Cody & Julianna: 2008

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Beijing Olympics 2008

We took a gamble to see if Julianna could somehow get a Chinese Visa and join me in Beijing for the Olympics. Even though I would have to work, we would be able to spend time with our great friends Paul and Kim Florence who were also over there. However, requesting a last minute Visa in a tightly controlled communist country is not the easiest or smartest thing to do. Since my Visa submitted by the State Dept. came back denied because I didn't "show enough shoulder' in my passport photo, I figured we would run into endless roadblocks. China also required we show a "booked hotel reservation" and since I didn't know where we would be staying I took a gamble and put a reservation on a credit card with plans to cancel as soon as we received her Visa. Would have worked fine except I forgot to cancel until I placed a panicked call to the Holiday Inn at the Temple of Heaven to cancel the day before the reservation would have been non-refundable! Whew! Her Visa arrived the day before I left!

We had a great, albeit, hot and humid time touring all the sites of Beijing! The heat and smog were stifling. Highlights were all the Olympic venues, Great Wall, swimming and baseball events, feet massages, and scoring deals at all the markets. Though the real highlight was watching a very giddy Julianna take in Opening Ceremonies. For all of you who know her, she tends to have a professional demeanor, so this was great to see her smile and watch her on the edge of her seat pointing out every detail. It was spectacular. My favorite memory was seeing Michael Phelps in 400m relay, beating out the French (sorry Dave) by 2/10th of a second!

Duck Beach - August 2008

North Carolina does not disappoint! The beach weather, time with the girls and the amazing food created the perfect recipe for relaxation. Our typical day would begin with a first breakfast of peach pancakes, laying out at the pool and enjoying a second breakfast of Oreos, Twix bars and a Diet Coke. Often we were entertained by Chappy's dolphin antics, the latest in each others' lives and doing our "required reading." I worked on the last book of the Twilight Series -- Breaking Dawn-- and several pop culture magazines. After a gourmet lunch of panini style sandwiches, we would take a short trek to the beach and plan to "close out the beach" --in other words stay until close to twilight. The weather could not have been more perfect. We all left with the evidence of smoking hot tans! And not to break tradition, once we return home, we have a final meal together at the RIO!!! Love those fajitas.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Top Ten "Loves" for a Happy Marriage

Happy 2nd Anniversary!
1. Love of Mexican food and the perfect chips and salsa combo
2. Love of Traveling--Kauai is our current favorite
3. Love of Reading -- historical fiction and chic-lit for me, political and biographies for Cody
4. Love of Snow Skiing and Tennis; but not at the same time
5. Love of Dual Climate Control in our Car
6. Love of Learning About and Visiting Different Cultures
7. Love of Simple things. Good food, friends, family, and outdoors.
8. Love of Dogs; especially our dog MURPHY.
9. Love for Family Time Together
10. Love for Each Other

Posted by Julianna and Cody

Monday, April 28, 2008

Adoption Classes

Last weekend Julianna and I attended classes for couples seeking adoption. We really didn't know what to expect, but after two long days of sitting on uncomfortable chairs, we realized we could have stayed for another two days. Rather than "tell us" about the process, they brought in excellent panels of couples who had adopted, birth mothers, bi-racial and foster parent families, and adults who were adopted as children. It was fascinating to hear each individual story. It was evident to us that the Lord has a soft spot for adoption situations and his care is prevalent throughout. There were many miracles in the room and each reaffirmed our hope to one day have this miracle in our life.

After hearing an adoptive couple tell their success story in a very personal way, we left in awe. There was so much to "chew on" and were silent on the whole drive home. A slice of pizza and a Diet Coke from "The Pie" helped us digest the experience. We both felt, as we have all along, that this is the path we need to follow. The adoption process is a blessing for both the birth parents and the adoptive parents.

Truth is, we have never done this before and neither have most birth parents and it is a learning process. It confirmed to us the need to be very sensitive and flexible to each others needs --ultimately the spirit will guide the ebbs and flows. Most of all, this process has brought us closer and more appreciative of what birth parents go through. All of them love their babies. All of them wanted the best for them. And all of them felt directed towards the adoptive parents. A few of the birth mothers that spoke were 15 years old yet they were unbelievably composed. Their spiritual maturity was evident as they expressed the importance of having their baby sealed to a forever family -- which they knew they couldn't provide at that time. They had been dealt a difficult hand at a young age and somehow had enough foresight for their baby and themselves, to make a good decision often in the middle of lack of support from some family and friends. We were truly amazed by each person we met.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Easter Tradition

