Something About Mary and Mike

The Netherlands!

2010-08-22T12:42:00.000-06:00

Chelsea and I headed out for our big adventure on August 10th. We flew from Salt Lake City to Detroit. When we got to Detroit we boarded our plane to Amsterdam. About 30 minutes later we got off again, allegedly because of engine trouble. As we were getting off we saw some law enforcement officials escort a young man off. We didn't think to much about it and went about getting our free meal that the airline gave us to placate us as we were waiting for another plane. We ended up with "gourmet" peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were good, but not $6 good!

We started noticing there were a lot of cops in our gate area. They gathered, discussed, then broke up and started walking around our area looking for people.

They spoke with airline people at our gate and basically made us all nervous. They then announced our flight was ready to board (3 hours later). We started wondering if we should get on. Just as Chelsea and I were getting on, here comes the kid they took off earlier, escorted by Immigration officers. It looks as though they were deporting him. Probably got into some sort of trouble while on vacation or something. We never did find out what the other cops were looking for and probably never will. In the end they gave us $50 credits to use on another flight.

We made it to Amsterdam in one piece. We were met by Eline and her dad, Erik. They took us to Friesland where there was a sail boat race going on. It was so beautiful! We stayed at Erik's girlfriend's house and used her boat to cruise the canals and go to the race.


Eline and Chelsea


Janette, Erik and Hiskia


Some of the bridges were so low we had to duck to get past them!


This is a Dutch paramedic, one of the very few people we saw wearing a bike helmet.


It was a very festive day with a band playing rousing music! They are wrapped in the flag of Friesland.


This is the view from Hiskia's patio. Beautiful, isn't it!

We left the next day to head south to Utrecht, where Eline and her mom, Jolanda live. One thing we realized is that everyone in Holland has a bike. Yes, everyone! It is definitely the most used mode of transportation in that country. There are bike paths everywhere and places to park bikes. They generally ride basic upright bikes. They don't go for expensive bikes with 21 speeds like Americans seem to need. They do, however, all have a bell and lights, which are required. But no one wears a helmet. I think we saw about 6 people the whole time we were there wearing helmets. And two of those were small children. They have bikes with child seats near the handlebars, bikes with big baskets, bikes made for two, and even three ( that was one made for a parent and two small children). They basically have a bike for every need. So when we decided to go into the city we hopped on bikes:

Eline and Chelsea

Me on one of Eline's bikes.

We went out to dinner at a little Greek place. I had a gyro and it was great!

The Dutch version of the port-a-potty for men!

The Dom Tower, the highest church building in the Netherlands. We walked up to the top!

I am a Diet Pepsi addict so was happy to find Pepsi Light. It tasted different, but was still good.

Chelsea and me at an outdoor cafe.

The creator of Miffy (a bunny character in books and on TV) is from Utrecht so they have this cute light for a crosswalk there.

Chelsea and Eline

The bells at the top of the Dom Tower

Chelsea and me at the top of the Dom Tower

A view of Utrecht from the top of the Dom Tower

Eline and Chelsea at the top of the Dom Tower

This is my favorite photo of Eline and Chelsea.

Here they are in the garden at the back of Eline and Jolanda's house.


What a beautiful girl!

We went to Volendam to see Mr. Man, a statue that Chelsea had her picture taken with 10 years ago. We did some shopping, ate some frites, prawns and Eline ate some raw fish. We took a ferry over to Marken which is a cute little village. The weather was beautiful and it was a great time.

Marken

We saw a lot of these beautiful sailboats.

Chelsea's Dutch slippers.

We went to see Het Loo, which is a palace which belongs to the Dutch Royal Family. It is gorgeous as you'd expect. We especially loved the gardens.

Anyone know the name of this plant? We used to have one at our old house but haven't seen one since, until we spotted this at Het Loo Palace.

We went out for dinner at the Pannekoeken Huis that Eline used to work at. It was very good.

Chelsea had a bacon and cheese pancake.

I had a pancake which was half apple and raisin and half bacon and cheese. Delicious!

We went to Madurodam which is a miniature model of Holland, with all the major landmarks built to a 1:25 scale. It was fun to see miniatures of places we had visited.

Miniature Dom Tower

This was taken of our reflection on the wall made of glass tiles.

We were there at the wrong time to see the tulip fields so the miniature will have to do!

On our last day we went to Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank house. We decided to go on a canal tour and then went to the Ice Bar which is a very cold bar made completely out of ice including the chairs, bar and even the glasses! We also went to the Red Light district. I wasn't too keen on going since I've seen it before and I was with my teenaged daughter. But Eline really wanted to show it to her so off we went. Chelsea wasn't impressed, to say the least.

This is a 3 story bike garage which can hold over 3000 bikes!

This ship is a replica created voluntarily by Amsterdam's unemployed.

A house boat on one of the canals. This is one of the nicer ones.

The narrowest home in Amsterdam.

Our canal boat.

When Eline first came to live with us she asked for American sauce when we went to McDonalds. We had no idea what she was talking about so we made her get some while we were in Amsterdam. We still don't know what it is except that it has some mustard and possibly some mayo and some small green stuff.

Chelsea became quite the tea drinker while we were there. She especially liked the fresh mint tea and now wants to grow some for herself.

Walking in the alleys of Amsterdam.

We learned that Coffee Shops aren't where you go to get coffee, but rather where you go to buy marijuana. We didn't try any out though! :)

All kinds of fun stuff for sale! You gotta love Amsterdam!

This is a floating bed and breakfast. We thought of your dear gay and lesbian friends when we saw this. Amsterdam is one of the most gay and lesbian friendly cities in the world!

A typical Amsterdam street, complete with a Subway, Burger King and McDonalds. Chelsea and Eline ate at the Burger King.

I chose to eat a shwarma instead, mostly because it wasn't American and Mike asked me to! He loved to eat them when he lived in Holland.

The Central Train station in Amsterdam. It looks so beautiful with the sun seting.

We had such a wonderful time visiting Eline and her family. Jolanda was especially a great hostess, trying to speak English, and doing a great job! We found that we had much in common, including the books we like to read. It was an amazing vacation but I am glad to be home!

Summer trips

2010-08-09T20:50:00.001-06:00

Now that our Glacier trip is over it's time to start the next trip. Chelsea and I are off to Holland to see Eline and her family. Eline was our foreign exchange student for the 2007-2008 school year. She was also a bridesmaid at our wedding. We are going to spend a week with her and her family. It should be a blast.

While we are gone Jake is moving out into his own apartment. I spent part of yesterday buying him things he'll need to be on his own, such as silverware, trash cans, kitchen utensils, etc. We are also giving him the dresser in his room, and dishes and pots and pans we no longer need.

A few days after we get back from Holland Chelsea will be moving into the dorm at Utah State University. I think we have everything she needs to settle in there. Fortunately it is only an hour away so not to far to drive, if need be. That same day Mike is going to head out with some friends for a motorcycle trip through Idaho, Oregon and California.

I am planning on a trip to CA over Labor Day. Mike had planned a trip to Vegas with friends, but he decided to stay home. He's probably looking forward to some quiet time alone!

I think we might be done with trips for a little while after this. I start working full time on September 7th and he has to be just about out of leave. So we'll settle in to being empty nesters until Christmas break, when Chelsea will be moving back for a month.

Glacier National Park

2010-08-08T19:19:00.000-06:00

We left for Glacier National Park on July 31st. Mike, Harley and I spent the night in Butte and then met up with my sister, Karin, her daughter, Samantha, and Chelsea in St. Mary, MT. Chelsea was at camp at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, near Kalispell. Karin and Sam picked her up on the 30th, saving us a trip over to that side of the state.

We stayed at the KOA in a Kamping Lodge. We had no idea what it was going to be and imagine our surprise when this is what we drove up to:

It is a single-wide trailer, with 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, 2 baths, a living room and laundry room. As you can see, we were roughing it!

We met up with our friends, Bob and Carol, from here in Utah, and headed out for our first hike. It was a 12 miler to Cracker Lake. We had wanted to go to Iceberg Lake but it was closed due to bear sightings. We weren't on our trail for more than a few minutes when we encountered a bear. It all happened so fast that no one got a photo, but it seemed as shocked to see us as we were to see it and it left quickly. We were on a Ranger led hike so I think we felt more safe than if we'd been on our own. We got a little farther up the trail and found this:

It was 3 horses that had gotten away from their riders. We took them up the trail with us and caught up with the riders who had been bucked off when the horses were spooked. A couple miles into it I tripped on a tree root and hurt my knee, left arm and shoulder. It hurt really bad but there was no way I was going to stop and turn back. As we approached Cracker Lake we saw this up a ways:

This mountain goat had a pretty ugly coat. It looked like it was still shedding it's winter coat, just in time to grow a new one.

Here we are at the lake: Bob, Carol, Karin, Sam, Chelsea, Harley, Mike and me. It was so beautiful there and the photo doesn't do it justice. On the way back we saw this:

A momma moose. It was so beautiful and so big. We all took off though when it started coming towards us!

With about 2 miles left on the trail, we ran into pouring down rain. We did have some rain gear but it was terrible, especially because that part of the trail was used by horses as well. So it was not only muddy, but had lots of horse poop as well. In the end Harley gave up trying to avoid the mess and just walked down the middle of the path. It didn't matter anyway because there was no way to totally avoid it and it was probably safer just to give in.

On Tuesday it was cloudy and cold. We went up to Logan Pass on the bus and pretty much decided to bag our hike to Avalanche Lake. It was so cold and windy up there that we decided to catch the first bus that showed up, regardless of where it was going. It turned out to be one going to Avalanche Lake so we hopped on, thinking we'd catch another bus from there. When we got off there it was much nicer that at Logan Pass so we decided to go on our hike after all. What a good decision because the hike was nice, about 4 miles round trip and the lake was nice. We didn't have any rain at all that day.

Here we all are at Avalanche Lake: Mike, me, Carol, Bob, Chelsea, Sam, Harley and Karin.

Chelsea in one of her 'sploring photos.

Chelsea and Sam just chillin'.

On Wednesday Bob and Carol headed to Canada and the rest of us went on a whitewater rafting trip. Here we are after we were done:

Sam, Chelsea, Mike, Karin, Harley and me. It was a pretty mild ride because it was late in the season, but we all had a great time. On the way back we stopped near some snow and got this picture of the girls:

Yes, they are a little strange! Sam, Chelsea and Harley

On Thursday we decided to go on a hike near Two Medicine Lake. It ended up being a boring, very short hike, so we went down to the lake and took a boat ride, then ate lunch and headed out to hike to St. Mary and Virgina Falls. It was about 3 miles round trip and was so beautiful.

On Thursday all of us went into "town" and got double scoops of ice cream as a reward for all of our hard work this past week. It was well deserved!

Life

2010-07-29T12:54:00.000-06:00

The house has been really quiet around here. It's been just Scruffy and me for the past several days. I've been doing chores around the house, studying for my licensing exam and working a little bit. I start full time at my job in September. I'll have every Friday off which will be really nice. I did have my Godson's, Iain and Elias, over last night and we had loads of fun.

Iain liked the sidewalk chalk, but said it smelled like fireworks.

Elias preferred the sprinkler and kept trying to get "Grandma Mary" wet.

They both liked the bubbles but preferred to use them as light sabers so I got out the real light sabers.

And guess who got to play with them?? Usually it is Uncle Mike but since he's not here I was the lucky one! :) I had my arms and legs cut off and stabbed in my tummy, but I had a lot of lives, according to Elias. Later we watched a Star Wars movie and I got to play with Star Wars action figures. I had to have the bad guys, not sure why. I asked Elias if his other grandma's played Star Wars and he said they didn't know how! I had to laugh because I didn't know how either, but he was happy to tell me how!

While I was busy with that Iain found some markers that a friend had given me and decided to color the Etch-a-Sketch and the couch. Luckily they were washable markers and it all came off. I must've looked mad when I first saw it because Iain kept saying "I so sorry, I so sorry." God made little children cute for moments like this. :)

We had popcorn and bananas and yellow watermelon and then just before their parents got here they got some fruit roll ups. Needless to say Mom and Dad weren't excited when they saw that, considering it was bed time! Oh well, that's what grandma's are for!

Good news and bad news

2010-07-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

We got some good news the other day. My sister-in-law, Tammy, doesn't have brain cancer like we thought she did. The bad news is that she has MS. But at least we know that MS is treatable. Tammy's doctor seems like he will serve her well, and he has an MS specialist joining his practice next week. We all hope she gets some relief from her symptoms soon.

Mike and Harley are in SD visiting some of Mike's old AMMO buddies and their wives. I am sure they are having a great time.

Chelsea had her last day at Old Navy on Thursday. She has worked there for over a year so it was a little hard for her to leave. She has put in a transfer request to work in the Old Navy in Logan when she goes to college. It's not a bad job and she actually likes folding t-shirts. I actually liked doing that also when I worked there several years ago.

She is getting ready to head back to Montana to volunteer as a jr. counselor at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. Then next week we all head up to Montana for a week at Glacier National Park.

I am so looking forward to getting up there and doing some hiking. Not sure anyone else in the family is as excited about that!

Jake put off completing his financial aid and housing applications so long that he most likely won't be living in the dorms this fall. And he may only end up with a Pell Grant and student loans for college. I've only been bugging him for about 8 months! So now he is going to need to look for a place to live in Salt Lake. And he's putting that off as well. School starts for him on August 23rd so he needs to get busy. And, no, living here with us is not an option. At this point he is really using our house as a place to sleep and eat breakfast. Other than that we don't see him and he has chosen not to go on vacation with us. He doesn't do the very few chores he should be doing either. So it is time for him to move on and really live on his own. I've done all I can to help him become independent so he should be okay. Besides, he does have a mother, father and grandparents to help out as well.

I am going to bake some banana bread today for Chelsea to take with her on her bus ride tomorrow. We always seem to have leftover bananas so I've just been throwing them in the freezer if they get too ripe. Time to use them up!

Bryce Canyon

2010-07-19T11:33:00.002-06:00

We went to Bryce Canyon with some friends and had a great time. We got there Friday and just set up camp and relaxed. On Saturday our friends, Bob, Carol and Jessica ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. Bob won first place in his age group. While they were running we went for a short walk at the south end of the park. It was an easy 30 minute walk that gave us some nice views.

Here we are standing a little close to the edge~ Chelsea, Mike, me, Harley, Micah and Marcia.

Harley and Chelsea enjoying the view.

Later we went for ice cream and decided the girls needed a little discipline so we locked them up. It's not too tough being in jail when you have good ice cream to eat!

Later Chelsea and I went for a hike into the canyon with Bob, Carol and Jessica. Yes, the same people who ran 13.1 miles in the morning were up for a hike in the late afternoon. Mike and Harley were exhausted from the 1 mile walk so they stayed in the camp. They really missed out on some amazing scenery. It was about a 3 mile hike and was relatively easy.

Here we are, taking a short break. Carol, Bob, Chelsea, me and Jessica.

The girls spent the evening enjoying the giant marshmallows and making smores.

And this is Mike's idea of a good time, sitting by the fire,drinking Crown Royal, and spending time with friends. Sadly I didn't have any red wine so I had to resort to drinking beer. I was tired so went to bed early. According to the girls I missed out on a good party! But I sure felt better than some of the other adults the next morning!

We went on the park bus tour on Sunday morning and then broke camp and headed home. About half way home I noticed Marcia's trailer brake lights weren't working anymore. Her wire bundle which hooks up the lights and brakes to her truck wasn't secured and so it dragged on the ground, which resulted in the wires becoming severed. In the end we made it home with no incidents, although we were some very tired and in Mike and Chelsea's case, smelly people. Harley and I took a shower in Marcia's trailer but Mike and Chelsea waited until we got home.

Now I am working on making plans for our trip to Glacier the first week of August. I have been there before but no one else has. We are staying at a really nice cabin at a KOA so won't be camping. I am hoping we will do a lot of hiking but Harley doesn't like to hike so we'll see. I am definitely going to Iceburg Lake which is a 4.1 mile hike (each way) but did pick out several easy, much shorter hikes to do as well. And our KOA has a pool and hot tub so there will be plenty of relaxing also.

My sister, Karin, and niece, Samantha, will be joining us and so will Bob and Carol. Karin and Sam will stay in our cabin with us and Bob and Carol will be staying in the park in their trailer. It should be a fun trip.

Visit from the in-laws

2010-07-15T08:42:00.000-06:00

We had a really nice visit with the in-laws this past week. This photo includes Mike, his cousin Mini, Harley, Uncle Bob and Aunt Laura. They traveled from PA and have been all over. They are headed home now. They are such good people and we all really enjoyed our visit.

Yesterday Scruffy was having a hard time walking on his left rear leg. Mike took him to the vet and they think he might have arthritis. He got a prescription for puppy ibuprofen and is doing really well today. I have to go in to get a crown this afternoon and then we are planning to head out tomorrow to go to Bryce Canyon for some camping and hiking. We are going with friends, Bob and Carol, Marcia,Micah and Jessica. It should be a blast! It will be about 10 degrees cooler there than it will be here. Temps are supposed to get up to 99 degrees over the weekend. That I could live without!

