What's happening in our world...

Hello All...

2010-05-24T22:42:00.001-05:00

I will update someday, I promise. Expect to hear about this:

The house hunt
Buying the house
Fixing up the house
Christmas
The Aquarium
Visits to St. George

and anything else that has gone on since I last updated. Stay tuned!

Time for an update...

2009-12-06T23:44:00.005-06:00

Sorry again for letting the blog get away from me, I am offering the same excuse as I always, do, we have been BUSY. My job is keeping me busy and Ellison is working hard at keeping up on our toes. Since I last posted, here are a few of the highlights:

Visit to the Hogle Zoo
Family Pictures
Halloween
New Moon
Thanksgiving

It had been FOREVER since I had been to the zoo, and Kam and I thought we would try to take Ellison before the weather turned too cold. We were lucky to have Chad and Heather join us for part of the day. We had fun exploring the zoo, and seeing all the animals, with the highlight being seeing the baby Elephant, Zuri.
Kam and I decided it was time for an update with the family pictures (it had been almost a year since we last took some). We headed up to Red Butte Gardens and got a few good shots in there.

For Halloween this year, we participated in many fun activities. My mom came for a visit the weekend before Halloween and we were able to go to Witches Night Out at Gardner Village with Janie (my sister in law) and her family. We had a great time hanging out with all the witches! For Halloween this year, we spent the weekend with Kam's brothers family in Ephyraim Utah. We dressed Ellison up like the princess she is, and she played the role well (as always). She dictated all we did that weekend as a ruling princess does. We had a great time eating chili, being chilly and Trunk or Treating with Kory, Tiffini and Hailey.

As many of you know, I am crazy about Twilight. I love everything about it, so when New Moon opened, I was disappointed I couldn't get to a Midnight showing, but I was able to see it the next evening. A couple of my good friends and I went to Famous Daves for dinner and then on to the movie. Needless to say, I LOVED the movie, and have been back to see it two more times since...making it three total...so far...

Thanksgiving this year was different than any other year, mainly because I had to work the day of. Kam's mom was able to fly out to Utah and visit us for the Thanksgiving holiday. I worked half a day and then Kam, Ellison and myself drove down to Ephraim, Utah and spent the Holiday with Kam's mom, Kory, Tiffini and Hailey. We had a good time eating, playing games, and making some Christmas decorations. We even woke up on black friday and braved the crowds at the Wal-Mart in Ephraim...suprisingly, it was REALLY busy!

All in all, we have been busy, but finding time to have some fun too.

Ellisons 2nd Birthday!!

2009-10-24T11:58:00.001-05:00

Kam and Ellison's Birthdays...

2009-10-24T11:48:00.004-05:00

We have had a few birthday's at our house that needed coverage. Kam turned the big 3-0 this year. We didn't do a big hoorah, but had a fun family party with Kory and Tiffini, Ellison and Hailey and Kam's parents with Kory and Tiffini graciously allowing us to use their house.
We called Kam's birthday the turdy 30, because he wasn't too happy about turning 30. We had a 30 themed birthday where we had 30 of everything. 30 balloons, 30 cupcakes arranged in the number 30, 30 candy bars, etc. We had a good time.

Ellison's birthday was also a fun memory. We held the party at a park in Lehi, and had a princess themed party. She had a princess cake, we had princess tea party food, a princess cake, princess decorations and a tiara pinata. The topper was that all the kids came dressed as princessess and they were adorable. Thanks to my talented sister in law Tiffini, Ellison had a dress fit for a princess!! We made tiara's, decorated cupcakes and hit the pinata. To end the birthday we had cake and played on the playground. A good time was had by all!!

Goodbye Lunch and Party...

2009-10-24T11:46:00.001-05:00

We were fortunate enough to have met such awesome and life long friends in Mississippi. My friends decided to take me to lunch the day before Ellison and I left, and then that night, we had a moving party where we had about 30 people from the ward/work come and enjoy root beer floats and each others company. I couldn't ask for better friends! I love you guys tons!!

