Groneman Family

This *so* reminds me of Benjamin. (Maybe you have to have spent hours playing with him to understand....) Speaking of the big guy, we got a wonderful letter in the mail from Benjamin yesterday. It had a self portrait on it. It had eyes, nose, mouth, and a round head.....and I assume the rest was the body. Cool beans! I love it. Thanks Benjamin (and the kind hearted scribe)!

So, how 'bout them Cougers?........

LOGISTICS: Two trips to the airport on the 26th. 5 people and luggage to be picked up on the first run. Impossible for one little car as well as for two cars that already have 2 drivers and 2 kids in car seats. Should we be looking at booking an airport shuttle or do Dastrups have something else in mind? Same situation on the 1st. (5 passengers & luggage & drivers, flights only 30 min. apart) so it looks like we need to book a shuttle service for both days. Also, 2 hour 20 minute difference between the arrival of Gronemans and Nelsons on the 26th make for us waiting in the airport for Nelsons & shuttling together or Dastrups picking up Nelsons. Which shall we do? Can Dastrups take the three of us to the airport on the 2nd? We're looking to Dastrups for guidance on what will work best and remember how much luggage a woman can bring for one week....... Oh, and did anyone notice that people who's names end in "Groneman" arrive at 2:20 and anyone...

WE HAVE A PLAN FOLKS: I have booked the following. April 26 Brett, BJ, Kim and I are flying on Southwest Flight 2947 (the $99 one) which leaves SLC at 7:20 am and arrives in Baltimore at 2:20 pm. The return trip is a little more complicated. I am hoping that this can be made to work ok, since I don't know when Chad and the Nelsons are coming back. Kim needs to be back to work on Thurs May 3, so I have BJ Kim and myself flying out on the 2nd on the only cheap flight, which is non stop, so that is cool...but it is also early (8:20 am). Brett is scheduled to fly on May 1. Because he needs to be back in school May 2, and also because he can't afford to take any more time off of work. If Nelsons went back that day, it would be logical to have Brett fly that day, but if he is the only one that is flying the day before we fly on the 2nd, then maybe we should just leave on the 1st as well. So yes, Chad you should book your flight before that deal is gone. Or maybe you want to ...

My 2 cents on Ninety and nine dollars So, the $99 Southwest deal is only one way . It's $200 to go both ways. And that's a non-refundable fare. How solid are our plans? Has anyone purchased tickets? If so, what time are you arriving at BWI? I want to look at the other airlines to see what's available.

I have reserved the coorporate apartment here at Ivymount for April 30-May 4th, but I don't know the price yet. It sounds like it will be more than $80-- I guess it is $90 for 4 people, but I will let you know when I find out. As for Cambrie's 5k idea, I think it is an awesome one! There is actually a 5k in Baltimore on May 5th, so if you wanted to tweak the dates a little bit, we could do it! My vote is let's go for it! It would be an awesome goal for everyone! And for people like Buff who might not want to participate, a 5k is only a little over 3 miles-- very doable for everyone! Brigham would love to coach (write up a training schedule tailored to your individual fitness level) anyone who wanted coaching, too. If you do end up in a hotel, transportation shouldn't be a problem. We do have 2 cars. And the Nelsons could have our boys' room so they could put Kiera down whenever she was ready.

I'm here to tell you all how pathetic your middle sister is. I went "running" for the first time in 11 months this past weekend. I almost made it a whole half mile! Can we say OUT OF SHAPE ? pathetic. I must say that Kiera isn't helping the situation though- she doesn't really like to be in her stroller and wails when she is. If I move in with my inlaws for a few weeks they have a treadmill so things might get a bit better. So, while I'm so out of shape and in desperate need of more exercise, I think I will propose an idea- I think all of us should run a 5k together some time when we get together next . It would be a good challenge for myself, I'm sure it will be a cake-walk (no pun intended) for cake and brigham. Is there a 5k in baltimore in april?

