Merry Christmas! 2012

Hello everyone! Hope you are doing great. Time for the annual update. Wendy and I have had some changes go on with more in store for next year.

Around Christmas time of last year, Wendy found out that she had been overpaid by her company for the previous two years. I already wrote an in depth description about it so I won’t go into details. We are now paying it back, and it has had a big effect on our lifestyle, but we are grateful that we still have everything we need.

I swore off an old oath that I would never go back to school again and took two classes at the local institutions for higher learning. Human Physiology and Medical terminology. I needed those classes so I can go to paramedic school. I was also quoted as saying I would never become a paramedic. Sensing a pattern? I will be going to the University of Utah for paramedic school starting this January. The program is sponsored by the Salt Lake City Fire Department. I hope that I will be able to make a good impression on someone during my clinicals there so I have a better chance at getting hired.

I also just finished a fire academy where I earned my Utah firefighting certifications. This will allow me to apply for more fire departments as most of them require that before you can apply with them. We are hoping that once I finish paramedic school this time next year, I will be a more desirable candidate so I can have a better chance of getting hired by a fire department.

During the summer I did a lot of bicycling. I did a fair amount of riding with my neighbor Dean. He helped me to ride farther than I normally do and which helped me to improve my endurance. He talked me into going down to southern Utah with him and some friends to do a century ride. It is called the Deparado Duo. He did the full 200 miles. I was quite content to just do 100 miles. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but I’m glad to have gotten my first century ride down. Maybe I can do more in the future.

At the end of last year I decided to not drink soda for a year. I am just about to my one year mark with that. Honestly, I don’t really miss it. Unfortunately, when company comes over we don’t have much to offer them other than tea, milk, and water. It was originally a weight control decision, but the more I’ve learned about soda the more I realize it’s really just a good health decision. If you drink more than a few sodas a month, I’d encourage you to try going a year without it just to see what its like.

My parents have put their house up for sale in MS. They haven’t had much luck with getting anyone to buy it, but hopefully someone will come along soon and buy it. Once they sell it, they will be moving out here to UT to be closer to us.

Wendy found out on Mother’s day that she is pregnant. It is going to be a girl, and her name will be Mia June Cotting. June is Wendy’s grandmother’s name. Mia’s expected due date is Jan 20th, about a week after my paramedic school starts. Although I’ve been told that new babies mostly just sleep, I just wish this was going to be easier. We are excited about starting the new phase of our life in parenthood. Wendy and Mia have been doing well and the doctors say everything is how it should be. We feel very blessed with how well things have gone for us.

Wendy still really loves her job doing urgent care for kids. She’s had a pretty busy year, and the winter virus season has now started here in UT. She has a great schedule where she works in the evenings. It is going to work out great once we have Mia here as I will be at school during the day, and then I can be home while she works in the evenings.

We didn’t go on vacations or backpacking trips this year like we have in previous years. This year we just had staycations. We did drive out to CA to visit with my brother and his wife. We took the dogs with us, and it was a nice little get away.

The dogs are doing great. Daisy has taken up catching the frisbee. She’s gotten really good at it and can jump pretty high. Madie just follows her around with a tennis ball in her mouth watching Daisy catch the frisbee.

This Christmas we are enjoying a quiet day at home. I don’t imagine there will be many more quiet Christmases once we have a kido running around the house.

We hope you all have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

L-R Daisy, Wendy, Maddie, Jason
L-R Daisy, Wendy, Maddie, Jason

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