Pigs and Goats at the Library!

I looked out the window and what did I see?  Something that I didn't expect, a you know you live in a small town when.... moment.  The Agriculture Teacher got the animals up to the school for a demonstration of some kind, the other teachers were quite amused.

Puppy Trouble

Our neighbor's dog had a litter of two puppies.  One of the puppies has decided that he loves me and he tries to break into my yard every morning to say hello and to cuddle with me.

Kitty Cats - Chance and Hope

Two cats were abandoned in a box with a shirt, towel, can of tuna, and a deep water bowl that they would have drowned in if they could have even reached it; on the baseball field.  Pam and I took them in and started taking care of them.

Chance was too weak, he passed away.  We did everything we could for him but it just wasn't enough.  He was a good little kitty, he was the one that cuddled with me the most.

Hope is getting healthier and fatter all the time and has a home waiting for him in Gallup, New Mexico.  Pam has gone into Mommy Mode with the kitten, especially after what happened to Chance.  I've enjoyed seeing Pam so happy with the little kitten in the past few days, it's been nice.

Here are a couple photos of Hope, the bottom one is has Chance with Hope in their box.

Cool Ceiling

The ceiling at this Albuquerque mall is pretty cool.

Summer Reading

It's always nice to be able to read for pleasure every once in awhile.  It's always difficult to find time to do this during the school year, even so I was able to read a few books by Rick Riordan during the school year.  I'm very excited about Riordan's new series Heroes of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles, both have been satisfying thus far.  His books are rich in mythology and have been extremely well researched.

This summer I have read two books thus far and with as much work as lies ahead of me I think that's about as far as I'll most likely get.  I've read The Dark Half by Stephan King and Freeze Tag by Caroline B Cooney.

The Dark Half is extremely gory and ought to come with a parental warning on it.  King does provide a little warning, "Not for those with weak stomachs."  This was the first time that I've read a book from King.  It was suspenseful, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  It was a good story.

I've read several books from Caroline B Cooney, the are, Wanted, The Terrorist, and The Stranger.  Like King her books like Stranger, Freeze Tag and others can go into the Supernatural realm.  To be scared and have suspense though I prefer her writing that stays within the realm of reality.  I wasn't as big of a fan of Freeze Tag as I was of Wanted and The Terrorist, but ultimately the book comes down to a single choice, a moral choice which I found extremely intriguing.  My mind has gone back to that choice time and time again as I've thought about various topics.  The greatest gift literature can give us is when it gives us something thought provoking to play with inside our heads.

One thing that I did not expect is how similar the themes were, since these are two completely different stories and are told in extremely different styles.  Yet the main theme in both is a universal theme that is in many stories, the need to overcome evil, especially the evil within.

I'm hoping to be able to read The Beyonders by Brandon Mull soon before the school year gets too busy.  Mull is a fantasy writer.  I enjoyed his Fablehaven series but have yet to read The Candy Shop Wars, which I've heard nothing but good things about.

Sheep in the Parking Lot

I've noticed lately that despite this being called Out Here in Pinon, the vast majority of the pictures on the site are from places other than Pinon.  Lake Wheatfield, Lake Powell, Mexico, and Smithfield are some of the main pictures.  It's time I put some actual Pinon Pictures up.

The church parking lot has been teeming with sheep lately, or at least it feels like it.  This Sunday I had to stop at the gate and honk my horn to get into church at all.  When these photos were taken the sheep were grazing around the parking lot, they had already been chased away once that day.  They got herded out of the parking lot again after church, so they started grazing around the fence surrounding the parking lot instead of in it.

I also got a couple of cat photos about the same time that I took these.

Another important event that took place toward the end of the year was Pam's great success in planning, decorating, and executing Senior Prom!  It was a great cause of stress for her, but it had a big pay off, it was the most successful prom in the history of Pinon High School.  As you can see from the decorations in addition to being beautiful she is also a genius.

Here is a flower in Pam's old backyard

Pam and I decided that Bo had to be cut.  He was getting tumbleweeds stuck in his fur and was having a hard time being fluffy in the desert.  So she cut him like a poodle.  My reaction was, "My poor gay dog."  Bo's fur is coming back nicely now, but here's a look back at when it was just cut.