Alright everyone, be excited. Buffy is posting on the blog.....and pictures even! *oooooohhh....ahhhhhhh* yes....yes.... pictures. of me and my roommates. They are all pretty much cool. The one standing to the left of me is Chelise, the one knealing if front of her is Deborah, the one in front of me is Prabina, the one on the right of me, sitting on the arm rest of the couch is Tori, and the one sitting next to her on the couch is Jessica. Now you know what my roommates look like. And our wall in the background! We decided this last week that we needed something more on our wall so Tori came up with the brainchild idea and the rest of us just helped her work on it. We spent 4 hours on it on sat night and it's not completely done yet but i'm very proud of our handiwork so far. anyways, i hope you enjoyed my post. Ciao all!

NOW HEAR THIS: Mom has made an executive decision. I told Christa to go ahead and book the corporate apartment for 5 days starting April 28. Hopefully it is available that long and we don't get bumped by someone who wants it for longer. And hopefully Brett doesn't have to take a summer class that starts May 2. There is a place that doesn't sound nice) that is about 12 minutes away (I think that is what Kim said) that is affordable. The closest place is booked already and was $259.00 per night. Not happening either way:available or not! We are just REALLY hoping we can get the corporate apt...and then if we can, we can all PRAY that it will stay available!!! But, if not, we will have a backup plan...but it won't be the Marriot! But hey, we are just going there to sleep right? and if we have to trapse back and forth from a hotel, it will have to be in unison, so we will lose our flexability that we would have at Dastrups corporate apt place but you do what you ca...

So, I turned on my computer today , and when I came back a minute later, southwest Airlines was on my screen. That was very strange because it should have turned on my home page, not Southwest. And I don't have Southwest airlines as anything that should have come up automatically anyway, and I haven't even been to their site anytime in the last 4 months, and Kim hadn't pulled it up either. So I am sitting here, staring at this screen and wondering why in the world it is on when I hadn't called for it. So, I decided to check flights to Baltimore in April. Right now, and I don't know how long it will last, there is an "internet special" to fly one way for $99.00 from SLC to Baltimore. It is a sign guys!!!! (Kim is skeptical about the sign bit, of course) But hey, I have never seen flights for so cheap. And it makes me wonder what I don't know about it that makes it "too good to be true". Does anyone know if specials like that are stil...

I had that job interview today. Got it.

Kiera speaks... Kiera had a few major accomplishments yesterday. First of all, she figured out that she can use her hands to grab/hit things. Previously she was not very interested in toys, but as of yesterday she is. She was so excited when she figured out she could play with the toys on her bouncer. I took 4 videos because it was so cute (one of the 4 is on youtube.com). Kiera is also all of the sudden very vocal, as you will see on the video. At first she just said "who!" but yesterday I caught her saying "ga-ga-ga" and a few others. She babbled herself to sleep last night. Here are 2 videos for ya'll http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyklE4EwQMw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFyilp9iz0g

It's the END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!! Kim likes to watch the History Channel. That is where he goes when there is nothing else he wants to do. I like history too, only I have other things I would like to do more. Like Geneology these days. But Kim saw a program there the other night that he knew I would like. It was talking about the Aztecs and Chichinitza (?) , where we have been on the Yucatan penninsula in Mexico, so I watched it with him. It was very interesting. They talked about how they were so extremely advanced with astrology and their calendar was more accurate then than ours is now, as far as keeping precise time goes. They talked about the mystery of "a man of great importance that was a great influence for good among them...only they wondered why, in a society of indians (dark skin) this extremely important person was white, with blue eyes. This person also promised to return in the future and it was because the Aztecs expected this important white...

SURVIVOR IS BACK! Wahoo! It's right around the corner! And so is Jerico .

