Leno!

Chris and I went to California for a few days before my Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in Anaheim. I got tickets to The Jay Leno Show. You can watch the episode we were in at http://www.thejaylenoshow.com/video/episodes/#vid=1183083/?__source=recent-eps-module. I'm wearing an orange sweater and Chris is in a military-green jacket. We got to stand up and shake his hand when he entered, then we sat on the 3rd row. If I wasn't so short, you could see me. It's easy to see Chris and his blond hair though. If only our tickets were for this Thursday, we could've seen Matt Damon!

We had such a good time. We went to the L.A. Auto Show, stopped by Disneyland, saw their Christmas parade and the fireworks. For my 1st time in California, it was a great time! I've never seen so many adults in Disney apparel. It was almost freaky. As you can tell by the Tower of Terror photo, I don't do well on free-fall rides! I was terrified!! Chris is lucky I didn't kill him for putting me on a ride like that.

Utah State!

Go Aggies! We're headed to the USU vs BYU basketball game tonight. I hope BYU can handle playing in the Aggie Spectrum. This is our court!

Turkey Day

For Thanksgiving we went to my brother, Rich's, house to have lunch with a small group, just his family and Chris and I. Then we went to Chris's Uncle Dave's house for a Harding Family Thanksgiving Dinner. It was fun to see everyone. We took Maverick to Dave's. His dog, Brody, didn't like Maverick much. He attacked him any chance he could. Mav held his own, until Brody got on top of him. No surprise since Brody is about 3 times bigger than Mav.

After all the dinners, we headed to Lisa's house to stay with the kids while Lisa, Matt, Brad, and Lori hit the Black Friday sales EARLY in the morning. I can't see myself getting up that early to save a few dollars. Sleep is WAY too important to me. :) We had a fun time with the kids Friday morning though. We watched "Up", played with Maverick, had pancakes, and looked through magazines for gifts they'd like from Santa.

I love the Christmas season! I've pretty much gotten all of Chris's gifts already. He's so hard to surprise, but I still try.

Jewelry Give Away

Check this page out: http://littlevenicedesigns.blogspot.com/

You can register for free jewelry, made by a friend of mine.

Family Photos

We took family photos. Chris and I haven't changed much, but we still take yearly photos. HA!













Oh wait, we had to take a 2nd photo, cause Chris thinks he's so funny!


Here's the whole lot of us. The Mortensen Family is getting bigger every year. Thanks Lisa & Lori!

Happy Trick-or-Treating

Chris and I had his mother's family over for the annual Harding Halloween Party. It's always fun with the Harding's. We ate pizza and laughed most of the night. The picture of Pat in a penguin suit says it all!











Dave, Trevor, & Brett














Emma & Landon















Erica, Shawn, Wendy, & Alexis
















Danielle & Pat














Lyla was dressed as a cow earlier, but now she's just showing off her sitting all by herself.













I didn't get to see Ryan, Blake, Ashlee, Kaylynn, & Natalie for Halloween, but I got a picture.

Changes

We got a new puppy. His name is Maverick. Yes, from Top Gun. Chris and I love that movie! He's pretty cute and not afraid of anything. He's curious and love kids. His home is in the backyard, but he'll sleep in the garage through the cold winter months. It's fun to see Chris so happy.

My sister, Lori, had her baby last week. They named her Ashlee Ann. She was 7 lb. 1 oz. and 19 in. She's so little! I hope my babies are as perfect as Ashlee. She doesn't cry, she sleeps through most of the night, and loves when her big brothers and cousins hold her. It's fun to visit them.

I continue to get new clients. I'm getting 2 or 3 each week. I'm getting busier all the time. Keep the referrals coming!

Kaua'i Hawai'i

Chris & I took a trip to Kaua'i Hawaii for our 2nd anniversary and to celebrate my auto settlement and starting my new company. The 1st thing they said to us when we arrived on the island was "Romance is MANDATORY". And it was! It was romantic, beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, and all-around amazing.

We hiked 8 miles round trip to the most amazing 300 foot waterfall, sailed around the Napali Coast, snorkled, attended a luau, and flew over the island in a door-less helicopter. We didn't hang out on the beach as much as I thought we would, so my tan is lacking...but everything we did do was perfect! We found rare sea shells to make me a necklace or bracelet.

I've tried to attach a video of the fire dancer at the luau, but it doesn't seem to want to upload. Sorry. The video wouldn't do it justice anyway. We had a front row seat. I was sitting there minding my own business when one of the dancers pulled me out to hula with him. After a few minutes of embarrassment he let me sit down. Not 15 seconds later, another dancer came and pulled me out to hula with him. Seriously! Twice in one night. Someone else should've had a turn, don't you think!?

I suggested we stay and live on the island, forget the real world! Chris thought I was crazy. Too bad!

I'd attach a video of the helicopter ride, but our video camara froze up on us just as we boarded. Ya, you guessed it, we didn't get a single video of the helicopter flight! Just pictures. Sad!

I hope we get to go again!

It's A Girl!

