Eleven years in review

For our 10 year anniversary Tyson and I sat down and wrote highlights/funny stories and basically a timeline of our life (seeing that the journal we got when we were first married only had ONE page filled up).   We are not good at journal keeping!! We decided to put it on the blog as this has turned into our journal/family history/picture keeper, etc.

You can call me a slacker.

This paper has been sitting on my desk for a YEAR (we are about to celebrate our 11 year anniversary).  It kept getting putting further and further down to the bottom of the "to do pile."

So, before this paper is ruined somehow (really I am surprised it made it!) or our minds start to go and we forget half this stuff, here is our family history for the last 11 years documented for our posterity:

1999

• Sealed for forever on January 29th in the Bountiful temple.  Honeymoon to California.  
• Lived in the "pink house" while Tyson was selling Living Scriptures and Jennie worked at Convergys. 
• While living in this pink house we had several robbery attempts, one of which ended up with Tyson, Ali and Boomer chasing down the bad guy and subsequently getting the bad drunk guy arrested.
  
• Bought our first home.  It was a fixer upper built in 1936. Spent much of this year sanding and painting walls, floors and doors with the help of some great family and friends.  Decorated it!
  
• Tyson continues going to school full time and gets a full time job working at Project Control Solutions.
  
• Jennie starts working full time for Bell Helmets.  
• Missionaries came to our door asking if Jennie was interested in learning more about the gospel because according to the records, she was not one?  What was that temple stuff about?
• Countless hours of working out and playing basketball at Weber State's gym.
• Tyson called as second counselor in YM.  Jennie is the 16 to 17-year-old Sunday School teacher.
  
• One trip to California where we slept in our truck, took showers on the beach, but we had the greatest, cheapest time (I think with gas prices back then it was like $120 for the whole trip)!
• Another trip to San Juan Capistrano, California with Randy, Vickie, Ali and Boomer (and baby Morgan). 
  
• Tyson decided to start cycling to work every day (20 minutes away) to save gas money. 
  

2000

• Trip to Costa Rica. 
  
• We further fell in love with cycling and both bought bikes. 
• Decided in June 2000 to get off the birth control and start having a family. 
• Countless bike rides. 
• Tyson and Jennie both working full time
• Tyson went to school full time. 
• Another trip to Cali.  
• Tyson started working for Bell in August. 
• Months pass and no children.  Started to get a little anxious.

2001

• We participated in our first cycling race - a very cold windy day in March or April.  Jennie did not last very long.  Tyson finished! 
• Both still working full time for Bell. 
• Tyson still going to school full time. 
• Still trying for children.  First time we hear, "You guys look great.  You are so young.  I bet we will see you back in 3 months and you will be pregnant."
• A lot of cycling. 
• Bought our 1962 Impala. 
• We got our dog Roxie. 
• Many cycling races down in Salt Lake.  

2002

• Tyson started working with a cycling trainer and he continued to participate and improve in lots of races. 
• Tyson Graduates!! Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. 
• Sell our house and our 1962 Impala :(
  
• Moved into the motor home as Tyson's new job was to work as the racing director for M2R helmets.  We traveled across the country going to motocross and supercross races as Tyson worked with the racers and their agents.  Recruited and signed riders to wear the product. 
• Went to Manhattan.  Drove the motor home down town and subsequently got pulled over.  Luckily the cop was a motocross fan.  He personally stopped traffic, escorted us to an empty parking lot that was 15 miles away (out of his jurisdiction) and let us stay there. It was a parking lot of one of his friends.   Still owe him! Had a blast going to Letterman and seeing NY sites. 
• Tyson got a motorcycle, 250F and rode a lot.  They always have amateur days the day before a professional race. So, we would get to the track a day early and he would ride.  Can't complain about riding the best tracks in the country!
  
• Met Eddie Ray who is an eternal family member. 
• Jennie did online school. 
• Jennie passes out in the ER when Tyson was getting stitched up from a little riding accident in Oklahoma.  (Or was it an animal hospital? - the doctor seriously commented that if this injury were on a kid or A DOG he would just use glue)
• Tyson applied to the FBI and started to go through testing. 
• During the off season we did an IUI (infertility treatment/test) that failed. 
• Went all around the country, from Sacramento to Maryland to Tampa Bay to Minnesota.  Loved going to Palmyra and Niagara Falls the most. 
  

2003

• Our first Supercross Season.  We were in different cities every week from San Francisco to Anaheim to Detroit to Atlanta, etc, etc.
  
• Rode a lot with friends in California in January and loved that we were not in snow! 
  
• Jennie continued going to school. 
• Spent a lot of this year with Eddie Ray and Jessica Patterson. 
• Went to Pigeon Forge with Eddie.  Dollyland! Our favorite was the country comedy show.
  
• Went to Washington DC.  Loved it! 
• Tyson did an interview with ESPN that was aired.  So cool!
  
• Jennie did a little interview for some show called 54321, but her voice would not quit shaking.  Did not get put on the air (oh my stage fright!).
  
