A couple of weeks ago, I went to my mailbox, and what did I see? A letter from the IRS staring at me. Yes, people, I can now add "Audited by the IRS" to my list of life experiences I could do without.
Of course this came in the middle of all my crazy working weeks. So I just decided to stay in denial and put it to the side.
Today, it has finally made it to the top of my "Things to have a nervous break down over today" list. So I thought I would blog about it.
Another time, the chance to blog about something is the only good thing you have to say about it. Because sitting here at my computer blogging, is so much more productive than say gathering my supporting documentation in order, don't ya think? It's all about priorities, right?
And proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished, the category they have chosen to audit is my charitable contributions for 2007. If I read the paperwork correctly, I have to get copies of all my checks for supporting back up.
The date of my audit is August 12th at 8:00 AM. Are these people saddists or what? Way to ruin my summer vacation. And the letter says to be prepared to be there/be tortured for four hours. Good night nurse! What could they possibly talk to/grill me about for four hours. That is a ways away, but I have plans to be out of town for 10 days in the next two weeks. This weekend to attend a family reunion in Preston Idaho and the next to attend a nephew's baptism in Arizona.
So I better stop typing and get to working on that little project. My husband is a bit of a doomsdayer and he is sure we will loose all we own from penalties. If I go to jail for tax evasion, could someone please send me a cake with a file in it or at the very least a lap top with an Internet card. Think of the possibilities for blogging from jail. Hmmmm. Another time blogging can make the best of a worst case scenario.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Pat and Jared's Excellent Adventure
I know I did the worst thing that I hate others to do, but I left you off with a cliff hanger last time I posted. Now I will have to try and live up to the pressure and produce a post worthy of the build up I gave it.
The short story is that we almost missed getting Jared on the plane, and thusly just missed a trip to the ER for my heart attack.
Let me just preface this by saying that I have reoccurring nightmares about missing planes. They have taken on many forms through out the years, but they never fail to leave me in a cold sweat and breathless when I wake up in the morning.
Sometimes, I can't find the way to the airport and no matter which way I turn, something is blocking the way I need to go. Other times I can not find everything I need to get packed in time to go to the airport. The underlying theme is always that the harder I try to make it happen, the more obstacles are put in my way.
I suppose Freud would say that this was due to some real life event that I feel helpless about. Who knows. But let's just say that missing a flight seems like the end of the world to me, even though I am sure that it is not.
Jared was scheduled to leave on a flight at 7:00 am last Thursday. This meant that we needed to be at the airport at 5:00 am. Holy sleep deprivation, Batman! Let me remind you that I had worked about 70 hours in the past 8 days. Come Wednesday night, we were anything but prepared to go.
Life's little niceties like clean clothes were obviously unavailable due to my lack of doing laundry because I could hardly walk in the door each night. So Wednesday night, I did the laundry and packed Jared's suitcase.
Another problem was that he came home from scout camp extremely sore. I think that he was required to walk much more than he had for a very long time. Once he got home, he walked as very little as possible. I.E. just to the bathroom. He even asked for his urinal once, but that receive a "Heck NO" response.
I had been gone so much I hadn't really accessed his situation. Come Wednesday night, I began the question the wisdom of sending him so far away if something might be wrong. What if the pain he was in was not just sore muscles? This caused me great anxiety, as you can well imagine.
I spoke with my brother the sports trainer, and he made me feel better about letting him go. When we went to bed at 12:00, we were still not sure if he should even go on the plane.
The airlines told me that I could reschedule his flight, but it would cost $100. Not good.
Midnight
Finally I went and laid in my bed for 4 hours, more than I actually slept.
4:15 AM
I got up and tried to rouse Jared. He really didn't budge. I went downstairs and looked up some handicapped information about the airport. Finally I woke him up, but he did not bound right out of bed. He was worried about going and wondered how he would make it all the way out to the gate.
A call to my mom, who was up preparing to go to her temple assignment helped to ease my concerns.
4:55 AM
Finally Jared got out of bed.
5:05 AM
We loaded the car and left the garage like a bat out of helk on our way to the airport.
I like to think of speed limits as guidelines, more than a code in such emergencies, so we raced along. I pulled up to the curb at 5:17, probably some kind of record. I took in Jared's suitcase, back pack, laptop, and my purse. During this frantic unloading, Jared calmly put in his contacts. I left him sitting on a bench, waiting for me, while I parked the car.
On the way to park, there may have been some more traffic violations and a few near misses with pedestrians, but it is all kind of a blur.
I parked the car and noticed the parking meter. DANG! I didn't think I had any change and if I did I had left it with Jared in my purse. Curses. I just figured I would take my chances with the ticket. Why start obeying the law, at this point, right?
I raced as fast as my out of shapeness would allow, back to the ticket counter. Which by the way was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. Because of the dang Alphabetical curse that has Alaska Airlines starting with the letter "A".
We then got in line. Thankfully the line was very short. We got to the counter and requested a wheel chair. A luggage tag was hurriedly filled out. My pass for security was issued. A $ 15 dollar charge for the one bag was collected. Sheesh. And then the worker told me to wait and the wheel chair would be along shortly.
Time: 5:35.
We sat down to wait. In case you didn't know, I am not fond of waiting when I am trying to hurry. So I kept getting up and looking to see if the wheel chair was there yet. Jared was extremely annoyed by my impatience, so it was not in vain. How ever I did finally move away from him, so I would have to see the eyes rolling and listen to him telling me to just be patient.
Time 5:45
I went back to the counter, where upon another worker told me that it could take up to 30 minutes for the wheel chair to arrive. OH MYLANTA! She reassured me that with a wheel chair we would go to the front of the line at security.
I returned to my seat, where I weighed the pros and cons of waiting. Would the extra waiting be better if we went right to the front of the line? I vacillated back and forth between saying "Let's just give up and start walking" and the gnawing idea that he wouldn't make it in time anyway, so we should wait.
Time 6:00
The wheelchair finally arrived. Hallelujah! He hoped on and off we went. He did his best impression of a back seat driver, while he worried that I would run over people in our way. Why couldn't those chairs have beeping things, to warn people to step aside?
We crowded into the elevator and raced down to the security line. Only to be faced with a rather long line of people in wheelchairs. Who knew Vegas was a Mecca for little old ladies in wheel chairs? But I suppose that if you watch the people at the slots, they are mostly old.
And so we got in line, AGAIN. Inching forward at the pace of a snail, all the while my heart raced a million miles a minute.
Finally we were at the front of the line. Jared of course had to be wanded because of his metal hip. In the mean time I put all of our other stuff through the conveyor belt. I noticed one of the guards carrying my purse. That seemed strange. He then asked me to step over to the side and stand behind a short wall and watch while he searched my purse.
I could not for the life of me imagine why he would do such a thing. I told him I didn't even think I had fingernail clippers in there. But shortly he produced a neon green box cutter that I had accidentally brought home from work. Are you kidding me? Shocking that they would have a problem with me taking a razor blade with me, huh? Good grief.
So while Jared was finishing up his screening, I was now holding up our progress, while the guy unscrewed the holder and threw the blade away.
6:30 AM
Once my purse was run through the x-ray one more time, and security determined that I was not a terrorist with plans to hijack a plan, we were on our way to the gate. We rode the tram, went up the elevator, made a stop at the bathroom, the ATM, and a shop for a $2 bottle of water.
6:45 AM
As we reached the gate, they were doing the final boarding of the general passengers. Jared got in line and walked right onto the plane. I double checked with the agent at the gate to make sure my mom's name was on the reservation.
I walked slowly back to my car, noticing my heart rate returning to a normal pace for the first time in about 3 hours.
Happily, I did not get a ticket. I drove home and laid down for 30 minutes before I had to get up and go to work.
The whole thing was non stop suspense and hysteria on my part. No wonder I have nightmares about such things. Airports can be pretty horrific.
And to think that the whole reason I scheduled him on the 7 AM flight was to save myself $20. I think in retrospect, I would have rather paid the $20 than given a year off my life expectancy. Just a thought.
The short story is that we almost missed getting Jared on the plane, and thusly just missed a trip to the ER for my heart attack.
Let me just preface this by saying that I have reoccurring nightmares about missing planes. They have taken on many forms through out the years, but they never fail to leave me in a cold sweat and breathless when I wake up in the morning.
Sometimes, I can't find the way to the airport and no matter which way I turn, something is blocking the way I need to go. Other times I can not find everything I need to get packed in time to go to the airport. The underlying theme is always that the harder I try to make it happen, the more obstacles are put in my way.
I suppose Freud would say that this was due to some real life event that I feel helpless about. Who knows. But let's just say that missing a flight seems like the end of the world to me, even though I am sure that it is not.
Jared was scheduled to leave on a flight at 7:00 am last Thursday. This meant that we needed to be at the airport at 5:00 am. Holy sleep deprivation, Batman! Let me remind you that I had worked about 70 hours in the past 8 days. Come Wednesday night, we were anything but prepared to go.
Life's little niceties like clean clothes were obviously unavailable due to my lack of doing laundry because I could hardly walk in the door each night. So Wednesday night, I did the laundry and packed Jared's suitcase.
Another problem was that he came home from scout camp extremely sore. I think that he was required to walk much more than he had for a very long time. Once he got home, he walked as very little as possible. I.E. just to the bathroom. He even asked for his urinal once, but that receive a "Heck NO" response.
I had been gone so much I hadn't really accessed his situation. Come Wednesday night, I began the question the wisdom of sending him so far away if something might be wrong. What if the pain he was in was not just sore muscles? This caused me great anxiety, as you can well imagine.
I spoke with my brother the sports trainer, and he made me feel better about letting him go. When we went to bed at 12:00, we were still not sure if he should even go on the plane.
The airlines told me that I could reschedule his flight, but it would cost $100. Not good.
Midnight
Finally I went and laid in my bed for 4 hours, more than I actually slept.
4:15 AM
I got up and tried to rouse Jared. He really didn't budge. I went downstairs and looked up some handicapped information about the airport. Finally I woke him up, but he did not bound right out of bed. He was worried about going and wondered how he would make it all the way out to the gate.
A call to my mom, who was up preparing to go to her temple assignment helped to ease my concerns.