The House...

2009-10-24T11:30:00.002-05:00

Ok, so the drama with the house has been plentiful. We put the house up for sale before I was offered the job in anticipation of moving back to Utah. We had just had all the flooring redone and felt that our house was in showing condition. We also did a few things like repainting, painting and decorating.
We attempted to sell the house ourselves, but when that brought in absolutely NO ONE, we turned to our wonderful realtor. Our realtor was great and through her efforts, we have a few showings before we had an offer on our house. We were so excited to recieve and offer until we heard what it was...17,000 off of asking price...are you kidding me?
We came off the price, but not 17,000 and resubmitted the offer. He came back with another low offer only coming up on his price about 5,000. We came back and told our realtor we will come back at 1,000 lower but no more. We were not happy with this guy. Our realtor told us his realtor had to have a talk with him about expectations on proper buying ettiquite and was quite embarressed by the offers we was presenting in the first place. Anyway, after all our negotiations, he finally came up on price and the house sold.
After we had moved out Kam turned off the utilities and left the house for the soon to be new owners. Well per protocol, the inspector came out to inspect the house and found TONS of problems with the house. We were astonished, how could he find so many problems? The house was only 6 years old. Well it turns out that the owner prior to ours, cut out some support beams in the attic that had to be replaced, along with some roofing issues and other small issues.
Thankfully we have some AWESOME friends in Mississippi, and Dale Jordan and Jeff Weathersby were able to get our house fixed up in time for closing. Meantime, the appraiser went out to the house and said he couldn't appraise it, because all the utilities were turned off...I thought I was going to rip my hair out. So, we had to go through the hassle of getting all the utilities turned back on so the appraiser could appraise the house, for exactly what we were selling it for (are you kidding me? We had just upgraded the flooring and other things...what a crock of crap!!).
In the end, the house is sold and gone, and we couldn't be more happy about it! We loved the house and have great memories there!!

The Move...

2009-10-24T11:11:00.003-05:00

So we moved from Mississippi about 2 months ago now, and I have surprised myself by how much I really miss it there. We made a lot of great friends, I had a job I really liked and doctors I trusted. We had a good time while we were there, and I will always look back fondly of my time there.
I left with Ellison on August 18th. We flew from Jackson to Las Vegas where my mom picked us up. We had a good time visiting with Chelsa and her cute little guy Griffen while we were there. We walked around the gardens at Bellagio and then had dinner.
I was able to stay in St. George for a few days with my mom and visit with my family and some friends. We had fun attempting to make a cake for Kaleb using homemade fondant (the temperature was entirely to warm to get the fondant to work well), and had just spending time with family in General.
My mom and I left St. George that weekend and travelled to SLC so I could find an apartment and attend MD appointments. Meanwhile, Kam was on the road driving the Budget truck.
Kam left Mississipp on August 21 and with his mom driving one of our cars, and his Brother Kipp helping and along for the ride, they made their way from Jackson to Witchita Kansas, where they stayed the first night. From there, they went to Rifle Colorado where he began to run into problems. Apparently the Rockies were to much for the truck to handle, and Kam broke down on the side of the road, in Colorado, where he stay for about 3 days. Kam's mom and Kipp continued into Utah.
Finally, after much time and frustration, Budget decided the truck was beyond repair and sent some people out to move our stuff from one truck to a new truck. Finally Kam was on the road again!
Meanwhile, I was feverishly looking for and trying to find apartments that were clean and would suit our needs. I also went in for my initial appointments with the MD's. I guess they are going to be good. I am liking my internal med MD more than the new vascular guy (I really liked my former MD's, and still plan on going back to Mississippi to see my Incredible vascular surgeon there). I didn't have much luck with finding an apartment, so I drove down to Ephraim and stay with Kam's brother Kory and his wife Tiffini and wait for Kam to make it.
Kam finally made it in town on Tuesday, and we stayed in Ephraim until Thursday. We finally made our way back to Salt Lake City where the apartment hunt began again. We were able to find a good apartment that suits our needs and it was available to be moved into that day!! Hallelujah!!
We have been here in the apartment since the end of August/beginning of September and are slowly getting adjusted. The job seems to be going ok and I am getting acclimated to their way of doing things.
We did sell our house in Mississippi. That was STRESSFUL, but we are glad it's gone. I will have to post later about the stress from the house. Anyhow, here we are. We are waiting for Kam to get a job, and then hopefully we will be able to move again, but this time into a house!!