SHE'LL BE COMIN' 'ROUND THE MOUNTAIN Cool beans. Cambrie called me to tell me they'll be comin' up to our place just before my Birthday and stay a coupla days! I have something to look forward to other than growing one year older. BrainShare starts on the 18th of March and I know I have to pick a co-worker up from the airport the day before (my birthday). Speaking of birthday....Buff...the gift wish list is still up and running. Speaking of things over there

Do you feel blessed? Three posts from Chad within about 5 minutes! I want a bit of discussion about a recent turn in advertising. Recently, I've noticed a lot of advertisements that appeal to people's egos. Ads like, "You should eat this, because you're a champion" or "you've worked hard, and deserve a reward. Reward yourself with ____". I don't know why, but I find this troubling. It's a slightly different angle than the "Be like Mike" ads. It's more like, "You are Mike. You should get everything you want." I don't like that message. Have y'all noticed ads like this? What are your thoughts?

As I go about my travels , I begin to think there may be merit to Aunt Ann's anti-germ ways. Maybe it's just because I'm in public restrooms more, but I swear 50% of people don't wash their hands after using the restroom. I've started to use the trick of using the paper towel to open the bathroom door when leaving.

How's your elevator etiquette? I've decided that I have poor elevator etiquette. Everywhere I go it seems like people are always holding elevators for me. I think to myself, "I'm a good 15 feet away from the elevator. I'll catch the next one." Then someone will hold the doors for me, not even knowing if I'm going to get on the elevator or not. I've also noticed when I try to hold elevator doors, they usually won't re-open like they do when other people hold them. They just stay in spot until I let go, and they close. - I'm also not very good in crowded elevators. When I get in an elevator, I'm usually wearing a backpack, and I can't find anywhere that's out of the way. It seems like I'm always blocking someone. How's your elevator etiquette?

I haven't had much news in life or reason to post on here lately, but as of today, I have a bit of news. Hence, the posting on the blog. IHC called me today for an interview Thursday morning for a lil' job I applied for. It's just a part time job on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It sounds like it's just doing odds n' ends tasks all over from valet and shuttles to a lil' computer stuff to moving equipment, patients, supplies, and maybe fight bad guys and shoot ninja stars at monsters. It's not great pay, but as I don't have classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays, it's a good way to use the mornings, get a lil' extra cash, and hopefully have more evenings to go play with. And hey, it'll let me in the hospital if I get it. It's a start. If I get it, I'll probably working at Macey's still, but not as much. We'll see what happens.

FROM A CELL TO A BALL AND CHAIN So, last Thursday, I had my siblings/spouses over for dinner and caught up on some of the news. Turns out that Jake is engaged. That is right: Jake Haslem is getting married. Turns out that a wrong phone number set them up. The gal (don't know her name) is his age and he knew her and was a friend of hers in HS. She had married and had 3 children. Her husband had some kind of injury or illness for which he was taking painkillers and became addicted...and it led to other substance abuse and 1 year ago he took his own life. So, lets call her Trish, is left with 3 children to raise. I guess the oldest one had a referral to go into LDS counseling and Trish calls the phone # she was given to make an appointment...only it is a wrong #. It is Jakes cell phone #. She doesn't realize that she has a wrong # and keeps calling wondering why they don't call her back. Finally, Jake figures out that it is this friend of his from HS and calls her b...

A MOOOVING STORY: Our living room has been taken over by a herd of BOXEN . Half of our stuff is a box and the other half is on the floor ready to put in a box. We are moving in 3 WEEKS which is crazy since we don't know where. We're gunna have to figure out where, and pack all in the next three weeks while steve works full time and takes and retakes his Organic Chemistry class (which he found out he has to retake if he wants to go to dental school), and while I take care of Kiera and try to keep up in my nursing classes. Life is getting crazy!!

REPORT: Attack of the killer geese I had to go to a meeting in one of the other buildings on the Novell campus yesterday. As you may or may not know, Novell is next to the "mill race" (canal) and there are always a lot of ducks and geese there. Well as I was returning from my meeting in the COLD and tried to go back to the building where my office was, two very white, very large geese were standing in front of the door to the building. As I approached, the geese decided they didn't want me going through that door. Now envision these birds that, when standing erect, their heads are about up to my waist. Now envision them trying to bite me all around my legs. I tried pushing them out of the way with my feet to no avail. After about 5 minutes I was able to push them off long enough to get the door open and get inside while kicking at them to keep them out. What a relief when the door was finally closed! It was a harrowing experience and my pants and shoes will prob...

