Seth and I have recently been catching up on some Walking Dead episodes. Have any of you watched that show? It is a pretty good one if you need a reference. It is about the zombie apocalypse. The more that Seth and I watch it, the more we get into being prepared for an emergency, including zombies taking over. Seth has it all planned out what we need to do to defeat the zombies and live peacefully afterwards.
While he is thinking of mostly zombies, we are also thinking about the many things that we can do to be prepared for a disaster. While there are so many bad things that could go wrong, there are basic things that you can do to become prepared for any situation.
The most important necessities that one needs in daily life are water, food, and shelter, in that order. If you are stockpiling anything, start with these things. While there are many food options to store for a long time, make sure that the food you choose will last for a long time and that can be used easily to make more than one meal, such as flour and sugar. Even during an emergency situation, one needs to continue to eat healthy. Make sure that you have the nutrients you need in the food. It might help to store multivitamins in case you are down to only eating bread or meat. No one can be healthy on those foods alone. Shelter is a little more difficult and will depend on the situation that one might find themselves in. Seth and I have planned for a shelter in our home that will be completely surrounded by concrete. This could be useful to hide in but it can also be the opposite of what we would need. During a zombie apocalypse, this might help us. If there is a fire, it might not be such a good idea to hide there.
Another thing that could be helpful for your family is to have a 72 hour kit ready to grab fast in the case of evacuation. Make sure there is enough water for everyone to 72 hours, snacks and nutrients, and basic necessities to survive outside the home. This could include many things but there are lists all over the internet that you could specialize to your families needs. Seth and I have done this and we have split up things between us that would make things easier for one another. I have most of the medical things in my bag, as I am an EMT and NA, and Seth holds many of the 'manly' things like the hatchet and tools to help build a shelter. He can carry a lot more weight than I can so it helps to have him around but at the same time, there are essentials that need to be in both bags, in case we are separated from each other.
It also helps to have a plan with your family on what to do and where to go in an emergency. If there is a fire, your family should have an evacuation plan. Everyone should have a task when you need to evacuate, besides fires when you just need to get out. Even the little kids need something do to so that they don't focus on the fact that something is wrong. Hold a Family Home Evening night to go over these plans and make sure everyone knows them well.
There will most likely be more blogs on this topic as Seth and I are both big 'dooms-day preppers.' I find it exciting and at the same time reassuring to be ready!
Monday, April 28, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Week 3
Well, I skipped this week unfortunately. And I was doing so well too! Only two weeks in and I already mess it up. That's ok. It is only Friday and I will try again.
This week, something exciting happened! Seth and I were discussing out future and what we can do now to save money for our house and future family. On the way to the ranch, we talked about me staying in Newcastle while Seth went to Casper so Seth and Cody can get an apartment together instead of us having to pay for one for ourselves, plus Lou, Seth's dog. I hated the idea, I won't lie. We thought maybe I could continue to go to school and we would be able to afford my going to school full time. That thought sounded great so I could get my schooling out of the way. I knew that would not keep me busy the whole two weeks that he was gone so I still didn't know if I was convinced. Yes, it would save us money but would it be worth the absence of each other in our lives especially while we are trying to make it to the temple? I didn't think so.
Well, we have prayed and talked about it and when we can into town the next day, a friend that I worked at the hospital with called and said someone came and found her and told me that there was a job open at the courthouse they would be interested in hiring me for. I would be the assistant deputy clerk for the county. I didn't know if it was the right thing for us but I applied and now I have an interview Tuesday for the job. If I get the job, I will be happy but I still will be if I don't get the job. I am leaving it in the Lord's hands to help us from here. Whatever happens, happens!
On another note, I want people to know and understand that I do have a testimony of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For those of you who don't know, Seth and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka Mormons. We were both raised by wonderful parents who taught us the truthfulness of this gospel. When we talk about our goal to reach the temple one day, there is great significance behind it. When we are able to reach the temple, we will have the opportunity to partake in the sealing power there and become an eternal family. Our children will be sealed to us so that after this life, in Heaven, we can still be a family. We are looking forward to this journey to reach this goal and the journey that will follow, forever. We are so blessed to have the knowledge of temples and the sacrifices that were made so that we can have this opportunity. Everyday we get closer and closer!
This week, something exciting happened! Seth and I were discussing out future and what we can do now to save money for our house and future family. On the way to the ranch, we talked about me staying in Newcastle while Seth went to Casper so Seth and Cody can get an apartment together instead of us having to pay for one for ourselves, plus Lou, Seth's dog. I hated the idea, I won't lie. We thought maybe I could continue to go to school and we would be able to afford my going to school full time. That thought sounded great so I could get my schooling out of the way. I knew that would not keep me busy the whole two weeks that he was gone so I still didn't know if I was convinced. Yes, it would save us money but would it be worth the absence of each other in our lives especially while we are trying to make it to the temple? I didn't think so.