Recipe...

2009-09-27T14:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since we have last posted. Most of you know that our lives have been crazy busy with our move from Mississippi to Salt Lake City. I have a list of things I need to blog on, including:
1.The move and my new job
2. Ellison's birthday
3. Visits with family
4. Trip to the zoo.
Expect posts on those. Today, I decided I would post a recipe I tried. My Sis-in-law Tiffini, my Mother-in-law and I were saying how fun it would be to trade new recipes via blog, so I am going to start by posting this yummy recipe both Kam and I loved!

EASY ITALIAN CHICKEN:
2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into thick slices
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope italian salad dressing seasoning
1 can/package mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C. Sour cream

Layer chicken, soup, dressing mix, mushrooms salt and pepper in crock pot. Do not stir. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add sour cream and stir. Serve alone, over hot noodles or rice.

I added some red pepper and zucchini in ours and it was delicious! Great for leftovers! If anyone has any great recipes, please share, I am always looking for easy, healthy food options!!

Time For An Update!

2009-08-13T13:22:00.002-05:00

Since Lisa and I have been extremely busy I thought I would finally sit down and try to update what has been going on with us. Well as everyone that looks at this blog probably knows by now that we are moving back to UTAH! This happened about a month and a half ago but is at our doorstep as Lisa is flying out on the 18th and My Mom, Kipp and I will be driving all our crap out later that week. Besides that things have been crazy. Last couple of blogs noted that I had graduated from Law School. Unfortunately have spent the last 2-3 months continuing the 3 years of law school by studying for the bar. Whew! did that stink. All those long boring days and months boiled down the July 28th and 29th. Where after 2 days of testing I was done. (I hope) We still have 8-10 weeks of waiting to know if I passed or not. Either way after those 2 days I was quite relieved. At least for a few moments. Since then I have been packing things up as best as possible to get ready for the move. I was able to clean out our enormous messy attic with the help of Lisa's Mom. Unfortunately I wore myself out and the next week was recovery. My body was so sore and stiff I couldn't grip anything. Sucks to get old. Well on one of these disastrous days I was packing up stuff and cleaning things up at my mom's house. I went to do some laundry and the washing machine broke. Water was pouring everywhere. I couldn't get it to stop. Well I got all the towels I was trying to wash to try and soak up all the water. There was tons of water every where. Well after much finagling I found out that the connection tube for the adding of bleach had broken clean off and was unrepairable. As I was getting the dolly to take the washing machine out of the house, in bare feet, Ellison grabbed a light bulb, that I had to change to see all the flooding going on, threw it on the floor. It bounced once and then shattered. Both Ellison and I had no shoes on so I had to pick her up put her in a safe place and clean up the lightbulb mess. Once all that was settled I needed a way to get the towels somewhat clean and dry. So I took a massive laundry basket full of wet towels to the pool to rinse them off and let them dry pool side. Well as I was doing that Ellison got on to the steps of the pool. This is fine but the daredevil she is she got to the third step and jumped in. Fortunately I was right there but had to jump in fully clothed. This really stunk because my phone was in my pocket. So after getting her out I set my phone aside to try and dry out. So no real harm no foul right. She was fine she wasn't in the pool but for less than a second. As I was finishing the last few towels in the pool itself. As my back was turned she did the same stunt and jumped in again. That morning was just not going to end without somebody getting really hurt. Unfortunately that was too late since I had about 50% strength and agility in me being so sore from earlier. I was putting the towels pool side on the concrete. I then threw a few on top of one of the patio benches. As I threw the second one down a mass of hornets, wasps or some form of dangerous Mississippi annoyances came buzzing out with murder and pain on their mind. So once again I had to dash as quickly as possible under the pain grab Ellison and head for a safer place. The real tragedy is that if anything happened to either one of us I wouldn't have anyway to contact anyone since my Mom and Dad have no more land line in their land locked boondocks house. Since my cell phone was fried from earlier exploits I was alone by myself with only any boy scout training to get me through the rest of the day. After that I basically quit for the rest of the day. All that happened by 10:30A.M. I was done.
Well after that harrowing day I have gotten better and have just continued the effort to get ready to move. Lisa is almost done with her last week of work and we are still looking for an apartment. I know we better move on this right? Well now we are dealing with trying to sell our house. We have had a few people look at it and are dealing with an interested couple right now. Hope we can get this all settled in a few weeks that will help us a lot. Anyway until next time enjoy the stories and the few pics that are left on my phone after it got wet. Yes after a few days of using Lisa's old slider phone that also met a watery doom my phone is working once again. Unfortunately all the pics and video that was on my mini SD card are probably lost. So lame and frustrating but I have a few photos of Ellison on the phone that I can share.