4:55 AM
Finally Jared got out of bed.
5:05 AM
We loaded the car and left the garage like a bat out of helk on our way to the airport.
I like to think of speed limits as guidelines, more than a code in such emergencies, so we raced along. I pulled up to the curb at 5:17, probably some kind of record. I took in Jared's suitcase, back pack, laptop, and my purse. During this frantic unloading, Jared calmly put in his contacts. I left him sitting on a bench, waiting for me, while I parked the car.
On the way to park, there may have been some more traffic violations and a few near misses with pedestrians, but it is all kind of a blur.
I parked the car and noticed the parking meter. DANG! I didn't think I had any change and if I did I had left it with Jared in my purse. Curses. I just figured I would take my chances with the ticket. Why start obeying the law, at this point, right?
I raced as fast as my out of shapeness would allow, back to the ticket counter. Which by the way was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. Because of the dang Alphabetical curse that has Alaska Airlines starting with the letter "A".
We then got in line. Thankfully the line was very short. We got to the counter and requested a wheel chair. A luggage tag was hurriedly filled out. My pass for security was issued. A $ 15 dollar charge for the one bag was collected. Sheesh. And then the worker told me to wait and the wheel chair would be along shortly.
Time: 5:35.
We sat down to wait. In case you didn't know, I am not fond of waiting when I am trying to hurry. So I kept getting up and looking to see if the wheel chair was there yet. Jared was extremely annoyed by my impatience, so it was not in vain. How ever I did finally move away from him, so I would have to see the eyes rolling and listen to him telling me to just be patient.
Time 5:45
I went back to the counter, where upon another worker told me that it could take up to 30 minutes for the wheel chair to arrive. OH MYLANTA! She reassured me that with a wheel chair we would go to the front of the line at security.
I returned to my seat, where I weighed the pros and cons of waiting. Would the extra waiting be better if we went right to the front of the line? I vacillated back and forth between saying "Let's just give up and start walking" and the gnawing idea that he wouldn't make it in time anyway, so we should wait.
Time 6:00
The wheelchair finally arrived. Hallelujah! He hoped on and off we went. He did his best impression of a back seat driver, while he worried that I would run over people in our way. Why couldn't those chairs have beeping things, to warn people to step aside?
We crowded into the elevator and raced down to the security line. Only to be faced with a rather long line of people in wheelchairs. Who knew Vegas was a Mecca for little old ladies in wheel chairs? But I suppose that if you watch the people at the slots, they are mostly old.
And so we got in line, AGAIN. Inching forward at the pace of a snail, all the while my heart raced a million miles a minute.
Finally we were at the front of the line. Jared of course had to be wanded because of his metal hip. In the mean time I put all of our other stuff through the conveyor belt. I noticed one of the guards carrying my purse. That seemed strange. He then asked me to step over to the side and stand behind a short wall and watch while he searched my purse.
I could not for the life of me imagine why he would do such a thing. I told him I didn't even think I had fingernail clippers in there. But shortly he produced a neon green box cutter that I had accidentally brought home from work. Are you kidding me? Shocking that they would have a problem with me taking a razor blade with me, huh? Good grief.
So while Jared was finishing up his screening, I was now holding up our progress, while the guy unscrewed the holder and threw the blade away.
6:30 AM
Once my purse was run through the x-ray one more time, and security determined that I was not a terrorist with plans to hijack a plan, we were on our way to the gate. We rode the tram, went up the elevator, made a stop at the bathroom, the ATM, and a shop for a $2 bottle of water.
6:45 AM
As we reached the gate, they were doing the final boarding of the general passengers. Jared got in line and walked right onto the plane. I double checked with the agent at the gate to make sure my mom's name was on the reservation.
I walked slowly back to my car, noticing my heart rate returning to a normal pace for the first time in about 3 hours.
Happily, I did not get a ticket. I drove home and laid down for 30 minutes before I had to get up and go to work.
The whole thing was non stop suspense and hysteria on my part. No wonder I have nightmares about such things. Airports can be pretty horrific.
And to think that the whole reason I scheduled him on the 7 AM flight was to save myself $20. I think in retrospect, I would have rather paid the $20 than given a year off my life expectancy. Just a thought.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Why I haven't blogged in a week.
I have been rather MIA this week, due to the fact that it is one of the few weeks a year that I am employed full time. Last week also I am very busy helping my husband finish up a painting job. Between the two of us, we spent about 70 hours last week painting. May I never see a paint roller again.
This week I have spent unpacking products for Global Views. It is rather tiring to be on your feet all day long, when you are not used to it. Hopefully I won't have to spend all of my pay check at the chiropractor.
We are almost done. I really hope I don't have to work tomorrow.
I am very impress with those of you other bloggers who have full time blogs, families, and still write regularly. Somehow when I come home from work with the energy of a wet noodle I don't sit down and write.
I am suppose to be throwing a birthday party for Diana tomorrow. I wish there was a way out of it. Anyone know of a way to get out of throwing a party for your ten year old daughter when you have already promised her? Yea, I didn't think so either. She has been planning this event for months, constantly talking about it. She has added to it, re planned, and changed her mind over and over again. I figured there was no harm or cost in dreaming and planning, but now it may be time to pay the piper.
In other news, I have finally read Twilight and New Moon. I have about 100 pages left in Eclipse. I have enjoyed reading for the fun of reading. I am not sure that I am as big a fan and everyone else. Not that I can't see why they would like the books and I am glad to be on the inside so to speak, so I can carry on conversations with the rest of the world who have read it. I just didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE them. And I am OK with that.
I did however pretty much hate the movie. I saw it the day after I read the book and I think it would be better to have more space to forget the billion details in the book that are different from the movie. Just saying.
I did like New Moon, which seems to be surprising to many people. What I liked about it was the way she described so accurately what it is like to grieve when your heart is broken in two. I could really relate to that part of the book.
Some time this weekend, I hope to post about my crazy adventure getting Jared off on a trip to Seattle yesterday. It was fraught with peril, suspense, and air port employees. You won't want to miss it.
This week I have spent unpacking products for Global Views. It is rather tiring to be on your feet all day long, when you are not used to it. Hopefully I won't have to spend all of my pay check at the chiropractor.
We are almost done. I really hope I don't have to work tomorrow.
I am very impress with those of you other bloggers who have full time blogs, families, and still write regularly. Somehow when I come home from work with the energy of a wet noodle I don't sit down and write.
I am suppose to be throwing a birthday party for Diana tomorrow. I wish there was a way out of it. Anyone know of a way to get out of throwing a party for your ten year old daughter when you have already promised her? Yea, I didn't think so either. She has been planning this event for months, constantly talking about it. She has added to it, re planned, and changed her mind over and over again. I figured there was no harm or cost in dreaming and planning, but now it may be time to pay the piper.
In other news, I have finally read Twilight and New Moon. I have about 100 pages left in Eclipse. I have enjoyed reading for the fun of reading. I am not sure that I am as big a fan and everyone else. Not that I can't see why they would like the books and I am glad to be on the inside so to speak, so I can carry on conversations with the rest of the world who have read it. I just didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE them. And I am OK with that.
I did however pretty much hate the movie. I saw it the day after I read the book and I think it would be better to have more space to forget the billion details in the book that are different from the movie. Just saying.
I did like New Moon, which seems to be surprising to many people. What I liked about it was the way she described so accurately what it is like to grieve when your heart is broken in two. I could really relate to that part of the book.
Some time this weekend, I hope to post about my crazy adventure getting Jared off on a trip to Seattle yesterday. It was fraught with peril, suspense, and air port employees. You won't want to miss it.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Pain Retains
At our recent family reunion, I had a chance to catch up with my youngest brother. He is currently serving in the Marines. We were questioning him about life in the Military and especially about boot camp. I can't quite remember why this came out, but he shared that one of his drill sergeants would always repeat "Pain Retains." He would shout this over and over when they would be at the breaking point doing push ups or some other drill.
I have thought over and over about this short concise statement. And I wonder if Heavenly Father has the same philosophy. What if that is part of the purpose of our trials? What if as we suffer pains and afflictions, we are really learning to retain valuable lessons about Faith and our Heavenly Father's unending love for us.
There is no doubt that this past year has been one of pain for me. But as Jared is getting closer and closer to resuming a normal life, I can feel myself starting to come back to life. The pain of this year is subsiding and is being replaced with the surprise and joy that it may finally be over.
Last week marked the one year anniversary of the day he went to the hospital. In fact on the very day, I went with my sister to tour Utah Valley Hospital so she could decide where to deliver her baby next month.
When we first walked in to the hospital, I have to admit to feeling dizzy and struggling to breathe normally. Just watching people walk by in scrubs made my knees weak. The sterile hallways, the people walking by to visit, the nurses station filled with camaraderie, all so familiar and yet a distant memory. As we walked the halls and viewed the facility, I could not help but reflect back to just one year ago when the rug was pulled out from beneath my feet.
And yet, I have survived. Barely, but this is kind of a pass fail situation where a D is as good as an A. Jared is getting stronger ever day. In fact he is at scout camp this week, something I could not have imagined even four months ago.
In thinking about what the pain of this year has retained for me, I can think of several things I know more surely now, than I did a year ago.
One would have to be that my Heavenly Father and Christ love me very much. They have carried me through this year when I didn't think I could last one more hour. I can't quite explain how this works but it is as Craig Zwick stated in a conference talk:
"It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue. Trust in His promise of eternal life and allow peace and hope to distill upon you."
Truer words were never spoken.
Another thing retained by the pain would be the increased awareness and knowledge of how much my friends and family love me. These include my real world friends and cyber world friends. It really is true that you can get by with a little help from your friends. This year has reaffirmed for me that my friends really do care about me. And I needed to be reminded of this fact.
Another thing retained is my love for Jared. He can sometimes be a difficult child, but I have come to be closer to him through my service this past year. I remember one particular night when he was crying in pain and I stood at the foot of his bed rotating his foot while the tears streamed down my face. How I wished I could take his pain away. Our relationship has changed permanently. It is as if we have been through a war together. I wonder if some day we will look back and realize that we needed to be closer. Perhaps it will be one of the lasting blessings of this trial.