New Mexico Moon

Not sure if you can tell by the picture but this is Moon Rise in New Mexico.  The moon almost always seems to be at its biggest at moon rise.
When I started going for the camera most of the moon was behind clouds but you could still see the top and bottom.  By the time I had my camera the clouds had moved away.

Dogs are Back

Due to all the things that would be going on when we got back to Pinon I decided that it was best to leave Bo and Angel in Utah for awhile.  It was great to be able to get a lot done on moving and on the lawns.  The dogs are back in Arizona and up to their old tricks again of digging out under the fences and running off.

I've also gone back to trying to figure out shade for them in the back, which failed miserably last year, but hopefully, using what I've learned should be fine this year.

In addition to the dogs being back, I've also come back to writing posts on the blog, this is number 15 this month, crazy huh?  I'm pretty sure this catches everyone up with what's been going on in my life the last couple of months.  Pretty much the only things that has been left out was how the school year ended and this week.

The school year ended in a very stressful manner.  Everyone suddenly realized that if they didn't pass my class they would have to repeat next year.  I HATE the end of the year.  Between all the extra work that should have been done months ago there is also inventory and check out.  I'm just glad that its over with and that I've learned new things that will help me with next year.

Next year I will no longer be teaching US History, I will instead get three World History classes and two Spanish I classes!

Pam's friend Angela who was also one of her bridesmaids is just hours away from getting here.  She has been hired to be a math teacher in the high school.  Emma, Pam's Maid of Honor, has been hired as an Elementary Music Teacher and she will also be to Pinon soon.

This week I've been working on the IAPG for Spanish, it was harder than the History ones I did but I still finished it in two days.  I've also been writing lesson plans.  Now I'm chilln' in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Pam's going to sell some of the old instruments to get money for new ones and I'm just kind of along for the ride.  Albuquerque is a much bigger city than I thought it was and it looks like a fun place, guess I'll know more tomorrow.

More Movie Dates

Pam and I love going to the movies, here are the movies we've seen since the last time I wrote about going to the movies with my wife.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry goes on the run as the Death Eaters take over the Ministry of Magic and he continues his search for more horcruxes to destroy.  The movie ended in the exact place that I hoped it would.  Part II is looking like it won't disappoint.

Hop is a family film about how a human became the Easter Bunny.  That pretty much gives away the ending but I don't feel guilty since they tell you in the first five minutes that it will happen.  It's a good film that I love quoting to my students since it confuses them, "This is a coup de tat, which is French for Coup de tat!"

Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and now a comic book hero on the silver screen.  I liked how they portrayed the Bifrost Bridge as being a device to open worm holes and also how they explained the world tree.  I have always enjoyed how the comics have been true to the old stories to an extent, the movie in turn was also true to the comics and therefore to the old mythology.  Thor is not with Sif in this movie, which confused me but worked with the plot of the story they decided to tell.

Kung Fu Panda 2, This movie makes me very excited for when they make a third.  That said, I think trilogies are usually sufficient (If they keep it up though with the quality and comedy lots of people will keep paying to see up to 7 of these films).  This movie dealt with how to find peace even when terrible things have happened to you.  It's very funny when a gruff villain tries to describe his panda foe and all he can come up with is cute and cuddly.  "I still have so many questions, like why didn't I like pants?"  To find out more you'll just have to watch the movie.

X - Men First Class: A great film about how it all began.  I enjoyed the alternate history that they through in, they were pretty true to real history in a lot of ways.  The Cuban Missile Crisis was really a lot more serious than it was portrayed in the movie, there were already missiles in Cuba by the time we found out about it and there were a lot more ships than one bringing arms to Cuba.  There was only one part in which the movie went too far, when a dead bad guy is displayed in the form of a crucifix.

Green Lantern is a movie that doesn't deserve the reviews that its gotten.  A lot of people can't take the actor seriously as a superhero but obviously they didn't watch the movie.  Being a Green Lantern is all about Will Power and the ability to overcome fear - abilities that exist in every human being.  Doesn't matter what a person looks like, everyone has that ability; and that's what the movie is all about.

Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, hands down the best Transformers movie of the franchise.  I am not a big fan of the 2nd movie.  This one has a lot of interesting ideas.  Megan Fox of course is gone, which is a HUGE plus.  I hadn't noticed till this film how useless and annoying her character was.  Megan got fired after making Nazi jokes about Michael Bay, the director of the film series.  When your producer, aka the main boss, is a Jew you don't call your co-workers Nazis.  It just shows a serious lack of intelligence.  The new girl who has no acting experience is a better actress than Megan Fox, that's just sad.  The movie is jam packed with action.
A guy in the theater actually had 3-D glasses built into an Optimus Prime mask.  It was kind of cool and kind of funny at the same time.

