Anniversary Time!

I can't believe how quickly time is flying. It doesn't seem that long ago that Scottie and I were just getting engaged! A lot has happened in the past 2 years, and I am so lucky to be married to such an amazing guy.

To celebrate our 2nd anniversary (which was on the 23rd), we decided to stay home and have a romantic dinner. Scottie cooked steak, potatoes, corn and brownies for dessert! It was absoutely wonderful! He is SUCH a good cook! He totally spoiled me, too. He surprised me with a GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers and a memory card for my phone. He also bought me a couple of new outfits since I need nicer stuff to wear at work when I go to court hearings. I really am so lucky to have him. I love him SO much!!!!

We have a lot of plans for our future, and I am excited to realize those plans with him and grow old together.



The gorgeous flowers Scottie bought for me 6/23/08


6/23/07 - we went to Lagoon where Scottie won lots of prizes, had a nice dinner at Christophers and stayed overnight at a hotel.

6/23/06 - we were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple

My Scary Experience!!!

As a fan of action movies and tv shows, I have seen my share of accident scenes, firey crashes and vehicles being blown to bits and pieces. I've seen scenes of people badly injured and in terrible pain, bleeding and broken. But I can always remind myself that it's just acting. It's just TV. It's just a movie. It can't affect you when you know it isn't real.

But it certainly can when it is real.

This is my story of the week.

On Tuesday morning, I was making my way down 4500 South on my way to work. It was about 8:30 am, and all was going well. The weather was nice, traffic wasn't bad at all, and I was excited about getting to work early so I could relax for a minute before delving into the day's work. That was until I saw the most traumatizing thing I've ever seen.

I was in the middle lane, a gold Grand Am in the lane to my left, about 1/2 a car length in front of me. In front of him was a young guy on a bullet bike. He was wearing a helmet and was obviously driving cautiously (which is rare to see these days). To our right, a large truck pulled into the lane, causing everyone to slow down. The bullet bike slowed, but slowed too quickly. Without having time to react, the Grand Am hit the back tire of the bike, causing it to fall to the side. Then, in the most unreal way, the Grand Am drove up and over the bike, driver and all. As the car drove over the bike and rider, the radiator and gas tank were both punctured, spraying fluids all over the road. Pieces of the bike were flying off all over and in a state of unbelief and shock, I stopped my car and simply screamed. I watched as the car cleared the bike and rider and stopped. The rider amazingly stood up in a state of delirium, and instantly fell flat on his back and began screaming in pain.

I quickly turned on my flashers and picked up my phone to call 911. 3 or 4 people were rushing to the rider's aide. When the dispatcher picked up, she asked for the address of the wreck and I told her. She then proceeded to give me directions on how to care for the injured rider. I had one person hold his head still and talk to him, while I searched for the bleeding wounds. We located his cell phone and a man called the rider's family to inform them of the accident. Within minutes two local police officers were on the scene, and not long after that, the ambulance arrived. They proceeded to assess the situation and the severity of the rider's wounds, which were pretty brutal.

The undercarriage of the car had shattered his helmet's visor, cutting gashes in his face. His left shoulder was dislocated and terribly bruised. His left leg was gashed open from ankle to hip. And his stomach and chest were badly bruised as well. They got him into the ambulance and rushed him off to the ER. After he was gone, I attempted to comfort the driver of the car that had hit him. I have never seen anyone in such a state of shock. He was barely coherent, he was shaking so much that I was amazed he could still hold onto his car keys. The officers couldn't get any information out of him. So I simply told him that everything was going to be okay, and that I saw the whole thing and knew it wasn't his fault, that there wasn't anything that could have been done. While still staring into space, he nodded. That was the only reaction I ever saw.

After filling out the witness forms and telling the officers what I had seen, I left to go to work. I was an hour late, but I definitely had a good excuse.

If there was one thing I learned from this is experience, it is this: HELMETS SAVE LIVES!!!!

If this guy had not been wearing one, his life would have ended right before my eyes. I have no doubt about that. He made the right choice when he hopped on his bike that morning, to wear a helmet. I have always felt very strongly about this, and this experience just solidified my feelings. PLEASE WEAR YOUR HELMET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't stress that enough.

So that was my story. It was an experience I never wanted to have, and I hope no one I know has to go through it.

Time for The Life Update!

I know it's been kind of a while since I last wrote, but life has been incredibly hectic lately! This week in particular has been crazy! So here's what's been going on.

