The Oil Field Life @ The Rock

Forever West- That's the tourism slogan for the state of Wyoming. Dust and dirt cover every surface and from the streets you can almost hear the sound of hoofbeats and the crash of bottles against the barroom floor during the 15th fist fight of the night. Although those actual days are long gone, you'd never know it when you set foot in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Jason's new assignment is in this dusty western town and I took the kids up to visit overnight this week.

Time has brought the city street lights, WalMart and the lucrative Oil Field Business. There's good money in the field when the market is good and each single waitress and convenience store clerk in Rock Springs is looking for their meal ticket out of town. They know these guys spend weeks at a time away from home and on those lonely nights away they drink to excess and seek the company of women - any woman- who will give them the time of day. While many of these encounters stop with conversation; "Honey", "Darlin" & "Baby" are thrown around by these desperate girls like quarters bouncing out of a slot machine. The Rock - as Rock Springs is affectionately known to the crews- is also home to the World Famous Astro Lounge, a cheap strip club buried in the heart of historic downtown. I've seen the women in that city... I have no idea what these guys are paying to see.

They say the oil field is no place for a family man and with the atmosphere I've been exposed to, I can see why. However, I see my husband make it happen every day. He goes to work each morning, does his job superbly and comes back to the hotel. He spends a few minutes after work with the guys and makes sure to call home each night. The kids love being able to "see dad" on the computer when we Skype in the evening.

It's a rough life, being apart for weeks at a time, sometimes not knowing whether he's even going to get to call and seeing how exhausted he is at the end of the day. But it's far better than what some other families face. For now, I'm grateful that he's back within driving distance and that we can head out to see him at the drop of a hat. Yes, the oil field isn't for the feint of heart and they say it's not a family environment but to those who say that, I say you've never seen the bond of brotherhood between a crew and you've obviously never met my husband.

North Dakota "Deployment"

10 days and counting... that's how much longer Jason will be gone. He's been in Williston, North Dakota for 5 days now and I keep telling myself it has to get easier. You never know how much help your spouse is until they're no longer there.

I count my blessings though that he's so willing to go out and work in these wretched conditions (It's been freezing temps with snow and rain and hail for the last week) to provide for his family. I know it's not any easier on him being away from home than it is for us to be without him. Right now he's working a 14/7 schedule except with travel days it's really more like 15/6 but we'll just be grateful for any time he has at home. This stretch in ND will be the longest that our little family has been apart since we got married but we're tough and the babies and I, we'll just keep counting the days until Dad comes home.

You Grew in My Heart

Mother's Day- full of macaroni necklaces and pictures scribbled by chubby hands, the same hands you try to keep off you clean walls and tuck into bed every night- at least for those lucky enough to have children with whom to celebrate this day. These precious babies come to us in varying ways through birth or adoption or marriage all a part of the Lord's bigger plan. Even for those who don't believe they are mothers in their own right, every woman is one by nature, nurture or design. An Aunt, a Friend, A Co-Worker, a Mentor, a Teacher. One doesn't have to give birth to a child to be seen as a mother.

My children did not come to me through birth, but through grief and pain and personal miracles. Though they are not of my blood they are my babies always and forever. So on this blessed holiday I want to wish every Woman a Happy Mother's Day and thank all the women in my children's lives for helping to teach and mold and love them. It's true that it takes a village to raise a child and it takes all kinds to be "mothers".

Especially on this day I want to thank my babies' birth mother, Christina for giving me the most precious gifts that one woman could give another. I know she still watches over them from the highest courts above and I can only hope that she's proud of the mother I've become.


By: Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Not flesh of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own,
And don't forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart but in it.

A Few Pics...

Our little wall-top container garden on the patio. We are growing tomatoes, green bell peppers, red bell peppers & jalapenos. Can't wait for the harvest this summer.

The living room. Jason even picked the color (after I said Green, Yellow, Taupe RED!)


I couldn't pass up a trip to The Quilted Bear-- Just to look of course, yet somehow this vinyl ended up coming home with me

Our Dining Room- (note the aforementioned vinyl)

It's Space Week at Central Elementary and today was Alien Hair Day. I told Madi & Caili to give me their best Alien faces--

Behold...

A more subdued Alien

Time Marches On-

And before you know it you've moved cross country back to Utah - AGAIN. Oh you didn't move? Well we did. Two cross country moves in one year is just about enough for me. It's great to be back in Utah Valley though. The kids have adjusted fabulously to school and are almost done for the year already. I can't believe how quickly time flies. I looked at the blog and realized it'd been December since I updated so it was about time. The only major development is that we've moved back but I'll try to get pictures posted soon!

The Proofs are In!

We had our first ever family pictures done two weeks ago and though the portraits aren't back yet, I couldn't wait to share the proofs with all of you! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Sounds Like Life to Me

Lake Winnepesaukah train ride-

June? Seriously I've been lacking in my blog posting- so lets do a top 10 of what's been going on-

1. We're potty training Gracie- armed with a little pink potty, a bag of princess pullups and a lot of patience

2. I took the kids + Meredith to the Chattanooga Zoo

3. I took the kids to Mayfield Dairy to see how milk is bottled and Ice Cream made, and of course we had to eat some Ice Cream too!



4. The kids started back to school (mom's favorite part of the summer)- Jake is in Pre-K full time so I only have 1 baby home all day.


5. Jason has taken up Geocaching as a hobby


6. I've read half a dozen books or more (Thank you Nora Roberts & Patricia Cornwell for your fabulous writing that keeps me up all hours of the night when I should be sleeping so I can get up in a better mood for my kids in the morning- Speaking of Patricia Cornwell, the infamous "Body Farm" is only about an hour away from me)


7. Job Hunting, Job Hunting, Job Hunting.... ick


8. I'm about 20% done with my billing & coding coursework


9. We moved- Again (for an explanation see #7)


10. I spent 8 days in the hospital- herniated bowel obstruction. It was scary but I'm better now.


11. (bonus)- The rains came down and the floods came up. We were not flooded but many we know were and the streets around us were.


This is not a lake. It's a several hundred acre GRASS park--- or it used to be grass before it was covered by water

Jason's mom's next door neighbor. That's a 5 foot fence

Nothing terribly exciting around here- Sounds like Life to me