No, I am not having a baby. But my sister, Lori, FINALLY found out what she is having! She will have 2 boys and a girl to complete her family. They are going to name her Ashlee Ann (if Brad agrees on the middle name). She is going to inherit all of Lisa's girls' clothes. LUCKY!

LSC

Life's Solutions is having it's GRAND OPENING on Monday, June 29th!

309 North State Street

Orem, Utah 84057

Phone: 801-404-3069

Fax: 801-434-8333

LifesSolutionsCounseling@gmail.com

www.LifesSolutionsCounseling.com

Ending & Beginning

Mediation is over! We settled! It was a very hard day, but I got enough to pay off my student loan. 8 1/2 years I've been battling this auto insurance crap. Whew, I feel like I've gotten a new start on life. Now Chris & I can think about having a baby...

I'm planning on renting an office space from my chiropractor, in Orem, for my private practice. I'm hoping to start in early June, if everything goes as planned. 309 N. State St. I'm excited! I still have to order business cards, get a phone line, follow-up on an Orem business license, get billing software, finish my website, and a few other things. There's so much to do to prepare for the start of a new business. I might need a vacation!

I'm excited Chris and I can finally rely on one income, allowing me to try this new business adventure. I'm happy to be closing a rough chapter of my life, but a strange part of me hates to see it close. I feel guilty. No, that's not the right word. Scared? I want to move on, but at the same time hate to let go. Does that make ANY sense? I don't think so either! Maybe I fear losing part of my identity? I just don't want to ever forget Steven and I don't want others to either. As nice as it is to not have to worry quite so much about my medical expenses, it doesn't really make it all go away, or even make it better. You know, I'd give up millions of dollars to be the person I was before my car accident. I'd love to get my brain, my memory, my back, my shoulder, my ribs, and my life back. I miss me. Sorry to have rambled for so long, I've just got a lot on my mind. Very few people get it. I'm hoping the computer does. ;)

Maybe Chris and I will take a little vacation for our 2 year anniversary, coming up on June 2nd.

Chris is 30!

Chris celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday. We had a birthday party last Saturday with a few close friends and family. I got him 2 new wedges for his golf game. He played with them several days before his birthday. Such a cheater! He did amazing work with them though. I'm lucky to have such a talented, patient golf coach.

Looks like I'm back to the drawing board for my private practice. I'm hoping to have it fully functioning by the end of May. Beacon didn't work out quite like I had hoped. Oh well. I've already had the private practice plans in my head for a year now. Once I'm an LPC, on May 23, 2009, I'll get this thing up and running. Chris has been very supportive throughout this whole thing. Who wants to help their wife clean out her office on their 30th birthday? No one! But, my husband did it anyway. There are SO many reasons I love this man. I swear, I love him more everyday.

Here's my logo, in case you hadn't seen it a few months ago. I'm ordering business cards & I'm just waiting to go! I'm hoping to be able to continue seeing the clients I started seeing while at Beacon. My phone number for my future business is: 801-616-3097. People can call with questions now.

I've also been asked to speak to Chris's aunt's stake. I'm presenting on Pornography and the Specific Issues Related to Women, such as romance novels, soap operas, etc. I'll be presenting to them with one of the counselors in the General Relief Society Presidency, on May 9th. What an honor!

I was also invited to present classes to my ward enrichment on Destressing Your Marriage, specifically improving communication skills. This meeting will be held on June 10th. This is a great opportunity to share my ideas, regarding the book I'm planning on writing, with others.

I hope everything works out! I'll be fairly unemployed for the next month or so getting licensed and the foundational work to open this practice going. But, hopefully after that I'll be able to make a dent in this lovely student loan of mine. :)

Mediation is scheduled for May 1st for my auto accident! I can hardly wait to get all of this behind me. I'm excited to finally have closure and to be able to make sense of it all. I pray my insurance company will offer some financial support for my ongoing physical injuries. Time will tell...

Tax Day

Tax day sucked for me this year, but it had nothing to do with taxes. Our basement flooded and work SUCKED!

It was a good day for others though. My sister sold her condo. Yay Lori! And Steven's sister, Becky, her her baby boy. She named him Zachery Steven.

New Niece

Here's our new little niece.

Jenny & Curtis named her Lyla Grace
She was born on 3/18/09 at 2:16 pm
She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long

I'm excited to finally meet her tomorrow!

Check Me Out!

The Company webpage shows this:

Aimee Francom

LPC

Aimee is one of just a few counselors qualified and fluent in American Sign Language. She can work with individuals and families that need assistance in Deaf and hard-of-hearing situations.

She has also taught seminars on stress management, emergency preparedness, communication skills, grief and loss, dealing with trauma, and getting the most of your current employment.

Aimee is a National Certified Counselor and a Licenseded Professional Counselor. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Mental Health Counseling, and a Master of Science Degree in Administration and Supervision from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Aimee also has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, with a Minor in Family and Human Development.

Her background is impressive, having worked at Valley Mental Health, Beneficial Life, Child and Family Services, Blomquist Hale Consulting and the Family Service Foundation, Inc.

