How Spring Flies!!

It has been a crazy spring here in Utah. Tony has been really busy with running the Bountiful Dojo. He tested for his black belt in California at the end of April. After a grueling 6 hour test, he passed!! Sweaty and tired, but proud!

We have also added a great addition to our home and the Bountiful Studio. The DRAGON WAGON has arrived!! This 2008 Scion is a great billboard for Tony's studio and at 30 mpg, it is a great roomy ride, although we get the funniest stares when we drive down the road.

In April we had a nice couple of trips to the ER for Tony's hand. A small, insignificant cut on the back of one of his knuckles got infected and we were worried that it was into the tendon. But after a nasty 2 weeks of high dose antibiotics, it finally cleared up. But even so, it still gives him fits if he punches wrong or bumps it against something.

I was lucky to be able to enjoy a few last days of Utah spring skiing in April. Carol H. gave me a couple skiing passes for my birthday but because of my stomach surgery in February, I was able to use them until now. The weather was perfect, the snow was great, and I even got to ride in the big Snow Cat around the many runs at Snowbasin. I am glad I live in such a beautiful state!!

I have stayed busy at work preparing for a Joint Commission review and cerification of our artificial heart program. I attended an international meeting in Boston for a week in April. It was a good trip, but too long to be away from home.

I have also been working with my "other" job about once a week. It is a great break from the hospital and I always learn something new. One evening when we were feeling adventurous, we took a drive down to Thanksgiving Point and walked through the tulip gardens. It was a great evening.
The newest craze in our household is our new-found addition to Dave Ramsey. About 2 years ago my parents sent us a book on Financial Peace. Due to the fact that Tony and I thought we were doing "just fine" in our financial lives and partly because taking financial advice to read a book from my parents wasn't on our to do list, we didn't read it until September of last year. I immediately got addicted to Ramsey's simple plan to get out of debt. It took me a few months to get Tony on board, but now we are really excited (As Dave puts it "gazelle intense") to get out of debt forever!! It is not a get rich quick scheme, but a program that takes dedication, hard work and sacrifice. So far we have paid of 1 credit card and my car. We are closing credit accounts and making great progress on paying off all our debt including student loans. If we can keep up this intensity, we will be completely debt free (except the house) in about 24 months!

We have just had a great opportunity to see Dave Ramsey live last weekend when he came to Utah for a 2 day conference. Tony attended the Business Coach Live Event on Friday and I attended the Total Money Makeover on Saturday. It was absolutely worth every minute of the event. It is nice to hear a speaker who has their priorities straight (God and Family 1st) and who has overcome it all talk to you about money, investing, and debt. We highly recommend looking into Dave Ramsey's money management strategies.

This memorial weekend Tony and I are working on our garden and back yard. We are weeding the entire backyard and then planning on planting tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and of course, taking care of Tony's little vineyard of grape plants. When we are able to save up the $ (not using credit cards) we will plant grass, refinish the deck and maybe fix the hottub. If only we could get our butts in gear and finish painting the baseboards of the house :).

And the last little addition to our post today is the fun dinner we had at our neighbor's house, the Smiths. They are the best neighbors ever!! They have the cutest little grandchild, Daisy. It was her first time eating corn on the cob. And one of her favorite things is to play with cell phones and take pictures - as you can see.