This morning I am going to take the dog for a walk then head to Kohls to use a gift card Mike got me a while back. My new job is a little more casual than my internships so I need some khaki pants and new tops to wear. I am not much for clothes shopping so it's not that exciting for me!

I am back

2010-07-12T12:31:00.000-06:00

My dad asked me to start blogging again and since I am finally done with Grad school I guess I should be able to find the time. Mike's aunt, uncle and cousin are here visiting and we are having a great time. Harley is also here for the summer. This weekend we are going camping with Marcia, Jessica, Bob and Carol. We are heading to Bryce Canyon for a long weekend. Can't wait to do some hiking. I have started a new job at the Ogden Homeless Veteran's Fellowship. It's not what I initially thought I would be doing but it is a very flexible position and the pay is competitive. There are a lot of health issues going on with family and friends and so I want something that will give me an opportunity to work, get my LCSW license and still spend as much time with my family as possible. This job will allow all of that.

I am not making any promises but will try to update this blog at least once a week! See you soon!

Stitches out!

2009-12-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

So, just as a reminder, it all started February 11, 2009 when I went running and managed to hit the only piece of black ice on the road and broke my ankle. This is a photo that Mike took in the emergency room:

I ended up getting plates and screws in my ankle:

But that didn't stop me! I started running in May, ran a 5K in July and then a 10K in September:

Last week I finally got the hardware removed. I think the plate would make a great bracelet!

And yesterday I got my stitches out!

It really hurt much more than I thought to get the stitches out. And the bad news is the doctor was adamant that I not run for a month. I can start using a stationary bike or elliptical trainer next week. I'm not thrilled about that but I will live with it because this saga has gone on long enough and I don't want to risk another injury. I am going to run the Ogden 1/2 marathon in May so I need to take care of my little ankle!

Shopping done!

2009-12-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

I do believe I finished up all my shopping. I think the kids and Mike will be very happy with their loot! I even had time to make some gifts for my family. I can't even remember the last time I had the whole weekend to do what I wanted! Mike is off with a friend watching football and the kids are still in Colorado. Chelsea called and neither one of them made the cut but they both learned a lot. Chelsea says she is definitely going to try out again next year. I don't know about Jake yet.

I am so tired so I think I will take a short nap and then try to finish wrapping everything. Good thing we are taking the truck up to Idaho or we'd never get all the gifts and suitcases loaded! So far it looks like the weather is going to cooperate. In any case, it doesn't look like it will be anything like last year, with record snowfalls.

Well, off for my nap and then back to Christmas chores!

Okay, this is getting ridiculous!

2009-12-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to update my blog. Imagine my shock when I found out it's been almost 2 months since I last updated! I don't really suppose anyone is still checking it! But I'll update it anyway! So, lets get started! Jake finally got his drivers license and after weeks of searching we finally found this Mustang, which he fell in love with. It was reasonably priced and runs, and doesn't look too bad either!

Mike, Chelsea, Jake and I went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. The music and light show were amazing. Here are the kids on the train ride home:

Here are a few pictures from the concert. Jake say's he is going to marry the violinist!

Mike and I got the chance to go down to St. George to watch the kids compete in the state marching band competition. We were all thrilled when the Roy High band won 2nd place in their division.

After their performance the band parents hosted dinner and some activities. Jake won the pie eating contest and Chelsea competed, but didn't win, the soda drinking contest.

Mike traveled to Vegas for work and then came home for a couple of days before heading to South Dakota to visit with some of his best friends, Matt and Woodie and Larry and Shelia. The guys went out in the gators to check out the Black Hills.

Mike turned 50 on November 22nd.

We had a party for him with some of our dearest friends and it was so fun to see him open his presents. His favorite was the new laptop. Since he travels so much he will get a lot of use out of it. And I might even be able to get on mine once in a while! :)

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the Fullers, Campbells, Kierpiecs and our family. We had a great time. I gave Chelsea some cooking tips and she did very well. She made the ham and the sweet potato casserole. Both were wonderful! After dinner the women and kids played Apples to Apples while the guys watched sports on TV.

My friend, Jessica, and I ran in the Santa Fun Run after Thanksgiving. It was fun, with over 200 Santas! And we got the chance to work off some of that food!

Chelsea and I convinced Mike and Jake to help get the tree set up. Chelsea and I really love this annual ritual but the guys were just not that into it!

The first weekend in December Mike and I went to Las Vegas with our friends, Steve and Dave. We went to see Cher. We decided we needed to do that while she was still performing. She looked amazing for being in her 60's. Heck, I didn't look that good in my 20's!

Here are Mike and Steve enjoying a boot full of beer.

That is Mike and me in front of the Paris hotel.

Steve and Dave at the concert.

The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon was going on while we were there. They had some serious runners and some not so serious runners. We saw lots of brides and grooms and an untold number of Elvises:

Chelsea and Jake both got awards for the 2nd place Marching band competition and Jake was on the high honor roll for the first quarter. Here they are showing off their certificates after the awards ceremony.

I had surgery the other day to remove the hardware in my ankle which was put in in February when I broke my ankle. Here's a picture of the plate, pins and screws.

Cool souvenir isn't it?

The kids had their Christmas band concert the other night and they sounded amazing, as usual!

You can see Chelsea in the center playing the bass clarinet and right behind her is Jake playing percussion.

I had my little Godson's over the other night to decorate gingerbread houses. They are so fun. They call me "grandma" and they call Mike "uncle" because he thinks that he's too young to be a grandpa even though he's 50. Anyway, it is so cute to see the little one calling "Uncle, uncle!" And Mike really loves playing with them too. Here he is playing light sabers with them,

In the background you can see the fort we built which is perfect for flashlights and picture books!

Here they are decorating their houses:

I think the little one ate more candy than he actually put on his house!

And don't tell their parents but we also made a surprise Christmas present for them. It probably won't be much of a surprise since they get the same thing every year (and they might even read the blog).

Last week Mike and I hosted our second annual open house and fundraiser. We had about 75 people and collected over $400 for the Salvation Army and collected 19 sets of sheets, 12 pillows and 9 blankets for the Ogden Homeless Veteran's Fellowship. I am on break from school although I still go in to my internship location on Monday's to see my clients. I think I have most of my Christmas cards out and most of the presents bought and wrapped. Chelsea and Jake are in Colorado at a camp for the Blue Knights drum corps and Mike and I are enjoying some time alone with each other. Harley will be coming late Tuesday night and we all will be heading to Idaho to spend Christmas with my parents. And once again, I will do my best to update my blog more often!

October

2009-10-31T20:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just realized it's been over a month since I posted. I am a horrible blogger! So I will do my best to update anyone who is interested about what our family has been doing the past month. Chelsea and Jake have been really busy with marching band. They have had several competitions. Unfortunately they haven't won any.

These photos were taken at the competition in Orem, UT. In the group photo Chelsea is 4th from the left and Jake is 7th from the left. In the second photo is Chelsea and the Bass drum line. She is the bass line captain.

When Eline was here she went sky diving. So Mike had a beer to commemorate her jump.

Chelsea was asked to play the bass clarinet for the recent band concert. Here she is with it:

We went to my Godson's 2nd birthday party.

This is his brother (another Godson) on the left and him sitting on his dad's lap.

This is him enjoying his cake. I think the gun was to prevent anyone else from eating his cake. :)

This is the kids playing at the band concert on Wednesday. Jake is playing second from left in the back and Chelsea is playing the small bass drum.

This is Chelsea playing the bass clarinet.

Chelsea turned 17 on the 23rd of October. She had a party with several of her friends. She just loves being a teenager!

Mike went to Las Vegas for two weeks for a conference. He tells me he actually worked while he was there. This is a picture he sent to me to show me how hot he looks in a suit. But I already knew that and so I married him!

Mike and I hung out a few times with our friends, Chip and Laura Fuller. We also had a get together with one of my professors from WSU. Steve and his partner Dave are good friends. We had them, Chip and Laura and my friend Marcia and her friend Mica over one Saturday night. Marcia and I went to elementary, junior high and high school together. Imagine our surprise when we met again at our high school 30 year reunion and found out we live about 10 miles from each other here in Utah! That was such a fun night.

Mike went to see Alice Cooper with his friend Tim in Wendover, NV. Not a concert I'd want to see but he said it was great.

I finally went to book club which I'd missed the past couple of months because of Dad's cancer. The book we read was The Thirteenth Tale. It was a good book and it is always fun to talk about books and spend time with friends. I'm hosting next time but haven't decided what book we'll be reading.

A long time ago I used my Silhouette craft cutter to make a vinyl saying. While Mike was gone I finally got around to putting photos around it. Here's a picture:

Below it we are going to put a sofa table and add more photos. If you'd like us to display your photo send us one!

School has been keeping me busy. Right now I have 18 credit hours and 9 credit hours is considered full time. I don't think I will take that many next semester! I also have my internship, which I love! I am doing individual and group therapy now. It is scary, but rewarding. Last week one of my clients told me she has felt much better in the last month since she started therapy with me! So cool.

Well, I am really tired so I guess this is it for now. Happy Halloween!

It's Fall

2009-09-27T14:55:00.000-06:00

Fall is the start of the new TV season. I was excited to watch the season premiere of my favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy and The Big Bang Theory (TBBT). And speaking of TBBT I came home from school on Friday and Mike had cleaned the house (which he usually does, not because I don't, but because he's a little OCD so it has to be done a certain way, and only he can do it that way) and had bought me flowers, a card and the complete second season of TBBT.

Last night we watched 5 episodes. That show is so funny we were both laughing out loud!

Today Mike and I went for a motorcycle ride and looked at the fall colors. The trees are just starting to turn but they are so beautiful. Here are a few pictures I took. Keep in mind I was on the back of the bike so they aren't the best.

Homecoming Night

2009-09-19T22:07:00.000-06:00

The night has finally come. Homecoming Night. This is Jake and his date, Savannah.

This is Chelsea and her date, Isaac.

Here is a photo of all the girls, with Mike's bike as a prop:

Most of the girls went for comfort rather than style for their shoes. We actually bought Chelsea some really dressy heels but she never wore them.

Here are the men in black. Cute that they are matching, isn't it!

The boys wanted to show their shoes, too!

The kids decided to have dinner at our house rather than go to a restaurant. Unfortunately they decided to have spaghetti. I didn't know that until they showed up with the sauce. Sadly Chelsea got some on her dress. I tried getting it out but there is a spot on the front of her dress. I am hoping the dry cleaner can get it out, but in any case she's worn it 3 times which is more than most can say.

This has been such a special week for Chelsea and I am so glad she got to experience it. It was so worth all the work!

Homecoming

2009-09-19T09:13:00.020-06:00

A few weeks ago Chelsea came home, sat down and said, in a frustrated voice, "I got nominated for Homecoming Queen." I asked her what was wrong with that and she said she didn't want to do it. After some discussion I told her she could go to the administration and tell them she wasn't interested or she could think about all the girls in the school who would kill to be in her place. She finally decided to go ahead and participate.

The first thing on the agenda was to find a dress. Normally Homecoming is less formal than Prom and most girls wear a knee length dress, but the candidates need to have a long dress. We went to Chelsea's favorite dress shop, Just For Girls. The manager there was very helpful especially when she found out Chelsea was, in her words, "royalty". It was so funny because several people asked why Chelsea was trying on floor length dresses and the lady kept saying "Well, she's royalty and royalty has to have a long dress." She was so serious about it too, so Chelsea and I had a few laughs about it. The first dress she tried was this one:
We thought it was fun, less formal than normal and fit Chelsea's personality. But of course she had to try on 5 or 6 more dresses. Then we found this one:

After consulting with her cousin and a friend we decided this was the dress. You can't really tell in this picture but the material has a shimmer to it. Not sure if that is the best way to describe it but there it is.

The first activity was the Homecoming Assembly. It was so fun to see all the kids and how excited they were. Chelsea and Mike looked great.

My dad said that Chelsea looks so good in this picture she even made Mike look good! :) I think they both look wonderful! Here are a few more

assembly pictures.

When they called each girls
name the crowd cheered, but when they called Chelsea's name the crowd went wild. Mike said afterward "If they picked the winner by the audience reaction Chelsea would have won, hands down."
These are all of the candidates after the assembly. They are all so pretty!

Next was the Homecoming Parade. Jake marched with the band:
Chelsea rode in a car with some of the other candidates:
Of course, part of the excitement was when Isaac asked Chelsea to the dance. In Utah you can't just ask a girl to the dance, you have to come up with some creative way to do it. Isaac came over while Chelsea was gone and put a bunch of Coke cans on her bed and a sign said "You would have to be on Coke to say no to going to the homecoming game with me."
And then came the game. This is Chelsea heading down to the field before half time.

Here she is with Mike when they announced the candidates:
The crowd went wild when they announced Chelsea as the winner. I must say that I was excited too.
Here she is greeting the crowd:
Here is Chelsea with her proud parents:
Here is the Queen!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T19:12:00.006-06:00

Mike had mentioned going hiking yesterday so this morning I got up, showered, got dressed and woke him up to go. He didn't want to go so early (7:30) even though we had gone to bed at 9:30 last night. I think someone is getting old! :) Anyway I decided to go on my own. I got chastised by my brother and sister for this but I went hiking to Waterfall Canyon which is a very popular hike so I was never really alone for very long. In the end I was sort of glad that I went alone because I am in pretty good shape and could go as fast as I wanted. Mike's idea of exercise is walking behind a self-propelled lawn mower so I don't think he'd have wanted to keep up with the pace I set for myself. Here's a photo of the waterfall:

After the hike I met up with the kids. They were long-boarding at Weber State University. Chelsea got one a few weeks ago and then Jake got one. Now several of their friends have them. Here is Chelsea:
Here is Jake:
Here are a couple of photos of the long-boarding crew:

A short post

2009-09-03T20:52:00.003-06:00

As you know school has started, for me and the kids. So it has been crazy around here. I started my internship at Weber Human Services and I am really enjoying it. The agency works with mostly Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill. All are on Medicaid. After working in a private practice last year it has been quite a change. I am also in graduate school but am relieve to find that it appears to be easier than undergraduate school. That's good because on top of my internship I am taking 18 credit hours.

Mike went to Indonesia and Malaysia for 3 weeks. I'm not a big fan of him being gone that long. He will be going to Las Vegas in October and I think that is all for the rest of this year. After the first of the year he will be traveling again. I'm not sure where but he loves to travel so I know he'll have a good time. Wish I could go with him!

Jake has settled in nicely here and is doing well. He had an accident with his long board but is healing. He is excited about his physics class and likes his beginning guitar class. He is preparing to try out for the Blue Knights, which is a professional drum corp.

Chelsea also wants to try out for the Blue Knights. I hope they both make it. Chelsea is enjoying school also. She has quite a few music related classes so that makes her happy. She was nominated for Homecoming Queen and had her picture taken today for that. So, here she is:
Gorgeous, isn't she! The game is on September 18th. She isn't too happy that she won't be able to play in the marching band at half time but she'll have other opportunities for that. Not many girls can say they were nominated to be the Queen!

Roy Days

2009-08-01T21:24:00.009-06:00

It was a long day today at Roy Days. We started out at the parade. I think one of
the best things about the parade is to watch the little kids pick up the candy. We were next to two little girls who were so cute.

Here is Eline with her friend Rachael enjoying the parade.

But of course the highlight of the parade was the Roy High Marching Band, AKA "The Pride of Roy".

Here is Chelsea:

Here is Jake:

Here they both are together. Good thing they are both on the drumline.

And this is what band kids do after a long, hot day!

Our family is growing!

2009-07-31T17:35:00.006-06:00

Of course you know that Mike and I each have one daughter, Harli (on the right), Chelsea (in the middle) and we have Eline (on the left) who is our Dutch daughter (she was our foreign exchange student for the 2007/08 school year).

Now we have a new addition to our family. Please welcome Jacob to the clan. Jake is 17 and a senior at Roy High. He is an "A" student who loves math and physics. He's been on his own for about a year. He is going to live with us for his senior year. He's a good kid who has had some tough times. Mike and I have decided that we have been very blessed and now we'll be blessed again by having Jake join our family. I know it won't all be a spring picnic, but we do know how it is to have a new teenager in the house, since we went through that with Eline. And it worked out so well that she is back visiting us for 5 weeks.

This is Eline and Jake playing "Chicken" in the pool the other day.

Chelsea, Eline, Jake and I are heading down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on Sunday. We will spend very little time there however because we are going to Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park as well.

We all really wish this amazing man could join us. But sadly he is out of the country, visiting Malaysia and Indonesia with his new job dealing with Foreign Military Sales. We'll miss him but he and I will certainly visit the Grand Canyon on our own sometime and get to spend more time, and hopefully get to go down into the canyon.

Garden

2009-07-29T20:40:00.008-06:00

Mike was in Europe when we really needed to rototill for a garden so we never got it done. That didn't stop us though. We bought some planters and started planting. So far we have jalapeno peppers, sweet green peppers, red peppers, yellow tomatoes and eggplants. We also have rosemary, basil and parsley. Here are some photos:

They look yummy don't they. They'll be so good once they ripen completely and we pick them.

