.000-06:00

So the other day at work I hurd this loud thud... First thing I thought was that someone threw something at the window. This is crazy, it was a huge bird that flew into the window and it left a mark of its face and wing span and you can see its feathers. POOR BIRD! After we took the picture we where thinking that we should of had someone standing by the bird print just so you could tell how big it realy is.

CELEBRATING 365 DAYS :)

2009-04-12T20:39:00.000-06:00

Today Joe and I celebrated 365 days together. When Joe and I first started dating I couldn't get him to eat pasta. He said that its tasteless...every time I tried to get him to eat at a pasta place he wouldn't do it. On my birthday I said that we are going to eat at Olive Garden and I promised that he would love it. I know that he was just dreading it, but once we got there and he tried the food HE TOTALLY LOVED IT :) SO Today we went to Olive Garden and we always get the same thing, but today I was like I will try something else. I ordered the Tuscan garlic chicken and Joe ordered his shrimp and chicken carbonara. I took one bit of my food and it was gross! I have the sweetest husband ever though, he took my plate and ate my food even though I could tell he wasn't liking it at all.

After we got done eating Olive Garden, we decided to go to the zoo. It was fun cuz Joe has never been to a zoo before. He is so cute, since he is from Africa he grew up with alot of the animals we where looking at. Joe went to Cape Coast University in Ghana. He said that right on campus are alot of monkeys in the trees. He was telling me how its really sad cuz of the way things are in Africa a lot of the animals are being run out of their homes and they are dying off. He said that alot of the local people eat everything...so basically any animal they catch they eat.

LORI NEED'S

2009-03-17T21:30:00.000-06:00

Go to google and type in (your name) needs and write down the first 10 things you read.

1. Clearly Lori needs a gelato machine ** LOL WHAT?? What is A gelato machine?
2. Lori needs to vent.
3. Lori needs help.com
4. Lori needs to be aware of her own anger and how its affecting her.
5. Lori needs to let herself off the hook.
6. Lori needs friends.
7. Lori needs magic.
8. Lori needs life of joy.
9. Lori needs a diet.
10. Lori needs a team.

MY ABC'S

2009-02-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

A- Attached or single: Very much attached!
B- Best Friend: Joe and Lupita
C-Cake or Pie: Cake
D-Day: Sunday
E- Essential Item: Flat Iron
F- Favorite Color: PINK
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: WORMS
H-Home town: Huntington, UTAH
I- Indulgences: HUMM LETS SEE
J- January or July?: July for sure (It's WARM)
K-Kids: Yes hoping very soon
L-Life is incomplete without: Family, friends, and laughing
M- Marriage Date: October 11, 2008
N- Number of Siblings: 4 Brothers and 3 Sisters
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P- Phobias or Fears? Someone Breaking into my house
Q- Quote: Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable ~Sidney j. Harris
R- Reason To Smile: Tons of things...
S- Season: Summer
T - Tag: Lets see
U- Unknown fact about me: I love Lemons
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I am Vegetarian, just cuz I cant stand the texture of meat
W- Worst Habit: spending to much money
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: X rays of my teeth just went to the dentist. Last Ultrasound was the night before Brian and Aimee got married I ended up in the Emergency Room and they did an Ultrasound.... Fun times
Y-Your favorite food: Love Pad Thai
Z: Zodiac Sign: Libra

MY NEW BEGINNINGS

2009-02-01T02:06:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I went through the hardest time ever. I was living in Hawaii and was far from my family so I felt like I had no support at all. I had found out that my husband at the time was cheating on me and also very mentally abusive. It was really tough and deciding to leaving him, was the hardest choice I ever had to make... I was to the point that I thought that I would never be happy again and that my life was ruined. I have a really good friend (Tesha) that gave me a card the night I left Hawaii to move back to Utah.