On Monday the 2nd, I finally started my job as a Case Worker for the Division of Child and Family Services. And I absolutely LOVE it so far! I am SO happy to finally have a career, and more importantly, a career that I am going to enjoy! Not only that, but the state benefits are AMAZING. And they start day 1! So we can finally get rid of Scott's ridiculously expensive and totally crappy benefits! YAY! That will save us almost $300 a month! And there's something else about the benefits that we are way excited about, but I'll tell you about that in a minute.

As far as family goes, it's been a roller coaster of a week. For starters, my brother-in-law Sean had to have yet another surgery to remove tumors on his brain. He was in the Huntsman at the beginning of the week, but then they had him go to the U for the surgery and recovery. If you have never been to the U hospital, let me just advise you NOT TO. Ever. It was such a terrible experience for everyone involved. The good news is that they think they got all the tumors, and Sean is home as of today resting and recovering. SO that is fabulous news.

Also a close family friend of Scott's parents (who is actually renting a room from them at their house) was admitted to the hospital the same night with a pulmonary embolism (I hope I spelled that right). That's basically blood clots in her lungs. We had gone to Scott's little brother's graduation and she had been turning blue and not being able to breathe. She's still in the hospital (this time at St. Marks) and she's undergoing lots and lots of tests. They think she may have cancer or other problems. She keeps talking about how she wants certain people to have certain possessions of hers, which is a pretty big sign that she thinks she may not make it. But we'll see. All we can do is hold on, right?

Anyway, going back to the benefits, as it turns out the coverage from the state will cover 100% of an adoption up to $4,000 in legal fees and birth mother's medical bills! Is that amazing or what? Considering with the church our adoption fee is just slightly more than $4,000!!!

I am taking that as a HUGE sign that we're making the right decision. So our plan is to pay off our credit cards completely (which will take about 2 months) and then we will OFFICIALLY start the process! We have all the paperwork just waiting to be filled out! We are very excited about that!

That's about all that's going on these days! I have 7 more weeks of training before I'm a full fledged case worker, but I know it will go by fast! This week I get to go out into the field with other case workers and shadow them throughout the day, so I am very excited about that!

Alrighty then! Thanks for reading!

Locks of Love!

Well, I finally did it! I've been waiting a few months to actually do this, and now it's DONE!

Tonight I went to Scott's mom's house where I had her cut off 10 inches of my hair, put it in a plastic baggy, and then put it in an envelope addressed to LOCKS OF LOVE!

I'm SO happy about this! I've been growing my hair since Nov 2004 when I got home from the mission till now with this goal in mind. It was SO crazy! We put my hair in a ponytail, and then Scott's mom (who is a hairdresser) sawed through the hair and then handed me my ponytail! When she gave it to me, I just cracked up. It looked SO wierd. And my head felt SO light! I hadn't realized just how heavy all that hair was!

The last picture of my long hair...

She then proceeded to give me a super cute haircut, one that I picked from a hairstyle gallery online. I absolutely love it! Granted, I love having long hair. I had long hair my whole life till just before I left for WI. I kept it short for the next 2 years, and then grew it long again when I got home. It's fun to have changes in my hairstyles and this summer is going to be extra hot, so it will be nice not having 10 inches of my ridiculously thick hair making my neck so hot!

The cute teeny pigtails I put my hair in when I got home. I love them!

I'm so excited to be doing this, especially because someone who really needs it will get my hair and it will totally improve their life. I can always grow more hair, but so many people can't. I especially relate to this due to my brother-in-law Sean who has had cancer for years, and is bald from the radiation and chemo. I hope a little girl who was blonde before gets my hair and enjoys it as much as I did!

My ponytail right after it was cut! And then again after it was brushed and ready to be packaged!

What Is A Mission?