Yes, we are still alive

2009-07-22T18:41:00.007-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since an update but here goes:

Chelsea and I went to Utah State University last month. We are both happy with the campus, the music programs, and the cost. The best part is that it's 50 miles away so Chelsea will get to have a traditional college experience, but it's close enough so she can come home on weekends if she wants. Looks like she'll be an Aggie next year.

We took Iain and Elias to the zoo and had a great time. They are my Godson's but I consider them my grandsons, since I (hopefully) won't have grandchildren of my own for many years. Elias love the map of the zoo and carried it everywhere.

Here I am with the two cutest little boys in the world.

Mike and I went to the Pat Benetar concert in Wendover last week. It was a good concert and brought back some great memories.

We celebrated our first anniversary on June 28th. We tasted the top of our wedding (cheese)cake but it was terrible! At least our marriage is good! :)

I've been home a couple of times because my dad has lung cancer. He needs to have surgery to remove the lesion and hopefully that will be all. Looks like he won't need chemo or radiation. He meets with the surgeon the first week in August. I was home this past weekend because my brother, Bruce, and my sister-in-law, Tammy celebrated their 25th Anniversary. It was a really nice party and I got to catch up with people I haven't seen in a long time.

I started graduate school last week. I took two "bridge" courses which make up for not having to take the first year of the master's program at University of Utah. I will start fall classes the end of August.

Mike heads off to Malaysia and Indonesia next week. He is looking forward to seeing new countries.

Eline came on Monday. I can't believe it's been a year since she went back home to the Netherlands. She isn't here with the exchange student program so now gets to go jet skiing, 4 wheeling and other things she wasn't allowed to do last year. She's here for 6 weeks and it feels almost like she never left. We love her so much. Having an exchange student was a great decision!

Back from PA

2009-06-23T11:16:00.012-06:00

We had a wonderful time in Pennsylvania! It is so beautiful and green there with trees everywhere. We got in to the Pittsburgh airport around 11:00 and drove to Mike's aunt and uncle's house. His Mapquest directions took us through some very rural areas and we eventually resorted to using the navigator on my phone.

On Friday we headed to Altoona, PA to see some friends of Mike's (and now friends to Chelsea and me as well). We went to have hot wings at Al's tavern. Yummy. We had so much fun with Joe and Terri and their daughter Brianna.

On Saturday we headed back to Indiana (the town, not the state!) and went to Pete and Dianne's 50th Anniversary. Mike had fun seeing his cousins, aunts and uncles and other relatives. They were all really nice but Chelsea and I didn't know anyone so it was a little boring for us.

We all took a nap later on Saturday and then just hung out with Uncle Bob and Aunt Laura. They are a lot of fun and just great people. Aunt Laura introduced Chelsea and me to Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry floats. Sounds bad, but it was actually pretty good.

On Sunday we headed to Pittsburgh and saw some sights. First we had lunch at Jerome Pettis' Grill. I didn't know who that was but Mike informed me it was some famous Pittsburgh sports person. The food was good and actually reasonably priced.

We headed over to Heinz Field where the Steelers play.

Then we walked along the river to the Carnegie Science Center. We saw lots of cool science things as well as a submarine they had on exhibit. That was fun but it was really geared towards kids below the age of 12.

We headed towards the airport but stopped at the IKEA furniture store to pick up some shelf brackets for Chelsea's room. We had purchased some about a month ago at the store in Draper, UT but needed two more. This saved us a drive down to Draper for just this.

We had plenty of time at the airport so Chelsea decided to look for a pin. She started collecting pins when we went to Europe in 2000. It's an easy and inexpensive way to remember where she's been. She also decided she was going to be a Steeler's fan. She said it was a good Father's Day gift for Mike. :) Of course that meant that she needed to get a Steelers T-shirt. After buying her and Mike more junk we waited for the plane. We had an uneventful trip home and got to our house around midnight. Both Mike and Chelsea had to get up early. Luckily I didn't have to get up for any particular reason.

When I did laundry yesterday I didn't realize that my Garmin Forerunner was in the pile of clothes so it got washed too. Lucky for me I'd seen my friend Carol's blog while the laundry was washing and found out that Costco had the Garmin 301's on sale. So I ordered one and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. In the meantime I ran today. After about 3 weeks of running sporadically and at low altitudes it was painfully obvious to me that I may very well come in last at the 5K I'm running with my friend Laura on July 4th. No matter, at least I'll be running!

Indiana, Pennsylvania

2009-06-17T17:54:00.000-06:00

No, we aren't going to Indiana, the state. We are going to Indiana, PA. It is a small town in Pennsylvania. Thanks for all the prayers. Mary

Finally, an update

2009-06-17T10:44:00.004-06:00

As some of you may know I have been rather busy lately and have been unable or unwilling to update my blog. But here goes:

About 3 weeks ago my nieces, Amanda and Jennifer came to visit. We had a great time going to Salt Lake City and hanging around in Ogden. This picture was taken at Rainbow Gardens which is a fun gift shop with a decent restaurant.

Not long after they left my mom called and said my dad was in the hospital with stomach problems and not to worry. Later that evening my sister called and told me the doctors thought Dad had cancer. So I decided I'd better head home to N. Idaho to get the real scoop and be there for my parents. We got the results on the 10th. Definitely lung cancer and most likely stomach cancer. After visiting several doctors we still are unsure about the stomach cancer because the biopsy showed only normal cells but the surgeon feels certain it is cancer based on the results of the CT scan. To be sure, Dad is having a PET scan later this week. That will also tell us if the cancer has spread to other areas.

The doctors say this cancer cannot be cured but can be treated. Dad will start chemotherapy after all the test results are back. In the meantime he has planed a boat trip on the Snake River with his sons, sons-in-law, brother and grandson for the end of this month.

I came home yesterday. I was so happy to see Chelsea, Mike and Scruffy. But my homecoming is short lived because we are leaving tomorrow to go to Indiana, PA for his aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary. We scheduled this before we found out about Dad so we are still going. It should be fun and I've never met any of Mike's relatives, besides Harli (she recently changed the spelling of her name, cute, huh?).

I will, however, be very glad to be home, hopefully for a while. Chelsea and I will be going back to Idaho for my younger brother's 25th anniversary in July and then I will be going back in August for my high school 30 year reunion. And in between all of that I start graduate school. Whew! I thought the summer was supposed to be relaxing. One highlight, though, will be on July 20th, when Eline comes from the Netherlands to visit for 5 weeks. We all miss that girl and really look forward to seeing her again.

Well that's all for now. I'm off to run errands so we'll be ready for our trip tomorrow.

It's about time...

2009-06-01T10:00:00.011-06:00

I updated my blog! I did get the not so subtle hints that I needed to update my blog. We've been busy people around here. Chelsea was busy finishing school. She lettered in band and also got a couple of awards for band and marching band. Here she is with her certificates:

Mike and I went to Panguitch and camped with some friends. We went to Bryce Canyon, where we saw some amazing scenery.

My nieces, Amanda and Jennifer, came to visit and we had lots of fun together. They are both in college, with Amanda finishing her teaching degree this fall and Jennifer just starting on her Social Work degree. What a smart girl! :) Well, actually both of them are. I am so proud of them. I am hoping they can come again soon!

Jennifer is on the left and Amanda is on the right. This was taken at Rainbow Gardens. We went to the Greenery for dinner and they had these cute benches outside.

I am running again. What an amazing experience to be able to run after all my ankle has been through the past 3 1/2 months. Today I ran 31 out of the 44 minutes I was out exercising. I walked the rest, but at a good pace. It won't be long before I'll be running all the time! I plan on running the Cherry Day's 5K on July 4th and the Jon Francis 5K on August 22nd. Maybe a few in between as well. Jon is the youth pastor from our church who died while hiking in the Sawtooth mountains several years ago. He had an amazing effect on Chelsea and on her spiritual growth. The money raised will go towards Luther Heights Bible Camp scholarships and the Jon Francis Foundation.

Mike is busy with work and will start his new job next week. He will be traveling all over the world with this job and he is very excited about it. I will miss him while he is gone, but am very glad that he finally has a job that he loves. Plus he'll probably bring home cool gifts! :)

I have totally slacked on keeping involved with my old internship location this summer. I only have 6 more weeks until I start classes for graduate school and then will get started on my new internship right after that. And I've really accomplished nothing so far except to read a lot and I actually scrapbooked one whole page! I am going through all my scrapbook stuff and getting rid of a lot that I know I won't ever use. I really can't justify buying anything new because I have nowhere to put it.

We didn't get an opportunity to get our garden rototilled this year so we have resorted to container gardening. We have two tomato plants, two sweet pepper and two hot pepper plants, an eggplant plant and parsley, basil and rosemary. Actually this way means a lot less problems with weeds and we won't have too much produce. But I really do hope to have a "real" garden next year.

Okay, that's all for today and I do really plan on trying a little harder to keep this updated. Have a great day!

It's Friday!

2009-05-15T10:49:00.003-06:00

Although today is Friday that fact doesn't mean as much now that I am on break from school and my internship. I had planned on getting so much done during this break but so far have accomplished very little. Yesterday I just couldn't get motivated to do anything other than go to physical therapy. I really have a hard time focusing to get done what I know I need to do. I have ADHD but can't take the medications available because they make me so mean that a few months ago I thought Chelsea and Mike were going to kick me out of the house. I tried a different medication but it had the same effect. Sadly it worked really well at helping me focus. Oh well, I eventually get done things that are really important, even if it is with seconds to spare!

Last night I was telling Mike I was depressed about how little I have accomplished in the past two weeks. He told me not to worry about it, to take it easy and to schedule a spa day. What an amazing husband! All that after he worked all day and then worked in the yard for 3 hours! I just love that guy!

I did accomplish one thing this past week. I cut out this vinyl saying and got it on the wall. We are going to frame a bunch of photos and put them on the wall surrounding the saying.

Uggh

2009-05-14T15:58:00.002-06:00

I am so tired of being less than able-bodied. I know I am making good progress, but the weather is nice and I want to run. The pin in my tibia is really bothering me. Both Mike and my physical therapist are suggesting I get it taken out. I am hesitant because I have pins and a plate on my fibula that also needs to come out but that can't happen until October. If I get the tibia pin out now that will mean two operations. I am going to see if I can get it out using local anesthesia. If that is possible then I will get it done.

I am depressed because I've gained about 10 lbs this winter. I am doing Julian Micheal's 30 Day Shred DVD workout to get some strength and cardio exercise. I am also going to add in some walking and short periods of running. My PT thinks I am ready as long as the pain in my tibia doesn't get too bad.

Tomorrow is the expo for the Ogden Marathon, which is on Saturday. I was training for a relay for this race when I broke my ankle. I will be glad when the race is over so I won't have that to remind me of my stupidity. I plan on running it next year, however, just to make myself feel better. Not the whole marathon, but just a leg of a relay team.

I haven't accomplished much since school got out but really need to focus more on my task list. I feel guilty when Mike comes home from work and I've done nothing all day.

Last night we went to see the new Star Trek movie. It was surprisingly very good. I am not a Star Trek fan but went because Mike really wanted to see it. I figured I owed him since he went to see Mama Mia with me and watched Twilight with Chelsea and me. I was glad it turned out to be such a good movie.

Tonight I am actually going to scrapbook. I printed off about 300 photos from the past two years and am going to sit down while the Grey's Anatomy season finale is on and actually complete at least one two page layout. I think I have just been scared to get started again because it has been so long. Well, here I go!

Graduation

2009-05-09T08:45:00.007-06:00

Here I am with my diploma, finally! It was such a great day! My mom and dad came:

My parents instilled in me the necessity of getting an education. They have always supported and encouraged me. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you've done for me over the years. I wouldn't be the person I am today without you!

This not-so-little girl helped me get through school as well. She is such a good kid that I really never had to spend a lot of time worrying about her. She has really been helpful to me when I've been busy with homework, stressed about tests and worried about being successful. I love this girl!

And here is the love of my life. Mike has encouraged me so much the last two years. And for the last year he has worked to support our family and has never once complained about the fact that I don't have a paying job. He has encouraged me to take the summer off before graduate school and even told me not to rush to get a job after I finish next year! He rarely complained about all the papers everywhere, the textbooks on the counter and the endless hours I spent in front of the computer. He always had faith that I would get into graduate school, even when I had serious doubt. He's always there for me and I love him so much.

My friends, Candy and Laura came to support me as well. I can't tell you how many times over the years I've called Candy to pick up or take Chelsea somewhere or to do something for me. And Laura, well, she's my best friend. She knows everything about me and I know I can always call her to talk about anything. She's been a big cheerleader for me and I just look forward to growing old with her.

Tonight I am having a party with some of the people I graduated with. I hope we will stay in touch after graduation, but we'll see. I know how that goes.

Lots of news

2009-04-26T20:30:00.007-06:00

Chelsea and I went to her Winterguard dinner. For those of you who don't know, Winterguard is a drumline which competes in the winter. You can watch them here. Chelsea is on the smallest bass drum. They finished 2nd in Utah!

Here is the whole gang!

This is a really bad picture of Laura, me and Carol. We meet about once a month for coffee. We now have to be aware of the time because I almost missed a doctors appointment the first time we had coffee!

This is the most recent x-ray of my ankle. No fractures! The screws and plate will come out in about 6 months. The doc says taking these out causes a blood bath so it has to be done in the operating room. Sounds like fun to me. Once I get them out I'll be on crutches for a week and then I'll have to take it easy for about a month. Taking it easy means not running on the road and not jumping off a cliff, according to the surgeon. Guess I'll have to run on a treadmill for a while after the surgery.

This is my dog, Scruffy. Mike got up about 5:00 and Scruffy got up a little while later. Mike decided it was cold so he covered the dog up. Speaking of Mike, he went to sleep last night (Saturday) around 10:00, woke up at 5:00 am. Then went back to bed around 8:00. He's been in bed since then and it is now almost 9:00 pm. He'll be sorry tomorrow!

School's out for the summer!

2009-04-21T07:41:00.007-06:00

Can you believe how thick this is? It is my Capstone paper that I have been writing for the past 3 semesters. It is the final paper for senior Social Work major's at Weber State University. It's about 3/4" thick. I am so glad it is done, and actually amazed that I accomplished it. Thank goodness it's over!

Here is the front cover. As you can see, it is so thick it has to be bound!

Yesterday was the last day at my field placement agency. It was a sad day for me. I really love working there and actually hope to go back after I get my master's degree. The owner gave me a really nice jacket with the agency logo on it. I am actually the only one with this jacket! She said that now I will have to come back because I'll be wearing this all the time! Too bad it's getting warm out so I won't have a chance to wear it, unless of course it gets cold again, which it just might!

Chelsea got a Royal Respect pin from school yesterday for having at least a 3.0 GPA and no attendance loss (which means no unexcused absences). We are so proud of her!

My ankle is healing nicely and I am now able to use the elliptical trainer at the gym. In fact, I am on my way there now. After that I am going to physical therapy where I will get to "run" in the pool! I am so excited. I am walking without my boot and if you don't look closely you can't really tell that I have a slight limp. I'm working hard to get rid of that! There is some pain with all this but nothing worth complaining about. At least I am walking. And I know it won't be too long before I am running again!

Chelsea is home, and bearing gifts!

2009-04-16T09:18:00.015-06:00

Chelsea was really glad to get home, even though she had a great time in Rome and Greece. She got to see the Pope in Rome and got to run on the original Olympic track in Olympia. We bought her a cheap video camera before she left. It was a great investment! The videos turned out really well and she had a great time recording her adventures.

Chelsea brought home some gifts and here they are:

This is a coral necklace she bought for me. It's even my favorite color!

This is a beautiful Murano glass dish. The colors are amazing.

She also got me this cute apron. She knows I love aprons and I love wine. What a smart girl!

We always get a Christmas ornament from our travels. We already have one from Rome, so Chelsea picked up this hand painted one from Greece.

Chelsea got Mike a t-shirt from the Hard Rock Cafe in Athens. He loves Rock n' Roll and dragons so this will be perfect for him. She also got him a coffee mug from Greece. Mike used to live in Greece so I know he will really enjoy these reminders.

Chelsea got Harley this t-shirt from Italy. It is her favorite color so I know she'll love it. We'll get this in the mail this weekend.

I am so glad to have my baby home! Mike called this morning from England. It was really nice to hear his voice. It will be nice to have my whole family back together. Only 10 more days until he gets home. In the meantime I am busy finishing all of my papers for school. I've registered for graduate school and am looking forward to getting done with that next year and going to work. Of course, when the time comes I probably won't want to go back to work. I sure do enjoy these quiet mornings. I intentionally get up early so I have time to read my email, read the paper and check out Facebook. I love not having to rush, even if it means I miss out on an hour of sleep!

My parents are visiting

2009-04-11T09:30:00.003-06:00

My mom and dad are here for the weekend. They spend the winter in Arizona in their RV and got back to N. Idaho when the weather gets better. I hope it is nicer there than here, although today is a pretty nice day. They love to go out on their 4 wheelers. They put 1200 miles on their machines in the 4 months. They are definitely enjoying their retirement.