Oh What Do You Do In The Summer Time...

2009-06-30T07:54:00.003-05:00

Summer has come, and with it, has brought many activities and events that has kept us running! Since Kam's graduation, he has been studying and preparing for the bar. His days consists of studying approximately 8-10 hours, taking quizzes, etc. Thankfully, my Mom has been great and flew out here to help us take care of Ellison. We have loved having her stay with us and it's been so fun for Ellison to get to know her Grandma better!
I have been busy with work and youth. The second week of June was girls camp. After each day at work, I would pack up Ellison, and my mom, myself and Ellison would drive out to visit the girls at camp. We also had our youth fundraiser this month that was A LOT of work. We had a yard sale, bake sale and car wash. I suppose all the hard work was worth it, because we were very successful. This past weekend was youth conference. I went for one day, which was a nice break.
Kam and I quietly celebrated our 8th anniversary. We had dinner and walked around the outdoor mall.
We offically put our house up for sale. After trying to sell it ourselves with no luck, we decided to list. We are hoping this will spur some interest in the house and we can get it sold.
We have decided to start toilet training Ellison. She has been showing some interest, so we decided to try. We got her a little froggie potty, which she loves, and have been trying to get her to sit on it as much as possible. I think she is starting to get the idea, and we are hoping she makes the connection soon!
We have a lot of things changing in our lives and are staying busy always. We keep looking for a reprieve, never to find one. We are hoping once summer is over, things will settle a little for us, and we will have a chance to breathe again! Here are some pictures of our summer so far.