Okay, so in a past blog I mentioned that I had written some things and was proud of one thing that I'd written. It's about what a mission is to me. The reason I chose to post this tonight is two fold, really. One reason is that I recently found a TON of old letters that friends and family had sent me while I was in WI, and I was reading through them and reminiscing about those amazing 18 months. The other reason is that I've been in a VERY terrible mood the past 2 days, and when Scott isn't around to make me laugh, I like to think back on happy times in my life to cheer me up. I mean, I'm incredibly happy with my life now, but we all have those down times, right? Okay so this is something that I wrote all throughout the 18 months I spent as a missionary, as I experienced different things. It means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

WHAT IS A MISSION

A mission is boarding a plane at 6 am to fly to an unknown destination where unknown people and experiences await you. It is feeling terribly inadequate as you knock on that first door. It is spending hours on end trying to figure our your companion, and then realizing it is you that needs to be figured out. It is teaching 11 year old Samantha and watching her eyes light up with excitement as she learns. It is hearing her pray in Serbian and feeling the spirit SO strongly, even though you can't understand a word. It is delivering Christmas to an impoverished mother of 2, and seeing her disabled son drag himself to the tree so he can gaze at the presents with tear-filled eyes. It is hearing a man named Larry tell of a dream he had when God himself told him the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. It is seeing a companion's devastation as she receives a phone call from her mother who just learned that she is dying of cancer. It is meeting Louise Butler and feeling her extraordinary spirit. It is seeing her be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then two weeks later kneeling in prayer at a hospital as her soul slips silently back to our Father in Heaven. It is meeting an 18 year old girl named Beky and watching her learn and grow in the gospel. It is seeing the glow of her eyes as she accepts the teachings and is baptized. But then it is seeing the adversary take strong hold on her and watching helplessly as she digresses and goes back to old habits. It is coming to understand what Nephi meant when he said he prayed all day and wept all night for the welfare of the souls of the people. It is going to the temple with 72 year old Gunter Fitchler and watching tears stream down his face as a young woman is baptized for his wife of 37 years, and knowing the first step is completed for them to be sealed to each other forever. It is falling down a flight of stairs in front of 30 people and luckily only hurting your pride. A mission is getting a little taste of the Celestial Kingdom when you get to go back to an old area for a baptism and being greeted by familiar faces and friendly smiles. It is seeing Vivian rebaptized into the church after an abusive husband forced her to have her records removed. It is watching her change completely and knowing that all it took was faith in the Lord and His timing. It is teaching Marcia at the Brown County Jail and knowing that her life will be completely different when she leaves. It is knowing that your life will be changed once you leave the mission field. It is boarding a plane to go home, only to feel that you are leaving home, rather than going there.

This is actually only a small portion of the actual one I wrote. That part is what I shared during my homecoming talk. I have the whole thing written in my missionary journal, and will share it with anyone who requests it.

I just have such a strong testimony of missionary work. It's wierd, because all my life I always said I would never go on a mission, and that if people were meant to join the church they would find it on their own. Little did I know that people do find it on their own - through missionaries. I wouldn't change a moment of those 18 months - even through the hard times, it was the most amazing experience I have ever had. It's been almost 4 years now since I have been home, and it breaks my heart that I have been so bad at keeping in touch with all the people I met. My life was touched far more than anyone I met, of that I am sure. Those people, each and every one of them, formed me little by little into the person I am today. I can't WAIT to send my children off on missions - to experience the things that await them. I can't WAIT to retire and spend my elderly years with Scottie at my side as we serve the Lord as couple missionaries. It is something I knew I was supposed to do, and I'm extremely glad I did it!

And now for your entertainment - some of my mission pictures! Yay! Please excuse my scanning talent - it's pretty, well, terrible. If you'll look closely, you will see Scottie in one of the pics! That was when we hated each other. In fact, in the picture, I'm glaring at him because he kept pulling on my beanie and it was making me mad. Who knew we'd end up married? Ha ha!

Alison's Absolutely Will Nots...

Okay so this past week I've realized that there are some really lame and/or ridiculous things that I absolutely WILL NOT do, for no apparent reason. Things that most people won't think twice about doing, but I refuse. Chalk it up to being borderline OCD, or just plain wierd, I just thought I'd post these things for kicks.

1. I absolutely will NOT go through a revolving door. We went to the Salt Lake City library the other day, and they have this HUGE revolving door. I made Scott and I walk around to find a door that pulls open. At Scott's old work they ONLY have a revolving door in the front of the building. Once he left his phone in the car when I dropped him off, and instead of going in, I made the security guard come out and get it for me. These are just two of many revolving door stories I have. Oh yeah, once I went out an emergency exit to avoid a revolving door, and was stopped by security who just laughed at me when I told them why I had done that.


I've always thought this picture was awesome. It's a Scott Mutter picture!