Chelsea is in Europe. She was in Rome and saw the Pope in St. Peter's Square. It is Holy Week so that was good timing. She is now in Greece and and got to go to Olympia, site of the first Olympics. Chelsea is crazy about anything to do with the Olympics so this was really amazing to her.

Mike leaves in a few hours to go to England and Germany for two weeks for work. It doesn't seem quite fair that I am the only one who has to stay home. If it weren't for school I would be going with Mike, but I have too much to do.

My ankle is healing quite well and I am walking without my boot at home. I am going to physical therapy twice a week and my therapist is surprised at how well I am doing. I am so determined to run again soon that I am doing everything I'm told. You can see in the photo below that I still have some swelling. The two spots near the top of my foot are from fracture blisters. I still have the pins and plate in foot, but they are now bothering me when I try to bend my ankle. I have an appointment on April 24th to see the surgeon and I am hoping at that time I'll get to get rid of my boot completely and will be able to schedule surgery to get the hardware out. That will mean a few more days of crutches, but then I should be well on my way to healing.

Concerts

2009-04-02T09:00:00.006-06:00

Chelsea and I went to see the David Archuleta at the E-Center. There were two other people who opened for him. They weren't too bad. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to say we saw them before they were famous! The audience was made up of screaming girls and older women. It was absolutely crazy! I think I might have been the only person there who didn't know any of his songs. I spent most of the time entertaining (or irritating) friends by updating my Facebook status every couple of minutes. It was nice to have some mother/daughter time though it was a late night for both of us.

The next night we went to the Genesis Project and watched a band called Rough Draft. There were really good. Chelsea has been playing their music since she first saw them at Winterfest in Estes Park, CO. She has such a crush on Pedro, the drummer. He seemed like a nice boy. She was absolutely thrilled when the band dedicated a song to her and her friend. I left before it was over because my ears were fried. When Chelsea came home she was so excited because Pedro had given her one of his drumsticks. She also got a signed poster and sat with the band after the concert. There was an improv so they all listened together. Luckily Pedro is long gone. He's 19 and even Chelsea said he is too old for her now, but in a couple of years that won't be true. Hmm. I so remember these kinds of crushes.

Here is a photo of Pedro and Chelsea. I think they look like they could be brother and sister but of course Chelsea says it's just the glasses that makes them look similar. They are cute together. :)

Well, concerts aren't just for kids. Earlier in the week my friend Carol brought up the Elton John/Billy Joel concert which is happening in November. I didn't think Mike would want to go, but I asked he said he definitely wanted to go. So Carol and her husband spent the morning getting us tickets. Sadly, we have to mortgage our house to afford the tickets, but that's the way it goes. It is a 3 hour concert with just them, playing all of their best tunes, alone and together. It will be wonderful I'm sure. I copied the picture below off of Carol's Facebook page. We both attend Ascension Lutheran Church, although not the one in the photo. Can you tell Carol is excited?! Well so am I, I just can't believe we have to wait until November to go! In the meantime I think we'll be going to see Pat Benetar in Wendover in July. That should hold us over for awhile, and it is a fraction of the cost of the EJ/BJ concert! (Thanks, Laura for coming up with the abreviated name!)

Junior Prom

2009-03-22T20:05:00.005-06:00

Hanging out in the afternoon. All the kids came over and we had a barbeque for them.

Isn't she beautiful!?

Emelia, Lydia, Somer, Chelsea and Emerald

Mason, Kevin, Devon, Tyler and Nate

Tyler and Chelsea

All the kids came over and spent the afternoon at our house. About 6:00 the guys left and the girls started getting ready. The guys came back around 7:30, but of course the girls weren't ready until after 8:00. They were all beautiful. With the exception of Emelia and Mason, they weren't really on dates. These kids all hang around together and decided to go to the prom, but just as friends. I think this was really nice because there was no dating pressure. It didn't change their desire to look great. What you can't see is that Chelsea was wearing a pair of Converse tennis shoes under her dress. That's just like her. All of the kids said they had a great time and they are all hanging out together again tonight.

I can walk!

2009-03-20T14:40:00.002-06:00

This is my new boot! I went to see the surgeon today and he was very surprised at how well I was healing. He was also very surprised that my cast had not been walked on. So now I have this beautiful boot! I don't have to wear it to bed and I can even take a bath! My foot looks really gross but I am going to scrub it up, put on some lotion and hopefully it will look better. In two weeks I can start walking around the house for a couple of hours with no boot! I start physical therapy on Wednesday! I am just soooo excited. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. When I had my surgery the doctor said I could think about running again in 6 months. Today he said, if all goes well, I can start jogging in two months! My prayers were definitely answered today!

Cast

2009-03-20T09:36:00.002-06:00

I go in today to have my ankle x-rayed. I have been really hoping to get a walking cast today. It has been 5 weeks since I broke my ankle. I have been counting down the days and telling Mike that I am sure I am getting a walking cast. I have begun to figure out how to do things like laundry, but it just takes so long. I still have a hard time with groceries. Luckily we have a fridge in the garage that is very close to my car so I can get things in there that need to be frozen or refrigerated until either Mike or Chelsea come home.

I love the warm weather but again, it is hard to be out enjoying it on crutches or even on my knee scooter. I am so looking forward to the day when I can take my dog for a walk.

Yesterday I went to Home Depot to get some blinds for Chelsea's new rooms and bathroom. I got the best service I have ever gotten at Home Depot, and the best service I have gotten anywhere since I broke my leg. I mentioned this to one of the employees and they said they have recommitted themselves to excellant customer service since the economy has gone bad. They said they are happy for all the customers and want them to come back. It worked for me.

On the other extreme was when I stopped at Wal-Mart. That shouldn't be a surprise. The woman at the front acted like I was asking her for money when I asked if I could use a motorized scooter. Now I know I don't look as old or as heavy as most people who use those scooters, but it is very hard to get around that store on crutches and you really cannot push a cart while using a knee scooter. But what do you expect from a store that doesn't pay it's employees a living wage. I guess I'd be unhappy too if I had to work there.

Scruffy goes in today to get his thyroid checked. He's been on meds for about 1.5 months and I think he looks like he's lost some weight. So we'll see.

Last night we had family movie night and watched Eagle Eye. It was a really good movie. It's nice to be able to find movies that a man, woman and teenage girl will all like. Luckily Chelsea likes action/adventure movies, and Mike has been known to watch an occasional "chick flick".

I guess I need to get busy and get some stuff done today so I can feel productive!

Joy in the Journey

2009-03-14T15:34:00.004-06:00

Find Joy in the Journey

I made this vinyl wall art on my Silhouette cutting machine. If you can't tell that is a dandelion. I think it turned out pretty good. It is on the wall at the bottom of the stairs in the basement.

Last night Mike went to the Genesis Project with Chelsea and me. The GP is a Christian church that is very, very casual and plays very contemporary Christian music. I was sort of surprised that Mike went since he's not a Christian and doesn't do church. But one of his friends, and Chelsea, asked him to go so he went and seemed to have a good time. He is a music lover and the music is very good. Today he went and helped rearrange the seating. Hmm.

I have been reading Eat,Pray, Love. I am really enjoying it and am about 2/3 of the way done. Yesterday one of my neighbors, who I occasionally talked to when I was out running, came to see how I was doing. She said that the lady who rescued me when I broke my ankle was in her book club (and in her ward). I told her I wanted to join a book club so she invited me to hers. I'll probably be the only non-LDS woman there, but I don't care. The book we are reading is "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. It is a spiritual book on awakening a new "you". Eat,Pray, Love has a similar message, not really advice or a how to, but really an example of how to find enlightenment, which is a Zen sort of experience or even self-actualization which is based on Maslow's theory of hierarchy. I don't really know how to explain it but both books are not based on any specific religious teaching or even encourages any specific religion. Maybe God is talking to me and telling me to pay more attention and to deepen my faith. Maybe this is part of a journey I am on. I am ready for this and am looking forward to reading "A New Earth". I need to get busy because the book club meets on March 24th and it doesn't appear to be an easy read.

I also have plenty of school work to keep me busy so I had probably get busy right now on that.

The Dress

2009-03-12T07:44:00.003-06:00

This is the dress!

This is the dress Chelsea decided to get for the prom. She looks so beautiful and can you believe that small waist! Yes the dress is orange, which happens to be Chelsea's favorite color. The only problem with this dress is it needs to be hemmed. Now I do have some very basic sewing skills but hemming a beautiful prom dress is not something I can do. Anyone know where I can get this hemmed without paying as much as I paid for the dress?!!

In 8 days I go back to the doctor to get my ankle x-rayed. I have been telling everyone that I will be getting a walking cast on that day. It will be 5 weeks since I broke my ankle so it may not happen, but you just never know. I have been very good and have not put any weight on it so it just could happen. Then I can start doing physical therapy in a pool. The clinic where I go for Phy. therapy has a small pool and they have all the floaty things to be able to "run" in the water. Sounds good to me!

I've been enjoying my spring break but haven't gotten half the stuff done I planned on doing. I haven't slept in late, it's just that it takes me much longer than most to get were I need to be so sometimes I just decide not to bother. I am getting around pretty well now that my shoulder is almost healed, and my elbow is about healed also. See, my ankle is probably following suit so it doesn't feel left out and I'll be walking/running in no time! How's that for the power of positive thinking?

New Phone

2009-03-09T12:33:00.003-06:00

I wanted to get an iPhone but didn't want to be on AT&T so I decided to go with a cute little LG Dare, which has a touch screen and lots of other features. I really like it and I am now on the same network as the rest of the family (Verizon). I've been playing with it all weekend. One of the cool things is that I can upload pictures to my computer using Bluetooth technology. Very fast and easy. In fact, here is a picture I took of Chelsea yesterday while we were out looking for dresses for the Junior Prom:

Isn't she beautiful?

Before we started looking for dresses we stopped at the Sephora store in JCPenney and bought her some makeup. She has not worn makeup so this was fun for her. We bought tinted moisturizer, blush and mascara. It looks very natural on her and just highlights her natural beauty.

She is going to the prom with a whole group of kids. They are all friends and have spent a lot of time hanging out at our house the last year or so. None of them are dating so it won't be a big romantic date, but should be lots of fun.

It is snowing out again today. I hate it! It is hard to get around with a broken ankle. It is slippery so neither the crutches nor the scooter feel very safe. I had to go out this morning and again this evening but tonight Mike will be with me so he can drive and help me get around.

We are supposed to be getting new carpet in the new rooms in the basement today. They said the installers would be here between 11 and 1:00. They have 10 minutes to get here! I hate waiting for people, but it seems that the businesses are in control and there is nothing you can do about it but wait. And of course if they don't show up on time you just have to keep waiting. :(

If it's not one thing it's another

2009-03-03T07:28:00.002-07:00

Chelsea had her wisdom teeth out on Friday. Everything seemed to be going well until Sunday afternoon. She became weak, tired, light-headed, nauseous and her swelling just did not go down. She stayed home from school but didn't feel any better by the time I got home in the evening. I called the oral surgeon who said he thought it might be the flu. I took her to the doctor who felt it was definitely because of the removal of her teeth. So he gave her some medication to help with nausea and the swelling. We will be going back to the oral surgeon late today. He's in surgery at the hospital all day so he won't be available until after 4:00. Chelsea will stay home from school again today. It is going to suck for her to to make up all the work but it sucks worse to feel like she does.

Just shoot me and put me out of my misery!

2009-02-28T11:05:00.002-07:00

Last Friday at the HS basketball game I jammed my shoulder with my crutch while trying to get into the bleachers. It has been getting worse and worse as each day goes by. I went to the doctor yesterday and he thinks I either strained or tore my rotator cuff. I am supposed to stay off my crutches as much as possible. Anyone have a wheel chair I can borrow? :(

But I did get some good news. I went for my dexa scan and my bone density is actually improving according to the test. My surgeon said I had the bones of a 70 year old woman, which is contradictory to the test. Who do I believe? I'll talk to my doctor and see what he thinks. The dexa scan is supposed to be pretty reliable, but an eye witness (the ortho surgeon) is pretty reliable also. So we'll see on that, although I choose to believe I am okay in that arena. I do need some good news don't I?

Chelsea had her wisdom teeth out yesterday. Hopefully this will resolve her ear pain issue. The ENT couldn't find anything wrong with her ears, she had an MRI to rule out TMJ problems (the same day I broke my ankle) and the only thing the oral surgeon could see was her wisdom teeth pushing against her jaw bone. In any case she had to have them out at some point, so its done. The surgeon sent her flowers today. Why didn't my surgeon send me any? :)

Speaking of surgery, I got the hospital bill for my two day stay, including surgery. It was over $17400! And that does not include the surgeon's bill. Glad I have such great insurance and will only have to pay $35 for the hospital stay and only $12 for the surgeon.

I must say that Mike has been wonderful. He already does most of the house cleaning because he's a cleaning fanatic, but now he does laundry, cooking and grocery shopping. He won't let me do anything. It will get old after awhile, but I am enjoying it for now!

Well, I really have to finish a paper that is due on Monday. It's only 10 pages so why does it seem so hard??

Roy High Drumline 2009

2009-02-26T08:40:00.005-07:00

Chelsea's high school drumline won their competition last Saturday. It's the second time they've won first place. I tried to upload the video I took to both my blog and youtube, but for some reason its not working. :( They are so awesome! They perform songs from AC/DC.

It is amazing to me how hard these kids work. They practice every Saturday for 4 hours and then often in the mornings before school. I never had that kind of dedication as a teenager! I am so proud of my beautiful, talented daughter. If you don't know, Chelsea is the one on the far left, with the smallest bass drum.

If anyone can give me hints on how to upload my video email me at mjwaddell1@gmail.com. I have uploaded before to youtube, but now it just looks like it's loading, for hours and still nothing.

I am off to the hospital for a dexa scan to see how bad my osteoporosis is, then to school . I get my hair colored this afternoon. I am really glad because th grey is really showing. I had an appt. two weeks ago, but unfortunately I was in the hospital! Then later this afternoon I am going to physical therapy for my elbow. And Mike will be home later! I am looking forward to having him back where he belongs! :)

Church

2009-02-25T08:40:00.002-07:00

I am very disappointed in my church. I have been a member since 1994. My daughter was confirmed there, I was on the council for 4 years, with the last as president, I was married there. I have had two surgeries in the past 3 weeks. I didn't get so much as a card from my church. No calls from the pastor (until the other day, and only because a friend called the church office and mentioned it), no offers of meals, nothing. I have to say that my feelings are hurt. I am on the card ministry team and I delivered meals for two years to a family, as well as occasional meals to other families. With Mike out of town it might have been nice to get a meal. But it is too late for that. No one should have to ask their church for help, it should be offered, especially when there are specific ministries just for that purpose. Perhaps my outspoken request for a youth pastor and more contemporary music has alienated me from the church leadership. Chelsea has chosen to attend another church because of the our church's lack of youth ministry and very old, traditional music. Heck, "Shout to the Lord" is about the most contemporary song our church uses and it was written 16 years ago! I don't know what I am going to do. I had committed myself to continue with this church in hopes that the new pastor would change things up a bit. But I guess the message I got the last several weeks was that my church doesn't really care if I go. Other than my duties as worship assistant team leader I probably could just quit and only two families would notice. I know it sounds like I'm having a pity party, and I probably am. I am thankful to Bob and Carol, Laura and Michelle who would care about me no matter where I worshiped. If I leave those would be the people I'd miss. We'll see.

Life on one leg

2009-02-17T19:43:00.004-07:00

I have never had so much sympathy for handicapped people as I have had since I became temporarily handicapped. I've discovered that handicapped parking spaces aren't necessarily better than others because the snow/ice isn't always as clear. Lots of snow and ice come from the sidewalks and from melting off the roofs and HC parking is usually the nearest to the building. Also, many exterior doors are very heavy and hard to open when you are on crutches. Just getting around the house is a pain. I have a friend with spina bifida and she has been on crutches her whole life and somehow she manages to get a drink from one room to another without spilling the whole thing!

I went to see my doctor yesterday about my old bones. He took some blood to check my calcium and Vitamin D levels, ordered a bone density test and talked to me about a medication that actually helps restore bone mass. Unfortunately it only comes in the form of daily shots. :( I am hoping the bone density test comes out good but an eyewitness is probably better. I am scared now about breaking another bone, especially being on crutches in the winter.

I went with Chelsea to an oral surgery appt. She has had ear pain for several months now. The ENT couldn't find anything wrong with her ears so thought it might be a jaw problem. She had an MRI and everything looked good. The oral surgeon pointed out that her top wisdom teeth were coming in and could be pushing on her jaw bone. So she is having all of her wisdom teeth removed at the end of the month.

Chelsea spent the weekend at a Christian youth gathering at Estes Park, Colorado. She just loved it and now plans on attending church at The Genesis Project, which is a very contempory church. I told her I would attend with her a couple times each month. I really just wish our church offered any type of activity for teenagers.
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Tomorrow I am going to spend the day working on homework. I've fallen a little behind but I know if I concentrate I can catch up in a day.