Kam's Graduation

2009-05-22T07:35:00.004-05:00

As usual we have been extremely busy with all we have going on, and the past few weeks have been no exception. In the past month, I have worked 3 out of the 4 weekends and Kam has been busy, working to finish up his last few weeks of law school.
Last Wednesday, Tiffini flew in with Hailey for the Canton Flea Market, Kam's graduation and Chris' retirement. We had a great time visiting with them, and Ellison loved all over Hailey (which is unusual for her and she is usually slightly aggresive with other kids). I also spent that evening with the girls in Young Womens and working out details for camp and such.
On Thursday, I spent a few hours of my day walking around the Canton Flea Market, making a cake, visiting the eye dr and running other errands. I finally ended my day by covering the cake I made with fondant and finishing the decorating. I might also add that I made the fondant myself, which was interesting and much better tasting than the fondant I used from Wal-Mart.
Friday was Kam's graduation. We raced out of the house at 8:30 in the morning in an effort to make it there by 9:00. The graduation started at 10:00 and was an emotional ceremony for me. It was great to see Kam finally graduate and receive a dipolma and a Juris Doctorate degree.
Following the graduation, there was a reception for the family's of all the law school grads, complete with finger foods and desserts. Yum! We also spent time visiting with Kam's friend Trey and his wife Amanda and then headed over to the airguard base for Chris' retirement ceremony.
Following the retirement ceremony, Kam's mom, myself and Tiffini frantically finished up our errands for the suprise party we threw that night for Kam and Chris.
We had a great BBQ and swim party for Kam and Chris at Kam's parent's house. The Shields, Dunnaways, Jordans, Wings, Ross', and Trey and his wife Amanda all came. It was fun! Saturday, we woke up to clean the house and then headed over to Kam's parents home. Tiffini and I were able to leave the babies and head out for lunch and to buy supplies to color hair. We spent that evening swimming and playing the Wii.
Sunday, we went to church and then spent the afternoon at Kam's parents house. Tiffini was kind enough to color and cut my hair, and then we made homemade doughnuts and played yard games (bocci ball and water balloon volleyball). On Monday I went back to work and then finished the evening at Kam's parents house eating dinner with Tiffini, Memaw, Kam and the babies.
Overall, we had a busy and great week. We have been frantically preparing for Kam to get to Utah for bar prep courses...he is flying out on Sunday. We are getting ready for another few months of craziness as we get ready for and take the bar!

It's finished!!!

2009-05-10T17:26:00.003-05:00

We finally finished all the flooring for the house and it looks so good! Last week Nick Jones was able to install the laminate flooring in the living room and hallway and carpeting in all the bedrooms. I have decided to post before and after pictures, and although you may not be able to tell a big difference, trust me, it is! We also finally put the for sale sign in the yard today. I wonder how long it will take to sell, wish us luck!

It Has Begun...

2009-04-23T07:21:00.003-05:00

We have finally begun the flooring process! Yesterday our friend Nick Shields and his cousin Cameron came over and happily for us, tore up the house! Not literally of course, but the flooring in the bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room. We have one bathroom tiled, and more than half of the kitchen which leaves the laundry room and master bath to be started. Nick said that he will probably be able to get everything tiled by today and then start grouting with the whole project completed by Friday. We are so excited and needless to say, the kitchen and bathrooms look soooo much better. The tile is being laid in a brick pattern and it makes the kitchen look so much more updated!
After the tile is finished being installed, we have new carpeting going into all three bedrooms and laminate flooring going into the living room and hallway. We have had a lot of great help with our flooring decisions, and can't thank Nick J and Nick S enough! We will post before and after pics of the kitchen and bathrooms as soon as the project is completed so stay tuned!

I realize it's been awhile...

2009-04-01T07:36:00.004-05:00

As always, we have been so incredibly busy that blogging has taken a backburner. I have been busy at work with a student. She is so much better than my last (thank goodness) and has taken up most of my "free time" at work. She is finishing out 4 of 8 weeks this week so she is almost halfway there!

Last week I went into see the Vascular Surgeon and he decided that the stenosis(vein narrowing) was significant enough to warrant surgery. So, on Thursday I went in for round 5 and had another surgery where he did a balloon dilation and placed another stent, totaling 6. Recovery hasn't been too bad, but I have been sore.

Kam has been busy getting his bar application ready. He got all his paperwork sent in and ready to go, only to find out he didn't pay all the fees, so lucky us dealt out more money!

Kam and I have also been busy trying to get the flooring replaced in the house. We had a friend over to measure the floor and have picked out the carpeting and laminate. Now all we need to pick out is the tile. I can't wait to get the project underway!

Ellison has been keeping us on our toes as always! She is constantly learning new words and amazes us daily with her attitude. The other day she kept telling me NO!, so I held her little face with my hands and sternly told her that we don't talk to our mom's that way. After her little lecture, she grabbed my face with her hands, and gave me a big kiss. Now how do you stay mad at that?