2. I absolutely will NOT step on a shower drain. I will avoid them at all costs. This may or may not go back to a trip we took to Cabo when I was 13 when a scorpion crawled out of the drain in our condo. But even before then I didn't like drains. This also goes for drains in swimming pools, hot tubs, etc etc etc. Once I accidentally stepped on the drain in our shower (which is kind of hard to avoid but I've gotten really good at it) and I was so creeped out I jumped out of the shower before I was even close to being done.


3. I absolutely will NOT eat a hamburger or sandwich or, well, anything for that matter - from front to back. I always have to eat all the way around it, saving the middle for last. This goes for burritos, tacos, cookies, and yes, even donuts. Although I haven't had a donut for a REALLY long time...


4. I absolutely will NOT eat onions, peppers, tomatoes or sprouts. One time when I was 16, my friend took me through the drive-thru of McDonalds and got me one of their new Big and Tasty burgers. It was dark, and I was tired. He handed it to me, and I unwrapped it and took a big old bite. I couldn't figure out what the squishy, nasty tasting substance was in my mouth but I knew I had to get it out of there. I rolled down the window of the car and proceeded to hurl all over the side of his car. He pulled over and when some light came into the car, I saw a big fat tomato on the burger. Figures.


Those are 4 of my many will nots. I will also not sleep if there are any open closet doors or windows, I won't sleep if there are things on the floor in our bedroom that shouldn't be there, I won't wear shorts under any circumstances, and I won't go to Sizzler. (Although to be fair, there IS a story for the Sizzler issue, but I will only tell that one upon request. Because once you hear it, you won't go to Sizzler either.)

Just a quick life update for ya while I'm at it: Scottie started a second job today at the Salt Lake County Juvenile Detention Center. He's really going to like it, especially because he really wants to be a parole officer someday. He's chosen Law Enforcement as his field which is a wise choice, because he is a fantastic Security Officer and he loves to do that kind of stuff. And he looks awesome in a uniform! Woo hoo!

I start my job with DCFS on June 2nd, so until then I am doing some serious spring cleaning in our house. Yesterday I cleaned out our storage closet and went through boxes and boxes of things - Scott and I both have huge boxes of stuff from our missions, and that was fun to go through. I read through a HUGE pile of letters I got from people (thank you to those who wrote to me, you have no idea how much I appreciated it!!) and looked through some old pictures. I organized the Christmas ornaments and wrapping paper and all kinds of things, as well as our camping gear, and it made me just that much more excited to go camping this summer!

ANYWAY...I also will be starting the Masters program for my Masters in Counseling this August! My sister Amy and I are doing the program together! I am SO excited, because I want so much to be a counselor someday. I'll be done with that in May of 2011. Yay! I feel like I'm growing up now! haha

When It Rains...It POURS! YAY!

Just a little life update for you all!!

Okay so the past two months I have been searching desperately for a job. A good job that will pay well and provide good enough benefits to get me through the next few years while I go to grad school and while Scott gets his undergrad finished. I applied EVERYWHERE. I can't even count how many jobs I applied for. I was constantly on monster.com and careerbuilder, as well as the state site, IHC, etc etc etc.

I kept getting turned down, and then last week I got two great job offers - one at La Quinta Inn as the Assistant Front Desk Manager, and one at Delta Airlines as a customer service rep. I wasn't sure which one to take, so I decided to start the training on both and see what happens. Delta wasn't supposed to start till May 19, and I started the job at La Quinta today. Well, on my way home from La Quinta, I got a call from the State.

Back in January I took the State Caseworker Test and passed. In Feb I had a first interview, and they sent me on too DCFS in March for a second interview there. The job would be to conduct home inspections and interviews and to determine whether or not child removal would be the best option. A hard job, but one in my field of study, and one that would pay awesome, and have fantastic benefits (State benefits ROCK). Well after about a month of hearing nothing from them, I gave up all hope.

Well the call from the state was to offer me this job - and after 2000 hours I'll be a full fledged State Social Worker and they'll help pay for my masters if I choose to pursue it. Does that ROCK or WHAT?!?!

So as of June 2, 2008 I'll be a caseworker for the Department of Child and Family Services!

YAY!

I'm SO excited. The starting pay is higher than anything I've ever had by FAR, and the benefits are going to be awesome! Although I feel terrible about leaving La Quinta after working there for just one day, I can't pass up this amazing career opportunity.

So we have some big plans in our future that are now going to be realized! That's to own a house, a new couch, new washer and dryer, and above all....ADOPTION! I can't wait!

Wahoo!!!!

That is all.