HOME HUNTING!!!

Since our last post we've learned that Ryan tore a ligament in his right wrist. There's really nothing to be done about it because it happened so long ago, over 4 years, and it's mostly healed. It will periodically cause him some pain for a while longer.

We also put an offer on a house last week. It was countered and then we put one last offer on it which, I am relived and excited to say, was accepted!!!!! As for the fun paperwork... not too excited. The home has been professionally inspected, which found nothing major to be concerned about.

During the course of our searching for a home there have been a few things I've come to appreciate. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Soon Ryan's tools will have a home of their own in a garage instead of in the laundry room.

2. Watching Ryan's eyes light up as he proclaimed, "I can fix that," whenever I saw anything that I didn't quite like about a house.

3. Designing the landscaping of our future backyard.

4. The creative architectural designs of some houses, like the one that has an added on bedroom that you can only get to by going through another bedroom... Nice, huh?

5. Finally finding a house to put an offer on that was never a meth. house!

more Spring-time Stewart Stuff

For those fans of ours out there who 'demand' new posts, your calls have not gone unheeded, however delayed the answer may be. Well, here’s a little of what we’ve been up to during March and April, since they have both come and gone now. We had a great Tempe Stake Conference in March where we heard from Elder Packer, Allen Packer that is. He is Boyd K. Packer’s son. He's a great speaker. Our niece and nephew, Kimble and Karter, had birthdays. We had fun visiting at their party out in Q.C. Ryan’s sister, Heather, also had a birthday and another sister, Stephanie and Aaron Pratt, welcomed a brand new little girl into their family, which I believe I all ready posted. Sophie is adorable! I was able to help Heather a little with painting her new work facility while Ryan built a few things for her. He made a platform in the library, a mail box post and a few other things. If you want to see some of the pictures please visit her blog: http://hjcustomdesign.blogspot.com. Guthrie is a really great place!


I’m having fun as the ward young women camp specialist again this year. I love it! I passed off the girls cooking certification in March. Campfire pizza is pretty darn tasty, when it's not burned that is. Ryan had Scout leader training that Saturday and another weekend in April as well. He’s still doing great with the troop. We also helped my sister's family, Elizabeth and Jeremy Poll, move an Ash tree from my parent’s back yard to theirs. Actually, they and my dad did all the digging, Ryan provided the tree transportation. It will make a great shade tree for them when it grows. My mom had fun visiting with her big brother, my Uncle Danny and Aunt Gretchen O'Barr from Wasilla, AK. They were here for a week or so. We always love to see them, and to see the pictures they take when they are here, like these ones. I love visiting with relatives! Especially when we go out for food. Mmmm...tasty!


We enjoyed part of General Conference from Ryan’s parent’s house. He has been helping his dad with re-roofing, so before and between Saturday’s sessions they were up and working. I wish I had thought to bring my camera! It’s still a work in progress, so I may get a picture of that yet. Ryan has made a few visits to a doctor about his hands. He slightly injured his left one at work a few weeks ago, which seems to be healing just fine. He injured his right wrist, however, several years ago and it’s still giving him grief every now and then. The specialist had him get an MRI. We should hopefully know what the problem is soon.

We were able to go the Easter Pageant with the youth in our ward. The Poll’s and my brother Jason were there the same night in their own groups. Despite the louder and lewder than usual protesters, we were able to enjoy the sweet Spirit of it and point out our brother-in-law Aaron Pratt as Christ on the cross. We also enjoyed Easter dinner’s with both of our families on different nights. Having two delicious meals near holidays is one of the many great things about living near our parents. My garden is looking good. I don’t expect to get too many vegetables out of it, but I do enjoy watching the plants grow. I also got a beautiful bedspread from JCPenney that I've been eyeing for a while. I love it!

A big thank you to my cousin Wylene Wilson for teaching the young women, and me, about horses and letting us ride on April 18th! It was a lot of fun to watch her crack that bull-whip. I sure learned a lot. Did you know you can tell a horse's age by looking at it's teeth? It's true. You can check out all the awesome things she does at www.wylenewilson.com. On that same evening Ryan helped out at the annual scout chili cook-off fundraiser. He brought his BBQ and was grilling hot dogs the whole time. The two crock pots of chili that he made disappeared pretty fast too. Well, I think that covers us for now. Oh, and the most exciting thing, we just got pre-approved to buy a home! We’ve been looking on-line for months and are now moving to phase two, actually going inside of houses. Hopefully we will settle somewhere in Mesa by fall.