Neal A. Maxwell said: "Rather than simply passing through these things, they must pass through us and do so in ways which sanctify these experiences for our good."
It is my hope that this will be true for me. Hopefully, the pain I have experienced will retain the eternal truths of the gospel.
In Helaman 12:3 "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him."
Truly when we go through a trial and we rely on the Lord to endure the pain, we can not help but remember him and his mercy.
Though I do not enjoy pain, I can see that it is necessary. There is no other way. And some day all the pain will be a distant memory when the Saviour comes and takes me in his arms and wipes away my tears.
I have thought over and over about this short concise statement. And I wonder if Heavenly Father has the same philosophy. What if that is part of the purpose of our trials? What if as we suffer pains and afflictions, we are really learning to retain valuable lessons about Faith and our Heavenly Father's unending love for us.
There is no doubt that this past year has been one of pain for me. But as Jared is getting closer and closer to resuming a normal life, I can feel myself starting to come back to life. The pain of this year is subsiding and is being replaced with the surprise and joy that it may finally be over.
Last week marked the one year anniversary of the day he went to the hospital. In fact on the very day, I went with my sister to tour Utah Valley Hospital so she could decide where to deliver her baby next month.
When we first walked in to the hospital, I have to admit to feeling dizzy and struggling to breathe normally. Just watching people walk by in scrubs made my knees weak. The sterile hallways, the people walking by to visit, the nurses station filled with camaraderie, all so familiar and yet a distant memory. As we walked the halls and viewed the facility, I could not help but reflect back to just one year ago when the rug was pulled out from beneath my feet.
And yet, I have survived. Barely, but this is kind of a pass fail situation where a D is as good as an A. Jared is getting stronger ever day. In fact he is at scout camp this week, something I could not have imagined even four months ago.
In thinking about what the pain of this year has retained for me, I can think of several things I know more surely now, than I did a year ago.
One would have to be that my Heavenly Father and Christ love me very much. They have carried me through this year when I didn't think I could last one more hour. I can't quite explain how this works but it is as Craig Zwick stated in a conference talk:
"It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue. Trust in His promise of eternal life and allow peace and hope to distill upon you."
Truer words were never spoken.
Another thing retained by the pain would be the increased awareness and knowledge of how much my friends and family love me. These include my real world friends and cyber world friends. It really is true that you can get by with a little help from your friends. This year has reaffirmed for me that my friends really do care about me. And I needed to be reminded of this fact.
Another thing retained is my love for Jared. He can sometimes be a difficult child, but I have come to be closer to him through my service this past year. I remember one particular night when he was crying in pain and I stood at the foot of his bed rotating his foot while the tears streamed down my face. How I wished I could take his pain away. Our relationship has changed permanently. It is as if we have been through a war together. I wonder if some day we will look back and realize that we needed to be closer. Perhaps it will be one of the lasting blessings of this trial.
Neal A. Maxwell said: "Rather than simply passing through these things, they must pass through us and do so in ways which sanctify these experiences for our good."
It is my hope that this will be true for me. Hopefully, the pain I have experienced will retain the eternal truths of the gospel.
In Helaman 12:3 "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him."
Truly when we go through a trial and we rely on the Lord to endure the pain, we can not help but remember him and his mercy.
Though I do not enjoy pain, I can see that it is necessary. There is no other way. And some day all the pain will be a distant memory when the Saviour comes and takes me in his arms and wipes away my tears.
Friday, July 17, 2009
War Update
I thought some of you might be wondering about the ant situation. Just for the record, I am loosing some battles, but I WILL win the war. I hope the ants are reading this and get discouraged. It would be just like them to be taking advantage of my wi/fi for free.
I do appreciate every one's good advice. I also like to suck them up into the vacuum cleaner. That was what happened to many of the ants in the following pictures. I may still give and get a bug man, but for now I think I am making progress.
These pictures were taken after the big battle at Kitchen Table. Some scouts found a bag of snacks we were silly enough to leave out. The ants established an overland route that went from a window through the game room, across the kitchen and an all out assault was launched on the table.
I do appreciate every one's good advice. I also like to suck them up into the vacuum cleaner. That was what happened to many of the ants in the following pictures. I may still give and get a bug man, but for now I think I am making progress.
These pictures were taken after the big battle at Kitchen Table. Some scouts found a bag of snacks we were silly enough to leave out. The ants established an overland route that went from a window through the game room, across the kitchen and an all out assault was launched on the table.
When I redo my kitchen floor it will not be white, that way their little dead carcases can blend in better. And just so you know real ants were harmed in the filming of this documentation.
OK this one is the worst. Look at them just passing by the ant trap. I swear I can see them all with their fingers in their ears saying "You can't catch us, nani nani boo boo to you." They are getting pretty cheeky for the few battles they have won.
This morning the little buggers were determined to take the dishwasher. So I struck back by going to Wal Mart and purchasing three different kinds of poison. And then I came home and unleashed my weapons of mass destruction. This included turning on the dishwasher while yelling "Die you little devils, die"
I am happy to report there were no survivors. We will see what tomorrow brings, but I am confident that the tide has turned in my favor.
ps. Can you tell Jared is gone to scout camp? I am getting so much more computer time that I am posting like crazy.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Great Ant War of 2009
I returned to Vegas, Monday night after being gone for almost 3 weeks. To my husband's credit, the dishes were done.
Tragically, there were many strange smells coming from the fridge and kitchen.
I investigated to find several unidentifiable bags of produce. And chicken breasts I had not put into the freezer. Nothing like raw chicken sitting in the fridge for 3 weeks. EEWWW.
I contemplated just throwing a grenade in the fridge and starting over on the groceries.
There was also a bag of potatoes that were beginning to compost on my kitchen floor. Not pleasant, I tell ya.
But worst of all was the ant invasion. It was like D-day all over again. Little rows marching all over my house. The paratroopers were the worst.
Did you know that the scientific name for the Thief Ant is Solenopsis Molesta. Such a menacing name. The little Black Ant is called Monomorium Minimum. Nothing minimum about an ant invasion. And the False Honey Any is called Prenolepis Imparis. Very imparing when bugs are crawling up you arms and legs while you try to blog.
To be fair, the invasion had begun before I left, but I had managed to hold the line, so to speak. It was a daily fight, but somehow I managed.
I was concerned about leaving my post at the front. But it was one of those things that was left undone when I left in such a panicked hurry.
And so today I must gird up my loins and go forth to battle. Armed with cleaning supplies and bug spray.
At least for now, we have managed to maintain a perimeter of the downstairs and they haven't managed to break through the lines to the uptairs.
It is completely unacceptable that they keep crawling on me and my laptop. The horror.
You know what they say "War is helk".
Tragically, there were many strange smells coming from the fridge and kitchen.
I investigated to find several unidentifiable bags of produce. And chicken breasts I had not put into the freezer. Nothing like raw chicken sitting in the fridge for 3 weeks. EEWWW.
I contemplated just throwing a grenade in the fridge and starting over on the groceries.
There was also a bag of potatoes that were beginning to compost on my kitchen floor. Not pleasant, I tell ya.
But worst of all was the ant invasion. It was like D-day all over again. Little rows marching all over my house. The paratroopers were the worst.
Did you know that the scientific name for the Thief Ant is Solenopsis Molesta. Such a menacing name. The little Black Ant is called Monomorium Minimum. Nothing minimum about an ant invasion. And the False Honey Any is called Prenolepis Imparis. Very imparing when bugs are crawling up you arms and legs while you try to blog.
To be fair, the invasion had begun before I left, but I had managed to hold the line, so to speak. It was a daily fight, but somehow I managed.
I was concerned about leaving my post at the front. But it was one of those things that was left undone when I left in such a panicked hurry.
And so today I must gird up my loins and go forth to battle. Armed with cleaning supplies and bug spray.
At least for now, we have managed to maintain a perimeter of the downstairs and they haven't managed to break through the lines to the uptairs.
It is completely unacceptable that they keep crawling on me and my laptop. The horror.
You know what they say "War is helk".
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The BYU Bookstore is Evil
While we were in Utah, Diana requested that we take another trip to the BYU bookstore. I told her that financial times being what they are, we would not be buying as much stuff as we did last time we went in April. She said "Fine."
Once we were there, I was bombarded with many requests to look at this, and what about that. I stayed firm, repeating over and over the word "NO".
Finally we ended up downstairs looking at the pictures. She was so excited to find some of the small pictures of Christ that she didn't have yet for her collection on her bedroom door. This is where the brick wall of my resolve began to crack. OK , I said, just a couple of them. They were only fifty cents after all.
We then found some great Simon Dewey and Liz Lemon calendars that were on clearance for $1. I am hoping to cut the pictures out and frame them for my living room wall. Pretty inexpensive, huh.
And then the book section. We stumbled onto a shelf of American girl books. Diana picked out about six of them and I made her narrow it down to three. One was a book of puzzles that I hoped would keep her occupied. One was a book of hair styles with pictures giving directions on how to achieve total adorableness. A must have for sure. And the last was a book of little notes that you can fill in and give to friends. So hard to say No to books.
And so with all these treasures we went to check out. Imagine my dismay when the total came to $50. The brick wall had crumbled like a sand castle during high tide at the beach. I then said to the sales clerk "This place is evil." To which he responded with "I've never heard that before. I will have to pass that on to my supervisor." He even chuckled.
With that, I adopted the mantra of "Don't look back" and "Run Away, Run Away."
We left that place like Lot leaving Sodom. Diana tried to do her best imitation of Lot's wife by looking back and pointing out other tempting things.
At least we passed up the delicious over priced ice cream in the food court. Instead we went to Macy's. Man that place is addicting.
Later as I was telling my sister about the regret I felt at over spending, Diana said to me "Mom, don't you know, Jesus is priceless?" Does she know how to work the system or what?
Yes, dear, Jesus is priceless. Sigh.
Once we were there, I was bombarded with many requests to look at this, and what about that. I stayed firm, repeating over and over the word "NO".
Finally we ended up downstairs looking at the pictures. She was so excited to find some of the small pictures of Christ that she didn't have yet for her collection on her bedroom door. This is where the brick wall of my resolve began to crack. OK , I said, just a couple of them. They were only fifty cents after all.