THE JOYS OF PARENTING Brigham and I are currently earning our parenting merit badges. Night before last, Jacob threw up, yesterday he had the runs so bad that it got all over the waiting room floor in a doctor's office (although he was wearing a diaper and pants!), and this morning he threw up three more times. Last night Benjamin literally threw up over 20 times. I've never seen anything like it! Every 10-30 minutes he would throw up again, or at least wretch and gag. After going through all of our bedding, we finally put him in a pack 'n play next to our bed with a bucket so I could get it under him every time he started wretching. Needless to say, Jacob is the only one who got a good night's sleep! Aren't you glad I decided to share all of this with you before breakfast? All of you unmarried folk are probably counting your blessings!

PLAN B ANYONE? So Christa called Ivymount today to see how much the apt. for company costs and if it was available. Guess what? It is already reserved for that date.... and may be later too. They were going to call CK back about the May dates....but is there anyone out there in Groneman blog land that couldn't do it in May? Like maybe Brett might be in summer school? Need input again folks. If we needed to keep the same days.... So, how ya'll feelin about camping in the woods at night behind CK's apartments? We would have to have Nelsons and their little one inside of course. And there is the deck....but could be frosty, or rainy or.... Or we could just pile in bodies in the living room and sleep ..... Any other suggestions?

BRRRrrrrrrr! I just had to post this so it's saved in my baby book. I took this screen shot of my weather gadget on my computer yesterday. It read the same this AM. Oh...and this blog has been really nice to read since yesterday! Oh...and when I read the first line of this talk , I thought Boyd K Packer was talking directly to Breanna! " For rent: one room in the great and spacious building. Must "tease hair incessantly" and watch TV. " Oh (do I say that too much?) I just gotta say...I wish Grandma H would quit calling at 2am to see how we're doing.

news in Kiera's life: Kiera went to the doctor this week and got her first round of shots. I think it was harder on her mommy than it was on her-- but she sure cried : ( She now weighs in at 10 lbs 3 oz and eating is her favorite hobby so she's kinda chunky. As predicted by the doctor, she had a fever for 2 days after her shots. She got to try cherry flavored children's tylenol for the first time. It was so cute to see her little face when we gave it to her: "hmmm- that's not milk....wait...that tastes good!! give me some more mom!" I broke down and cut her hair yesterday. yes, that's right- first haircut before 2 months old. she just had one funny looking mohawk. She looks a little more normal now. For those of you who didn't hear, the day after Steve told his boss that he will be leaving in september to go to dental school he got a letter in the mail saying that he qualified for a permanent position making significantly more that what he ma...

A short story by Chad Groneman One day Chad woke up and got on a plane. His ticket was with Alaska Airlines, but he got on a Delta plane. The Delta plane took him to Portland and told him to get on a Horizon plane to get to his final destination: Bend, Oregon. Chad found where the Horizon plane should be, but they moved it. So he went there. But they moved it again. So he followed it. But then mother nature intervened and because of the snow the plane couldn't land, so it was cancelled. The Horizon people wanted our hero to take a flight the next day. But that didn't work for Chad, so they had him take a United plane to his final destination. Chad arrived at his destination to find that his baggage did not come out of the magical baggage materializing device. He questioned why the magic wasn't working, and was told his baggage was lost. Nobody knew where to find it. They looked over, under, and through; but it was not to be found. Chad used his wireless communic...

BACK IN BALTIMORE So we're back in Baltimore! Benjamin still laments our return, but he is having a wonderful time being back in preschool and playing with his little friends. Jacob is finally eating again (without throwing up), but he has been more fussy than normal, so either he's still not feeling great or he misses all of the attention, too. For all of you who may not have seen it, Jacob started crawling the last week we were there in Utah! It's not a perfectly coordinated crawl yet (he has troubles getting his legs going), but it is so fun to watch him finally get around on his own! He is enjoying getting into all of the things that he previously only dreamed of. Brigham is back in school on his last rotation, and I am still trying to get things back in order from our trip! So there's our update!