Easter Tree displayed with a "D.C touch"
One of my favorite family Easter traditions was discovered in Europe while traveling with my girlfriends about 3 years ago. To our surprise, we came upon an Easter market in Vienna on the grounds of the castle. These delicate, hand-painted Easter eggs were everywhere! At first, we didn't quite appreciate the novelty of these little eggs but soon joined the throngs in Vienna and Prague to find the right colors with the perfect designs to make our own Easter trees at home. Ask any of us girls about our eggs and you will see an affinity towards our eggs like that of a mother hen. We carried those eggs on our laps all the way home on the plane--each was loved for it's unique design and color and none could be harmed. I don't think, or expect Cody to love these little cherubs as I do. However, he knows how much I value them especially as he broke a few during our move last summer and felt horrible about it. I couldn't talk about it. He thoughtfully had the little pastel egg replaced by a BIG red and white decorated egg. Of course, he would get an egg with the U of U colors on it. Nothing says Easter like red and white! Love you Cody.

Welcome to our blog! What a change...we went from blogging about our travels to blogging about teething, taking first steps and talking about Elmo. Such a 180 degree turn and we love it! Louie and Blake are such a joy to us and can't imagine life without them.

Truly, we are thankful for adoption--for this is the way we will add to our family a third time. We are open to different nationalities, either gender and hope for an open adoption. We are comfortable going through a private attorney or an agency.

Please feel free to share our blog. Thank you in advance for mentioning our quest for adoption to your family and friends!

With Love,
Cody, Julianna, Louie, Blake and our dog, Murphy

About Me: Julianna

I was born in a small town in Tennessee. We lived there until I was in the fifth grade -- what a great place to grow up! In the nearby woods, we would play "house" by designing floor plans with sticks as our walls and a piles of leaves for furniture. As a child, I loved to play games, ride bikes and play barbies. With a family of six kids, often my dad would engage us in a game of hide and go seek to wear us out for bedtime. Or, my dad would play "wild music" on the piano and let us dance around to get our wiggles out for bed. Looking back, I think we must have been a high energy group of kids. This might be why we only could have "sweet cereal" on Saturdays. However, on Christmas morning, each child got their own box; which would be gone by the next day. My poor parents... 6 kids hopped up on sugar plus the Christmas chaos! Our family of 8 then moved to Ft. Worth, Texas. We happily adjusted to Texas BBQ Brisket and Blue Bell Ice Cream. We took advantage of our location and would visit my dad's parents in El Paso for vacations. My grandma made us feel like her greatest treasure. During high school I couldn't wait to DRIVE! After parallel parking an enormous green station wagon, I passed the driving test and had my license in hand. I was very social. My brother Jeff and I were very active in our church youth program. I participated in plays, church volleyball and basketball. I loved going to youth conferences and would sew new outfits. My sewing career was short lived...I'm too much of a perfectionist and would spend more time pulling out stitches rather than sewing them in. I left this talent to my mother and sisters. In high school, I helped to make homecoming floats, joined the pep squad and the German Club; which really was a party with the cutest guys at school. Ummm yeah, I think I have been boy crazy since I was 12. My crushes' names would end up in the doodling of my school notes. At age 12 I may have seen one too many soap operas when I stayed one summer in El Paso with my Aunt Barbara! College was creeping up and I needed money. Therefore, I've had a job ever since I was 15 working for a sandwich store, gelato ice cream store, Dunkin' Donuts (gained 10 pounds in my first month and saw the necessity to quit!) and as a receptionist my senior year for an attorney (work release program). After high school, I went to BYU and LOVED my independence. At age 21, I took an 18 month break from college to serve a mission in the Arizona Temple Visitor Center. By far, this experience was one of the highlights of my life--serving and loving the people of Mesa. Before graduating with my Bachelors in Education, I went to study abroad to Israel for four months. I learned about the Jewish and Muslim cultures, religions and histories... fascinating! I will always have a sincere respect for the rich history taken place on that soil. During my first three years of teaching first and second grade, I earned and graduated with a Masters in Education. I continued to teach in Utah for a few more years. I loved teaching but wanted to find new opportunities to stretch myself in the field. I moved to Washington, D.C. and began to work as a literacy trainer (of teachers) for a non-profit in Baltimore, Maryland. For four years, I had the wonderful opportunity to help improve children's education in inner city schools. My favorite memories were those of helping young children find and cultivate the love of reading. The success of learning to read increased their self worth and opened doors of opportunities in their future. I continued a similar position with George Washington University working with the DC public schools, teachers and students. I loved my time of living in D.C. Many opportunities helped me to appreciate and learn of our nation's history. I'm such a "hands-on learner." Knowing this about myself, I took advantage of my location and traveled to a few countries across the Atlantic Ocean to learn of their cultures and histories. D.C. will always be an important chapter of my life filled with wonderful friends --and of course, where I originally met Cody. In 2005, I returned to Utah and began teaching second grade. This is when I became reacquainted with Cody and our life together started its course.