2009-02-13T10:21:00.003-07:00

This is what my surgery looks like! This isn't actually my leg, but looks just like the xray the surgeon showed me! This matches my plate and screws in my cervical spine! They were advertising titanium jewelry on TV last night and I told Mike I didn't need any because I have plenty of titanium with me at all times. :)

I'm home!!

2009-02-13T09:22:00.002-07:00

Yesterday morning I was still really nauseous so they delayed my surgery until 11:00. Which sucked because I really wanted some water! The nausea medication they were giving me didn't seem to work so they gave me some Reglan intraveneously. I immediately couldn't breath. What a scary feeling. Mike called the nurses and they hooked up oxygen. As quickly as it came on it left. It took about 10 minutes to get my breathing back to normal but I was okay after that. Come to find out breathing problems is one of the rare but significant side effects. Needless to say I won't be having that again!

The surgery went well. I have several screws and a plate in my foot. The bad news is that the doctor says I have the bones of a 70 year old. I was diagnosed with osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, about 3 years ago. Guess the Boniva and calcium supplements aren't working. I need to go in and have another bone density test done soon and see what else I can do. Obviously I have full blown osteoporosis now. It does run in my mother's side of the family so I'm not surprised. I was just hoping the early intervention would prevent it from going that far.

I'm home now and doing okay. The meds are working and I am taking it easy. Chelsea is on her way to Colorado for a Christian youth gathering at Estes Park and Mike is at work. I can't wait to take a shower later today, when he gets home. Well, I am just going to watch a DVD and relax for now.

Update

2009-02-11T20:44:00.002-07:00

Mike got offered an awesome job in Tucson. It is an exciting job involving traveling all over the world and the pay is quite a bit more than he makes now. Of course, the downside is that Chelsea will be a senior next year and I start graduate school this summer so moving for us girls is really not an option. I told Mike that if he really thought moving to Tucson was what he wanted to do I'd support him and do everything I could to make our marriage work. After consulting with a friend I told him why I didn't think it was the best idea for us, but the decision was his. He decided to turn down the job and is pursuing some other options locally. I saw the job description and I know this is a dream job for him. I told him that once my education is done and Chelsea goes to college I will be willing to move so he can pursue his dream. I am really not excited about Tucson, because it is sooooo hot, but he is sacrificing for me now so I owe him. And who knows what can happen between now and then.

And now for the exciting, and painful news. I decided to go running today and ended up slipping on a small patch of black ice. The toe of my shoe hit the dry pavement and that stopped my fall, for a second. Then my foot bent all the way back until I heard a sickening snap. Unfortunately I was alone and there was no one else in sight. I sat on the wet ground crying and yelling for someone to help me. I waited for what seemed like10 minutes. I was getting ready to use my cell phone and call 911 when another runner came by. I was only a block from home so he helped me up and I tried to hop on one foot but the pain was unbearable so he sat me back down. He was going to run a half mile to his house and get his car. Luckily a woman came by and drove me home and Mike came and took me to the hospital. Oh my gosh, the pain was horrible! They gave me two pain shots within an hour. I broke three bones in my left ankle. Just like me to be an overachiever, as Mike said! So here I lay, at the hospital waiting for surgery tomorrow. No running for 6 months. I can't do anything for a week, then I'll get a cast. Then a few weeks later a walking cast. And I get a handicapped parking sign. Not so great but at least it will help me get around easier. And thank goodness for my new netbook computer. It's what I'm using now and I love it! Well, I am going to watch Grey's Anatomy on my computer then try to get some sleep. Keep me in your prayers!

New Toy!

2009-02-06T08:43:00.002-07:00

I'm on the train on my way to the University. I'm playing with my new toy: an Acer Aspire One netbook. It's way smaller than my laptop, more the size of a portable dvd player. I LOVE it! I can get on the internet using the wi-fi on the train and it is so lightweight! It only weighs about 3 lbs. I bought it because I am going to be going to SLC at least 2 and possibly 5 days a week starting this summer for graduate school and with my neck problems I can't carry my laptop in a backpack every day. This way I can use commuting time to do homework, which is what I should be doing now! :)

It is raining out so I am getting to experience the joy of using public transportation in bad weather! I was going to drive today but I wanted to try out my new toy and also see if I could stand traveling in bad weather. Since I'll be spending 12 months doing this I need to see if I should just drive on days like this, although these days are when the freeway gets bogged down because of accidents so who knows which is the better way.

Well, I need to get some homework done so I'm going to sign off now!

Stuff

2009-02-03T18:47:00.003-07:00

I was just looking at previous posts and see that I didn't say anything about poor Scruffy, our dog. He was paralyzed last August due to a herniated disk. Fortunately the great people at North Ogden Animal Hospital were able to restore the feeling and he was walking again in 2 days! Last week he started showing some of the same symptoms: moved slowly, wouldn't jump up on the couch, cried when Mike tried to brush him, etc. When I came home on Wed. Mike said he took Scruffy for a walk and he didn't seem like himself. When I first saw him he was shaking like a leaf. I call the vet right away but was sure I would have to wait until the next day because it was after 5. They not only answered but told me to bring him in right away. They again diagnosed a herniated disk but this time it wasn't as bad because we caught it early enough. He's doing much better with his meds. While there I mentioned he's gained a lot of weight and has been lethargic. They did some blood work and found that he has an under active thyroid, so now he's going to be on thyroid medicine for the rest of his life. The extra weight probably is a big reason for his back problems so hopefully once we get some of this weight off he won't have so many problems.

Last week I got a call from a woman I worked with at the Homeless Veterans Fellowship who asked me to be part of a relay team for the Ogden Marathon in May. I'll only run about 5 miles out of the 26.2 mile race, but it should be fun and gives me a goal to work towards. Now I just need my arm to heal so I can start running again.

On Thursday and Friday I am going to the U to the practicum fair. I need to decide where I'd like to do my internship next year. I don't actually get to make the choice but I get to list some options.

I still have loads of homework to do so I should probably get on it!

Surgery

2009-02-01T11:42:00.002-07:00

My surgery went well and for the first time I wasn't sick the rest of the day. I need to find out what the anesthesiologist used to keep me from throwing up. The pain is bearable and I've only taken one percoset. The worst thing is not being able to shower. My arm is all bandaged up and I can't get it wet, so I've just had to wash with a washcloth. I may ask Chelsea to wash my hair later today.

I can still type relatively well although my arm gets sore because it is in an awkward position. I have lots of homework to do so I guess I should save my energy for that.

Update

2009-01-28T08:40:00.002-07:00

Last Sunday I went to my church and then went to another church that Chelsea and I had talked about going to for awhile. My church doesn't provide any sort of programs for high school kids and this has been an issue for several years, since our youth pastor died.

The new church is called The Genisis Project. It is so completely different from our traditional Lutheran church. It is in a big warehouse that has been converted to meet the needs of the church. When I first walked in I noticed that it was pretty dark and there was loud, contemporary Christian music playing. I'm a big fan of contemporary Christian so I liked that. Chelsea and her friend took me to another part of the building to get drinks and a snack. Now in my church that's brewed coffee and whatever treats someone decided to bring to church. Not at GP! They have a full up coffee shop with lattes, steamers, hot chocolate and baked goods. Of course, you have to pay for it, whereas at my church what we have is free, albiet not so enticing (unless someone bakes something and brings it in, then it's great!). I got a latte which I didn't really care for. It had too much espresso and not enough steamed milk, but I didn't get a chance to drink much of it anyway because most of the service we were standing and singing. Yes, you take your food and drink to church!

The church is set up theater style with chairs in a semi-circle facing the front which has a big screen and a band. We sang several songs, then we had communion which consisted of teeny crackers cut into squares and some juice. Now I was not impressed with communion. In my church communion is the highlight of the service and we have a liturgy just for communion. I'd say it is a very big deal in my church and at GP it seemed almost like an afterthought. The sermon was really good but long, about 35 minutes. Then there was a couple of videos, one with announcements and one about a pregnancy care center. Then more songs and it was done. I really liked the music, which is a big complaint at my church. We have way more old hymns than we have contemporary music. Now this makes the older people happy, but there are few younger families at my church and I fear it will die out because they don't cater to young people or their families.

I do think I may move to another church sometime because it just isn't as meaningful to me as it used to be. Funny how it was more contemporary when I first started attending in 1994 than it is now. I don't think GP is the church for me but I told Chelsea that she's old enough to decide on her own where she wants to go. She's the only kid I know who is taking on-line classes during the summer so she can take Bible study in High School next year. (Not offered by the school, but as an alternative to LDS Seminary, it's offered by the Wasatch Evangelical Free Church).

Okay enough about that! Our basement is coming along fine. Chelsea is going to be one happy girl when it gets finished! Our bank account is another story. After buying the truck and getting this done we will have to go on a spending moratorium for a while!

I have to have surgery on my right elbow again and the doctor's office called and said they have an opening this Friday. So I took it. I was going to wait until spring break but it does bother me a lot, especially when sleeping, so I'm just going to get 'er done! I have cubital tunnel, which is like carpal tunnel of the elbow. My funny bone nerve is alway stimulated which, as you can imagine, is very irritating. The only way to relieve it is to hold my arm perfectly straight, which is difficult while sleeping. The first surgery was done by an orthopedic surgeon. This time it's being done by a plastic surgeon who specializes in hands and arms. When I go in for my pre-op today I'll ask if I can get a complementary face lift while I'm there! :)

Well, since my hand isn't going to be of much use to me soon I guess I'd better get to writing my papers now!

It's raining, it's pouring.....

2009-01-24T11:34:00.002-07:00

Thank goodness for the rain! The smog is starting to leave us. Last night it was so bad that we were fogged in! Pretty good trick when we live in the desert and have no humidity. What little moisture there was clung to the particulates in the air and pretended to be fog instead of gross, thick, stinking air.

Yesterday I took Chelsea to get her eye exam. I called Mt. Ogden Eye Center for an appointment and told them I needed a glasses and contact prescription for her. When we checked in they asked for the $12 co-pay, which I paid. The technician took us to a room, checked Chelsea's eyes and asked us if we needed a glasses prescription. I told her we needed both glasses and contacts. The doctor came in, asked Chelsea is the lenses the tech set up worked for her. Chelsea said they did. He looked into her eyes, then asked if we needed a prescription for glasses. I again said we needed one for glasses and contacts. He took her chart, handed to the tech and said we needed to go see the optician. I explained that we weren't intending to buy from them (we get ours at Costco). She took us to the optician who announced that to get a contact prescription we would have to pay an extra $75. Now this pissed me right off! There was never any mention of an extra fee for the contact lense prescription at any point until after the exam. I told the optician that I could have gotten the whole thing done at Costco for $80, only went to Mt. Ogden because that is where our insurance pays. So we left, never to return to Mt. Ogden Eye Center again, and went to Costco, where we ordered glasses and paid $40 to get a contact lense prescription. The doc there didn't charge us for the full eye exam since we'd just had one. Next time I'll go to Costco, where they have their prices clearly displayed, pay for the exam and submit the claim to my insurance and see what happens.

Yesterday Mike and I were looking at the paper and saw that the Utah Symphany Orchestra is going to play at WSU. The them is how music is composed. Since Chelsea is a music nut and wants to become a music teacher we thought this would be good to take her to. Unfortunately I have class that night so Mike said he'd take her. When I talked to Chelsea she was all for it. So, this will be their real first father/daughter outing. I don't know why I'm so excited about it, I don't even get to go!

Last night we all went out to Olive Garden for dinner. Then Chelsea went off to her high school basketball game. They were playing their rival and won! Mike and I had a quiet evening at home watching "I am Legend" with Will Smith. Mike didn't really care for the movie, but I liked it. Especially the scene where Will Smith is doing pull-ups, showing off his amazing arm and shoulder muscles. Best part of the movie, in my opinion! :)

Well, I need to head to the store. We are having salmon for dinner (from Costco) and I need to pick up a few things. So I'm out of here!

The smog!

2009-01-22T17:12:00.002-07:00

Oh my gosh, the smog is so bad it is affecting my sinuses and I have a sore throat. Right now the Wasatch Front has the worst air quality in the country. I am definitely not running outside until it clears out!

The work on the basement continues. It is so noisy with the nail gun, hammers, saws, etc. At least they usually quit by 8:00.

I am starting to consider where I'd like to do my internship during my master's program. One of my professors strongly recommends the children's hospital here, but I am not that excited about commuting everyday. But, if it is a great placement and will help me learn what I want and need to learn I guess I can do it. Besides, I could take the train and light rail right to the hospital. That would save me some money since university students get to ride free.

We went to get Chelsea's passport today. She is going to Greece and Italy in April with students and a teacher from her school. Mike will also be going to Europe, but I'm not sure of the date, but also in April. And here I'll be, all alone.

I am so excited!

2009-01-19T20:35:00.002-07:00

I have never been so excited about a new President! I don't know if I am just so tired of what has happened in the last several years or if I am so excited that this President has helped me to believe that my own daughter, who is 1/2 white, 1/4 black and 1/4 Mexican, can really be whatever she wants to be.

Living in the predominantly white, LDS state that we live in I have often wondered if I may have failed her as her only parent. Living in Utah as a Lutheran and non-white teenager isn't a piece of cake. But every day I see her happy, with many friends of all persuasions. We frequently have 3-10 teenagers over for movies, parties, and fun. She loves high school, except for the math portion! She is busy every weekend. She is very strong in her faith and feels no pressure to change her religion.

Maybe the world really is changing. Just maybe.

I don't believe we have really come to the point where the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream has come true. Not all people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I do not believe that all of God's children can join hands and sing: Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

But I do believe that day will come. Probably not in my lifetime, but I hope in my child's lifetime.

Until then, I promise to remain active in the fight for equality for all, regardless of race, religion, color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.

America

2009-01-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

No Eagles

2009-01-19T13:35:00.002-07:00

After a long discussion with Mike we decided not to go to the Eagles concert. They are coming here to an open soccer stadium on May 9th. After thinking about the weather possibilities that time of year we decided there was too big of a risk that it would be freezing cold at night in early May. I hate being cold so that pretty much did it for me. Right now we are remodeling our basement. That and the purchase of a new truck pretty much took up most of our savings. I'm a "pay cash or don't buy it" person so I don't want to put concert tickets on a credit card that I can't pay off.

I went running today, even though the smog is really bad. It was an okay run, just glad I got off my butt and did it.

Chelsea is spending all day practicing her drum line competition performance. Those kids are so dedicated! She got herself up at 6:30 today and will be there until 4:30 this afternoon. I just wish she'd put as much effort into her math class!

I've really enjoyed having 4 days off in a row. But tomorrow it's back to school and back to internship.

The Eagles are coming!

2009-01-16T10:07:00.002-07:00

I just saw in the paper that the Eagles are coming to Utah! Tickets go on sale on Saturday so you can bet that I'll be at my computer getting a pair! I saw the Eagles here in 1995 I believe. It was an awesome concert. I'd love to see them again! I know it will cost an arm and a leg but they are getting older and so am I so it's worth it!

Speaking of concerts, Mike and I are going to see Styx in Wendover next month. The concert hall there has only 1000 seats so there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Mike bought the tickets so I don't know where we'll be sitting.

Mike comes home today from Vegas and we may go to the high school basketball game. Chelsea is in the pep band so we'd like to see her play. I don't mind basketball games. At least it's warm and I pretty much understand the game. Mike wanted to go see Weber State football games but it's just too dang cold for me!

Tomorrow night is supposed to be a date night so we'll probably go to dinner and a movie. I think we might go see the new Will Smith movie. Mike likes action adventure movies and I'm okay with them as long as they aren't too gory. I like Will Smith so it should be a good movie for both of us. Besides, the last movie we went to see was Mama Mia, and he didn't complain about that so I have to give him some credit.

Our basement remodel is coming along. The bathroom is framed and the plumbing is almost roughed in. I can't wait for the noise and the mess to be done, though!

Today I had intended to go running but I was lazy and slept in so I'll probably take the dog for a walk later instead. Right now I need to clean the bathroom and get some homework done!

Wednesday

2009-01-14T08:17:00.002-07:00

I couldn't think of a catchy title so Wednesday it is!

Mom and Dad left for Arizona on Monday morning and Mike headed to Las Vegas. You'd think the house would be quiet, but oh no! Mike's friends have started work on the basement and have the bathroom already framed. In the process they've found some things the original owner/builder did wrong. There doesn't seem to be an insulation anywhere in the basement. And a load bearing wall was never even attached to the house! Mike and the guys will be sure to fix all the problems so that the house not only meets code but also is safe and easier to heat.

School is busy. I have several papers to work on. I intend to finish one today. My internship is keeping me busy. I've seen some interesting clients with some interesting issues so I look forward to seeing how their treatment goes.

Chelsea's ears are really killing her. Thankfully she has an appointment this afternoon. I hope they can figure out what it is!

I am feeling really lazy! It's 8:30 and I'm still in my pajamas. Oh well, no one will see me anyway! Now I need to get off my butt, fold some laundry and get busy on my paper.