spring happenings

(So, I tried to add the pictues later, but it's all wierd and I can't shrink them or move them. The first one is of Ryan recieving a service award at a court of honor in Feb.) Since it's been a while I'll try to play catch-up. February was a slow, but fun month. Ryan was taking a math class at MCC, which he has successfully tested out of. Hooray! He wasn’t sure how difficult it would be so that was the only class he signed up for this semester. I enjoyed going to my cousin Wenda’s baby shower with my mom, Elizabeth and Bethany. It was fun to visit with the cousins who were there. The youth in our ward were able to do baptisms for the dead and I was blessed to be able help again. It is a truly wonderful experience that I enjoy every time. The scouts went an over night snow campout that Ryan was able to go on. He had a great time, even though the boys pelted him with snow balls. It did however take all nine of them to take him down. I helped with the young women fundraiser, a potato bar dinner, in hopes to raise money for girl’s camp, which I'm planning on going to again this summer. And, of course, we had a great Valentine’s Day. We went out to eat and had a fun time together, as newlyweds do. Are we still newlyweds? Most people say we are.

I have also finally put our small garden together! We should be seeing sprouts soon! I'm so excited! We should have watermelon, cantelope, squash and some carrots by summer. As I've been out back a bit more than usual I noticed a vine growng on the ash tree in our alley. I had noticed it before and thought it was part of the cat claw in our nieghbor's yard. But a couple weeks ago, to my surprise, I noticed it had beautiful yellow flowers all over it. As I looked more closely I realized it's a climing rose, called Lady Banks. There's one in Tombstone that I've heard is over 100 years old and over a mile long! It's beautiful to look at, but I hope this one doesn't get too large. For some reason I'm having problems posting a link, but here's the web site if you want to see the huge rose bush. It's crazy!: www.goldcoastrose.org/shared/tombstone.htm

It's been spring break for Mesa schools so I wanted to visit my sister's kids a bit more, but having a cold has kept me from doing quite a few things lately. I did get to see them on Thursday at my parents house though. Bethany recently lost her 2nd tooth and is still glad to show off the empty space. Ryan's siter Stephanie had a beautiful baby girl on Wednesday! After 3 boys they didn't want to know the gender and they couldn't be happier. They would have been happy to have another boy too, but a girl is great! Congrats to the Pratt's!

Education, Exercise & Eyewear

We've added a few new things to our routines lately. 1st off, Ryan is back in school this semester! He's taking an industrial math class at MCC and seems to be breezing through it so far. We both hope it keeps going that way. His first quiz is coming up soon... 2nd, I now have glasses. Ryan recently went in to reorder some contacts, so I finally decided it was time to have an eye exam after about four years of blurry road signs. As it turns out I'm near-sighted. It's not a huge deal, but I do have to get used to putting on the ol' spectacles every time I drive. The difference in my sight with them on is amazing! I might post a pic. of me waering them sometime, but only if I were going to be posting that photo anyway. 3rd, thanks to Kristy & Kevin, we now have an elliptical machine! It's not because we made some New Year's resolution that will never be kept to lose a bunch of pounds or anything. We both really just want to be more healthy, so we thought we would try out the machine that the Johnson's were wanting to sell anyway. So far so good. Ryan feels the burn at least three times a week, and I'm on it that often too. Ryan also just finished gluing the caps on the planter. I can almost taste those home grown veggies!

How do you measure a lifetime...?

I don't think it's possible, but here's a good start. And to think, our lives are really just beginning... I normally wouldn't post this type of thing, especially since this list is not originally mine, but the things on this list are all over the place! It's amazing to think that people have actually done them!

To play along, copy and paste and highlight the things you've done! Then when your finished add something you've done that wasn't on the list!

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8.Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18.Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train (2 nights) 21.Had a pillow fight 22.hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a 1/2 Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31.hit a home run. 32.been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Visited the pyramids 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44.Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67.Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone. 78.Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82.Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87.(helped) Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Made amends with someone who offended you 101. Flew in a small Cessna plane with just you and the pilot 102. Ran out of gas 103. Eaten fried okra 104. Swam in the Caribbean Sea 105. Peed in a swimming pool 106. Stayed in a beach house 107. Hosted an exchange student 108. Been a Secret Santa to a family 109. Worked on a political campaign 110. Coached a sports team 111. Baked bread from scratch 112. Driven from coast to coast 113. Paid off all of your debt 114. Roast marshmallows over a campfire 115 Cut up a credit card 116. Drove a car through a flood 117. Been on t.v 118. Had braces 119. Been to the twin towers in NY 120. Have played in both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans 121. Been to ground zero 122. Bit my fingernails 123. Likes to scrapbook 124. Hates pie 125. Visited Mexico 126. Seen a Tornado in person 127. Have ever been lost at sea! 128. kissed a frog. 129. Gave birth to twins. 130. Received 2 moving violation tickets in 1 day. 131.Been Life Flighted. 132. swore (when i was a kid & didn't know what it meant)133. stranded in a motel for Christmas. 134. Been in 2 countries at once! 135. Adopted a pet from Humane Society 136. Did a triathlon 137. Never received a speeding ticket 138. Live with one kidney 139. Slept on the floor of a train station in Poland 140. Hiked Masada 141. pulled a rock out of hot lava 142. Pet a kangaroo in Australia 143.Been salmon fishing & ice fishing in Alaska.

