Where we live...

Forbes just came out with their list this year of the healthiest and unhealthiest states.  For some reason I always find this interesting so I thought I'd pass it on.  For those of us in Utah...yay!  For our Tennessee and Nevada residents...sorry. :)  But yay for Hyrum and Jenna--babykins is a cutie.

The Healthiest And Unhealthiest States

Rebecca Ruiz, 11.17.09, 12:01 AM EST

New England states top this new set of rankings, while the South still lags.

See: America's Healthiest And Unhealthiest States

This annual ranking, published by the United Health Foundation, looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths. (Insurer UnitedHealth Group funds the foundation.) Scores for each state are determined by gathering data from a variety of government and nongovernmental databases and then calculating how much each state is better or worse than the national average for each measure. Click here to see the report. The below chart lists the final results in addition to rank changes in specific categories over the past 20 years.

2009 STATE RANKINGS
1Vermont
2Utah
3Massachusetts
4Hawaii
5New Hampshire
6Minnesota
7Connecticut
8Colorado
9Maine
10Rhode Island
11Washington
12Wisconsin
13Oregon
14Idaho
15Iowa
16Nebraska
17North Dakota
18New Jersey
19Wyoming
20South Dakota
21Maryland
22Virginia
23California
24Kansas
25New York
26Montana
27Arizona
28Pennsylvania
29Illinois
30Michigan
31New Mexico
32Delaware
33Ohio
34Alaska
35Indiana
36Florida
37North Carolina
38Missouri
39Texas
40Arkansas
41Kentucky
42West Virginia
43Georgia
44Tennessee
45Nevada
46South Carolina
47Louisiana
48Alabama
49Oklahoma
50Mississippi

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forgot to mention...

So, Jenny brought to my attention that for those of you who didn't know, Sam's and my one year anniversary was yesterday...hence the email I sent.  For those of you who didn't know that, it was probably a very random e-mail.  Sorry. :) 
love you!  Good luck hyrum and jenna getting babykins here!

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I'm thankful for miracles...

I'm so words-can't-describe-thankful today for miracles, for the sealing power, for the knowledge that Sam and I really will be together forever.  Before we were sealed I always planned on it, prayed for it, hoped for it, wished for it, and felt that it would be, but it's just different now that we are really sealed as husband and wife.  What a wonderful, glorious day that will be...

I am also thankful beyond words for my two families.  Thank you, ALL of you, for your prayers, fasting,  unconditional love and support and acceptance of me.  I am so blessed to have such a network of love and support.  Thanks for believing in me and for being so good to me and helping this miracle come to pass.

And thank you to my husband Sam.  Thank you for loving me, always and forever.  Thank you for your patience (his patriarchal blessing says that his wife will teach him patience, but personally, I think it's the other way around :)  And thank you for working so hard in a work that is so important--for sacrificing this time we could have had with you because the Lord had important things for you to do.  I want you all to know that I believe that, even if I don't necessarily like it.  I still believe that Sam feels a sense of sadness that we are separated from him, but that he also has faith in NO EMPTY CHAIRS one day.  And until then, he has accepted this call--just like we sang at his funeral, "Called to serve HIM, Heavenly King of Glory, chosen heir to witness for His name."  Sam is a chosen heir and is witnessing and working in so glorious a cause.  I don't like the separation but as God has allowed us to feel, we really aren't that far away after all.  So, in the meantime, "Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name...God our strength will be, press forward, ever called to serve our King!"  Whether that service is here or there, the cause is worth it.  And you are all invited to the Sam'n'Mary Hess mansion for brownies, rice krispy treats, and one super big fun party on a date to be announced...:)

Love Always,

Mary Elizabeth Pitt Hess

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A long overdue update!!

Well hello family!! Jenna here.. since so much has been going on lately, I figured you all deserve an update from the Vegas Pitts. Annnnd... just to clear up any false excitement... this is no baby post.. at least not yet!

Speaking of baby though... things are going well. I still feel pretty good considering I'm due in less than a week. The nurses at my doctor's office always act like I'm so over due ("what are we going to do with you???") but I don't mind it. Maybe it's because we have so many other things going on to keep me busy and preoccupied (and maybe it's the anxiety of delivery... probably both!)

So many other things like our HOUSE!! I know... I know... most of you already know, but just in case you've slipped through the cracks, we bought a house and it is wonderful! We moved most of our stuff on Halloween (we're learning quickly that holidays get overshadowed as grown ups... how sad) and then officially moved in the following Wednesday when we got our fridge delivered. It's been a blast unpacking little by little and remembering all the things we have that haven't seen the light of day in 4 1/2 months ("so THAT'S where our towels went!!) Anyway... you can read more - and see pictures - about the house and our latest adventures (of which there have been many! who knew home ownership was so demanding?) on our blog which is hyrumandjenna.blogspot.com. Like Miriam we probably update that one a little bit more... not that much though :)

Our other great news is that even though we live so far, we got to spend the weekend with Mary a few weeks ago!! It was SO fun and we even got to celebrate our 1 year anniversary (4 months late!) by going together to see The Lion King. We really liked it, and if nothing else it is so fun to get out and do something SPECIAL. As always, Mary was wonderful and was so patient with me as I flip flopped between blue and green paint over and over... (we settled on a bluish green :)

Work continues to go well for Hyrum... he has a lot going on there and we're trying to remember that it's a blessing to be busy. I finished the last of my Physical Science lessons (yesterday, actually) so that's a relief. All I have left is to take the final exam (eek) and I will be officially done! It's kind of anticlimactic when you "graduated" six months ago, but eh that's ok.

Things are really going well.. I stumbled across a journal entry while unpacking the other day.. It was written on a scratch piece of paper way back in February when we first found out we were expecting. It just reiterated and reminded me how blessed we really have been and I am so grateful the Lord has provided us with so much- how appropriate that it is the Thanksgiving season. We love you all and we can't wait until we can come up and see you all soon!! (and show off our new little guy - and see all the other new sweet things) We'll send updates and pictures as soon as anything happens... Love you!

Jenna and Hyrum (and no-name... we're still working on it... :)

ps... is it bad luck if the baby is born today on Friday the 13th!!?

Brown family blog

I just wanted to let the family know that we have our own blog that you can look up anytime. I definetly write more on my own blog then the pp blog so in case you didnt know the address it is. jordmirbrown.blogspot.com Just type that in and our page will come up. Love you all hope you are all doing well Love the Browns

Update :)

Hi Family!

I just wanted to give you a little update and thank you all so much for your calls, gifts, emails, and prayers. I still have most of you to call - and I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long!!! I'm just wondering how all of you do it - I'm so busy with these two, how do you do it with 4, 5, or 8 kids! We're doing great here, though. I'm healing up so much better this time around and I'm feeling great. This little Elizabeth is a little treasure to me. I can't even explain how sweet she is and how wonderful it is to know that I have a little girl to be there with me throughout life. What a blessing. Noah is doing a lot better with Elizabeth now and Ammon is frequently heard calling her his little princess, doll, etc. and kissing her head. He is so cute with her - you'd all love it. So, here are some updated pics. (even though they're old now). They're from her first day home. (I had to put in the picture of her hair - I just love the little curly cue - it's so girlie!)

Love you all and thanks for everything!