TGIF!

2009-01-09T19:59:00.003-07:00

I love, love, love having Friday's with no school and no internship! I slept horribly last night because my neck hurt and also my ulnar nerve. I am finally getting in to a specialist next week to see what they can do about the ulnar nerve. I had the nerve transposed in 2005 and it is just getting worse. I am seeing an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hands and elbows. I am also going to be seeing a neurosurgeon for my neck. Chelsea is still having real problems with ear pain. The ENT doctor thought it was because she is grinding her teeth, but she's been wearing the guard for two weeks now and it only getting worse. She is going back to see him again next week also. Mike has medical issues as well but doesn't want me to make an appointment. None of it is life threatening so I've decided to quit bugging him about it. If he wants to be in pain that's his choice, but I also won't listen to his complaining because he's not willing to get it looked at by a doctor.

The weather was really beautiful today. I hope it continues tomorrow so I can go for a run.

Today we went and picked out the stuff for Chelsea's bathroom. Tomorrow Mike and his friends are going to Lowes to get all the other stuff, like sheetrock, insulation, etc. They will start on the basement on Monday.

Mike leaves for Las Vegas on Monday and returns on Friday. Mom and Dad will leave for Arizona on Monday, so next week will seem pretty quiet.

New year

2009-01-08T21:30:00.002-07:00

Well, school has started and I already have lots of homework to do. Guess I'd better get on it!

My parents are coming tomorrow. They brought their trailer down in November and are ready to pick it up and head to Arizona. I don't know why, they only got about 117 inches of snow so far in N. Idaho!

Next week we will start finishing our basement so Chelsea will have her own bedroom and sitting room. She has her own room now but it is upstairs. She wants her own room downstairs and Mike thinks that if she has a sitting room as well she'll stay longer. That is probably true since her grades (3.3) are not good enough to qualify for the University of Utah so she'll probably have to start at Weber State, which isn't a bad thing if you ask me!

I went back to Weight Watchers today. It felt good to be back and I am expecting to reach my WW goal weight in the next month and my personal goal weight in 2 months. I have another herniated disk in my neck and I am hoping I don't have to have any other surgery.

Back from Wendover

2009-01-04T19:44:00.002-07:00

Mike and I went to Wendover, NV to visit with some friends from South Dakota. Shelia, Matt, Woody, Carla, Gammaw and some of Shelia's friends came down on an excursion trip. We had loads of fun catching up with them. The last time we'd seen them was when we went to South Dakota right after our wedding.

I'm not much of a gambler. I think I gambled about $30 the whole 3 years I lived in Las Vegas. The last time we went to Wendover (my first time) I think Mike convinced me to play video poker and I lost $10. This time Shelia convinced me to try my hand at "21". We went to the Red Garter (closing this month for good) where they have $2 tables. I picked up the basics pretty easy, mostly because I can actually count to "21"! The finer points of gambling are a little harder. Guess I'll learn eventually. Now I do like "21" and will probably try my hand again when we go back on Feb. 21st to see the Styx concert.

Chelsea stayed home with her friend, Somer. I can't wait to hear stories about it when she is much older and not worried about being grounded! :)

School starts tomorrow and so does my healthy living attitude. I gained some weight from eating too much and not exercising enough (okay, not at all!) and taking the dreaded prednisone! Now it's got to come off! I am going back to Weight Watchers and have subscribed to a Weight Watchers recipe blog. I am back to running and have a Wii Fit so I have no excuse on that front.

I am going to lay off the wine, except on weekends and really get back to a better life. I feel so bloated and unattractive right now. I do have to say that I really love Mike for not saying anything about my weight gain, but I know he'll be supportive of the healthy eating and exercising.

It's 2009!

2009-01-01T10:12:00.002-07:00

Its hard to believe that another year has gone by. And what a year it was. So many good things happened. Let's hope this year will be just as good or even better!

Mike and I went to a New Years Eve party last night and had a really good time. We got home around 12:45. I stayed up reading until Chelsea got home at 1:00. I woke up around 6:00 and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and finished my book "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb. My mom got it for me for Christmas. I started reading it on Saturday and had a hard time putting it down. I'm glad I'm done because school starts again on Monday and I probably won't have much time for leisurely reading.

About 9:00 I decided to go for a run. It wasn't very good because I haven't run regularly for about 3 months, and have put on some weight so my knees were acting up. The first 2 miles were actually pretty good and reminded me why I really do like running. The last mile sucked and reminded me why its not a good idea to to take a 3 month break!

Mike and I have resolved to be healthier this year. We want to share as many years as possible together. We want to travel and stay active after we retire so now is the time to take action on that. I am considering going back to Weight Watchers again after taking way too much time off of that. We'll have to see how my school and internship works out. If I can't go to a meeting I just might do the online version. I only have 7 lbs to lose but its always harder to lose a small amount than a big one for some reason. At only 5'1" tall those 7 lbs really show, and I can really feel them.

I am excited for the new year and all the hope it brings. So let's see how it goes!

Some photos

2008-12-30T12:22:00.010-07:00

Thought I'd post some photos of our trip to Idaho.

This is my mom's tree. I don't know if you can see, but the large round ornaments are actually photos of her grandkids. She doesn't always decorate with these, but this is Chelsea's and my favorite. It is fun to look at the photos of when the kids were little.

This is Carrie, Chelsea, Mikaela and Samantha.

These are my parents' grandkids:
Jennifer, Carrie, Chelsea, Mikaela, Samantha, Justin, and Amanda. What a great looking group. Must take after their parents!

Here are my parents. They love having their whole family for Christmas Eve!

Here I am with the love of my life! It was our first Christmas together and it was wonderful! I am so lucky that he and everyone in my family get along.

It's a tradition for our family to have homemade egg noodles the day after Christmas. The last two years Chelsea and Samantha mixed, rolled and cut the noodles. Mom cooks them in chicken broth with canned whole chicken. They are sooooo good! They are really simple to make so I don't know why nobody makes them any other time of the year. Maybe because this is a special occasion and another excuse to have most of the family together again before we all get on with our busy lives.

There was so much snow in N. Idaho while we were there! This is a photo of dad's windmill. Its amazing how the snow curled around it. There was over 50 inches of snow when we left on Dec. 27th. And it's snowed several times since then!

As you can see, we had a great Christmas. I hope it continues into the new year!

We're home

2008-12-27T22:00:00.002-07:00

We made it home safely even though the roads were treacherous. It was a long drive and we are all glad to be back home.

Great news! I was looking through the mail and found a letter from the University of Utah. I was just notified that I was accepted to attend graduate school there in the accelerated master's degree program for Social Work! I am so excited! I graduate from Weber State in May with my bachelors degree and start at the University of Utah the middle of July!

Well it's getting late so I am off to bed! Just had to share!

And it continues to snow!

2008-12-24T10:15:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe how much snow is falling here! They are predicting 6-10 inches of new snow today! That will put us at about 5 feet of snow for the month of December! I sure hope we aren't getting this much snow at home!

We went to Kellog and bought Mike's new truck. What a nice, easy car buying experience! No haggle price, a fair price for a trade in, no pressure to buy extended warranty, etc. We saved several thousands of dollars by buying through Dave Smith over buying from a local dealer in Utah. So all in all a very productive deal. He got the inferno red 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab. It is a beautiful truck! Hopefully he'll be happy with this for a few years!

Today is our big day for Christmas celebrations. Our whole family will be here later this afternoon and evening. We'll have a big meal, lots of laughter and fun and then presents from my parents. This is a day I look forward to all year. It's just family and we have so much fun together!

Well, I need to get in the shower and get ready for the day to start! Merry Christmas!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-22T11:45:00.002-07:00

After 12 hours of white knuckle driving we finally made it over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house! The passes were tretcherous but Mike is a very safe driver so we made it fine. I do have to say that isn't true of many people who ended up in the ditch. We saw several very bad accidents on the way. We were supposed to go pick up Mike's new truck today, but that would mean going back over one of the passes and it is still snowing so we won't be making that trip today. It is supposed to stop snowing later today so we'll see about going over tomorrow afternoon when it is a little warmer and the plows have had a chance to do their job.

Mike has a really bad cold so that didn't make traveling any easier. I slipped and fell at a gas station in Dillon, MT and now my neck and back hurt. I am really hoping it is just pulled muscles. Chelsea is the only one doing okay I think! Dad and Mike are out pulling one of my nieces out. She got stuck on the main street of Coeur d' Alene!

It is nice to be home for Christmas and to have Mike here enjoying it with my whole family. I am going to be lazy, take naps, do a little scrapbooking and probably eat too much. Since I put on several pounds in the last week due to meds. I figure one or two more won't hurt! It sucks that I was able to keep the weight off for two years and now I'm almost back where I started. I looked back at my weight and I was exactly 10 lbs lighter on Nov. 21st of this year! Crazy!

I was hoping to get some running in while I was here and even bought some Yaktrak's which go on running shoes to get a grip in the snow, but with so much snow right now I don't think that's going to happen. I don't want to risk really doing something bad to my neck!

I need to take Chelsea to the mall later so I may just do a couple of laps while I am there. At least it will be warm!

Well, I need to go spend some time with my wonderful mother. I'll post later, hopefully with photos of the new truck!

Life is Crazy!

2008-12-19T09:37:00.002-07:00

School is over for this semester, thank God! I have also completed all of my internship hours for the semester. I've spent the last few days making 75 Christmas cards. Next year I'm sending store bought!

Tonight we are hosting an open house and expect about 150 people! We are making it a fundraiser for Sub for Santa because so many people are struggling this year and they are so low on donations.

I've spent the last week working on appetizers, etc. for the party. Should be a great time!

Lucky for me my cousin Robin is coming down from Twin Falls, ID and she will be a big help!

I am trying to finish a few last minute Christmas gifts as well. We cut way back this year, but I think the girls will really appreciate their gifts more.

We cut back on the girls, but Mike is another story. We are picking up a brand new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab truck while we are in N. Idaho. We got such a good deal that it is worth going there to pick it up. Plus we are going to be there anyway for the holidays. Our attempt at stimulating the economy!

Life is so good for us and we just hope it continues. So many people are having a hard time that we feel guilty for having such a good year.

On a bad note, I have another herniated disc in my neck. Yes, the third one. I had one fused in 2000 and one in 2002. The dr. says I won't find a neurosurgeon who will fuse a 3rd because it really just becomes a vicious circle. Once they fix one the risk of another one going dramatically increases, and I'm living proof of that. Unfortunately there's not much they can do non-surgically. I am now on prednisone which has actually helped. The bad thing, though, is that it really packs the pounds on me! I put on about 3 lbs over Thanksgiving, just from eating too much, and now another 7 lbs. since I started the meds. And on a 5' 1" frame 10 lbs is a lot of weight. Oh well, at least I don't have shooting pains down my right arm!

And I will aggressively work to get rid of the extra weight after the New Year. I am back to running again and go myself the Wii Fit. I will probably lose 5 lbs just by quitting the meds, which run out tomorrow. Then the rest will be up to me!

Well, I've got to get busy getting ready for tonight.

If I don't post again before Christmas I hope you have a wonderful, Christ-filled Christmas.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:16:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for. I am healthy. Mike is healthy, Chelsea is healthy. Harley is healthy. Eline is healthy. Scruffy is healthy. All of my extended family is healthy. I have a wonderful, loving husband. I have a great kid, a great step-daughter and a great Dutch daughter. I have a beautiful home, lots of nice things, no bills except a mortgage and a comfortable income. I have great friends. I am getting a great education. My life is so good. God has blessed me so much that I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve all of this. I am truly blessed.

Chelsea's soccer coach

2008-11-26T07:29:00.003-07:00

I am very angry right now. We live in one of the most medically advanced countries in the world. Chelsea's 23 year old soccer coach can't get treatment for his cancer, though. Why? Because he doesn't have health insurance. His skin cancer has spread, but because he can't afford the treatment he will die in 6-12 months. How's that for truth, justice and the American way?

A lot of people criticized Michelle Obama when she said she was finally really proud to be American. (Meaning, of course, that she hasn't always been "really" proud, maybe just somewhat proud) Well I think I know some of what she felt. It's hard to be proud of a country that lets people die because they don't have health insurance. Someone said to me "Well he should have gotten a better job so he'd have insurance." Great idea, except that's not always possible, especially when you are that young. And, when you've been diagnosed with cancer before your 22nd birthday it's hard to find an insurance company that will accept you.

So, once again Chelsea learns that there really is no justice in this country for people who don't have money. I just hope it's a lesson she tries to do something about when she's older. That's assuming, of course, that she gets a job with good health insurance, or doesn't get sick if she doesn't.

I guess his family will be thankful tomorrow that they got to have him for this long. Not much else for them to be thankful for.

News

2008-11-23T13:25:00.003-07:00

I got the best news today! Eline is coming home in July for a month! I was so excited I almost cried when she called and told me today! I can't wait! I have a package to send her for St. Nicholas Day. I need to mail that tomorrow. Hopefully it will get there on time.

Chelsea is now working at Old Navy. She's not that thrilled about it but she just needs to learn that sometimes you have to do things you don't like in order to make a living, and she has a car to pay for. I think it will get better once she gets used to it, and once she is cashier trained.

She lettered in soccer a few weeks ago, which was exciting for her. But she got some bad news the other day. Her soccer coach, who is only about 23, found out his skin cancer is back. He was treated about a year ago and was doing fine, but last week he went in for his regular 3-month check up and the results weren't good. He went for a body scan, but we haven't heard anything back. I think that might mean the news is bad. He got skin cancer from playing soccer without using sunscreen. Just something to think about.

Mike turned 49 yesterday. I got him a bird house because he likes to watch the birds in the back yard. I also got him an iTunes gift card. He loves music and wants to download some of his favorite songs. We went out to dinner at Jasoh's. It is a really nice restaurant and definitely the best one we've eaten at in Utah. We like to try new places out and this one was definitely the best. We also ate out at a Vietnamese restaurant this weekend and that was really good, but definitely in a different class.

I know we eat out too much but school is almost over for the semester so I'll be back to home cooking again!

I two papers due and I will finish one of them today. I have two weeks to finish the other. Now, if I don't procrastinate too much I should be done in plenty of time.

We went and bought a new TV today for our living room. We actually have a great room, with a 26 inch TV in it and it is just too small. We bought a 46 inch one today so on Thanksgiving the guys can watch football on it. The kids will be downstairs playing Wii and other video games on the big screen down there.

I am home all alone today. Mike is watching football with a friend and Chelsea is at work. It is actually quite nice. I can listen to my contemporary Christian music with no complaints and I will definitely get this paper done within an hour.

Well that's all for now. I need to get back to work so I can plan for Thanksgiving. We are having about 20 people over so it should be fun!

Update

2008-11-11T22:10:00.002-07:00

Lots to report. Chelsea got her license. She totaled her car after 5 days. She's okay, just some air bag burns to her face and neck. Won't leave any scars. I've spent the past week looking for another car. We bought the first one, she has to pay for the second one. It's a 2002 Buick LeSabre. Yes it's big, no it's not something a teenager really wants to drive. I don't care. It's safe and affordable.

Chelsea started her new job today at Old Navy. The best part is she brought home friends and family discount cards. And she will have money to pay for her car.

I got lots of advice about what to do about the wreck. It's been suggested that she pay for the first car ($3400) and now for her insurance ($300 every 6 months). Add that to the cost of her new car ($3000) and she'd be indebted for about the next six years. My philosophy is that she is a good student (B+ average), doesn't drink, smoke, cuss. She is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award (collecting crockpots and creating a cookbook for the Homeless Veteran's Fellowship), she's in marching band, and is trying out for drumline. She goes to church because she wants to, not because I make her go. The accident was because it was dark and raining and neither Mike nor I went over all of the controls on the car with her. She turned on the windshield wipers and they wouldn't stay on. She looked down to see what was wrong, drifted to the right and hit a parked car. Now I'm not saying the accident wasn't her fault because it was. I am saying it could happen to anyone. And yes, the police officer checked her cell phone to make sure she wasn't texting or talking.

So her punishment is that she has to pay for her new car. She has to give me 50% of her paycheck at Old Navy or $100 per month, whichever is more. She has to keep her grades up or drop out of any extra curricular activities. If her grades still are not at least a B average then she will have to quit her job and then she'll have to stop driving the car. I think that's fair. By the way, her insurance did not go up at all. Amazing. I love USAA. They are the BEST insurance company around!

I voted!

2008-10-26T07:52:00.002-06:00

I voted yesterday to beat the crowds next week. And speaking of voting, I saw this video with Ron Howard that I thought was cute:

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d

Why Colin Powell just might be the most honorable man in America.

2008-10-20T07:52:00.002-06:00

"I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say, and it is permitted to be said. Such things as 'Well you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well the correct answer is 'He is not a Muslim, he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian.' But the really right answer is 'What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?' The answer is 'No. That's not America.' Is there something wrong with some 7-year old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she can be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion he's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo-essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in you can see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American, he was born in New Jersey, he was 14 at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he can go serve his country and he gave his life." -General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, on NBC's Meet the Press this weekend.