We then found some great Simon Dewey and Liz Lemon calendars that were on clearance for $1. I am hoping to cut the pictures out and frame them for my living room wall. Pretty inexpensive, huh.
And then the book section. We stumbled onto a shelf of American girl books. Diana picked out about six of them and I made her narrow it down to three. One was a book of puzzles that I hoped would keep her occupied. One was a book of hair styles with pictures giving directions on how to achieve total adorableness. A must have for sure. And the last was a book of little notes that you can fill in and give to friends. So hard to say No to books.
And so with all these treasures we went to check out. Imagine my dismay when the total came to $50. The brick wall had crumbled like a sand castle during high tide at the beach. I then said to the sales clerk "This place is evil." To which he responded with "I've never heard that before. I will have to pass that on to my supervisor." He even chuckled.
With that, I adopted the mantra of "Don't look back" and "Run Away, Run Away."
We left that place like Lot leaving Sodom. Diana tried to do her best imitation of Lot's wife by looking back and pointing out other tempting things.
At least we passed up the delicious over priced ice cream in the food court. Instead we went to Macy's. Man that place is addicting.
Later as I was telling my sister about the regret I felt at over spending, Diana said to me "Mom, don't you know, Jesus is priceless?" Does she know how to work the system or what?
Yes, dear, Jesus is priceless. Sigh.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tim Tam Slim Slam Jim Jam Wham Bam Kin Can Flim Flam Blog Lunch
Oh my goodness, Oh my gadness! Today was just the best day ever!!!!!.
And I even got a turn with the snuggy. And of course I needed to make the screaming face.
For any of you in the dark, I am still in Utah and one of the biggest reasons for my staying so long was to attend the fantabulous blog lunch with the famous Crash Test Dummy.
It was the most bestest Tim Tam Slim Slam Jim Jam Wham Bam Kin Can Flim Flam Event ever.
First for any of you who were not able to attend, I am so sorry for your loss, but nani nani boo boo to you. It was way too much fun. 
I am not sure that Olive Garden will ever let us back because we were partying like it is 2009, because it is, silly.
I am not sure that Olive Garden will ever let us back because we were partying like it is 2009, because it is, silly.So far I have only met about 10 blog friends, but I can say in every case, bloggers in real life are better than they seem in cyber space. They are funnier, prettier, wittier, and way sillier.
There is something so unique about meeting people for the first time, who already know you. The real you, well, at least the one you have carefully crafted on your blog.
The only downside was that I was so busy visiting and taking pictures and giving autographs that I didn't even have time to eat. Next time we should go somewhere that I don't really like the food.
Driving there I felt giddy with anticipation and nervousness. Kind like when you are a teenager and you are driving to a stake dance and wondering will I meet someone tonight, perhaps the love of my life? Well, something like that anyway.
And I relied on my memory from when I used to live here, because why wouldn't I know exactly where to go after 20 years? Mapquest, schmapquest. I don't need no stinking map. I only drove around aimlessly for an extra 10 minutes, all the while worrying that I would miss some of the fun.
Finally I arrived. Julie from Youngblood was sitting in the car next to me, but I wasn't quite sure it was her. Barb from Barbaloot Suit walked in next, wearing her snazzy red shoes and looking as cute as can be. Next Debbie from Cranberry Fries came through the door.
Finally the belle of the ball, Crash aka Debbie showed up. She was sporting her cute new hair doo and snappy red purse. Hugs were exchanged all around. And jumping up and down was definitely required. To meet in person, people who comment on your thoughts and validate you as a person is something incredible and definitely worthy of jubilation.
I know that without my blog friends I would not have survived this past year. NO way, NO how. And so to actually get to squeeze these people and feel of their love in person, it was so wonderful.
Next we saw Kristina P getting out of her car and Crash made us all hide by the bathroom and jump out and yell "Suprise". So much fun.
Kristina P showed up with Britany and Jillybean. Did you know that Kristina P got Brittany a baby? Well she did and a whole hearted congratulations to Brittany. Apparently Kristina's hair dresser's roommate has an unplanned pregnancy and plans to place with Brittany in October. I know it will be beyond wonderful. Good job Kristina!
I think Shelle was next to arrive. It is kind of a blur. She was looking cute and chic as ever in her black high heels.
At this point the hostess was anxious to clear the waiting area of this estrogenfest and herded us back to our table.
I have to admit to strategically placing myself next to Crash. No way was I going to sit at the other end of the table from her.
The conversation at the table was at warp speed. It made my head spin at times. What else would you expect when so many bloggers get together. So many words, so little time. Dang.
A little bit later Funny Farmer, The Crazy Lady, and Val of the South arrived. More hugging. More talking. Way more laughing and giggling. Val had baked a loaf of bread complete with homemade jam. So thoughtful of her. The Crazy Lady had her adorable 6 week old baby. She was perfectly behaved and slept through the whole lunch. The baby, not crazy lady.
There was an amazing sisterhood that is hard to put into words. Kind of like drinking fizzy lifting drinks in Willy Wonka.
And then of course the cameras came out and the picture taking began. It was a bit out of control. And several different times, our documentation got in the way of the waiters trying to earn a living serving people their food while it was still hot. Jeez Louise people, where are your priorities?
Here are Crash and Kristina modeling the lovely snuggy and look at the cute Crash Test embellishment that Jill made.
Next Shelle had a turn with the snuggy. Check out the waiter in the background, do you think he is wondering what kind of lunatics we are? Blogging ones, of course. Stupid question.
And I even got a turn with the snuggy. And of course I needed to make the screaming face.Here are Shelle, Crash, and I. Check out Crash's camera, serious stuff.
Here every one is trying out the Nutty Hamster Chick screaming face. I really should invest in a trademark for that, it might be worth something. From left to right, Shelle, Crash, Funny Farmer, Me, and Barb.
We spent about 10 minutes screaming trying to get the perfect shot. So funny.
Here we are with Val of the South strutting our stuff. Sorry about the bunny ears, Val.
And here is a shot of me giving my first autograph ever. Crash's brother wanted every one's autograph. So strange. I can't for the life of me imagine why. He said that some day these autographs would be worth a fortune. Um, I don't think so, but why not humor the little people. And just so you know, famous bloggers put their pants on one leg at a time. They just might stop in the middle to check their comments.
And finally one with me and Crash. She is just as sweet, cute, clever, and witty as she seems in her posts.
Thanks Crash for planning this wondrous fiesta. It was a total blast. I need to drive up more often for such opportunities.
Seriously Crash, you are da bomb. And so are the rest of you. See ya round the blogosphere.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
I don't get that a lot.
Things seem to be going well here is Utah. Surprisingly it is quite different from Las Vegas. Shocking, I know. Inconceivable even. Hmmm. It is much cooler for one thing. People all kind of look the same, for another.
Diana was able to attend a fun volleyball camp for the past three days. Check this out, my brother is the head Athletic Trainer at UVU. And so this camp took place there. My sister in law called me up and asked me if Diana would like to attend. The details were that it would cost $5 and my brother would pick her up and bring her home. Yeah, I had to really think hard about that one. Talk about rhetorical questions.
She has had a fabulous time. And today she even won a volleyball at the closing ceremony. The only downside was that she needed to be ready to go out the door at 8:20 AM. Seeing as how we have slipped into sleeping in until 10 for the summer, well yes that part was a bit difficult. But there is no such thing as a free lunch, so the piper must be paid.
Another great thing about Utah is the ice cream cones at the grocery store. Last night Diana, my sister, and I went to get some ice cream, and oh yeah some groceries. My sister and Diana both got an ice cream cone. I didn't get one, because I wasn't that hungry and I didn't really want to spend the money.
As we wandered down to the produce section, Diana offered me a taste of her cone. I took her up on her offer and told her how yummy it was. She said "Aren't you glad you brought me?" I responded "Yes, I am glad I brought you." To which she quipped "Yea, I don't get that a lot."
It is a good thing I wasn't drinking anything. I would have spit it out while laughing out loud. Are you kidding me? Where does she get this stuff? Oh that girl cracks me up.
Diana was able to attend a fun volleyball camp for the past three days. Check this out, my brother is the head Athletic Trainer at UVU. And so this camp took place there. My sister in law called me up and asked me if Diana would like to attend. The details were that it would cost $5 and my brother would pick her up and bring her home. Yeah, I had to really think hard about that one. Talk about rhetorical questions.
She has had a fabulous time. And today she even won a volleyball at the closing ceremony. The only downside was that she needed to be ready to go out the door at 8:20 AM. Seeing as how we have slipped into sleeping in until 10 for the summer, well yes that part was a bit difficult. But there is no such thing as a free lunch, so the piper must be paid.
Another great thing about Utah is the ice cream cones at the grocery store. Last night Diana, my sister, and I went to get some ice cream, and oh yeah some groceries. My sister and Diana both got an ice cream cone. I didn't get one, because I wasn't that hungry and I didn't really want to spend the money.
As we wandered down to the produce section, Diana offered me a taste of her cone. I took her up on her offer and told her how yummy it was. She said "Aren't you glad you brought me?" I responded "Yes, I am glad I brought you." To which she quipped "Yea, I don't get that a lot."
It is a good thing I wasn't drinking anything. I would have spit it out while laughing out loud. Are you kidding me? Where does she get this stuff? Oh that girl cracks me up.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday Night Fever
Remember a few posts ago how I gloated over the fact that I sent my daughter to Utah and was enjoying the quietness of my house? Well just so you know, it is not a good idea to mock the Gods of Murphy. Especially in writing on a public forum. Because They will go to extreme measures to spit on your parade. Just saying.
This spitting involved my daughter getting a fever of 103 which did not go away for 6 days. Of course shortly after I posted about my giddiness at being short one child, my sister called to tell me that she finally found her thermometer and actually took Diana's temp. Are we related or what? I can't even think of how many times I have been to a doctor and said, "I know he/she has had a fever for a few days, but I don't know exactly what it is because I can't find my thermometer."
Anyway, once a thermometer was located and actually used the result was 103. Holy burning up Batman! I don't think this child has ever had a fever that high.