Mr. Popper's Penguins, Jim Carrey finds himself the new owner of six penguins in this family film.  What would you do with six flightless birds?  Watch the movie, maybe you'll get some ideas of what not to do as well.  Jim Carrey gets the chance in this movie to be funny, which he is good at, and serious which he is MUCH better at.

Cars 2, the first Cars was all about Lightning McQueen's journey, this movie is all about Mater.  Be ready for laughs if you go see it.  There are several throw backs to James Bond in the film, but that's not really what its about.  See the movie, have fun.

You might wonder why I like all the movies I see, simple, I don't spend money on movies I don't think I'll enjoy, for that its television, in which case I have a remote control to change the channel or to turn off the unpleasant thing.  And I certainly wouldn't take my wife to a movie that sucks.  My favorite of these was Kung Fu Panda 2, which surprisingly was even better than the first one.

A Year Ago

Since coming back to Pinon a few people have mentioned what was going on a year ago.  July 5, 2010, Pam pulled out of her driveway and started her journey toward her first teaching job in a place called Pinon, Arizona.  She did not know me, the Church, or anything that would happen once she got there.  She felt certain that she would be alone for the next five years.

One year ago I was recovering from an attack on the side of my head.  I was getting ready to move to Pinon but there was still a lot of uncertainty in the air as to whether or not I would get an Arizona license in time and such.  I had no idea that I would baptize someone and then marry that person within a year.

The comment Jeff made to me in November seems more true to me now than ever, "You've shoved five years worth of life into just a couple of months."  If you don't believe that statement just read the entire blog, a blog that by the way wasn't even started yet a year ago.

2.81 and 179

Who would have guessed that I would feel so much pride and joy from something that is 2.81 cm long?  Pam and I looked at a sonogram of our child.  There is a big head, a body, and arms!  My baby has arms!  I kept saying 2.81, heck I still do say it from time to time.  It's become my new favorite number!

Another number I've been saying a lot lately is 179, as in 179 heartbeats per minute!  That heart sounds like an African drum!  I was actually able to watch the heart beating!  I love this child.

I am so happy that my beautiful, wonderful, amazing, terrific, incredible, intelligent, sweet, and loving wife is going to have this baby!  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love you Pam!

Brigham City Temple

The Brigham City Temple is still under construction but looking absolutely amazing!  Pam pointed out that the smaller temple looks similar to Nauvoo.  The outside is either done or almost done.  By looking at it, it doesn't look like any work has been done on the inside yet.  I am excited to see it when it is finished, it is a gorgeous building that the people of Brigham City, Utah are lucky to have.

Happy the Puppy

A lab mix puppy was found in a ditch, it had just barely been weened off its mother, a stray.  The puppy was taken to the house of Pam Fowles who wasn't sure she could take care of it.  Pam takes care of puppies and then puts them up for adoption.  She wasn't sure if she was up to the task of caring for this little guy.  So, she handed him off to Pam and I to take to an animal shelter in Utah to get him adopted.

The puppy loved to cuddle.  It was very apparent early on that this boy was a lover not a fighter.  He was very timid until you pet him for a while, then he'd cuddle right up to you.  He got along fine with cats.  Gus Gus came up to him and he kissed the cat right in the face.  The night before we left to go to my Grandma's funeral he fell asleep cuddled up in my lap.  I won't lie, the thoughts, "Can we keep him?" went through my brain a couple of times, but we're at our animal limit as it is.

The puppy smiled, I said, "Happy Puppy," he looked up at me and wagged his tail.  I started calling him Happy and he responded every time.  The puppy had been named.

A couple of times on the drive I thought we would give Happy away early, everyone who saw the sweet little puppy fell in love.  We met a man who was dropping off an American Bulldog that he had rescued at the shelter and he determined that he would return as soon as possible to adopt Happy.  We didn't even have to try to find that dog a home, it just happened!  

I'm very happy that Happy got a happy ending.

Funeral of Betty Marie Locke Maynard

Picture of Grandma Maynard holding Ella, her most recent Great-Grandchild.