It says Things are hard right now, but TRUST IN YOURSELF to make a new beginning. Sometimes life leads you in a new direction. And even when you don't feel prepared, or when you don't want to change, you are forced to start over. Life is like that...there are no guarantees. It makes you feel scared or anxious or sad. But after you've shed your last tear~ just when you think everything is out of your hands~ you take a deep breath and finally realize that you have complete control! Survival is about reclaiming your "self" It is about learning to love who you are. It is about making wise choices, setting goals, and finding out what really makes you happy. It is about rediscovering those things you always wanted to do. Happiness is something that has to come from within. Nobody can provide it for you. You are a beautiful, caring, wonderful person. You are worthy of all good things. I know life is hard right now, but please know that I am always here for you. THIS IS YOUR NEW BEGINNING!!! I cant wait to see what you do.

* I have this card framed and I read it often. I can now look back and see how hard it was to go thur all of that, but I am also thankful to for the change brought upon me. I have in a sense had a complete change in my life. I moved back to Utah and having my family close by and all the strength and support from them that helped me get by. I went back to school and I actually enjoyed being single (which I was dreading). I have now remarried and I couldn't be happier! Joe is amazing and every day I thank God that I with him. Joe is such an example to me he is so kind and thoughtful. We work crazy hours so I don't get to see him much, but he is such a sweetheart he will come to the salon and sit there just so we can spend more time together. He has dinner ready for me everyday when I get home from work. He does little things like the dishes, he makes the bed every morning. I feel spoiled! He has so much faith and is always positive. He has shown me how important prayer is and how we need to have more faith. He works nights so he will call me just before I go to bed and he will say make sure that you pray :) He was raised in Ghana and so he lived a very simple life and he didn't have much growing up, but out of that it has made him the person he is today.

FAMILY PICTURES

2009-02-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

2009-02-01T01:20:00.000-07:00

Brad gets this idea that he should throw Laurel over the bridge into the water, while we where getting pictures taken. Erin caught it all...but then some how she got Brad to let her go, before she ended up in the water... LOL

FAMILY PICTURES

2009-02-01T01:04:00.001-07:00

Fun times!! My mom scheduled us to get our family pictures taken on December 20 just before Christmas. I was telling Joe that it would be great if it would snow just before we get our pictures taken, cuz that would be pretty with snow in our pictures. Utah is really ugly during the winter if there is no new snow or no snow at all cuz everything is dead and just really dull.... I guess I got my wish cuz the day before we got our pictures taken, Salt Lake got hit with a huge snow storm and the storm was to last the whole weekend... I was thinking how are we going to get our pictures taken outside with such horrible weather. Well it all worked out it stopped snowing just long enough for us to get the pictures taken and once they where done it started snowing again.

2009-02-01T00:47:00.000-07:00

FAMILY PICTURES

2009-02-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.

This is the first time in a long time, that my family has been able to get some fun family pictures ~ minus that fact that you can't get Brian to get his picture taken.... so Brian and Aimee and Derek are not in the pictures :( We had the cutest photographer ever, she took some amazing pictures and she was so much fun!

2009-01-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

2009-01-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

Joe enjoying the snow.
*** Joe's family in Ghana has never seen snow, since it doesn't snow there. LUCKY PEOPLE :)
I think the snow is pretty when it falls and then after that I am done!!!! I' m ready for summer and the warm weather!

2008-12-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

I am married to a great guy, Joe!! I never knew that marriage could be this good! Joe is from Kumasi, Ghana. He has been living in the US for 5 years now. He moved to Utah from Virgina in December 2007. He has lived in New York, North Carolina and Virgina. He likes Utah the best though. It's cuz he has never lived in Hawaii... JK ..

I work full time for ABEO/ Professional Management group. I do billing for the Anesthesiologists at Mountain View Hospital in Payson and Timpanogos Hospital in Orem and also handle a few small accounts for the CRNA'S that provide Anesthesia services at the Reproductive Care Center in Sandy. I actually like my job even though I get alot of people at yelling at me daily :) I love the fact the this job actually has benefits and paid holidays. As many know I have done hair full time for 13 years never getting any benefits and working all holidays. I couldn't give up hair though, so I work part time at DC in west Valley. It keeps me busy.

2008-12-16T23:22:00.001-07:00

Me and my mom and sisters :)

October 11, 2008

2008-12-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Joe, my dad, and Brothers.

Our Wedding October 11, 2008