Let's just flashback one year, pretty much exactly to the day. That time is was Jared with the fever. And that didn't turn out very well, i.e. near death experience, 10 days on the ventilator, 5 surgeries, 18 days in the PICU, and 25 days total in the hospital. Now a rational person would realize that there is no reason to think that Diana's fever would end up the same way. But I have never been really known for my rational thinking. Rationalizations, yes. Rational thinking, no.
I should probably include the detail that she had been coughing and complaining of a sore throat. So I took her to my pediatrician the day before she went to Utah. Her ears were clear and the Doctor even tested her throat for Strep. Nothing. The doctor could see no reason for her to not go. So I sent her. Of course Murphy paid us a visit when the fever showed up.
And so I encouraged my sister to take Diana in to her pediatrician, even though it was in another state and my insurance wasn't really going to cover it. This pediatrician found her ears to be clear. He checked again for strep. He even tested her for influenza/swine flu. Negative to all of it. He said it must be viral and should only last for a few days.
I attended this appointment via the speaker phone option on my cell phone. Can I just say that is not a bad way to attend a doctor appointment. I just sat there on my couch and panicked in the comfort of my own home. I felt bad to inconvenience my sister. She said it was one of the best doctor appointments she has been to because she didn't have to do crowd control on her small children. No one tried to lick the inside of the garbage can. No one tried to pull all the paper that lines the examine table out of the roll. Well I am glad I could giver her a glimpse of how it will be someday, if she lives through the joy of toddler hood.
So after that doctor appointment I considered getting in the car and driving to Utah. But my sister assured me that she had things covered and that it wasn't really that big of a deal. Jared did need to be doing some summer school stuff and so I stayed in Vegas. I felt so torn. It was horrible.
Several days later she still was not doing very well. I talked to my sister in the morning and she told me that it was still OK. I started doing laundry to prepare to go the next day. A few hours later my sister called me back and said that Diana seemed to be doing worse. That was it. I just bundled up my dirty laundry, and Jared and headed to Utah.
Can I just say that it is kind of stressful to try to cautiously speed? I wanted to be there pronto, but I did not want to get a ticket. Quite the conundrum.
Finally we got there at 10 pm. Diana was relieved to see me. I actually tried sleeping in the same queen bed with her that night. Bad idea. She was up all night long. It was reassuring to be able to reach over and put my hand on her chest to check to see if she was still breathing.
After the horrible no good night, I decided to take her back in to the doctor. He still could not see anything else wrong. So he sent us to get the blood work done. All of this was such a de ja vu experience. Remember I took Jared to a doctor who found nothing wrong with him just 4 days before he was hospitalized. So hard to keep those thoughts of terror from crowding in.
I felt better to know that we could see more in the blood test. Diana was not happy to get a shot, but she was a trooper through the whole thing. Later that day the doctor's office called to say that everything looked normal.
And so after three visits to the doctor, the next day her fever broke and she started getting better.
Of course now several of my nephews are coming down with fevers. This week the rest of my family is suppose to arrive in Spanish Fork. Sounds like the beginning of a great Family Reunion with people getting sick, huh?
And so I may be missing in action from the blogosphere. Sometimes I get a minute to still check in. Hope all of you are having better vacations.
Oh and can I just say how glad I am to be wrong and not end up in the hospital. Thank goodness I do not need to learn more by having a repeat expereince.
This spitting involved my daughter getting a fever of 103 which did not go away for 6 days. Of course shortly after I posted about my giddiness at being short one child, my sister called to tell me that she finally found her thermometer and actually took Diana's temp. Are we related or what? I can't even think of how many times I have been to a doctor and said, "I know he/she has had a fever for a few days, but I don't know exactly what it is because I can't find my thermometer."
Anyway, once a thermometer was located and actually used the result was 103. Holy burning up Batman! I don't think this child has ever had a fever that high.
Let's just flashback one year, pretty much exactly to the day. That time is was Jared with the fever. And that didn't turn out very well, i.e. near death experience, 10 days on the ventilator, 5 surgeries, 18 days in the PICU, and 25 days total in the hospital. Now a rational person would realize that there is no reason to think that Diana's fever would end up the same way. But I have never been really known for my rational thinking. Rationalizations, yes. Rational thinking, no.
I should probably include the detail that she had been coughing and complaining of a sore throat. So I took her to my pediatrician the day before she went to Utah. Her ears were clear and the Doctor even tested her throat for Strep. Nothing. The doctor could see no reason for her to not go. So I sent her. Of course Murphy paid us a visit when the fever showed up.
And so I encouraged my sister to take Diana in to her pediatrician, even though it was in another state and my insurance wasn't really going to cover it. This pediatrician found her ears to be clear. He checked again for strep. He even tested her for influenza/swine flu. Negative to all of it. He said it must be viral and should only last for a few days.
I attended this appointment via the speaker phone option on my cell phone. Can I just say that is not a bad way to attend a doctor appointment. I just sat there on my couch and panicked in the comfort of my own home. I felt bad to inconvenience my sister. She said it was one of the best doctor appointments she has been to because she didn't have to do crowd control on her small children. No one tried to lick the inside of the garbage can. No one tried to pull all the paper that lines the examine table out of the roll. Well I am glad I could giver her a glimpse of how it will be someday, if she lives through the joy of toddler hood.
So after that doctor appointment I considered getting in the car and driving to Utah. But my sister assured me that she had things covered and that it wasn't really that big of a deal. Jared did need to be doing some summer school stuff and so I stayed in Vegas. I felt so torn. It was horrible.
Several days later she still was not doing very well. I talked to my sister in the morning and she told me that it was still OK. I started doing laundry to prepare to go the next day. A few hours later my sister called me back and said that Diana seemed to be doing worse. That was it. I just bundled up my dirty laundry, and Jared and headed to Utah.
Can I just say that it is kind of stressful to try to cautiously speed? I wanted to be there pronto, but I did not want to get a ticket. Quite the conundrum.
Finally we got there at 10 pm. Diana was relieved to see me. I actually tried sleeping in the same queen bed with her that night. Bad idea. She was up all night long. It was reassuring to be able to reach over and put my hand on her chest to check to see if she was still breathing.
After the horrible no good night, I decided to take her back in to the doctor. He still could not see anything else wrong. So he sent us to get the blood work done. All of this was such a de ja vu experience. Remember I took Jared to a doctor who found nothing wrong with him just 4 days before he was hospitalized. So hard to keep those thoughts of terror from crowding in.
I felt better to know that we could see more in the blood test. Diana was not happy to get a shot, but she was a trooper through the whole thing. Later that day the doctor's office called to say that everything looked normal.
And so after three visits to the doctor, the next day her fever broke and she started getting better.
Of course now several of my nephews are coming down with fevers. This week the rest of my family is suppose to arrive in Spanish Fork. Sounds like the beginning of a great Family Reunion with people getting sick, huh?
And so I may be missing in action from the blogosphere. Sometimes I get a minute to still check in. Hope all of you are having better vacations.
Oh and can I just say how glad I am to be wrong and not end up in the hospital. Thank goodness I do not need to learn more by having a repeat expereince.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Life is Just Nuts
I stumbled upon the following article in the NY Daily News. I am pretty much speechless about it and thought I should share with all of you. Definitely a "What the what" inducing topic. Just a warning, if you are drinking anything, swallow first, before you read. Wouldn't want to be blamed when you spit on your computer screen.
"Real, or fake? Never mind the busty woman walking her dog in the park - it may just be her pooch who's sporting implants.
Some pet owners who neuter their male dogs are opting for a surgical procedure meant to make Fido feel like he's back in the good ol' days B.C. - Before Castration.
Neuticles - testicular implants for dogs that look and feel like the real thing - are said to boost a pet's self-esteem by replacing what was lost. It's a procedure that's becoming increasingly popular in New York.
"We did it so Truman could still walk proudly down the street," says Penny Glazier, a Manhattan restaurateur, of her 8-year-old bull mastiff.
"We felt it would be good for him psychologically," she adds. "He actually still marks trees, though I'm told neutered dogs aren't supposed to do that anymore."
Made from polypropylene ($119 a pair), solid silicone ($249) or a liquid-filled "ultra-plus" model with lifelike veins ($889), Neuticles were introduced in 1995 by Missouri inventor Glenn A. Miller.
Though it took several years for veterinarians to accept the product, Miller claims more than 230,000 pets in 49 countries have been "Neuticled" at 17,000 clinics worldwide. The procedure is performed mostly on dogs, but owners have had it done for cats, bulls, horses, monkeys - even an elephant.
"People like their male dogs to look natural," says Miller. "Neuticles are strictly cosmetic. But it encourages owners who are hesitant about neutering their pets to do it, and that helps reduce pet overpopulation."
Size, by the way, does matter. Neuticles range from petite (.63 inches in length) all the way to XX-large (2.75 inches).
While the operation is safe, not every vet is sold on the idea - especially when it's more about an owner's ego than the dog's. "It is mostly men who inquire about it," says Dr. Gina Antiaris of Miller-Clark Animal Center in Mamaroneck. "I've done [the operation] before, but we don't do it here. It's sort of unnecessary."
"It's really a cosmetic thing," says Dr. Richard Green, who has performed it several times. "Dogs do just fine without their testicles."
For dog owner Edgar Rivera of the Bronx, whose Jack Russell terrier and chihuahua were both neutered, Neuticles was never an option. "Fake ba--s for a dog?" asks Rivera. "That's just nuts."
OK, is it just me, or is this idea ludicrous to the Nth degree? Holy waste of disposable income, Batman. And seriously how do they know that their dog's self esteem is worse or better? I don't get it. And I do admit that I am not a dog person in the least. But I can not imagine spending $900 to improve the self esteem of one of my kids let alone a pet. Good Golly, Miss Molly. Some people's kids. And don't ya just love the last line from the guy that said "That's just nuts." Some people are so punny. And the line about size does matter. Who knew?
"Real, or fake? Never mind the busty woman walking her dog in the park - it may just be her pooch who's sporting implants.
Some pet owners who neuter their male dogs are opting for a surgical procedure meant to make Fido feel like he's back in the good ol' days B.C. - Before Castration.
Neuticles - testicular implants for dogs that look and feel like the real thing - are said to boost a pet's self-esteem by replacing what was lost. It's a procedure that's becoming increasingly popular in New York.