NEWS FROM CHAD: Fill in the blanks: This/last week I was in ___________. I saw ____________. At the airport one day _____________ You should have seen _____________ I __________ my new GPS, it works _________. Speaking of GPS ____________. Last week my roommates and I ____________. Kirk ___________. Garby _______________. I went out with _________________ last ________. We _________. I think I _______ ask her out again. Oh, and I forgot...while I was in ____________ I went to this restaurant (don't remember the name) and had _______________. It was pretty good. I also bought a new ___________. I'll post an update next week - Love Chad.

So I guess it's time I finally add something to the blog..... well life down here in Provo isn't all that exciting. I did have an interview at the hospital on Fri but ma and pa already knew about that. I feel like it went well but I guess we'll see. I haven't heard anything from them yet so I have yet to find out. On Saturday, my roommates and I had a "roomie night" where we told everyone who usually comes over every night to not even think about coming over cause we wanted to just hang out with just us . It was great! We were going to go ice skating but it was so crowded so we decided against it. Then we all went to walmart cause we all needed something from there and then we decided to eat at McD's.....then we all came back to our apt and watched the Great Race ..... that is a very entertaining video. I found it quite amusing. Then we stayed up till the late hours of the night talking and established some rules for our apt. (aka, an hour limit o...

MORE WORDS OF WISDOM TEETH FROM PA I read a little article about fraud prevention and thought I should pass on a bit of info. First...store and use checks wisely. Checks have all the information on them that bad guys need to access your account. Only give them out to trusted vendors. Credit cards, on the other hand, are much safer as credit card companies have spent a lot of time and money to prevent fraud. Also, thieves are working with the card company's money, not yours when they steal it (if you report it promptly). Debit cards are in between. They don't have your info on them directly, but they take money directly out of your account so there's not as much safety net there. You pro'ly already knew the above. What you may NOT know is that there is a number you can call to get yourself opted out of a lot of unsolicited credit card and insurance offers. 1-888-567-8688 (careful you don't misdial...I did the dyslexic thing and got a thing that sounded l...

Pictured above are Steve's letters from dental school. The pile of papers on the top are all the rejection letters and the one on the bottom is the acceptance letter from Loma Linda. Steve is keeping them for when he is a motivational speaker someday : ) It goes to show that it only takes one acceptance letter to become a dentist. to the left is steve's toyota jump when he got his acceptance letter. And to the top left is a really cute family with a chubby baby after church.

So, we have talked to all the kids about our trip to Baltimore in April. Brett is done with his finals April 23 and BJ is done April 25. Everyone else is flexible. Christa and Brigham have decided that April is the month we should get together. So I propose that we fly out Thurs April 26th and stay for HOW LONG? (This is a question that we need feedback from the Dastrups. How much is the corporate apt. a day or week?) I don't know if a week is an option for everyone. And maybe it is too long? We need feedback from everyone on what they can or cant do. If everyone else has to get back in say, 4 days, then Kim and I would probably finish out that week with the Dastrups, and fly home on Saturday(not keeping the corporate apt when the other kids flew home.) Anyway. We need feedback, so we can come up with a solid plan and get the Ivymount apt reserved. So, Please respond. ASAP. Thanks Ya'll. Echo's of "Drubble" keep floating around my house to day, in ...

A COUPLA' NEW PICTURES I've added four cute new pictures to the Christmas web album . Benjamin the deer chaser, Jacob the smiler, Benjamin the dinosaur herder, and Jacob the TV zombie. This last month has been wonderful. Three cute little grandkids to play with (the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning was DRUBBLE!!!!! ) and spending a *little* time with my kids from out of town as well as my kids from in town. The house is kinda empty today.........