On the 24th we drove to Utah and stopped in Price.  Then we finished our journey on the 25th, stopping briefly in Murray to drop off Happy the Puppy.  Pam and I traveled the 25th in the clothing we would wear to the funeral later that day.  As mentioned in earlier postings, my Grandma Maynard passed away.

One thing that was nice about the funeral is that all of us were involved in one way or another.  I wish I had a program handy right now to go through it.  The kids read memories that were written by various family members and friends.  I read Brooklyn's and my own.

I talked about how proud Grandma was of my Dad.  She spoke often of his accomplishments both as a child and an adult.  She often called me by his name since out of all her Grandchildren I look the most like him.

I also spoke about her love of family history work and the temple and the great example that she was to us.  Her life was extended by the Lord many times so that she could continue that work and to show us her example.  She and my Dad inspired me to learn more about history, especially the Vikings.

I finished up by talking about how the temple had blessed Grandma just recently.  She was finally reunited with her waiting husband.

Sean read her life story and interject funny bits here and there that really added a lot of heart to the service.  Keith's talk was also deeply personal as he spoke about how Ali had come to understand death and how much faith his little daughter has.  My brothers have very different styles of public speaking, both of which were heartfelt and touched me.  In other words, bros, you got style.

It was one of the best funerals I think I have ever attended.  The great grandchildren sang as my sister Evelyn played the piano and my wife Pam played the flute.  The music was just absolutely gorgeous.  The songs were "I am a Child of God" and "Families can be Together Forever."  (Pam is an amazing flute player, she also played a fantastic number at her Grandpa Miller's funeral.)  My Mother and Sisters also did a special musical number together that was amazing.

I and the other grandchildren who were there, so basically just my siblings, were able to join the children for Families can be Together Forever.  I noticed that Audrey was crying and having a hard time with the song; so I decided to share a personal experience I had with that very song.

19 years ago my Grandpa Maynard passed away and at his funeral I sang that very same song.  Ever since that time that music always made me sad because it was a reminder that I had lost someone important, someone I wished that I could have been closer to and known better.  I was about Audrey's age and my family had just moved to Amalga, Utah when the congregation started to sing the song again.  I cried.  A still small voice in my mind asked me, "Brent, why are you crying?"  I answered, "Because my Grandpa is dead."  The still small voice said to me, "Brent, listen to the words of the song."  Then, I cried tears of joy, for I finally understood the true meaning of the song and allowed the Spirit of Joy to fill my soul.  Audrey smiled and thanked me for sharing that with her.

Grandma's body was then taken to California where she would have a second funeral for the other half of her family and where her body would be taken to its resting place until the day of the resurrection.

There aren't many spots like this these days since my sister Evelyn and her family moved to North Carolina.  It's good to see all the kids together again.  This was taken after the funeral.

Finding Meaning in Life when Death Happens

Since Pam and I have come together we have each lost a Grandparent.  Her Grandpa Miller died right after we got engaged and my Grandma Maynard passed away right after we found out we were pregnant.  We each still have a complete set of grandparents and we want it to stay that way for a long while.

Since these important people have moved on I have pondered a lot over what a single life means and how it touches other people for good or for bad.

For people like Grandparents, who walked the Earth for awhile, the answers come easily.  They were our examples and we are a part of their legacy.  Grandpa Miller helped Pam pay for her education.  Grandma Maynard got me interested in my ancestors which led to my current career.  Kindness, compassion, love, faith, service, and duty are just a few of the lessons that they taught us.

But what about those lives that are short, and even those lives that aren't even human?

Pam's puppy Clara that we gave up for adoption was killed by the animal shelter just 14 days after we dropped her off due to over crowding.  Clara was a major force in getting Pam and I together.  She and Angel would be babysat at the Fowles everyday, which gave Pam and I an opportunity to meet together everyday.  Pam and I might not have gotten together if not for Clara.  Pam wouldn't have been as exposed to the church without Clara bringing her into a house full of Latter-Day Saints.  The happiness that dog has brought into this family will last for time and all eternity.  Who says a puppy can't change someone's world?  Sometimes I like to think that my family's old dog Sheba, who watched out for me as a child, watches over the spirit puppy Clara now.

At the funeral my brother Keith talked about the difficulty he had explaining death to his daughter Ali after their fish died.  When Grandma Maynard was dying Ali, full of faith asked, "Grandma is going to see Heavenly Father now?"  My four year old niece has a testimony of the Plan of Salvation partly thanks to some fish.