"We did it so Truman could still walk proudly down the street," says Penny Glazier, a Manhattan restaurateur, of her 8-year-old bull mastiff.
"We felt it would be good for him psychologically," she adds. "He actually still marks trees, though I'm told neutered dogs aren't supposed to do that anymore."
Made from polypropylene ($119 a pair), solid silicone ($249) or a liquid-filled "ultra-plus" model with lifelike veins ($889), Neuticles were introduced in 1995 by Missouri inventor Glenn A. Miller.
Though it took several years for veterinarians to accept the product, Miller claims more than 230,000 pets in 49 countries have been "Neuticled" at 17,000 clinics worldwide. The procedure is performed mostly on dogs, but owners have had it done for cats, bulls, horses, monkeys - even an elephant.
"People like their male dogs to look natural," says Miller. "Neuticles are strictly cosmetic. But it encourages owners who are hesitant about neutering their pets to do it, and that helps reduce pet overpopulation."
Size, by the way, does matter. Neuticles range from petite (.63 inches in length) all the way to XX-large (2.75 inches).
While the operation is safe, not every vet is sold on the idea - especially when it's more about an owner's ego than the dog's. "It is mostly men who inquire about it," says Dr. Gina Antiaris of Miller-Clark Animal Center in Mamaroneck. "I've done [the operation] before, but we don't do it here. It's sort of unnecessary."
"It's really a cosmetic thing," says Dr. Richard Green, who has performed it several times. "Dogs do just fine without their testicles."
For dog owner Edgar Rivera of the Bronx, whose Jack Russell terrier and chihuahua were both neutered, Neuticles was never an option. "Fake ba--s for a dog?" asks Rivera. "That's just nuts."
OK, is it just me, or is this idea ludicrous to the Nth degree? Holy waste of disposable income, Batman. And seriously how do they know that their dog's self esteem is worse or better? I don't get it. And I do admit that I am not a dog person in the least. But I can not imagine spending $900 to improve the self esteem of one of my kids let alone a pet. Good Golly, Miss Molly. Some people's kids. And don't ya just love the last line from the guy that said "That's just nuts." Some people are so punny. And the line about size does matter. Who knew?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Diana does Utah
Through a series of fortunate events, Diana has gone to Utah to visit her cousins. She left Thursday. Jared and I will be joining her next week. A friend of mine was driving up, and I asked if she could hitch a ride. That way she can have fun playing and I can have fun being lonely.
I do have to say that for someone so small, she can generate a lot of stuff every where she goes. Weather it is changing her clothes severl times daily, creating mountains of art projects, or cooking in the kitchen, well let's just say that the remaining children at my house are not quite as productive when it comes to creating chaos.
To her credit, she does do way more cleaning up than either of the boys. I think it is a girl thing. And all on her own, I don't even have to ask her. I love the way she likes to surprise me with unloading the dishwasher or mopping the kitchen floor. So nice she will be able to take good care of me in my old age. Maybe it was a good plan to have boys first, after all.
Jared and I can't go until next week because he needs to take some tests to pass off some independant study classes. Right now he is working on health. The independant study summer program allows you to do as many classes as you want to. At first I was overly optimistic that he could completely catch up from missing his whole freshman year. Gee, I wonder what would make me think that he could make up a year's worth of school work in 6 weeks? After smacking my head against the brick wall of realistic expectations, I am hoping he will complete health and personal wellness. He will get Health done this week. Anything after that will be a bonus.
Diana has been enjoying herself so far. Last night my brother took her to see Up with his kids. She told my sister that she loves Utah because the movie theaters don't even have casinos in them. For any of you who are lucky enough to have never been to Vegas or seen a movie here, all of the theaters are in the casinos. Most annoying to have to walk past all the slots and smokers just to go to a movie. One of my many pet peeves about Vegas. And how funny that it would seem great to her to not have to deal with casinos. And to term it that the movie theater has a casino, not that the casino has a movie theater in it. Besides that happiness, she saw someone at the movie wearing a BYU t-shirt. She also thought that was novel and exciting. I have trained her well.
So I am enjoying getting to pick what to watch on TV and sleeping in with out her poking me in the ribs. At the same time, it is eerily quiet. Quiet is not often heard when she is around. Sometimes it is a good thing to have absence make the heart grow fonder.
I do have to say that for someone so small, she can generate a lot of stuff every where she goes. Weather it is changing her clothes severl times daily, creating mountains of art projects, or cooking in the kitchen, well let's just say that the remaining children at my house are not quite as productive when it comes to creating chaos.
To her credit, she does do way more cleaning up than either of the boys. I think it is a girl thing. And all on her own, I don't even have to ask her. I love the way she likes to surprise me with unloading the dishwasher or mopping the kitchen floor. So nice she will be able to take good care of me in my old age. Maybe it was a good plan to have boys first, after all.
Jared and I can't go until next week because he needs to take some tests to pass off some independant study classes. Right now he is working on health. The independant study summer program allows you to do as many classes as you want to. At first I was overly optimistic that he could completely catch up from missing his whole freshman year. Gee, I wonder what would make me think that he could make up a year's worth of school work in 6 weeks? After smacking my head against the brick wall of realistic expectations, I am hoping he will complete health and personal wellness. He will get Health done this week. Anything after that will be a bonus.
Diana has been enjoying herself so far. Last night my brother took her to see Up with his kids. She told my sister that she loves Utah because the movie theaters don't even have casinos in them. For any of you who are lucky enough to have never been to Vegas or seen a movie here, all of the theaters are in the casinos. Most annoying to have to walk past all the slots and smokers just to go to a movie. One of my many pet peeves about Vegas. And how funny that it would seem great to her to not have to deal with casinos. And to term it that the movie theater has a casino, not that the casino has a movie theater in it. Besides that happiness, she saw someone at the movie wearing a BYU t-shirt. She also thought that was novel and exciting. I have trained her well.
So I am enjoying getting to pick what to watch on TV and sleeping in with out her poking me in the ribs. At the same time, it is eerily quiet. Quiet is not often heard when she is around. Sometimes it is a good thing to have absence make the heart grow fonder.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Look Ma, I made a book.
Today the lovely Federal Express guy delivered MY BOOK! Actually I didn't see him make the delivery so I really have no idea if he was lovely or ugly, but that is neither here nor there. The important thing is that the delivery was made.
Some jumping up and down was required. This is very exciting. Of course it would be more exciting if I had written a book that an editor thought worthy of paying me for, but sometimes you can't have it all. Instead I will settle for this wonderfully delightful book that I paid someone to print up for me.
Here is the cover of the book. Of course I had to put my screaming face on the cover. I love my title "Paparazzi Pat Perpetuates Pigskin Passion." It combines my love for all things alliteration with my love for BYU football. I think it has a certain ring to it, if I do say so myself. The subtitle says "Documented proof that I belong in an institution for the stalkerly insane." How appropriate is that?
Look how cool it turned out?
Now I have something new to bore all my friends and family with. Wahoo!
This is one of my favorite pages, although I did not get a very good picture of it. I think you can get the general idea of how fun to have all my crazy BYU hat pictures on one page.
The whole thing was beyond addicting. Sadly I have already noticed some things I wish I had done differently, but overall it will be a treasure. And since I am the one I made it for, I won't care that much.
I have wondered though about the cycle I am creating. First I wrote a bunch of blog posts about BYU football. Then I took the posts from my blog and put them in a book. Now I am blogging about the book. I am sensing an unending cycle here. Kind of silly, I suppose. But enjoyable none the less.
I made this book using blurb.com. It was really easy, although I would recommend watching the introductory tutorial. I loved the way it sucked all my posts and pictures in from my blog. Now that I have the important stuff published, perhaps I should go back and publish all the stuff about my kids.
So now you must all treat me with the respect a published author deserves, even if I am screaming all the time. He He He.
Some jumping up and down was required. This is very exciting. Of course it would be more exciting if I had written a book that an editor thought worthy of paying me for, but sometimes you can't have it all. Instead I will settle for this wonderfully delightful book that I paid someone to print up for me.
Here is the cover of the book. Of course I had to put my screaming face on the cover. I love my title "Paparazzi Pat Perpetuates Pigskin Passion." It combines my love for all things alliteration with my love for BYU football. I think it has a certain ring to it, if I do say so myself. The subtitle says "Documented proof that I belong in an institution for the stalkerly insane." How appropriate is that?
Look how cool it turned out?
Now I have something new to bore all my friends and family with. Wahoo!
This is one of my favorite pages, although I did not get a very good picture of it. I think you can get the general idea of how fun to have all my crazy BYU hat pictures on one page. The whole thing was beyond addicting. Sadly I have already noticed some things I wish I had done differently, but overall it will be a treasure. And since I am the one I made it for, I won't care that much.
I have wondered though about the cycle I am creating. First I wrote a bunch of blog posts about BYU football. Then I took the posts from my blog and put them in a book. Now I am blogging about the book. I am sensing an unending cycle here. Kind of silly, I suppose. But enjoyable none the less.
I made this book using blurb.com. It was really easy, although I would recommend watching the introductory tutorial. I loved the way it sucked all my posts and pictures in from my blog. Now that I have the important stuff published, perhaps I should go back and publish all the stuff about my kids.
So now you must all treat me with the respect a published author deserves, even if I am screaming all the time. He He He.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Ghosts from the past
Well I have pretty much fallen off the end of the earth as far as blogging goes. As I look at my computer, I see that many of you are the same way. So try not to faint from the shock that I posted. It seems that lazy days of summer don't provide for much blogging fodder. Also children who are not at school do tend to hog up computer time. Just saying.
I have been consumed with a project involving booksmart.com. It is a web site that will take your blog and turn it into a book. My first book should be here in two days and I will have to post more about it then. But I am very excited and I have spent hours looking through boxes of pictures. Too bad I am not more organized.
I came across this picture. I had not even remembered that it was taken. Even though the date on it says 1998, it was really from 2002 because the date on my camera was messed up and so all the pictures that say 98 are really from 2002. Hopefully someone in my posterity will read this and that will unlock a key to deciphering the masses of unorganized pictures in various sizes of boxes and envelopes. If not, it might not really be all that important.