GOOD news

I did it! I finally got my scores for the NCMHCE back. I passed! I also passed the Utah Professional Counselor Laws, Rules, and Ethics Exam last week. I'm mailing my application to become an LPC tomorrow! Not that anyone cares about my "official" scores, but I'm attaching them because I'm THAT proud!

Here's my scores on the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (I needed a 104 & 130 to pass, I got a 130 & 156, respectively)


Here's my scores on the National Clinical Exam (I needed a 97 to pass, I got a 131)
Here's my scores on the UT Professional Counselor Laws, Rules & Ethics Exam (I needed 75% to pass, I got 85%)

I'm SO close I can taste it! I start working at Beacon FMH on March 2nd, but will be attending the Open House on Feb. 27th & 28th. Hopefully you've received an invitation to the open house?

On another happy note, I heard from my lawyer regarding my lawsuit today for my auto accident in Jan. 2001. The coroner in Idaho stated the police had done a "piss poor investigation" and he was positive I could not have been driving. This is great news and hopefully encourages my insurance company to help me out a bit. I'm getting tired of hurting. Only time will tell...

It's been a GOOD day!

Chris & Aimee

Updates

My niece, Natalie, won the cutest baby contest! Thanks for your votes. And I'm truly sorry if you continue to get emails from UtahBaby. There's an email address, at the end of their emails, you can reply and request they take you off their list. :)

I took the NCMHCE last week. I have NO idea how I did and won't get my score for 6-8 weeks. AGH! The highlighters they gave us to use for the test didn't work. It was a frustrating day! But, at least it's over. Whew.

I start my new job on March 1st. I'm depending on referrals, so if you'd like to send people my way, I'd love it! We're having an open house the end of Feb. I'll post more information when I have it. I've mailed several of you the following:

Aimee Francom, CPCI
Beacon Family Mental Health
8915 South 700 East, Suite 203
Sandy, Utah 84070
801-938-5151

Dear Family and Friends,

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Beacon Family Mental Health, which is now my new place of employment! Beacon Family Mental Health is a new counseling agency, located in Sandy. I am excited about this current transition in my life and hope to be able to serve more clients, including Deaf clients.

After meeting with the founders of Beacon Family Mental Health, I was drawn in by their commitment to clients and vision of better care.

I’d also like you to know of the Beacon FMH Education Center. Many classes and workshops are available to individuals, couples and families for a nominal fee, with some classes being totally free of charge! Please see the enclosed class and workshop schedule. More classes may be offered in the near future. We assist all individuals, as we have clinicians fluent in American Sign Language, Spanish, and Portuguese. Lindsay Brand specializes in child therapy, and does an excellent job in working with children.

Also enclosed is a pamphlet outlining The Safe Harbor Treatment Program, which is designed to assist those with sexually addictive behavior. Sexually addictive behaviors can cause personal conflict, marital and family discord, depression, anxiety, anger and resentment. Please take a few moments to review these pamphlets. We treat all individuals and families with a variety of emotional struggles. My specific areas of expertise include Sexual Addiction, Pre-marital and Marital Counseling, and Grief and Loss.

Our fee schedule is identical to LDS Family Services. The fees are as follows: $70.00 per session, $105.00 for an initial assessment and $20.00 per session for participation in therapeutic groups. We accept most insurances.

I invite you to utilize Beacon Family Mental Health either for the needs of your loved ones or someone else you may know that might need assistance. We’d be delighted to meet with members of your family! Once you engage with the clinicians in our agency, you will also feel the hope and enthusiasm I experienced when learning of Beacon Family Mental Health. We hope to assist and empower others to make positive changes in their lives that are lasting.

We strive for excellence in serving you and are committed to providing the highest quality of treatment. We long to assist those who are in emotional pain and help empower them to create positive forward movement in their lives.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Aimee Francom, CPCI

NEW Employment

OK, I was planning on opening a private practice...and I still may. I'm open to seeing people ANY time. I'm registered with the state and everything. And you saw my logo, it's amazing! But, with Chris and I planning to start a family in the near future, and the crappy economy, I'm nervous about taking out a small business loan. So, I decided to interview with a few places for a possible change in employment.

And...

Drum roll...

I've been offered a position with Beacon Family Mental Health in Sandy, UT. It's a new business. I'll participate in the establishment of a business, making opening a successful private practice later MUCH easier. I'll use both of my degrees as well. I'll do individual, couple, family, and group therapy. I'll also have the opportunity to give presentations, teach classes, and offer seminars. In addition, I'll help with marketing, organization development, and design. They even encouraged me to write the book I've been planning for some time now! And my personal favorite, I'd finally be able to see Deaf clients when I want.

The company's mission statement is "Emotional healing, for individuals and families, centered on Christ". I'll post the website when I've helped get it up and running. ;) It's similar to LDS Family Services, but I'll probably make more $. HA! I was quite impressed by this company. They seem to care about their employees, which is something I haven't felt in a LONG time. When explaining their business model to me, it sounds very much like a "private practice" feel, but without having to do the billing, scheduling, etc. I'm very excited!

Now, I have to get back to studying for the NCMHCE I'm taking on Jan. 17th. If I pass, I'm on my way to licensure as an LPC! I've completed my required hours, I've passed the NCE...I'm almost there!