We are all doing well, keeping busy and having fun.

I just can't keep it in!!

2009-03-06T08:00:00.004-06:00

I was reading Stephenie Meyer's website the this morning and noticed they had a release date of November 20th for New Moon the movie! I can't wait to see how they interpert the book on the big screen! It will be interesting to see how they imagine Jacob phasing as well as how it will be portrayed with a new director. I just can't wait!
In other news, I finished Breaking Dawn last night. I really enjoyed the book and loved how it all turned out. It may just be wishful thinking but in a way I feel like she left the book slightly open for more to be written if she wants. For example, when Edward says the Volturi's ego's will eventually be healed after being beaten, they will come looking for them again and try to pick them off one by one...this could be a new story.
I would also be interested to hear more about Renesmee and Jacob and see where their story goes. Of course I also want her to finish the books from Edwards perspective, despite the leak, espically New Moon as he is absent for most of that book! It would be interesting to hear his side of the story and see what's going with him during his absence.
Anyhow, I have said it before and will say it again, I love Twilight. Love the books, and the movie. I can't wait to get my DVD in the mail, and I will be re-reading the books again. I can't wait for more to hopefully come!

6 Degrees of Randomness Tag...

2009-03-02T12:17:00.002-06:00

1. Link this post to the person who tagged you: Tiffini
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I am getting my house ready to get new flooring! I have been painting the walls, Kam repaired the ceiling and I am going to have the clean the baseboards soon!

I love photography and playing around with the camera. I am not very good at it, and would love to take a class to learn techniques.

I love to bake and cook, but I am not very good at it. This is something else I need to take a class on.

I love the show Ace of Cakes and would love to learn how to decorate cakes using some kind of fondant or other medium.

I LOVE the Twilight series and have since I picked up the first book. I love reading and re-reading the books and don't see an end in sight!!

I now tag: Shelli, Robyn, Julie, Sarah, Marcie, Cailin.

One of the Happiest places on earth...

2009-02-13T08:16:00.005-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since I posted! We have been out of town for a week in Florida enjoying ourselves at Disneyworld and Universal Studios. We flew out a couple of Friday's ago and enjoyed an hour and half flight to Florida. When we got there, we were happily surprised to find that the car we were renting was upgraded to a minivan. Not that we like mini-van's but we were on the trip with Kam's family, so the more room the better!
Friday night we checked into our hotel for the night, went to dinner and hung out. On Saturday we went to Universal Studios and had a great time! There were a lot of fun rides and shows, some of the highlights include: Disaster, Simpson's, Shrek, and Fear Factor. Saturday afternoon, after leaving Universal Studio's, we met up with Kam's family at the house they rented for the week. We went grocery shopping for 15 people for the week and then hung out. On Sunday, Kam and I along with Kam's two brothers, his sister-in-law Tiffini and her baby Hailey and Kam's parents went to Epcot. We had a great time Soarin, going through the garden's on the Disney property, tasting coke from around the world, visiting the various countries they hightlight on the park and going from 0-60 mph on the racecar ride.
Monday, we went to the Magic Kingdom, Disneyworld's version of "Disneyland". Lucky us, we were rained on most of the day, but had a good time anyway. We rode on Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, the Monster's Inc show, It's a Small World amongst others. We were also able to see the MVP from the Super Bowl, as they threw a parade for him (don't ask me his name because I don't know it). We did however, leave early due to the rain.
Tuesday we went to Hollywood Studios at Disney. It was fun to see the cute shows there (Indiana Jones, a car stunt show, and the block party parade). We rode of fun rides including Space Tours, Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rolla' Coaster.
Wednesday we went back to the Magic Kingdom so we could ride the rides we had missed due to the rain. Overall we had a great time at all the parks and are so grateful to Kam's parents/sister for making such a fun trip happen!

What does a red popsicle and my carpet have in common?