Anyway, moving on to the picture at hand. How adorable is this picture? I love it. Especially because our days of cat ownership are in the past, this brings back fond memories. Memories of cats are better than dealing with the mess in the present. So we will stick with that for now. But seriously have you ever seen two cuter nappers? And there is something about black cats with white tummies that I find irresistible. I am sure that shortly after this picture was taken, we sold this cat to someone, because that was what we did. Have kittens, play with them for 8 weeks, find new homes for them. This cycle was repeated over and over for 7 years, until the cycle of abuse was broken by my taking the mama to the pound. This of course broke my heart, but it needed to be done. But looking at this picture makes me wonder how I ever let this kitten leave.
So here's to finding hidden treasures that remind you of times you forgot to remember.
I have been consumed with a project involving booksmart.com. It is a web site that will take your blog and turn it into a book. My first book should be here in two days and I will have to post more about it then. But I am very excited and I have spent hours looking through boxes of pictures. Too bad I am not more organized.
I came across this picture. I had not even remembered that it was taken. Even though the date on it says 1998, it was really from 2002 because the date on my camera was messed up and so all the pictures that say 98 are really from 2002. Hopefully someone in my posterity will read this and that will unlock a key to deciphering the masses of unorganized pictures in various sizes of boxes and envelopes. If not, it might not really be all that important.Anyway, moving on to the picture at hand. How adorable is this picture? I love it. Especially because our days of cat ownership are in the past, this brings back fond memories. Memories of cats are better than dealing with the mess in the present. So we will stick with that for now. But seriously have you ever seen two cuter nappers? And there is something about black cats with white tummies that I find irresistible. I am sure that shortly after this picture was taken, we sold this cat to someone, because that was what we did. Have kittens, play with them for 8 weeks, find new homes for them. This cycle was repeated over and over for 7 years, until the cycle of abuse was broken by my taking the mama to the pound. This of course broke my heart, but it needed to be done. But looking at this picture makes me wonder how I ever let this kitten leave.
So here's to finding hidden treasures that remind you of times you forgot to remember.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Hail the Conquering Graduate
Yesterday was Graduation Day for my oldest son Trent. He had a few classes he had to make up from last year in order to qualify for graduation. It was a bit of a cliff hanger, but he managed to pull it all out of the bag, in the end. Like the school administrator said "D" for diploma. Now, maybe he can avoid living in a van down by the river.
I don't think it has really sunk in yet. Hard to believe my little one could be old enough to be done with high school. I am proud of him for not giving up and working as hard as he did this last semester. Way to finish strong.
My Mom, Dad, and sister Jennifer were able to come and share in the celebration. It was so fun to see my mom. She wasn't going to come, but at the last minute she decided that she was feeling up to it and could postpone one of her radiation treatments. She is looking really great.
Of course things have to be complicated and my husband was suppose to be teaching a class during the ceremony. Luckily he was able to rearrange things and be there for the big day.
Here are Jared, my Mom, Jennifer, and Diana waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Here is the school logo that was up on the big screen.
Here he is after the ceremony. The ropes he is wearing are for those who participated in Orchestra.
And here he is with the famous eye brow and the diploma with his name on it.
And the whole family. Nice looking group, if I say so myself.
Here are the proud grandparents.
And here Jennifer and Trent are having a contest to see who can make the best face.
My Dad, Jennifer, Trent, me, and my Mom.
After all the festivities we went to Olive Garden to celebrate. Jared managed to not be in this picture. Way to go, son. The food was very yummy.
I don't think it has really sunk in yet. Hard to believe my little one could be old enough to be done with high school. I am proud of him for not giving up and working as hard as he did this last semester. Way to finish strong.
My Mom, Dad, and sister Jennifer were able to come and share in the celebration. It was so fun to see my mom. She wasn't going to come, but at the last minute she decided that she was feeling up to it and could postpone one of her radiation treatments. She is looking really great.
Of course things have to be complicated and my husband was suppose to be teaching a class during the ceremony. Luckily he was able to rearrange things and be there for the big day.
Here are Jared, my Mom, Jennifer, and Diana waiting for the ceremony to begin. Here is the school logo that was up on the big screen.Here is Trent walking in. Sadly, I didn't get the picture of him doing his Rocky impersonation. You will just have to imagine it.
Here he is after the ceremony. The ropes he is wearing are for those who participated in Orchestra.And here he is with the famous eye brow and the diploma with his name on it.
The proud parents. Notice my husbands glasses are broken again and in need of tape to keep them together.
And the whole family. Nice looking group, if I say so myself.Here are the proud grandparents.
And here Jennifer and Trent are having a contest to see who can make the best face.
My Dad, Jennifer, Trent, me, and my Mom.
After all the festivities we went to Olive Garden to celebrate. Jared managed to not be in this picture. Way to go, son. The food was very yummy.And finally for all of you who weren't able to be there, here is a video of him walking across the stage.
It was a good day and now he will work for the summer and attend the community college in the fall.
So here is to the future. I hope the best is yet to be.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
I hate Cliffhangers
Like most of the rest of America, I have been really enjoying watching So You Think You Can Dance. I too think I can dance, but unlike so many who auditioned, I have sense enough to realize that I am delusional. Instead I will settle for Thinking I Can Watch Dance.
That however may or may not prove to be true.
I absolutely loved the first audition show two weeks ago. It was filled with emotion and watching talented people doing what they love and having people validate that. Well it left me in awe. I love, love, loved it.
It made me wish that there was something in my life that I am that passionate about and talented at. I don't suppose there will ever be a TV show called "So You Think You Can Stalk the BYU Football Team". SYTYCSTBFT. Probably not. But, ff there ever is, I am sure to be a shoe in.
But I have to say that tonight, as I watched so many of my favorites from the audition cities, get cut, I felt dismayed. Why did they do that to me and my emotional frailness? Why did they get me to like these people and care for and about them and then kick them to the curb just like that?
Of course I will still watch the show. And some of my favorites are still in the competition. But why did they rip my heart out and stomp on it?
And then they are going to make me wait all the way until tomorrow night before I find out who makes the top 20. What the what. Are you kidding me?
I am not a patient person. I want to know now. I am so not impressed. But I will still watch the show anyway. I am a sucker like that.
P.S. I can not beleive that Brandon won Make Me a Super Model. Again I say, What the What? I so wanted it to be Jonathon. And I don't get it. Sometimes I think these shows just choose the person who is least likely to win, just for the shock value. Oh well, at least that means the Top Chef will start next week. Hope it will be good, even if it is a Masters version.
That however may or may not prove to be true.
I absolutely loved the first audition show two weeks ago. It was filled with emotion and watching talented people doing what they love and having people validate that. Well it left me in awe. I love, love, loved it.
It made me wish that there was something in my life that I am that passionate about and talented at. I don't suppose there will ever be a TV show called "So You Think You Can Stalk the BYU Football Team". SYTYCSTBFT. Probably not. But, ff there ever is, I am sure to be a shoe in.
But I have to say that tonight, as I watched so many of my favorites from the audition cities, get cut, I felt dismayed. Why did they do that to me and my emotional frailness? Why did they get me to like these people and care for and about them and then kick them to the curb just like that?
Of course I will still watch the show. And some of my favorites are still in the competition. But why did they rip my heart out and stomp on it?
And then they are going to make me wait all the way until tomorrow night before I find out who makes the top 20. What the what. Are you kidding me?
I am not a patient person. I want to know now. I am so not impressed. But I will still watch the show anyway. I am a sucker like that.
P.S. I can not beleive that Brandon won Make Me a Super Model. Again I say, What the What? I so wanted it to be Jonathon. And I don't get it. Sometimes I think these shows just choose the person who is least likely to win, just for the shock value. Oh well, at least that means the Top Chef will start next week. Hope it will be good, even if it is a Masters version.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Purple Puppy Love from a Distance
A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend came to town. We met 20 years ago at a church basketball game that our husbands were playing in for our ward. My husband and I had just moved into student housing at UC Riverside. Kim and I became friends immediately, and have been ever since.
We lived in student housing for the next 5 years and had the best times. Often we got together for dinner or better yet went out to eat. There were many trips to Spoons after basketball games. Other times we would get together to play games or just hang out. Being graduate students was certainly made better by such great friends.
After graduate school, jobs took us to different places to live, but we have kept in touch through the years.
It was so fun to spend time catching up with her and going out to eat at Cheescake Factory. Her sister has a master plan for eating at Cheese Factory. You all share the appetizer sampler, and then everyone has to get a different kind of cheesecake. After you eat a few bites of yours, then you all pass them all around the table and you get to taste 6 different kinds. She is rather insistent on the plan, but it is a good plan, so I went along willingly.
Here we are posing at Brighton. Thanks for introducing me to this place, as I was a Brighton Virgin. I am not into jewelry, I guess that explains it. 
And so here she is with her sisters, mom, and aunt with the real deal. How cool is that? And since I got my picture taken with Kim, I am only one degree of separation from Donny himself. Also cool.
I stole these pictures off of her facebook. You gotta love that thing. And I absolutely loved this picture of her mom with Donny. Look at the glee on her face. So wonderful.
Some day I may get to go to the show myself, but I think for a while my stalking will have to stay at one degree of separation.
We lived in student housing for the next 5 years and had the best times. Often we got together for dinner or better yet went out to eat. There were many trips to Spoons after basketball games. Other times we would get together to play games or just hang out. Being graduate students was certainly made better by such great friends.
After graduate school, jobs took us to different places to live, but we have kept in touch through the years.
It was so fun to spend time catching up with her and going out to eat at Cheescake Factory. Her sister has a master plan for eating at Cheese Factory. You all share the appetizer sampler, and then everyone has to get a different kind of cheesecake. After you eat a few bites of yours, then you all pass them all around the table and you get to taste 6 different kinds. She is rather insistent on the plan, but it is a good plan, so I went along willingly.
Here we are posing at Brighton. Thanks for introducing me to this place, as I was a Brighton Virgin. I am not into jewelry, I guess that explains it.The reason Kim was in Vegas, was to go to the Donny & Marie show. She had some connections and got tickets to go backstage. How lucky is she?