Ok ok, so I must admit that Kiera looks pretty funny in that picture. It is so hard to catch her smiles on camera though. Her smiles are definately alot cuter than that. I'll have to get it on video. So I guess it's my job to keep this blog exciting. It's my personal mission to keep you all entertained. The latest news from So Cal is that it snowed in the foothills and everyone is making a huge deal about it. I guess that happens about every 6 years. Kiera is discovering her little voice which is fun. we hear random outbursts from her bassinet in the middle of the night. She is beginning to love the little play-mat thing that Aunt Christa got her and she likes to be outside. We are still looking for a place to live out in Loma Linda- we are going house hunting on saturday. Hey ya'll- post something on the blog (unless you fell off the face of the earth and then I guess you are excused from blogging).

JUST FOR BRETT I can tell Brett was so disappointed my previous posting was NOT a joke. I hate to see him walk around with his lower lip sticking out like that. I added some things to the FUN page

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM (borrowed by) PA A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered ‑ he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wo...

Here's a video for ya'll http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvNLP7IhLt4 (or just CLICK HERE ) and here is a really cute video I ran into while posting mine.

We would like to announce that Steve got into Loma Linda Dental School!!!!!!!!! We are sooooo excited and happy that his 4 years of applying paid off!! Steve got a phone call from the dental school secretaries who were so excited to tell him that he is in (they are not suppose to call and tell anyone-- especially because the letters have not been mailed yet). The fact that Steve got to know them well and they liked Steve (who wouldn't?) really helped. It proves that it's who you know that helps in things like this. So our lease on our appartment ends Feb 13th so we are trying to find a place to live near loma linda. We are also packing, taking care of a newborn, Steve is working overtime, and I'm taking 9 credits of nursing courses online. Life is very busy! Life is great though-- we are so excited that we know what we will be doing with our lives for the next 4 years.

TAXES I've got TurboTax installed on my computer and I have the premier version that allows me to do as many tax returns as I want. It's available to any of you that want to use it. I *won't* do your taxes for you but I'll help you if you need it. (Buff, you need to learn how...) Brett & Buff are still dependents on my return but I'll make adjustments like last year if you can benefit from it.

Dad is Back at Work I'm actually in the office today. I worked from my lounge chair the past two days. Figures. I miss Christmas then have to go back to work just as Dastrups come back to our house. >:-( I guess this means my free lunch offer has been reinstated. Just waiting for any phone call.......

BRAINBASHERS - DECEMBER Brigham seems to be the most common this month....good job Brigham!.... and Buff is still a unique individual. Cambrie didn't know how to spell her name....I guess she's following after Brett. 154 Brigham Dastrup 450 Chad Groneman 563 Kim Groneman 568 Cambrie Nelsson 909 Christa Dastrup 985 Brett Groneman 1317 Breanna Groneman Be sure to sign up for January's event by clicking here ! If any of you like Sudoku, this site has one of the best Sudoku challenges I've seen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! As Kim mentioned, the Christmas decorations came down yesterday. I was really wondering how we were going to do it with Kim laid up the way he is. But I took things down and then took them to Kim to box up as he laid on the couch, so that worked really well (we have alot of stuff that he puts carefully back the way it came out from the original box, so that part went faster than I was planning on, but the thing we couldn't do is take those big boxes downstairs and put up on the shelves. But Chad and Brett came to the rescue!!! They got it all put away. Well, we didn't get the lights down yet, but we will wait till it is warmer to do that. It was 32 degrees when I left the temple at noon. Not really ready to work on my tan just yet! kim is making improvements. He can sit up for about 45 minutes at a time now before he needs to lie down again...and the Dr says he is doing quite well considering the type of injury he has. He plans on starting back to wor...

Little Kiera is having some firsts today for the new year. There was a few times today that she smiled at me in response to my talking to her in my "mother-ese" voice. It was very cute. She is also discovering her little voice. We were fuddy duddies for new year's eve. We went to bed exactly at midnight and said "happy new year", rolled over and went to sleep. I guess people who have babies have the right to value sleep more than parties.

CHRISTMAS PICTURES Of *special* interest are the last 4 photos in the Christmas album if viewed in sequence. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THEM