YOU ARE IN HERE!

Hey guys. I was forwarded this email. Let me just tell you, I was in it under my married name, and my maiden name. They told me other people who resided at my parent's house. I didn't like it, and as much as I love all of my friends and family, I cannot spend hours deleting everyone. So if you care, check it out.

March 20, 2010


Yesterday an Internet friend alerted me to Spokeo. It is a personal database on YOU. It posts your age, gender, home value, home address, length of residence, locator map, occupation, family info plus a slew of other stuff.

I was horrified at this intrusion and lack of privacy, never mind the fact more than half of the posted information was dead wrong. If you want your personal data removed, here's what you do.

Go to Spokeo: http://www.spokeo.com.

Enter your name in the SEARCH box. If you go by several names, check them too. Also, check for the names of your spouse and kids. Every single entry must be individually removed.

Hit Search.

When your name comes up, click on the location that matches. (Prepare to fume!)

This brings up your profile for all to see. ** COPY the URL where your information appears. **


REMOVAL FROM DATABASE

At the bottom of the page is the word PRIVACY. http://www.spokeo.com/privacy.

Once there, paste in the saved URL, your email and the code provided.

Hit Remove Listing.

By return email, they will send you a URL that you must click or paste into your browser to complete the removal process.


SEND THEM A BLAST

If you are irritated by this exposure you may want to pay them a visit via their contact page: http://www.spokeo.com/public/feedback. It's also found under CONTACT in small print at the bottom of the page.

Their website states to allow 1 business day for removal, which since this was Saturday, would likely be done on Tuesday. Instead, our personal information was removed within 5 minutes.

Listening?

Lance: "Em, your book is right here in the couch"

Em: "Shut your mouth!" (looked all day for it)

Grace: "Shut your mouth, Daddy"

L: sounds like someone's got a bad habit

g: you('re) a bad habit daddy!

* NOTE: this post gets quite personal and I probably shared a bit more than I should have (TMI, if you will). Feel free to skip to the next post.

If you have known me for any amount of time you know that I am a pretty faithful person. I live my religion, and always have. I make choices in my life to bring me closer to perfection, and closer to my Father in Heaven. I recently have had so many obvious miracles happen that I fear I need to document them so may never forget the lessons I have learned.

Several weeks ago, I was dreading paying the bills. I knew we were falling short, and that our money was not stretching as much as we needed it to. Lance usually says it's because I hemorrhage money (we are both perfectly aware of my love of a shoppers high). Going on, money (or the lack thereof) was constantly on my mind. I didn't know how we were going to survive the next few months (or better yet the rest of time that we are in school). It got so bad that I was sitting at the computer and texting Lance one day, sobbing...we weren't going to make it. I am so grateful for the still small voice that whispered to me that my Father in Heaven loved me and that he would take care of my family. I decided then, that I need to stop worrying and have a bit more faith. That night I found $20 in my pocket, and I said a little prayer of thanks. I knew I was being watched over.

A few days later I sent a check in the mail for a photo radar ticket. I won't tell who got the ticket, but if you know about my perfect driving record you could probably take a guess who got the speeding ticket. I was a bit upset about the cost of the ticket ($190) and that OR doesn't offer traffic school as a way to get out of it. But, I sent the money (we didn't have) off anyways, praying we would find a way to make things work. About a week later I got a letter in the mail from the circuit court. Great, I thought, now I got one! I opened the letter and just about fell off my chair, and cried. Our check had been sent back. The case had been dismissed because the officer had failed to submit the ticket to the court (but had still sent us a copy of it??!?!). Coincidence? I think not.

Right around the same day, we filed our tax return. Lance works 5 hours a week, he makes very little. We knew we would get a little back, but somehow the money we figured that we were counting on getting back was tripled. WHAT?

I know that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me (and my family too). I am so grateful that he knows all of my fears and lets me struggle over them, and after we did all we could, he stepped in and showed his love to us. I have never doubted my testimony of tithing, but boy has it been strengthened ten-fold!

ch-ch-ch-changes

Under doctors orders I have recently made some significant life changes. I found out, among other things, that I am severely gluten intolerant. My diet needed to change IMMEDIATELY! AHHHH! Thank goodness there is so much out there, albeit quite expensive. I have lots of options, though not as many as I had before. I am thankful my kids are still young so that they will not notice the change in the dinners I make for them. Goodbye brownies, cookies, and my lovely sweet bread. I will miss you, although my hips might not. All I ask is for your forgiveness if I drop by treats and they taste a bit funny.

Here's to a new Gluten Free test kitchen!

New Family Pics Posted

We are obsessed with family pics...

We had Kathy do a round in Jan....if I could only get them to load onto blogger. I think I've tried 6 times! and give up...

Then, we had our Portland photographer in town and we couldn't refuse another round of dressing up. Until we get the disk you can check it out here.

THANKS KATHY AND HEATHER for making our family look so good!!

thanks for the gift

Thanks to my wonderful in-laws we are having fun with dinners! I got an Italian cookbook (for Christmas) that I am LOVING! just thought I would make sure that I told them THANK YOU!

Happy Birthday Doctor Lance

Lance's pinning ceremony was last week! It's official, he can now treat the public. Congrats, babe! (10 months left!!! and yes, i am counting down every minute)

To my sweetheart,

I hope this year is quickly forgotten. NO ONE should have to spend their special day probing the parts of another (aka proctology exam). You poor baby. I hope the double chocolate cake made your day a bit better. I love you.

Here's to a better one next year,

-your love

Happy Half!

Happy Half Birthdays to Sydney and Grace! (they are special because their half birthday falls on their Daddy's birthday, and so we celebrate accordingly)

grace 3 1/2

Sydney 6 months

stats: 20 pounds and 28 inches long

She is itching to get out of her infant car seat...if only her older sister would GAIN 5 pounds (she's got 6 months). What a fun girl she is to have around! She is constantly laughing and getting her sisters riled up. And boy is she pretty!

thanks to KCPhotgraphy for the pics!!

Christmas in AZ (boy was that fun!)

christmas in portland (kind of)

The morning that Church was cancelled (the week it was supposed to be our ward christmas program), Lance and I decided to invite Santa to drop by. We figured if we were home, we may as well celebrate Christmas. Lucky for my girls, Santa stopped right on over and brought gifts, all while they were playing in their room. (Lucky for us he didn't leave very many for us to wrap so it was all prepared in about 20 minutes! ha) We had such a fun time extending our holiday season, and loved NOT taking all of our junk to AZ and then back!