2009-01-28T15:46:00.004-06:00

The answer to the question is Ellison. She has been sick for the past couple of weeks with a runny nose and cough. She never ran a fever, so I guessed she had the sniffles. Two days ago I came home from work and the poor thing was so congested and hoarse, she couldn't even cry sound. I felt terrible, so yesterday we hauled her off to the doctor.
Fortunately, she doesn't have any type of infection, but he gave her a prescription for the congestion stuff. He also told us to give her a few cold things like popsicles. So last night, Kam got popsicles and she greedily took the red popsicle. We supervised her while she ate the popsicle.
During the night, we were cleaning the house and Ellison was following us around. I was in the guest bedroom cleaning and she grabbed a vase and dropped it on the floor, breaking it. I quickly looked her over, and she looked fine to me. Well, a few minutes later, I saw little specks of red all over the carpet. I called Kam asking him to clean the red popsicle drips Ellison had spread and went into the kitchen...where Ellison followed me.
I was loading dishes into the dishwasher, and let Ellison climb up on the door and play. I noticed bloody water all over the dishwasher and then noticed Ellison's cut little foot and realized Kam wasn't cleaning up red popsicle, but blood. Needless to say Ellison is feeling much better and causing trouble just like before she was sick!

It really is unhealthy...

2009-01-18T16:32:00.005-06:00

This is what I think everytime I realize how obsessed with Twilight I have become. Just before Christmas I decided to finally bite the bullet and indulge in the pandamonium. I had promised myself before this point that I couldn't get involved in a book series right now because I am so busy. Between Ellison, home, work, Young Women's and Kam's school, I just didn't see where I had the time.
I had been told on numerous occasions that I should read the book, and these urgings from others were only intensified when the movie was released. I had been around others when they were talking about the books and had an idea of what they were about.
One weekend I was shopping in Wal-Mart when I walked past the book aisle where the Twilight book was displayed. I decided to buy it to see what the hype was about, and then let it sit on the kitchen table for about a week. One Saturday morning, Ellison woke me up early and I decided to grab the book and read...it was all over then. I finished the book in about 4 days, and then re-read it again on the airplane ride to Utah. Once I finished it for the second time, I went and bought new moon and read the entire book while in Utah, and started reading it again for the second on the plane ride back to Mississippi.
The night we flew back in to Mississippi, I went to Borders and bought Eclipse. I have read that book all the way through, and am more than halfway through it for the second time. (I decided that since I read the other two books, two times through, I should do it for all). I have Breaking Dawn sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to finish Eclipse.
Now, this is where the sickness comes in. I read the books at work, in the car, in the tub...everywhere! I have read the manuscript from Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyers website: www.stepheniemeyer.com (which is awesome by the way and makes you love Edward even more. I can't wait until she finishes writing them someday)! I visit her website like daily and I have seen the movie 4 times. I have the soundtrack in my car, and listen to it daily and I just pre-ordered the special edition DVD. I told Kam for my birthday I want the Twilight box set.
So, I know I am totally obsessed, please bear with me, but I LOVE the Twilight books and I am sure there may be a few more posts on Twilight before this phase is over.

My promised Christmas Post...

2009-01-11T21:01:00.002-06:00

I promised my friend Cailin that I would post about our Christmas, after I got a phone call from her telling me how disappointed she was by not seeing one. So, Cailin, this one's for you!