Well, we have prayed and talked about it and when we can into town the next day, a friend that I worked at the hospital with called and said someone came and found her and told me that there was a job open at the courthouse they would be interested in hiring me for. I would be the assistant deputy clerk for the county. I didn't know if it was the right thing for us but I applied and now I have an interview Tuesday for the job. If I get the job, I will be happy but I still will be if I don't get the job. I am leaving it in the Lord's hands to help us from here. Whatever happens, happens!
On another note, I want people to know and understand that I do have a testimony of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For those of you who don't know, Seth and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka Mormons. We were both raised by wonderful parents who taught us the truthfulness of this gospel. When we talk about our goal to reach the temple one day, there is great significance behind it. When we are able to reach the temple, we will have the opportunity to partake in the sealing power there and become an eternal family. Our children will be sealed to us so that after this life, in Heaven, we can still be a family. We are looking forward to this journey to reach this goal and the journey that will follow, forever. We are so blessed to have the knowledge of temples and the sacrifices that were made so that we can have this opportunity. Everyday we get closer and closer!
Monday, April 14, 2014
Week Two- Stewart Family Goals
Well, here we are on week two. I am doing well so far!
I wanted to go over a few off the Stewart family goals- long term mostly.
First of all, our biggest and most important goal is to get to the temple. We are on the downhill slide to get there and we are going to keep working from here on out. I am so excited to one day be Seth's eternal companion! Like he doesn't get enough of me as it is! haha
Our next goal, which we are also working on right now, is to be able to live out on the ranch full time. Right now we are in town most of the time, either because I am working or doing school work or because of other reasons we have to be in town. We come into town on Saturday nights so that we can go to church in the morning. I have been driving an hour to church for many years before I lived here and I know how miserable it is. My parents still do that and I am so glad that we have a house in town we can stay at to make it easier. One day, we won't be doing that. It will be worth the drive in to be able to live out there all the time. When we go to Rapid or Gillette, anywhere but the Ranch, we have to go to Newcastle first to get there. So, if we are planning a day trip anywhere, we usually come into town the night before. We don't have internet or phone service out at the ranch so I have to be in town occasionally to get homework done and turned in. I also have an English class at the high school every Monday night that I need to be in town for. All of these things add up and they really make it hard to stay out there. When we are in town we stay at Seth's parents house. His mom lives and works as an x-ray tech in Gillette and his dad is driving trucks in Casper.
Which leads me to how we are working on this goal now. To be able to afford building our house next year, we have to move. Seth and Cody are now starting a hot shot business- trucking not a cattle prod- so that we can make some extra cash for now. Seth will only be doing this for about a year but because of the ranch schedule, Seth and I will be at the ranch for two weeks and Cody will be driving, and then we will switch for two weeks. That means that I will be working in Casper as well. I am applying to jobs right now so wish me luck! It is all a bit hectic right now in our house trying to file all the government papers so that they can be able to drive commercially but right now Cody is on the road and Seth is getting his paperwork all filled out. It is a big pain in the butt, but it will be worth it when we get things going.
Another of my personal goals, that Seth is helping immensely with, is going back to school. I started a semester of pre-nursing at South Dakota State university right after high school and hated it. Whether it was because I wasn't with Seth, maybe SDSU, or the timing, things have changed now. I worked for a few years as a NA at the hospital here in Newcastle and was given the opportunity to work in long term care, acute care, and a little ER. I was also able to learn out patient clinic and emergency room registration clerk positions and many other positions. In total, I learned 6 different positions in four different departments. I ended with working collections position in the business office when things that were already going bad, went even worse. I was being treated very badly, so I quit. It was maybe not the best timing as Seth was not getting a paycheck either, but eh, we are making and I am happy. Now that I have had the chance to work in a hospital and see the many things that I could do, I have decided to go back for nursing. Depending on the future, I would like to go back and get my masters, either as a PA, nurse practitioner, or a midwife. I am not really sure yet but I guess we will see what the future holds.
As far as the ranch goes, we also have a few goals that will help make up more self-sufficient when we do live out there. We have a milk cow that we will start milking soon. We are going to make butter and we have already starting learning to make cheese. It is quite interesting but we are going to give it a shot. Every year we buy pigs for meat. They are actually pretty handy and fun to have around. We are planning on getting chickens this summer so we will have eggs and of course every year we have a large garden. Last year we planted many things and now we are learning what grows well and what doesn't. We both love working in the yard, Seth more than I, and it makes time for us to spend together amidst the crazy work days. Seth wants to put up hay out at the ranch so we can have feed for our animals. He would like to do that more than actually running cows. He is more of a farmer at heart than a rancher. He is also pretty handy with his leather work and blacksmithing so he makes many tools and things that have helped out at the ranch a lot.