• We met Travis Pastrana and Tyson subsequently got him signed to wear M2R helmets.  
• Tyson horrific wreck that knocked him out for 20 minutes.  We were blessed when he did not have any traumatic injury and it "just happened" that the ER doctor was LDS and gave Tyson a much-needed blessing.  (The doctor had tried to get out of work so that he could go to a bishopric meeting, but could not.   The first thing Tyson asked for was a blessing when he woke up, so I kept asking and it turned out the ER doctor was LDS).  
• Tyson took more tests for the FBI and as they wanted to more commitment (are you willing to leave your family for 6 months at a time? uh..no) decided not to pursue it any more. 
• Jennie started substitute teaching during the offseason and knew that Tyson would love it. 
• Decided to quit M2R and Tyson would go back to school to get his teaching certificate. 
• Still trying for kids (year 3). 
• Bought our house in Ogden on the East Bench.  
  

2004

• Tyson went to school full time. 
• Jennie worked for and then subsequently got laid off from a failing mortgage company.  Then decided to start training to be a medical transcriptionist.  Worked on that for 5 months and got her certificate.  As she was looking for a job, got hired by Power Point Electric to be their office manager.  Worked there full time and later that year got a second job working at IHC at night as a transcriptionist. 
• Tyson called as elder's quorum president.  Jennie as the 14-15 year old Sunday School teacher and then on the enrichment committee, YW personal progress leader and YW sports director.
  
• We took a trip in the spring time to go work a supercross race in Houston. Then we drove up to Kansas City to drop off the trailer that we pulled behind the motorhome.  On the way back to Utah, Jennie left Tyson at the rest stop in Kansas without realizing it.  Thank goodness for the Mennonites who drove 90 mph to bring him back to me!!
  
• Lots of cycling and running in the mountains.
• Fixed up our house including sanding and restaining floors, painting, etc.  
• Started thinking about moving back East.
  
• Still trying for kids (year 4).  Went to a different doctor, said everything was fine (again). Prayed about what to do (adoption? more infertility treatments?)  and felt right about "waiting."  (really..more waiting..sigh)
• Tyson took a trip to Costa Rica with Boomer and friends.  This was his first time really surfing a lot (he was a boogie boarder prior to this). 
  

2005

• Tyson going to school full time. 
• Tyson fixed up our house including finishing the basement.  This was a huge project that included framing, electrical, drywall, painting, flooring, etc. 
  
• Jennie working 2 jobs. 
• In June 2005, Jennie's brother Brandon passes away at 24 from an accident. 
• In August (2 weeks before school started), Tyson got offered a position to be an intern teacher in Provo.  
• Sold our home (in 2 weeks no less!)
  
• Move into our dumpy Provo apartment (first time we ever rented!).
• Tyson starts teaching and coaches basketball.
• Jennie quits jobs in Ogden and finds a job in Provo working full time at the hospital transcribing for the pathology department. 
• Jennie on compassionate service committe and Tyson as the secretary in Elder's Quorum.
  
• Tyson finishes his teaching certification! Yippee!
• Still looking at moving back East and there is just something about Myrtle Beach that attracts us.
• Still waiting for directions on building our family (year 5).

2006

• Travel to Myrtle Beach.  Decide we want to move there. 
• Tyson gets a job at Seaside Elementary. 
• In June we pack everything up and move to Myrtle Beach. 
  
• Both bought surf boards and loved it. 
• Bought house #3. 
• In June 2006, had been waiting 6 years for children, married 7 1/2 years.
  
• Jennie finally gets a job for Transform, transcribing from home. 
• Jennie called Seminary Teacher.  Tyson as the second counselor in Stake YM.
  
• Jennie gets promptings to go to a new doctor in the middle of November.
  
• Uh, want to be parents, okay, you have had 8 years of marriage to prepare for this, he is coming in 2 weeks!  We meet our son's birth mother and father.  Love them! They love us and give us the opportunity to welcome Cedric into our lives.

2007

• Begin the year out still getting used to being parents and realizing that it was not a dream.   
  
• Adoption finalized in March.
  
• Both of us run in the rely marathon.
• Tyson called to Bishopric. Jennie resigns her post as seminary teacher (I could not quite hack it teaching seminary, having a newborn and working full time, but really, who could?), and subsequently called to teach 14-15 year old sunday school class.
  
• Travel to Utah to have Cedric sealed to us. 
• Spanish program ends in Elementary schools and Tyson loses job :(
  
• Tyson gets a job at Myrtle Beach High. 
• Tyson works the summer as a surfing instructor.
• Jennie still working from home. 
• Countless hours at the beach and traveling to surf.
  

2008

• Tyson switches schools to Socastee. 
• Jen still working from home.  Jen called to work as Beehive advisor.
  
• Spent the summer in California and Utah with family. 
• Cedric is 2! So fun to spend each day with him!
  

2009

• Tyson and Jennie keep working.
  
• Start the adoption process again in January and officially approved in June.  
• Both ran the marathon. 
  
• Tyson spends the summer being a lifeguard supervisor. 
• Jennie called as second counselor in Relief Society.
  
• Lots of surfing trips both at the local beach and other places.
• Cedric is 3!
  
• Go to Utah for Christmas.