Here is where I saw this:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/faithbook/2008/10/powell_rejects_islamophobia.html

Snow, more snow, and even more snow!

2008-10-12T11:26:00.003-06:00

The news said it was supposed to start snowing yesterday around noon. No snow. By midnight there was still no snow. This morning we woke up to 4 inches. It's still coming down and we now have about 8 inches. The trees are heavy and I'm sure there will be plenty of broken branches because most of the trees still have all of their leaves. It'll be a mess to clean up this next week!

SNOW!!????

2008-10-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

You have got to be kidding me! Chelsea's Sweet 16 Birthday party is on Saturday evening. And it is going to be snowing! I just can't believe that it will be snowing that early. I may just have to start skiing again!

The emergency room

2008-10-05T17:54:00.003-06:00

I have been at the local emergency room more with Mike in the last 6 months than I have been with Chelsea in her whole almost 16 year life.

The first time was in February when he had chest pains after our trip to Seattle. Then it was in April when he fell down our stairs and dislocated his shoulder. And today it was because he sliced open his hand near his thumb. He ended up with 4 stitches and a tetanus shot. I think he wanted an excuse to stay in the house and watch football! :)

Today we picked up Chelsea's car. Here it is:

It is a 1999 Mazda 626. It has 86000 miles on it and appears to be in good condition. Chelsea is very happy with it, as she should be. The people we bought it from wanted $4400 for it and NADA.com said it was worth $4500. I told the guy that since it needed new tires and since we didn't have a lot of money we could give him $3600 for it. And he said okay. It had been on the market for a couple of weeks and they had just bought a new van so they were probably glad to get it sold, especially with the economy the way it is.

I just finished up a 42 page paper and now need to print it out. I am so glad it is done, at least this part of it. It is actually a section of a much large paper, my Capstone, for my bachelors degree. I finished the first section, 36 pages, during last spring semester. I have two more sections this semester and then a much larger section which is due the first day of spring semester, in January. I am really glad I bought a laptop with my stimulus check, because now I can work at the large bar in my kitchen and spread out. Right now I have 8 reference books and several notebooks on the counter that I used for this paper. I probably need to get them put away before my neat freak husband goes crazy! :)

It's time to get dinner started so I am off to feed my hungry family!

School

2008-10-01T11:00:00.002-06:00

School is going well, but it is really keeping me busy. I just completed a big group project, one down and two to go! I am working on a 30 page paper which is due Monday evening and I'm about half way done. My internship is going really well. I have learned so much in the past month. I am involved in one individual therapy session with an adult and two sessions with young kids. I didn't think I'd like working with little kids but it is actually pretty fun. I have been doing some reception work, but they are in the process of hiring a new admin person so I won't be doing that anymore and will be more involved in the clinical stuff. I have down 3 intakes so far, with my supervisor in the room. I will do another one again today and then I will be on my own, except for the diagnosis (which requires me to be a Master's level student) and assigning the client to a therapist.

Mike was gone to Florida for two weeks and he will be going back at the end of this month for at least a week, possibly two. He has a lot of traveling to do in the next 6 months. He likes his job but he really doesn't enjoy the traveling that much.

Chelsea is busy with marching band. It is football and competition season so they perform quite a lot. They won 1st in visual presentation and 3rd overall at a recent competition. They've revised their performance a little so hope to take 1st at the competition this weekend. As for soccer, they have only won 1 game so far this year. It's sad because they do work hard, but they just don't have the right strategy, I guess. I'm no expert at soccer even though I've been watching Chelsea play for 12 years, so I really don't know what they are doing wrong. I'm just a cheerleader, win or lose. Chelsea is doing well in school with a B+ average. I'm perfectly happy with that!

We are having a big party for her 16th birthday. Her birthday is actually on the 23rd, but we are having the part on the 11th. We are combining it with her friend's party. They are the two youngest kids in the 11th grade (Chelsea's the youngest!) and they are best friends. We expect to have about 50 kids here and will probably have a bouncy castle (yes, high school kids still like to play outside!) and of course Dance, Dance Revolution and Rock Band video games. We are having a Hawaiian theme so I need to figure out what we are going to serve this herd of kids. They only invited 5 boys, so that will be interesting to see. Chelsea's friend has a boyfriend but she's not inviting him because her parents don't know about him and wouldn't approve. As far as I know Chelsea doesn't have a boyfriend, but I told her if she did she could invite him and we would not embarrass him. So we'll see! :)

That's about it for the past two weeks. I'm sure there were other exciting things going on but I don't remember them because my brain is fried!

Busy, busy life!

2008-09-16T20:19:00.002-06:00

I am so busy with my field placement, volunteer work, school, plus being a wife and mother! I love my placement! I have been able to sit in on a few intakes and in a few weeks I will be doing intakes on my own, up to the point of diagnosis, which I am not qualified to do. At that point my supervisor will come in, I'll brief her on the intake interview, tell her what I think the diagnosis will be. Then she will actually make the diagnosis. Sometimes I'll be right, sometimes I'll be wrong. Either way I'll be learning how to be a therapist!

Tomorrow night I sit in on my first individual therapy session (not counting my own therapy in 1995/96!).

In my volunteer setting I've had an opportunity to meet and talk with a transgendered client (she is biologically a male, however has always felt that she is a female, and now lives as a female). Very interesting, and also very enlightening.

Chelsea is doing well, playing Varsity soccer for her high school, and she's also in the school marching band. Mike and I went to watch her on Saturday at a marching band review. Later this month is their first competition. She looks so cute in her uniform!

I also have to brag about how smart she is. She took the ACT Plan test last year (it's a sort of pre-test for the ACT) and she scored in the top 10% in reading and science! We are so proud of her!

I am preparing to apply to graduate school and am very busy with projects for all of my classes.

Mike is in Florida for two weeks for his work. I just hope he doesn't run in to bad weather due to hurricanes. He has to go back again in October.

Scruffy is doing very well, and since we've kennel trained him again he hasn't pee'd on the floor for almost two weeks. I am really hoping he won't start again!

That's all for now, and thank-you, Carol, for getting me to update!

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T14:24:00.002-06:00

And have I been laboring! With my internship, school, volunteering and being a wife and mother I have busy!!! But it's all good. The other day at my volunteer location one of the residents overdosed on methadone. Very scary. I feel so bad because although the guy is 52 he looks like he's at least 75. Guess that's what a lifetime of drug and alcohol use does for you. The poor guy had been sober for 3 months but unfortunately a former resident came by the place the evening before and we suspect that is why he OD'd. The former guy was forced to leave the program because he kept telling other residents that the rules (staying sober, keeping your apt. clean and staying employed) were BS and he convinced several to drop out of the program. Of course they only get 3 chances at this program and some of them have lost all of their chances. Too bad, but I guess it is their choice in the long run.

My internship is going well. I attended my first group for women with borderline personality disorder which was very enlightening. The place I work is very nice and provides all the diet Pepsi I can drink along with lunch every Wed. for staff meetings. Not too bad. Oh, and all the people seem to be very nice also.

Mike took me to Rickenbackers for dinner on Saturday night for my birthday. It was really nice. Today he gave me a dozen roses and a really nice card. He leaves for Las Vegas tomorrow for the rest of the week, for work so I'll probably not see him tomorrow.

Chelsea just got back from spending time with two of her friends at Bear Lake, this weekend. She had fun, but wasn't too happy to see that I'd cleaned out her room while she was gone. Really, it was so messy that I just couldn't take it anymore! I put all of her misc. stuff in bags for her to go through but her room is clean, all laundry is done and put away and you can actually see the floor!

Mike cleaned out and reorganized the pantry, again! That is his pet peeve, a messy pantry. I try to keep it neat but sometimes I'm just in a hurry when I'm putting things away. Oh well, he enjoys organizing so I guess I'm just helping him get some enjoyment!

It rained like crazy last night and this morning. It was nice because we rarely get a lot of rain, and it's nice to have the temps go down for a change. I even turned the heater on for a few minutes this morning.

I took Scruffy for his first walk since his back problems started. He did just fine and is sleeping right now. Guess I wore him out. Tomorrow he takes the last of his steriods and hopefully is completely healed. One thing we discovered in all of this is that he LOVES Rachael Ray dog food. He can't have food with wheat in it, which is hard to find outside of prescription dog food. We've bought just about every kind of wheat free dog food (even some that is $50 for a 20 lb bag) and he hated all of it. While he was in the hospital I saw an add for RR dog food so thought I'd check it out. Not only does it not have chicken by products but it also doesn't have fillers like so many other dog foods. The best part is that Scruffy LOVES it! Every time I feed him he just scarfs it down. I'm glad to see he actually likes something that is good for him!

Mama Mia

2008-08-25T15:49:00.002-06:00

Mike is such a good husband! Yesterday he said he wanted to take me to a movie since school was starting (today). He let me pick the movie. I chose Mama Mia. Chelsea and I saw it on Broadway when we went to NY last summer and we loved it. The movie was great too, however Pierce Brosnan just cannot sing! I liked that Meryl Streep actually looked like she could be old enough to be the mother of a 20 year old (and she is). She let all her wrinkles show, with very little make up, and she can actually sing. It as a good movie, but I'm not sure the message of having sex with 3 guys in a matter of a few days is such a good one, but it was the 80's so it probably happened more than people want to admit! After the movie was over Mike said he needed to watch a John Wayne movie to get his manhood back! He was the only guy in the whole theater! Mike has several business trips this fall and winter so I told him I was going to buy the DVD when it comes out, have some girlfriends over, make margaritas and we can all sing along to the movie! He just rolled his eyes and laughed.

Scruffy is doing better, however he still doesn't have complete control of his bladder so we have to cancel our trip to Seattle over Labor Day weekend. We really can't ask people to keep him for us if he's likely to pee on their floor.

Today was the first day of school for Chelsea and me. I also start my internship this week. I will be gone two nights a week with school and work. But I am looking forward to my senior year. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course I start my graduate program next fall so I really have 2 years left. It's all good though. I pretty much know everyone in my classes. Two of them require group projects, which I'm not a fan of, but fortunately I am in two good groups so I'm not too worried about it.

We are still alive!

2008-08-18T18:16:00.003-06:00

I knew it had been a long time since I'd updated. Carol wouldn't let me forget! But I didn't realize just how long! So hear goes:

We went to South Dakota to visit Larry and Shelia, Matt and Woody. We hiked Harney Peak and saw Mt. Rushmore.

We spent July learning how to be a family of four. Chelsea and Harley got along just fine. Better than most 15 and 12 year olds. Probably because they only have to spend one month a year together. Harley celebrated her 13th birthday here, and her favorite gift was a cell phone, Envy 2, or something. Before this she had a pay-as-you-go phone and couldn't text. Now she has unlimited texting, and according to Chelsea (who gets lots of texts) Harley is putting her phone to good use.

The beginning of this month we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary. It was a great celebration. I got to see some aunts and uncles I hadn't seen in many years. I also saw some cousins I hadn't see since I was about 11 years old! It was great to reconnect and everything went very well. My dad bought my mom a beautiful anniversary ring and they are going on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate.

Friday afternoon I heard my dog howling outside. I went to the back door to see what was wrong and everything looked fine, so I told him to come into the house. He put his two front paws on the step but couldn't get up on his hind legs. I went down and lifted him up and brought him in the house. I set him down and he walked into the living room and sat down. This seemed very strange to me because he always wants attention and if he does lay down it's on the couch (yes, he is spoiled). I went over to him and started talking to him, then I walked across the room and and called him to come to me. He tried, but couldn't get his hind legs to work. I freaked out and called my vet, and of course they were closed. Then I remembered that a family that I go to church with owns an animal hospital. I called there and they got us right in. By that time Scruffy was paralyzed from the waist down. I was crying like a baby, because he is my baby. The vet said she could try steroid shots since I'd brought him in so quickly, and if that didn't work he'd need surgery. Scruffy is only 7 years old, and a Cockapoo. They often live 15-17 years, and my sisters Cockapoo lived for 19 years, so Scruffy is still a young dog. We decided to try the steroid shots and also decided that if that didn't work and the surgeon felt there was a good chance the surgery would work we'd do that. Don't even ask how much that would be! You really don't even want to know how much the weekend at the hospital will be!

Anyway, we picked Scruffy up from the hospital this morning and he is doing very well. He is walking and wagging his tail and looks fine, although he has some recovering to do still. The vet expects a full recovery with the medical intervention and doesn't think surgery will be necessary. This is such great news for our family. We just love this dog and can't imagine life without him. Guess who is going to be totally spoiled (more than usual) in the next few weeks?!

School starts for me and Chelsea next week. I also start my internship working at a private practice which specializes in mental health issues such as depression, alcoholism, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other problems.

I am starting a volunteer stint at the homeless Veteran's home here this week. I need some volunteer hours to put on my master's degree application and this is a program I'm passionate about so its a win/win situation.

I started running again today after about a 3 week break. It felt really good to be out on the road again. I won't be ready to run the 10K race I wanted to run, but I do plan on getting at least one 5K under my belt before it gets too cold.

All in all, I've gained 2.5 lbs since I got to my goal weight this time last year. I am on track again and will lose that before the end of the month, I hope. At least that is the plan.

I am hoping it won't be another 1.5 months before I post again. I'll try to be better! Mary

Married!

2008-06-30T09:02:00.006-06:00

For those of you who couldn't make the ceremony, here is a video of us exchanging rings and being pronounced husband and wife!

Here we are, husband and wife! You can see our daughters in the background, as we leave the sanctuary of my church.

Here we are again, after the ceremony.

Here are all my girls after the ceremony. Eline leaves this week and it makes me very sad to be losing one of my girls.

Here we are shoving wedding cake (cheesecake) into each others mouths.

I am exhausted after months of preparation and from the parties and dinners and everything and am ready to take a nap. But first I have to take a minute to especially thank my mother, sister Karin, sister Tammy, cousin Robin and brother Bruce for all the work they did during the reception. I love you all very much!

I'm still alive!

2008-06-16T08:34:00.002-06:00

My friend Carol has been bugging me to update my blog and I was surprised to find that its been almost a month since I last updated. Before Mike and I moved in together I was pretty good at keeping my blog updated. Hmmmm.

Anyway, his surgery went well, he is recovering well and starts physical therapy on Wed. Chelsea is doing great. She has a rare salt deficiency which is the cause of her dizzy spells. Most people get plenty of salt in every day eating, especially with all the processed foods we eat. Female athletes are particularly susceptible to this disorder, but even then it is still pretty rare. So fortunately all she needs to do is add salt to her meals and drink sports drinks when she is physically active. I always just provided water for her but she is thrilled that now I have to buy sports drinks for her.

The wedding is less than two weeks away. I am excited and yet I am looking forward to it being over. I am sure I will run out of food at the party afterwards, that my dress won't fit or I'll trip going down the aisle. I have no idea what to do with my hair, I've never been good with make up and I want the photos to look good. I guess in the end the main focus is that I am marrying a man I truly love, who loves me and my daughters. We've been through a lot in the past several months and have come out fine, so I hope that's a good predictor of times to come.

Mike is back to work after being unemployed for 6 weeks. He works for a military contractor and there were problems with getting the contract re-let. When we decided to buy a house we decided to only spend what we could afford if all we had coming in were our two retirement checks. Little did we know we'd get to try it out so soon! Actually the time off was really pretty helpful because we got a lot done with the house. The new company he works for is much better than the old one, with great benefits and a large pay raise. Very nice!

I am back in school with two classes this summer. I know I'm crazy, however this will really be a good thing this fall. I start a 20 hour per week internship at a private therapy practice plus will have 4 classes. In the spring I'll have the same internship requirement and only 3 classes. If I didn't go to summer classes that would mean 5 classes in the fall and 4 in the spring. A pretty good payoff if you ask me.

Well, I have loads of things to do today so I'd better get busy. I'll do my best to update a little more often. :)

Surgery

2008-05-22T09:10:00.004-06:00

Well, no surprise, Mike has to have surgery on his shoulder. It looks like he may be in a sling for our wedding, but I don't care. He has been in a lot of pain for a while and I'm glad it will finally be getting better.

Chelsea faired a little better than Mike. She has Vaso vagal syncope, which basically means she needs more salt than most people and more water. She has to put salt on her food (something I don't do) and drink at least 2 liters of water each day. She has to go back on June 5 to have an echo-cardiogram. They want to check to see if she has thick heart muscles. Apparently this can cause sudden death in athletes if this is the case. When the two pediatric cardiologists were talking to us about this they were really nonchalant about it so I am not going to freak out about it. We'll just go on the 5th and then see what happens.

I have to show you what my (almost) husband gave me the other day, for no apparent reason:

He's so sweet! I think I'll keep him!

This is the new toy I got today:

I can't wait to get it up and running!

Update

2008-05-18T19:26:00.002-06:00

It's about time I update this blog. It seems I am so busy that I don't have time, but I do make time to read about 10 other blogs. Good think I use Google Reader to let me know when others update their blog.