And so here she is with her sisters, mom, and aunt with the real deal. How cool is that? And since I got my picture taken with Kim, I am only one degree of separation from Donny himself. Also cool. I stole these pictures off of her facebook. You gotta love that thing. And I absolutely loved this picture of her mom with Donny. Look at the glee on her face. So wonderful.Some day I may get to go to the show myself, but I think for a while my stalking will have to stay at one degree of separation.
Kim thanks for making my stalking dreams almost come true.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Camping Cutie
A couple of weeks ago Diana and I went to the ward camp out. The boys thought about coming, but it was going to require so much more effort, that I wasn't sad when they decided to just stay home.
I kept debating about staying home myself, and finally at 4 o'clock I started throwing things in the car. A quick stop at the grocery store and Subway for a $5 dollar sub to split for dinner, and we were on our way.
It was in the 90's and I did not adequately prepare for how cold it would be up on Mount Charleston. As soon as we got there, I had to change to long pants and three shirts. Later I was sad that I forgot my hand warmers. But I survived.
Diana had a blast running around with the other kids, most of whom were boys. There were several different fire pits and at one point most of the adults were gathered at one, and the kids built up a huge bon fire at another fire pit. Finally some responsible adult noticed it and put a stop to the piling on of wood. It was quite a "Lord of the Flies" moment. What is it with boys and fire?
Look at the cool shot of Diana in the tree by the camp site. Such a Kodak moment.
Most of the group went on a hike, but I stayed back at camp. Diana found this awesome pine branch and brought it back for me. Looks like I am rubbing off on her and she is seeing "Y"s everywhere.
Here is a close up of the "Y" trophy. Thanks Diana, I loved it.
And what camp out would be complete with out a rock collection, that somehow is so valuable it can not be left on the mountain. Many of them are shaped like hearts, which of course can not be resisted.
Many of the people in our ward have RV's and camp trailers. Usually Jared puts a tent up for me, but this time we decided to just sleep in the van. I took my camp cot and laid it out over the seats. Then I filled in the gap between the seats so Diana could sleep next to me.
And finally a photo demonstrating "How many Elders does it take to back out a trailer?" Answer: However many are in the vicinity. This seems to be a male magnet kind of thing, that attracts everyone and their opinions.
I kept debating about staying home myself, and finally at 4 o'clock I started throwing things in the car. A quick stop at the grocery store and Subway for a $5 dollar sub to split for dinner, and we were on our way.
It was in the 90's and I did not adequately prepare for how cold it would be up on Mount Charleston. As soon as we got there, I had to change to long pants and three shirts. Later I was sad that I forgot my hand warmers. But I survived.
Diana had a blast running around with the other kids, most of whom were boys. There were several different fire pits and at one point most of the adults were gathered at one, and the kids built up a huge bon fire at another fire pit. Finally some responsible adult noticed it and put a stop to the piling on of wood. It was quite a "Lord of the Flies" moment. What is it with boys and fire?
Look at the cool shot of Diana in the tree by the camp site. Such a Kodak moment.Most of the group went on a hike, but I stayed back at camp. Diana found this awesome pine branch and brought it back for me. Looks like I am rubbing off on her and she is seeing "Y"s everywhere.
Here is a close up of the "Y" trophy. Thanks Diana, I loved it.And what camp out would be complete with out a rock collection, that somehow is so valuable it can not be left on the mountain. Many of them are shaped like hearts, which of course can not be resisted. Many of the people in our ward have RV's and camp trailers. Usually Jared puts a tent up for me, but this time we decided to just sleep in the van. I took my camp cot and laid it out over the seats. Then I filled in the gap between the seats so Diana could sleep next to me. And finally a photo demonstrating "How many Elders does it take to back out a trailer?" Answer: However many are in the vicinity. This seems to be a male magnet kind of thing, that attracts everyone and their opinions.All in all it was great fun. And so easy. I never even took anything out of the car. Maybe some day, I will have a RV, until then my van will be a good substitute.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Hipstacular Progress
I have not said much about Jared for quite some time. Perhaps I have been afraid to jinx his progress, but things are finally starting to get back to normal. He no longer uses his crutches, walker, wheel chair, or cane. It is really quite amazing. He does walk with a limp that is due to the fact that his foot drops when he walks. That should go away in time.
Today we went to see the surgeon who did the hip replacement. He was so amazed to see how well he can walk by himself. Jared will still go to physical therapy twice a week for a couple more weeks, then it will drop to once a week. I will be so excited when I can stop writing out a check to PT each month for $100.
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since this whole ordeal began. Who have thunk it could go on this long.
He still has a lot of hard work ahead of him. He has missed a whole year of school. But that can be made up. He is still painfully thin, but hopefully we can fatten him up over the summer.
OK, now I will post pictures from the Pioneer Trek that our stake did a month ago. At this point Jared still had the cast on his leg to help straighten it out. I am so glad that I was able to get copies that were taken. Jared did not really share much with me about the trek. I hate the propensity teenage boys have to act like clams.
One thing he did share. The stake President told the group stories from the Willie Martin Handcart company. One of the stories was about a 9 year old boy who was in charge of getting his 3 year old brother to the top of a hill. He carried him for 24 hours and when he reached the top, the older brother laid down and died.
Several of the hills that our kids went up were so steep, that Jared had to get off of the hand cart. One of the young men in our ward carried him up each hill. Jared told me when he heard that story, it reminded him of his experience.
As a mother, that told me that the trip was worth it. If he could take his personal experience and relate it to the story, sounds like it made an impact on him.
And so against his permission I am publishing these pictures from the trek. Shhh! Don't tell him, OK. I think they are amazing pictures and I can not resist blogging about them.
One of the best things about these pictures is that he is smiling in all of them. Something I haven't seen for a long long time.
Here are a group of boys from our ward. Notice one of Jared's friends is borrowing the crutches. Also notice how much to tall they are for him.
Here he is making his way across one of the bridges. Even though he rode a lot of the time, he did a lot of walking, and he was beat the next day.
I love this picture from behind. He is way up there in the green shirt.
This picture could be made into a Mormon ad. Here is his Young Men's president supporting him so he doesn't fall. Pretty much sums up the purpose of the young men's program. So many analogies, such as the Saviour holding us up when we are too weak to make it alone.
At first he was shy about riding, but one of the leaders just plopped him on top and he got used to it.
It was painful also, as the ride was so bumpy.
Another good picture to show how as members we can carry each other's burdens. Sometimes it is our turn to ride and other times it is our turn to push and pull. But I believe we won't get out of this life without experiencing each way to grow.
There were 250 people who went on this trek. Quite the undertaking.
The first night, Jared was on a cart of a different ward. When he was hesitant, the leader told him look how many cute girls they have, you should milk this for all it is worth.
The girl in the blue apron pulling in front was on Jared's soccer team for several years.
It was really windy and a bit cold in the morning.
Here he is with his old friends, his crutches.
He looks a bit comfortable here. I wonder what they are saying to him.
I loved this picture and had to put it in.
Going up one more hill.
Talking with the Stake Presidency. They said that Jared helped lend reality to the trek.
Getting some instructions and hold his bag with a biscuit that was and example of how little they would get to eat for one day.
Looking good.
Crossing the water.
Boy this water is cold.
Today we went to see the surgeon who did the hip replacement. He was so amazed to see how well he can walk by himself. Jared will still go to physical therapy twice a week for a couple more weeks, then it will drop to once a week. I will be so excited when I can stop writing out a check to PT each month for $100.
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since this whole ordeal began. Who have thunk it could go on this long.
He still has a lot of hard work ahead of him. He has missed a whole year of school. But that can be made up. He is still painfully thin, but hopefully we can fatten him up over the summer.
OK, now I will post pictures from the Pioneer Trek that our stake did a month ago. At this point Jared still had the cast on his leg to help straighten it out. I am so glad that I was able to get copies that were taken. Jared did not really share much with me about the trek. I hate the propensity teenage boys have to act like clams.
One thing he did share. The stake President told the group stories from the Willie Martin Handcart company. One of the stories was about a 9 year old boy who was in charge of getting his 3 year old brother to the top of a hill. He carried him for 24 hours and when he reached the top, the older brother laid down and died.
Several of the hills that our kids went up were so steep, that Jared had to get off of the hand cart. One of the young men in our ward carried him up each hill. Jared told me when he heard that story, it reminded him of his experience.
As a mother, that told me that the trip was worth it. If he could take his personal experience and relate it to the story, sounds like it made an impact on him.
And so against his permission I am publishing these pictures from the trek. Shhh! Don't tell him, OK. I think they are amazing pictures and I can not resist blogging about them.
One of the best things about these pictures is that he is smiling in all of them. Something I haven't seen for a long long time. 
Here are a group of boys from our ward. Notice one of Jared's friends is borrowing the crutches. Also notice how much to tall they are for him.
Here he is making his way across one of the bridges. Even though he rode a lot of the time, he did a lot of walking, and he was beat the next day.
I love this picture from behind. He is way up there in the green shirt.
This picture could be made into a Mormon ad. Here is his Young Men's president supporting him so he doesn't fall. Pretty much sums up the purpose of the young men's program. So many analogies, such as the Saviour holding us up when we are too weak to make it alone.
At first he was shy about riding, but one of the leaders just plopped him on top and he got used to it.
It was painful also, as the ride was so bumpy.
Another good picture to show how as members we can carry each other's burdens. Sometimes it is our turn to ride and other times it is our turn to push and pull. But I believe we won't get out of this life without experiencing each way to grow.
There were 250 people who went on this trek. Quite the undertaking.
The first night, Jared was on a cart of a different ward. When he was hesitant, the leader told him look how many cute girls they have, you should milk this for all it is worth.
The girl in the blue apron pulling in front was on Jared's soccer team for several years.
It was really windy and a bit cold in the morning.
Here he is with his old friends, his crutches. He looks a bit comfortable here. I wonder what they are saying to him.
I loved this picture and had to put it in. 
Going up one more hill.
Talking with the Stake Presidency. They said that Jared helped lend reality to the trek.
Getting some instructions and hold his bag with a biscuit that was and example of how little they would get to eat for one day.
Looking good.
Crossing the water. Boy this water is cold.And so that is the latest progress report. I was so determined and happy that Jared could go on the trek. The more things we can do to get him back into normal teenage hood, the better.
I am cautiously optimistic again. Here's crossing my fingers that things continue to go well.
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