Rough Day

It was a rough day yesterday for the family...

• My manager visited the office for the first time
• Coleen had a rough start to the day
• The plumbing clogged and we had raw sewage in the basement bathroom (~$300)
• The plumber noted that our hot water heater needed to be replaced (~$1000)
• One of Coleen's dear friends called to announce that her twin sister has gone home, expecting to die of bone cancer within 3-6 months

Nana ER Trip

Nana was transported from the care facility where she lives to the hospital this morning. Her oxygen saturation levels were down, and her lungs sounded very rough. I'll go to the hospital to sit with her while they decide if she has pneumonia or if it is something else. It is a good thing she is in a care facility, we would have never detected such a thing at home.

CUTE PICS!!!

Eliza and I can't wait for spring!!! I'm ready for bare foot season and swimming! In contrast there is the picture of us going on a walk in late february... a bit chilly if I do say so myself.

Fire in the Hole

The family is staying in a hotel for at least two nights, Dad is leaving on a business trip, and things are a little more confused than we expected... Sunday, we left the house in a rush to get to church on time. Part of the rush left a pot of boiling water on the stove, with ravioli in the pot. The heat was on high, and the water went dry. After the water went dry, the ravioli steadily turned to ash and the pan eventually developed a cherry red color from the heat. Coleen realized about 30 minutes after arriving at church that the burner was still on. Dad was ushering, Coleen was helping with Kara. Ben offered to go home and handle the problem. Ben found a house filled with smoke, an agitated dog in the crate, and a very hot pot on the stove. He switched off the stove, opened all the doors, tried to fan the smoke outside, and generally was a great help with the mess we had created. The house still smelled smoky Monday morning, so we called the insurance company and started the claims process. The $500 deductible is the price we'll pay for our mistake. The cleanup company sent by the insurance will "ozone bomb" the house for two days in hopes of removing the smoke smell. If that is not sufficient, then they will clean walls, clean carpets, launder clothes, etc. We can't be in the house during the ozone bombing, so we are consigned to a hotel Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Dad leaves on a business trip Wednesday morning, so Coleen will handle all the insurance stuff solo. We're in the Loveland Residence Inn and the kids think it is vacation. We went swimming in the hotel pool, worked out in the hotel exercise room, had a free dinner on the hotel, and the three boys went out to a movie. The hotel rooms are giant suites, with very comfortable kitchenettes where we can cook.

Eliza's Blessing

Today was Eliza's Blessing day. The meeting went really well and the spirit was just incredible! Ben did a fantastic job and you wouldn't have ever known that she was the first baby he blessed, it was just another testiment that he was not the one blessing her he was just the voice for the Lord. Her dress was beautiful! Grandma Waite made it for her and it was made from the same material as my wedding dress! She's my little princess!!! Everything was great and I was so glad to have my whole family there! Thank you to all who sacrificed to come I was thrilled to have all of my family there and some of Ben's. Thanks again

Love The Merritt's

If you want to see some more really awesome pictures check out our blog: www.coloradomerritts.blogspot.com

Merritt News

News from the Merritt's! Things have been going well. Eliza got up only once in the night for the first time!!! WAHOO! This is definently worth celebrating over...even if the only reason she slept for 5 hrs was because she cried for 2 hrs before that :-( Parenting is great! and its so fun having so many aunts and uncles who fawn over her.

Life outside of the baby doesn't exist as far as we're concerned so check out our blog for more detailed info.

Jaron's Eagle Board of Review Completed!

Jaron's Eagle Scout project planned, organized, and built bat houses and flicker houses for use in the Fort Collins parks and open spaces projects. He completed the project late last summer, completed the write-up, and submitted paperwork to the Longs Peak Council for his Eagle rank advancement. He's been waiting months for people to complete the letters of recommendation. That finally happened, and he had the board of review tonight. Jaron passed the board of review!

Nice Picasa integration

I was impressed when I used Picasa to upload a picture from my camera, to my computer, to the family blog, all without too much worry, hassle, or struggle. Seamless integration makes things very nice. Thanks Google and the blogger.com team!

  Rachel has a friend from work that owns a farm in Berthoud. Their pond was frozen solid, so we went ice skating on their pond today. We used their skates, and less skilled people (like me) slid around on their shoes rather than using skates.

We had a nice storm beginning Christmas day. The kids created a trail in the backyard, and this is a morning shot of the trail looking out our window into the backyard.