We will see in a few years where this world takes us. Hopefully within that time frame we will meet all these goals and be able to set a few more for our future! We will keep you updated!
I wanted to go over a few off the Stewart family goals- long term mostly.
First of all, our biggest and most important goal is to get to the temple. We are on the downhill slide to get there and we are going to keep working from here on out. I am so excited to one day be Seth's eternal companion! Like he doesn't get enough of me as it is! haha
Our next goal, which we are also working on right now, is to be able to live out on the ranch full time. Right now we are in town most of the time, either because I am working or doing school work or because of other reasons we have to be in town. We come into town on Saturday nights so that we can go to church in the morning. I have been driving an hour to church for many years before I lived here and I know how miserable it is. My parents still do that and I am so glad that we have a house in town we can stay at to make it easier. One day, we won't be doing that. It will be worth the drive in to be able to live out there all the time. When we go to Rapid or Gillette, anywhere but the Ranch, we have to go to Newcastle first to get there. So, if we are planning a day trip anywhere, we usually come into town the night before. We don't have internet or phone service out at the ranch so I have to be in town occasionally to get homework done and turned in. I also have an English class at the high school every Monday night that I need to be in town for. All of these things add up and they really make it hard to stay out there. When we are in town we stay at Seth's parents house. His mom lives and works as an x-ray tech in Gillette and his dad is driving trucks in Casper.
Which leads me to how we are working on this goal now. To be able to afford building our house next year, we have to move. Seth and Cody are now starting a hot shot business- trucking not a cattle prod- so that we can make some extra cash for now. Seth will only be doing this for about a year but because of the ranch schedule, Seth and I will be at the ranch for two weeks and Cody will be driving, and then we will switch for two weeks. That means that I will be working in Casper as well. I am applying to jobs right now so wish me luck! It is all a bit hectic right now in our house trying to file all the government papers so that they can be able to drive commercially but right now Cody is on the road and Seth is getting his paperwork all filled out. It is a big pain in the butt, but it will be worth it when we get things going.
Another of my personal goals, that Seth is helping immensely with, is going back to school. I started a semester of pre-nursing at South Dakota State university right after high school and hated it. Whether it was because I wasn't with Seth, maybe SDSU, or the timing, things have changed now. I worked for a few years as a NA at the hospital here in Newcastle and was given the opportunity to work in long term care, acute care, and a little ER. I was also able to learn out patient clinic and emergency room registration clerk positions and many other positions. In total, I learned 6 different positions in four different departments. I ended with working collections position in the business office when things that were already going bad, went even worse. I was being treated very badly, so I quit. It was maybe not the best timing as Seth was not getting a paycheck either, but eh, we are making and I am happy. Now that I have had the chance to work in a hospital and see the many things that I could do, I have decided to go back for nursing. Depending on the future, I would like to go back and get my masters, either as a PA, nurse practitioner, or a midwife. I am not really sure yet but I guess we will see what the future holds.
As far as the ranch goes, we also have a few goals that will help make up more self-sufficient when we do live out there. We have a milk cow that we will start milking soon. We are going to make butter and we have already starting learning to make cheese. It is quite interesting but we are going to give it a shot. Every year we buy pigs for meat. They are actually pretty handy and fun to have around. We are planning on getting chickens this summer so we will have eggs and of course every year we have a large garden. Last year we planted many things and now we are learning what grows well and what doesn't. We both love working in the yard, Seth more than I, and it makes time for us to spend together amidst the crazy work days. Seth wants to put up hay out at the ranch so we can have feed for our animals. He would like to do that more than actually running cows. He is more of a farmer at heart than a rancher. He is also pretty handy with his leather work and blacksmithing so he makes many tools and things that have helped out at the ranch a lot.
We will see in a few years where this world takes us. Hopefully within that time frame we will meet all these goals and be able to set a few more for our future! We will keep you updated!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Nice to Meet You!
I have never been a blogger. I am not even a good writer. I decided to start this blog to inform my family what is going on in the life of the Stewart family. Bear with me as I describe the adventures that we go through and the love we share in this crazy world.