I finally finished all the invitations and response cards for my parents 50th Anniversary. I bought blank invitations/response cards and printed them up on my computer. After doing that I had to print return addresses on all of the envelopes, stamp all of the envelopes and then print out address labels (after spending a couple of hours updating addresses) and then putting them all together and getting them in the mail. 132 done!

I need to work on getting some invites out for our wedding sometime this week.

Eline's mom should be here on Tuesday. I say "should" because she gave the airline her nickname rather than her legal name for her ticket and we'll see if she's able to get on the plane.

Mike goes to the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to see if he will need surgery on his shoulder and Chelsea has her appt. with the pediatric cardiologist tomorrow afternoon as well.

I had the chance to reconnect with one of my cousins and her husband last night. I hadn't see her since I was about 13 years old, which was a few years ago. :) They came by about 7:30 and left around 12:30 am. Guess we all got along pretty well. They are staying in town about two months while Darvin works on a project for his company. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of them.

Mike, Chelsea and I are going to Bear Lake for the weekend while Eline and her mom stay at the house and do some sight seeing. Eline's mom isn't much for camping so they decided not to go with us.

School started and I am really excited about this class I am taking. It is about learning how to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual to diagnose mental illness. So don't be surprised if I start telling you what illness you have!

Yesterday I got up in the loft in the garage to get down some stuff for the pool. Getting up was easy, it was the getting down that was difficult. I am somewhat afraid of heights, but for some reason yesterday I had a huge panic attack and ended up crying and shaking for several minutes, and that's after I finally got down. Mike was a little freaked out to say the least. So was I because I've never had a panic attack before and I certainly hope never to repeat it. Needless to say I'll never get up there again!

That's about it for now. I will try to update more often but no promises.

Big brag

2008-05-10T10:05:00.002-06:00

Okay, so if you don't want to read my brag then nows the time to close this page.

So here goes:

Not only did I get my grades for this semester: Straight A's in all 5 classes! But I also was recognized as the central states AYUSA staff member of the week! How cool is that! It helps that I love school and love my job placing foreign exchange students with families.

So now I'm done bragging.

As the spring starts I have so much going on. Eline's mom will be here on the 20th, with Eline's graduation on the 21st. I start summer classes on the 14th. I really need to think about starting the planning for our wedding. Mike gave away his UGLY couch and love seat. So now I don't have to pretend it's okay in the front living room, and then get rid of it in a few years! We are off to Wendover to see a concert and have a night away from all the kids that are always here. Maybe I'll win tons of money while we are there, you never know!

I ran 4 miles today and the weather was beautiful, as is my new route. I love living in this neighborhood as it is just rural enough to have lots of roads with little traffic and friendly people who wave and say hello.

I am hoping to get some work done in my scrapbooking room today, before we leave. No actual scrapbooking, just arranging so I can eventually scrapbook again.

Train ride, etc.

2008-05-01T07:14:00.002-06:00

Chelsea, Eline and 3 of their friends rode with me on the Front Runner train the other day. It was pretty crowded on the way down, but we did get a seat. At least for a little while. I taught the girls some manners concerning public transportation. They now know that they need to give up their seats for elderly and disabled people. They didn't necessarily like it until I pointed out that at some point they would be old, and I also asked them how they'd feel if someone made their grandparents stand on a moving train for an hour. I think they got the message.

The ride itself was very nice and smooth. They used extra long track sections so you don't hear or feel the click-clack like the trains in Europe. The nice thing is the train stops right next to the TRAX (light rail) line in SLC so we got off the train, hopped on the TRAX and were at the mall in just a few minutes.

We went down because Eline's iPod went kaput and we were happy to discover that she had about 20 days left on her warranty so they gave her a new one!

Well, Mike is officially unemployed. The contract he was working under has expired. The gov't mad some mistakes when they re-let the contract so now it will be about two weeks before a new contract is signed. Hopefully he'll be hired because it will most likely go to a new company. Fortunately we are prepared for this and put aside enough money to pay 8 months of house payments. With our military retirement checks we can make the house payment and all of our other living expenses but that leaves no money for anything else. The money I make from my two jobs isn't enough to make a big difference but every little bit helps. If he doesn't get hired on with the new contract he'll look for jobs outside of the government which would be just fine with me.

Mike is enjoying having some time off. He left this morning to go visit his best friend in South Dakota for a few days.

I am doing a re-orientation for the local exchange students this evening, preparing them for the shock of going home. For many kids this is tougher than coming to the US because they often think everything will be the same as they left it. My job is to prepare them for the differences in their family and friends, and to understand how to deal with the changes. We are going to do some required activities, then have Subway for dinner and the kids will play Rock Band. I am giving each of them a small scrapbook so they can put photos in it and give it as a gift for their host families. Should be fun!

Then on Friday I am going to my friends house for a "girls night". We are having fondue and drinks. I am really looking forward to it.

Last night Chelsea, Eline and I went looking for bridesmaids dresses. The girls chose cute, short summer dresses instead of the traditional dressy dresses they had at the bridal store. So now I hope to find a nice white tea length dress to wear as my wedding dress.

School's out!

2008-04-29T11:26:00.005-06:00

School is finally out, at least for a couple of weeks when I start Summer classes. I am so glad to be done with this semester!

I started my first day of break with a joyous occasion. One of my Godchildren, Iain, was adopted today! He is such a cute baby and babbled loudly during the whole proceedings. He and his brother Elias were playing, kissing and generally causing chaos and the judge loved it! Elias is also adopted and I am also his Godmother. Here is a picture of Iain's baptism and adoption:

Later today Chelsea, Eline and I are going to ride the new Front Runner train to SLC and go shopping at the Gateway mall. It is a very warm day today, around 80 degrees, but it is supposed to be cold and rainy tomorrow, around 55 degrees.

The other day I was getting ready to take Scruffy to the groomers. My future husband and my daughter both told me to get him a mohawk. Imagine their surprise when Scruffy came home looking like this:

He looks so mean, but he really is still the sweet little puppy he's always been. Mike says he is going to get him a Harley Davidson collar, and he likes to call the poor dog Spike. But Scruffy will answer to anything as long as there is a Pupperoni around to snack on!

And here's a photo of Mike and me taken on Easter (Iain's baptism day):

It's cold!

2008-04-16T09:04:00.002-06:00

It's so cold today and yesterday it snowed! Our temperature changed by 40 degrees in one day!
Life around here has been crazy. I have had so many projects and papers to work on. I have two papers to finish (one is going to be about 30 pages long) and I have two final exams next week. I am going to take two classes this summer which will ease my load next semester for when I start my internship!!!!!!

I am so excited about my placement. It is with a private practice that does group and individual therapy. This is a rare placement for bachelor level students so I am so lucky. It is exactly what I wanted but never really hoped for because the list of possible agencies didn't include any private practices, only hospitals, homeless shelters, women's shelters, government agencies and adoption agencies. At my interview with the professor who actually does the placement he spent about an hour interviewing me and then asked if I'd be interested in considering a placement at a different agency and mentioned this practice. He said he thought I'd be a great fit with my military experience and said he'd contact the agency. I went for an interview the other day and it went great! The offices are very nice, as are the therapists. I'll have opportunities to do intakes and assessments, sit in on individual therapy sessions and help facilitate group therapy sessions. This practice recently acquired a state contract to provide education for substance abuse, parenting and other topics and I may actually get to lead some of those classes! I'll work 13-20 hours per week so I end up with 200 hrs per semester. Plus I'll have a full load at school. This means that I will have to quit both of my jobs. Oh well, I'm planning on a career, not just another job, so it really doesn't break my heart!

Mike fell the other day and dislocated his shoulder so we haven't had a chance to get all of his stuff out of storage. Hopefully by next weekend he'll feel better and we can really get settled.

My parents are coming sometime this week. I am so excited to see them! They've been down to Mexico for dental work and prescription purchasing. They will only stay one night but it will be nice to see them and to have them see our new home.

Chelsea continues to feel good with no dizzy episodes lately but we are still going to the cardiologist next month, just to be on the safe side.

It is getting close to the time when Eline will be leaving and it makes me sad to think she won't be here any more. We have all grown to love her and she is a big part of our family, and always will be. Funny how in November I was ready to send her home and now I don't want her to leave. But I know we'll see her in two years when we go to Europe to celebrate my graduation from graduate school and Chelsea's graduation from high school. So it's all good. She knows she will always have a home here in America and I know we'll always keep in touch.

Quick update

2008-04-06T16:47:00.002-06:00

We are in our new home and somewhat unpacked, my stuff at least. Mike's stuff is still in the storage unit and we'll slowly get that unpacked this week.

Chelsea is feeling better. She has only had one dizzy spell in the last week. I've decided to let her play soccer, although it's a decision I'm not totally comfortable with.

We've met some of the neighbors and I'm happy to say that I think we hit the jackpot! The neighbors next to us invited Mike and me over to soak in the hot tub and drink beer! Not too bad, huh!? The neighbors across the street brought over cookies. So far we haven't met any high school kids, but that will come.

So is ending fast and I have so much work to do so I need to get busy!

Chelsea

2008-03-26T20:08:00.002-06:00

Chelsea is being seen at Primary Children's Hospital (PCH) for dizziness. When we were home at Christmas she started complaining about feeling dizzy, and having ear pain. In January she went to the Dr. who couldn't see anything wrong with her ears so he referred her to an ENT. The ENT gave her some antibiotics and Flonase which is a steroid nose spray to see if she might have an infection in her eustacion (sp?) tubes. He also referred her to an audiologist to see if the dizziness was due to an inner ear problem. The antibiotics and nose spray cleared up the ear pain and the audiologist, after running extensive tests, determined that her ears were fine. We were sent back to our family doctor to see if there was some other medical reason for the dizziness. He did a complete blood work up and had an MRI done to rule out a brain tumor or MS. Both came out fine, so he referred us to Primary Children's, which is one of the top 10 children's hospitals in the country. She saw a very nice neurologist who did a thorough exam. She couldn't find any obvious reason for the dizziness but pointed out that Chelsea had been seen at our family doc on Dec. 11th for neck pain following a bad collision with another soccer player while playing indoor soccer. She said that Chelsea could have had a mini-stroke then without our knowing it. She said that sometimes when radiologists look at MRI's for children they don't look for mini-strokes because they are so rare. I guess they are difficult to see on the MRI so you really have to be looking for it to find it. So I am sending off the CD of Chelsea's MRI today to the neurologist to have the radiologist at PCH give it a closer look. Chelsea also had an EKG based on Dad and my brother Randy's heart issues. She has to see a pediatric cardiologist as well, but can't get in until May. Unfortunately this means no soccer or any other type of exerting activity until we figure out what is wrong with her. We should know the results of the EKG by next week. Chelsea gets dizzy about 5 times a day, starts to get tunnel vision and feels like she is passing out. It really scares me but she has no concept of how serious this could be. She just thinks its cool that she has had an MRI and an EKG, but thinks it sucks and is stupid that she can't play sports. It almost broke my heart yesterday when she asked me if she could be the team manager for the High School soccer team if she wasn't allowed to play. Of course I said she could but I'm praying for a quick resolution and solution to this problem. Chelsea is so active that it is difficult to tell her she can't do anything, especially with the weather getting so nice.

If you can find it in your heart to pray for a quick diagnosis and treatment plan I would really appreciate it. I have to say that I'm scared of all the things this could be. In between packing and doing school work this is all I really have on my mind right now.

My friend Tammy

2008-03-22T11:04:00.003-06:00

My friend Tammy is a bigwig in the military world. She's a Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) and Command Chief (CCM). We met when I was stationed at Mtn. Home AFB in 1999. We were both First Sergeants, lived with our backyards facing each other and she had a son Chelsea's age and the became very close friends. We spent lots of time together personally and professionally and became the best of friends. Over the years we both moved around, me to Utah and her to TX and then eventually her to Utah. We had loads of fun living in the same area again for about 2 years. But she was still on active duty and was chosen for an amazing job. She is now the top enlisted person at a base in Wyoming. That is a very prestigious position and she has a lot of influence and power to ensure a great quality of life for the enlisted people on her base, and really throughout the Air Force. She was interviewed by the base newspaper for Women's History Month. She forwarded the interview to me. It made me cry, and you'll see why. This is a part of her interview:

Who were your female role models while growing up and why?

Believe it or not, I really had very few female role models over the years till about my MSgt point. This may not be the most appropriate forum to fess up the fact that I really never sought or picked role models based on their gender, any more than I felt I should be “followed” because of my gender. But I will say that as a MSgt/First Sergeant, I encountered another MSgt at one base, then a SMSgt at another that not only became good friends, but phenomenal role models. They both later made CMSgt before me and watching them reinforced my beliefs that you can be a strong female professional without waiving the feminism flag or being extra aggressive to “compensate in a man’s world.” I never felt that being a female was a liability or something to make a big deal about. The two women I mentioned above, CMSgt Mary Swift (now retired) and CMSgt Mary Waddell (also now retired) were the epitome of military professionals who happened to be women. I was blessed to also become friends with them; they influenced me tremendously both personally and professionally.

3. Did it take a while for you to discover your "style" of leadership? What or who has influenced you most? Absolutely. I am a totally different person than the shy (yes!), quiet, goal-free girl that joined the Air Force a billion years ago. I had no style because I truly had no clue what leader was. I frequently tell people that I may be nothing but a great big lump consisting of the many supervisors/leaders that I’ve respected and emulated over the years. So many wonderful folks have influenced me – but a few names that quickly rise to the top are CMSgt (Ret) Norman DePalantino (what a character!), CMSgt Napoleon Walker, CMSgt (Ret) Marty Roth, CMSgt Al Taggart, CMSgt Mike Sullivan and the two folks I mentioned above. And…important to say…all but two of these folks WERE NOT chiefs when I worked most closely with them and at the most “critical time” of their influence. The fact that they later made chief is a testament to their awesome leadership qualities that resulted in their promotions to chief. It is important to say, however, that the one who has been the greatest influence, by far, was CMSgt Mary Waddell. She was/is amazing and I can only hope to be a fraction of the person/leader as she is in my lifetime.

Wow! You can't imagine how that made me feel. I guess it's good to know your friends love you, and even better to know that you have had a big impact on their lives. The only thing she forgot to mention is the margarita parties we had at Mtn. Home where we solved all the world's problems!

New Shoes

2008-03-19T08:36:00.004-06:00

I pulled out a new pair of running shoes yesterday! I love new running shoes! I started out with Asics running shoes when I first started running. About a year later I tried out a pair of Brooks, just before my first 10K race. Not a smart thing! As I was starting mile 5 my IT band started acting up and I had to walk most of the last two miles. Of course I ended up being last (with the exception of a friend's sister, but she got lost and never did finish). I blame the Brooks shoes, however it could be that the 10K was mostly downhill and downhill running puts a lot of pressure on the IT band. But I prefer to think it was the shoes, so I went back to Asics as soon as I was able to run again (about 8 months of rest and physical therapy). I've stuck with them ever since. Now I need to be on the lookout for another pair when they go on sale.

I did some speed work yesterday for the first time since my 10K in September. Funny how a 10 min. mile seemed like a good pace back then and now seems like I'm sprinting! I want to be able to run the Grace Race this year at a less than 10 min mile pace. I just checked the date though and I think Mike and I will be in Wendover to see a jazz musician, Buddy Guy, playing. I guess I need to see what time we will be leaving, because I haven't run this race in the past two years and I'd really like to run it. Plus I do much better in my running when I have a goal.

I can't wait to move in to our new house:

Life

2008-03-18T20:09:00.003-06:00

Mike's house should close tomorrow or Thursday, then mine on the 27th. We move out on the 29th and then into our house on the 6th of April. We'll stay on base in the meantime. Should be cozy! :)

School is keeping me very busy as are both my part time jobs. I did give up being cookie mom for Chelsea's Girl Scout troop because it was just too much. Can't wait for school to be out at the end of April. I hope to have plenty of time to unpack and get the house set up prior to our wedding on June 28th. Wish me luck!

House

2008-03-11T07:29:00.001-06:00

If you want to see our house you can check out the virtual tour at:

http://tours.tourfactory.com then, down towards the bottom right, enter tour # 383875

Moving

2008-03-10T08:37:00.003-06:00

Realizing that we have two kitchens full of stuff and only one kitchen to put it all in I suggested we get rid of some stuff. The good news is that the Ogden Homeless Veteran's Fellowship, which gets homeless vets off the streets, off drugs and alcohol and into jobs and apartments, will be getting lots of small appliances and some furniture. We should have everything out of his townhouse today, which will be nice. I dread starting on my house. I have a lot more stuff, but I am willing to get rid of lots of stuff so if you are in need of something in particular let me know and if I don't need mine I'll give it to you! Mary

We bought a house!

2008-03-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

Mike and I found a beautiful house that we both love, so put an offer on it on Thursday. It was accepted so we close on April 4th. Chelsea is in Disneyland right now with her HS band so she doesn't even know. Since I didn't tell her, I also didn't tell Eline so it will be a surprise for them tomorrow. I am off to help Mike pack. He has a lot done, but still has a lot to do. Good thing we bought a big house because we both have too much crap! Mary