Every life has meaning; it's really up to each one of us to figure it all out.  Part of me, as a historian, believes that the more good we do the more our lives have meaning, even if we never make it into a text book, if we are remembered for the good, we have done well.  Mainly though, as a believer, it has a lot more to do with our personal standing before God.  In the end we can only hope to be remembered well by those left on Earth and have faith in God to do the rest.

IAPG

The IAPG has been a blessing.  It is a pacing guide to make sure the state standards are taught in our classes.  Pam and I have had the opportunity to create them this summer for some badly needed income.  The Social Studies IAPG was such a mess last year that it was unusable.  For US History it wanted us to teach every standard every month.  In other words I should be teaching them to understand maps, the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, Reconstruction, WWI, WWII, and the attack on the Twin Towers, among various other topics, every month.
The World History wasn't as bad, it wanted me to do things like teach the Enlightenment, which occurred during the 1700's at the same time as WWI.
Jeff Fowles and I worked together.  We completely erased the US History and we revised the World History.  For as much work as the World History was, we should have just erased it as well.  Doing all this was a lot easier than everyone made it sound.  Jeff and I were done in three days and we spent the other two figuring things out for how we would teach it next year and creating classroom activities.
Pam has a lot more work than we do.  Music Standards are crazy complicated and there was no IAPG for her to work with, she had to create everything on her own for every IAPG.
Next week we'll be at it again, more IAPGs, oh the joy.

Willow Park Zoo in Logan

This fellow is an Albino North American Porcupine.  It's been awhile since I've posted a blog with pictures.  Willow Park is a a nice little zoo that depends on donations.  They used to have lemurs but had to give them up.  The zoo is doing better now than it was a few years ago.  If you're ever in Logan, Utah check it out, just a 2 dollar donation at the gate to keep a local zoo for the kids in Logan and the kids that still live in us adults.

My mom, nieces, nephews, wife, and sisters started our day by going to the Gossner Cheese factory in Logan followed by a picnic across the street from Willow Park.  After some time on the playground we entered the zoo!

Atsa, in Navajo is Eagle.  The kids were really excited when we saw this and they asked questions about the symbolism of the Eagle.  I told them the things it means in our culture, Strength and Freedom.  For many tribes like the Navajo the Eagle is sacred and is close to the Creator.

Atsa is the mascot for Pinon High School where I work in Navajo Nation.

Bobcat!  This was my high school mascot.  Very brutal and effective hunters in the wild, but very cute and domestic looking at a zoo.  It's eyes and lazy attitutude and movements reminded me of Pam's cats Shadow and Gus - Gus.  Pam remarked sarcastically, "Oh that's vicious."

Because the coyote is the trickster it is VERY bad luck in Navajo culture.  When a coyote crosses your path you are supposed to turn around and go the other way.  My Grandpa Harris and I talked about this custom a bit while I visited him in Stone, Idaho.  He remarked that he chased coyotes away when they crossed his path.

All in all a pretty great day with people I love.  Willow Park Zoo, or any small zoo that depends on donations is a good way to spend the day with your sweetheart and little ones.

Moving Again

The debate over whose house to move into went on for months.  My house won a few times, and Pam's house won a few times.  Finally it was decided that Pam's house was the best option.  Once that was decided I started moving my things over there.  That way we wouldn't have to move all our things all at once, thus reducing if not eliminating the stress of moving.
That was my plan at least.
Pam's Mom came from Ohio to help us finish up my house.  After working on my house for a bit and hearing our plans of moving into a 3 bedroom when one became available, Mom told us that moving during the school year wasn't wise and that we would be better off in my house.
The move out inspection date was moved up and we had a short time to move all my stuff back into my house along with all of Pam's belongings.
My plan had seriously backfired.
The week of my Mother-in-law's visit was packed full of work both inside and outside on both houses to get everything ready.  We couldn't have done it without her.  Thanks Mom, if you're reading this.  If you're not reading this, why aren't you reading this?  And thanks anyway, we love you.
My old office is currently a storage space, but hopefully will soon be a nursery!
Becca mentioned to me the other day that she couldn't wait till Pam and I had kids.  Pam whispered to me, "Should we tell her?"  I smiled and said to her, "You won't have to wait very long," and I left it like that.