I guess I will start by introducing myself. My name is Amelia Stewart. I was a Williams until I met Seth Stewart. On August 10, 2012 (08-10-12) we were married. We share a home at the Stewart ranch an hour out of Newcastle Wyoming. Seth's parents actually own the ranch but they are both employed else where, leaving the ranch to Seth. He is the ranch manager and whatever other official titles he gives himself that give him power and responsibility. I recently quit my job and am going back to school to become a nurse. I am taking all online classes here from Newcastle so that I do not have to move away from Seth to get my BSN. I am 21 years old and Seth is 27 years old. Yes, that means that when he graduated high school I was still in 6th grade. We don't like to think about that, and neither does my Daddy. = ) We currently don't have any children but one day we will have a few little rugrats running around.
Some of my hobbies include scrapbooking, learning to sew, playing the piano, flute, and violin. I love music and think that it is a big part of everyone's lives. I enjoy taking my bunny for walks. I love to rides horses and play with my horse, Dolly. I like to cook but I have to be motivated to do it. I love finding crafts and making things from scratch or old worn out things laying around the house. I love love love to organize! Seth thinks I am crazy. I am always organized but no one understands how I organize things. They just don't get me. I love to file papers and do our family book keeping. I love to write lists. I usually write one a day, at least. I never go to the grocery store without a list. I write lists for things I have to do, things I want to do, things I have to buy, things I want to make, and especially, lists I have to write. I go crazy if I am not organized! I have three planners and many calendars that help me remember the many things I have to do. Don't get me wrong, I still forget half the things I have to do or places I have to be.
Seth is a crafter, a dreamer, and he has a strong imagination. He always has projects he is working on at the ranch. He is a wonderful leather worker and he is learning the trade of blacksmithing. He loves being at the ranch, as do I except for the small fact that I still have a little city girl in me. He is always thinking of new things we could try and do to help us become more self sufficient.
One day, our goal is to live out at the ranch full time. We will only come in to town for church on Sundays and to grocery shop once a week. We raise cattle at the ranch and we have raised pigs. We will be getting more here soon. We have a milk cow that is almost ready to be milked. One day we will also have chickens. We are learning to make cheese and butter from the milk.
We have thirteen horses, five dogs- Lou, Dutchess, Molly, Gus, and Baxter. We have a bunny named Whip.
There are so many things that I want to get everyone caught up on with our little family. Watch for my blog to learn more about us and what we have been up to recently!
I guess I will start by introducing myself. My name is Amelia Stewart. I was a Williams until I met Seth Stewart. On August 10, 2012 (08-10-12) we were married. We share a home at the Stewart ranch an hour out of Newcastle Wyoming. Seth's parents actually own the ranch but they are both employed else where, leaving the ranch to Seth. He is the ranch manager and whatever other official titles he gives himself that give him power and responsibility. I recently quit my job and am going back to school to become a nurse. I am taking all online classes here from Newcastle so that I do not have to move away from Seth to get my BSN. I am 21 years old and Seth is 27 years old. Yes, that means that when he graduated high school I was still in 6th grade. We don't like to think about that, and neither does my Daddy. = ) We currently don't have any children but one day we will have a few little rugrats running around.
Some of my hobbies include scrapbooking, learning to sew, playing the piano, flute, and violin. I love music and think that it is a big part of everyone's lives. I enjoy taking my bunny for walks. I love to rides horses and play with my horse, Dolly. I like to cook but I have to be motivated to do it. I love finding crafts and making things from scratch or old worn out things laying around the house. I love love love to organize! Seth thinks I am crazy. I am always organized but no one understands how I organize things. They just don't get me. I love to file papers and do our family book keeping. I love to write lists. I usually write one a day, at least. I never go to the grocery store without a list. I write lists for things I have to do, things I want to do, things I have to buy, things I want to make, and especially, lists I have to write. I go crazy if I am not organized! I have three planners and many calendars that help me remember the many things I have to do. Don't get me wrong, I still forget half the things I have to do or places I have to be.
Seth is a crafter, a dreamer, and he has a strong imagination. He always has projects he is working on at the ranch. He is a wonderful leather worker and he is learning the trade of blacksmithing. He loves being at the ranch, as do I except for the small fact that I still have a little city girl in me. He is always thinking of new things we could try and do to help us become more self sufficient.
One day, our goal is to live out at the ranch full time. We will only come in to town for church on Sundays and to grocery shop once a week. We raise cattle at the ranch and we have raised pigs. We will be getting more here soon. We have a milk cow that is almost ready to be milked. One day we will also have chickens. We are learning to make cheese and butter from the milk.
We have thirteen horses, five dogs- Lou, Dutchess, Molly, Gus, and Baxter. We have a bunny named Whip.
There are so many things that I want to get everyone caught up on with our little family. Watch for my blog to learn more about us and what we have been up to recently!
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