About Me: Cody

I was born and spent the majority of my childhood in Bountiful, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. I was a fairly social kid and spent more time than a normal 5 year old visiting all the senior citizens in my neighborhood who had nicknamed me “Windy”. Apparently, I talked a lot. I was just there for the Iced Oatmeal Cookies sitting on their kitchen counter. So I would talk and talk until I could close the deal and walk away with my Iced Oatmeal cookies. I think they knew what my intentions were and would milk me in their boredom. Just give me the cookie! The steep hills of Bountiful provided the perfect childhood existence. Steep hills for sledding and skiing in the winter and the twisty streets made great neighborhood night games and Olympics in the summer. Life really is simple as a kid and maybe it is best to enjoy the first portion of your life in a relative blissful ignorance. Mom and I followed Dad to Juneau, Alaska for my 9th grade year, as part of Dad's work in developing mining operations. After a year of playing football on a rocky dirt field with a team of female line(wo)men, I was glad to move home and be a part of Bountiful High School's first back to back high school football championship. I really had great friends and was active in choir, madrigals, student government and sports. I bought my first car when I was 15 ½ (it supposedly sat in the garage for the next few months while I waited to turn 16) with my own money. I worked at Farmers Insurance at nights and mowed lawns in the summers. This was my first experience in just how expensive life was going to be. Either that, or I had high expectations of myself and what I wanted to accomplish, but I did learn early on that you'll get out what you put into something. My parents, to their credit, really stressed work work work. This undoubtedly helped me day in and day out when serving an LDS Church mission to Alabama. It drove me nuts to see the lack of work ethic some of the other missionaries had. Spending two years performing community service and other church activities was probably the most difficult but most worthwhile challenge in my life to that point. But, the best part is that none of it is for yourself. Service is a great thing to learn at 19 years of age. Following my mission I attended the University of Utah and received a degree in Business Management (Finance) while working full time and was active in student government, Sigma Chi Fraternity and participated as a moderator for a weekly radio and TV show called Coffee and Politics. During my senior year, I received an internship in Washington DC, which completely changed the direction I thought I was headed. I loved the energy and great minds I met and worked with in Washington. Following graduation I worked in New York City for an internet start up that eventually closed its doors following the events of Sept. 11. I jumped at the chance to move to Washington DC and began working for U.S. Senator John Ensign shortly after. I spent four years working on healthcare and financial industry policy before heading to Las Vegas to do some campaign work. In August of 2005, Mom and I took my Grandma and Grandpa Meyer to visit the sites of Washington DC. The whole time I lived there, I really hoped it would work out that they could come and visit and could show them around. We had a great time and on our last day I took them to a favorite Saturday morning market and breakfast joint called Eastern Market. As fate now has it, I ran into a mutual good friend, Jill Chappell, who told me Julianna was moving to Salt Lake. I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning...

OUR STORY
A couple of years ago in D.C., I had taken Julianna out a few times. We got to know each other over Mexican food at three different locations. However, at the end of our third date, instead of inviting me in, she gave me a luke warm side hug at the door. I understand girls have this need to be pursued but an awkward hug doesn't really lend itself to an “oh baby baby” hot pursuit! Please. So, three years later, our story picks up again when I ran into Jill at Eastern Market. She wasting no time reacquainting us, called Julianna and handed me the phone. Julianna asked me if I could take a precious duffle bag of shoes she didn't have room for on the plane. These were essential items needed for her first week of work in Utah. With lack of time in heading to the airport, she met me in front of the Smithsonian on the Washington Mall for the handoff. The day she arrived in Salt Lake, she called to get her shoes. I was in Houston at the time and promised her bag of shoes at the end of the week in exchange for a dinner of steak fajitas. I think in her mind this meant two things: the comforts of Mexican food and a reason to buy new shoes until her own arrived safely. After our date of steak fajitas, it all went quickly from there.