19 Years

In 1992 my Grandpa Maynard pasted away.  In 1993 he was sealed for eternity to his wife Betty.  After my Grandma Maynard had her first stroke I could feel her husband's presence as I gave her a priesthood blessing and was able to express to his love for her.  On June 5th my Grandma had another stroke.
Before beginning the blessing I saw a picture of my Grandfather and felt a closeness that I hadn't felt in years.  When I placed my hands on her head it became obvious why I felt the way I did.
It was a difficult blessing.  It was so difficult that Grandma put her arm on mine, to soothe me and help me through it.  She was not going to recover this time.  Grandpa was waiting for her and Heavenly Father was ready for her.  It was up to her whether she would stay or go.  She would not die until she was ready, that was the promise that I made.
I honestly didn't think she would live another day.  I was wrong.  She lived long enough to for her family to say good-bye.  She had morphine dripping, chocolate in her mouth, and was sung to by her Great Grandchildren.  She died with the knowledge that I would have a baby in February.  She died knowing she was loved here on Earth, and with the knowledge that after 19 years she would be with her husband again.
Grandpa had to wait a long time for Grandma.  She was feisty and determined in that she was young and that she was going to be around for a while.  She was worth the wait though.  Through the miracle of the temple my Grandparents have entered Eternal Wedded Bliss.

June 4th

We left June 2nd and arrived at 1 am on the 3rd.  It was very nice to see everyone again and to have some extra time in the state that we weren't counting on.  The 4th was a big day for us all.  It was exciting to be able to see my niece Becca be baptized along with other people her age.  She asked me to be a witness and my Pam was able to say a prayer.  It was also nice to be able to see my Grandma Maynard who was also able to attend this service.
The baptism was very different from what I am used to.  It was a stake baptism, so about eight kids were all being baptized at the same time.  One baptismal candidate came from a very musical family which played beautifully for us.  Pam commented to me about the style in which they played and how they were trained in music.
That evening we had our Open House which was delightful.  Many old friends came and wished us well including my old Bishop from my single's ward, my high school friends Dan and Nicki, the Broadbents, and several others.  Grandma Maynard was also there along with Grandpa and Grandma Harris.
June 4th was a very nice day for us, and considering everything that was going on, it wasn't that stressful either, at least not for me, my Mom felt otherwise.
Becca's baptism got me thinking about the Holy Ghost which reminded me of something that happened to me a long time ago.  I had thought about sharing this story with her but never got around to it.
I've always been prone to think deeply, even when I was a little kid.  On one particular day I was thinking very hard about God and His Plan.  As I pondered the phone rang, I was in such deep thought that my brain could not change subjects.  Part of me was convinced that Heavenly Father must be calling me to answer my questions.  I answered the phone, "Heavenly Father?"
"Uh, no," answered a female voice which very nervously asked if my Mother was home.  I went and got her and looked at the phone longingly and wished that it was that easy to talk to God.
The reason why I had thought about sharing this with Becca is because she now has the gift of the Holy Ghost.  She can talk to her Heavenly Father through prayer whenever she wants to and she can receive answers to her questions through the Holy Ghost.  She has a "telephone" with which she can communicate both ways with Heavenly Father.
I love my family very much and I am glad that we were able to visit them and have this special day with them.  I am especially grateful that Grandma Maynard was able to attend these events and be a part of this day.

Ultimate Victory

On May 20th we officially found out that I had achieved the Ultimate Challenge of Ultimate Destiny.  I am going to be a father.

Pam had kept insisting that she wasn't pregnant when I told her that she was.  She talked about what was going on with another woman who told her she needed to be tested and she got a pregnancy test that day. (I wanted to know what was up with that.  She told me that when I had brought four children into the world that maybe she would listen to me on the subject, to which I replied that I have spent over half my life with pregnant women.) The test was negative but, after we read the instructions it only works after the woman has missed a period, so we had to wait a while before testing again.

She tested and it said negative.  Which meant she had all the signs of being pregnant without being pregnant, we began to wonder what was wrong.  The test turned out to be positive, sometimes it just takes time to show.  Pam took another test and then went to a doctor for real testing.

She wanted to announce it to me over dinner in the Hopi Cultural Center, but my cellphone was dead.  She came home furious with me for being unreachable on this important day.  It wasn't quite how I had pictured finding out but that's life sometimes.  

It is a joy to be with my Pam and looking forward to our new family together.