PATIO!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here is the finished product:

Well, the patio is done anyway. The planter still needs to have the caps placed.

(We actually finished it last weekend, but I just went out and took pictures of it today.) For someone who's never done it before, Ryan did a good job with the pattern of the paver stones. He looked at a few pictures, drew a quick sketch and went to work. He basically made it up as he went. I think it turned out great!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Too much time has passsed since our last entry... and we are still busy, so instead of sitting here writing, here is our Christmas letter that we sent to few long distance relatives. Don't get me wrong, I love blogging! But that's just how the holidays are. I'll even throw a few pictures in. (New entry Table!)

Enjoy!

Dear Family and Friends 2008

Our first entire year together has been quite a fun filled one! We live in Tempe and are happy that we live so near to our families. We love to visit with them often. Ryan is working full time for SRP’s Southside Water Construction division. A few months ago he was made the Senior Trades helper on his crew, which means sometimes he’s in charge of everything. He also serves as the 2nd Counselor in the Young Men’s as well as an Assistant Scout Master. He has been on countless overnight Scout trips, taught fishing and shooting merit badge classes and became a certified NRA instructor for the Boy Scouts of America. It works out well for him, since he enjoys doing those things so much all ready. Amy is a Nurse Assistant, primarily taking care of her brother Matthew, and is serving as the 1st Counselor in the Young Women’s. She also enjoys spending time sewing, trying to garden, and is having a wonderful time making our home a beautiful place.
In March we were able to go on our Stake Youth Pioneer Trek as a “Ma & Pa.” That was quite an experience! It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it. We had a great bunch of youth who all worked very hard as well. One new appreciation that we gained is for those handcart pioneers who had children, especially small ones. They not only had to make the next mile themselves, but had to care for their children as well. We are so grateful for this experience and for the renewed reverence and appreciation we gained for those amazing early members of the church. We both love the youth in our ward and love all the great activities we are able to be involved with. We really like that we are able to go to some of the activities together.
During the summer months we enjoyed camping and fishing up in the cool Mogollon Rim country with family a few times. The two of us made a trip to Disneyland for a few days, which was a lot of fun! Ryan was brave enough to go to Camp Geronimo with the boys in his troop for a week in July. Amy was able to go with the girls to camp for five days as the Ward Camp Specialist. The first day of camp there was snow on the ground! Although that’s common in the winter near Payson, AZ, it was a rare sight for May. Amy also had a great time tubing down the Salt River with the youth from our stake while Ryan attempted to fish the river. He has been experimenting with many new fishing techniques this year. We celebrated our first anniversary in September by going fishing, and actually brought home a few delicious bites to eat. We both always have a great time fishing.
On Halloween we wore camouflage and carried around some of Ryan’s airsoft guns. It was fun to dress up, and even more fun to hear all the comments from people at our ward party. In November Amy had a heart procedure to correct a lifelong condition called Supra Ventricular Tachycardia, or SVT. At times her heart would race for a few minutes at about 260 beats per minute. The only problem this can cause is passing out, which would be bad if it happened while driving, which thankfully never happened to her. However, it could cause big problems if a woman had this condition while delivering a baby. After much prayer, it was decided it would be best for Amy to have the procedure done, which was a great success! It should never cause her any problems again. Thanks so much for all the prayers! We had three delicious Thanksgiving meals this year, and had an enjoyable time visiting with our wonderful family and friends at all of them. Our Christmas was more of the same, but we did get some time in the morning to ourselves. It's just as much fun to give gifts to each other now as it was to get them when we were kids! Also, Ryan has been working hard during his vacation time building a raised planter and a patio in our backyard. It will hopefully be done just before he goes back to work in January.
General Conference was fantastic both times this year. We are very excited for the new temples to be built in our state, which when complete will bring the number to five! Although we all miss President Hinckley we are so blessed to know that we are still guided by a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, especially in these perilous last days. As the Apostles have declared of our Savior, “We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem, nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world….God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.” (The Living Christ) We are grateful to live in this dispensation, and in this wonderful country where we are able to worship our Savior and enjoy such peace and countless freedoms. This year has definitely been one of trying to count our endless blessings! We pray that yours has been as well and that the Lord may continue to keep you in his watchful care. Merry Christmas and have a fantastic New Year!

Love, Ryan and Amy Stewart

Here are a few things we gave each other for Christmas, but there are more pictures to come... especially when the patio gets done!


This beautiful shelf was hand made by my wonderful Ryan. I drew the design for it over a year ago and he decided to make in his parents garage for an extra special gift this year. Isn't he great?!!

Fun with Family! (I made the truck!)