We flew out to Utah on the 23rd from Jackson. After our flight from Jackson to Dallas was delayed by two hours, we were all too happy to make it to Vegas before Midnight. We met my mom and brother in law John at the Vegas airport, and then made our 2 hour journey home to St. George, arriving at 2 am!
On the 24th we went to a few stores to finish Christmas shopping for family in Utah (since American Airlines charges $15 dollars for every checked bag, we traveled lightly). We were also able to meet Kam's brother Kory, his wife Tiffini, and their little girl Hailey for lunch at Pirate Pizza. We then spent the evening hanging out with family.
On Christmas day, we went to visit my sister's house to see what Santa brought my niece Sydney, and then drove to my brother's house to see what Santa brought his kids. We stopped by to see Kory, Tiffini, Hailey and dropped our gifts for them off. We then went home and had breakfast with my mom. And opened our own gifts. Later that day everyone gathered at my mom's house and hung out.
On the 26th, Ryan and his wife Janie drove from Salt Lake to visit with us, and it was fun to see them. We were able to spend time playing games with them and hanging out. The 27th we went with my family to Pirate Pizza and then hiking on the Red Rocks, finishing the day playing games.
Throughout the rest of our vacation we mainly hung out with family and played games. Unfortunately we all got sick with a sore throat and cold and didn't feel like doing much. I finished two of the Twilight books during the vacation and had a great time discussing the details with my sister in law Amy, and my niece Lindy.
We flew back on 29th and opened gifts when we got home. It was a great vacation. Here are some pics for your enjoyment, we didn't take too many because were weren't feeling well!

Danger Baby

2009-01-08T23:12:00.005-06:00

Ellison Must not have any concept of height or fear because she has learned to climb up the attic stairs.

Who am I sir, a Utah Man am I!!

2009-01-05T07:27:00.005-06:00

By now you should all know that the Utes went to the Sugar Bowl and beat the favored Alabama. During the opening of the game, Kam and I were sitting in a restaraunt here in Mississippi, and of course, were the only ones cheering for the Utes. We were totally out of place, but didn't care as we watched the Utes roll over Bama (as it is called here in Mississippi. I guess the word Alabama is too long, so they shorten it to Bama), scoring 3 TD's in the first half!
Kam got a little nervous there when Bama came back and scored, but the Utes held them off for the win. So in honor of the Utes, I am posting the words to the fight song.

"Utah Man"

I am a Utah Man, sir, and I live across the green,
Our gang it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star,
Our yell, you'll hear it ringing through the mountains near and far!
Who am I, sir,
A Utah Man am I!
A Utah Man, sir,
Will be 'til I die.
Ki-yi!
We're up to snuff, we never bluff, we're game for any fuss.
No other gang of college men dare meet us in a muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old crimson for a Utah Man am I!
Ki-yi!

By the way, I will be posting pics from Christmas (this is for you Cailin), but don't be disappointed, we don't have many since we were all sick!

Sugar anyone???

2008-12-16T07:56:00.002-06:00

Sorry for my not updating the blog regularly like I should, however, we have as always been busy and sick! Kam is in the midst of finals, and is finally finishing his last one today. He took one yesterday and said it was HORRIBLE!! Also, unfortunately there has been a horrible stomach bug that has been ripping through the ward that Kam caught. This little bug made itself present in full force Friday night, Saturday and part of the day on Sunday. Kam also spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday...so needless to say we have been busy. I was looking at the calender and noticing we have had or do have something going on everyday last week and this week!
Since I have been so busy, I haven't had time to express my exuberant joy over the announcement of the Utes going to the Sugar bowl!! I love the Utes, they are my Alma mater, my dad attended the U and Kam graduated from the U. Kam's little brother Kory is a graduate and my little brother Ryan will be a graduate. We have the pride running deep and are growning in numbers as much of mine and Kam's family are all Coug fans. I know I may catch flack for expressing this, but I was so happy when they beat the ducks who beat USC, when the beat TCU and most of all when they went undefeated and clinched the Mountain West conference by beating the Y! AWESOME!!
So when we heard they were going to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, (approximately 3 hours from Jackson) we were so happy, until we found out the cheap seats are approximately $100. So, we are trying to decide if that's something we can do or not. Irregardless if we are there or not, we will be cheering for our team!!
GO UTES!!

How did I ever live without it?

2008-12-07T18:51:00.004-06:00

What exactly you ask? Well, online shopping. I love online shopping. As a matter of fact, I have completed my shopping for Kam's birthday, last years, and this years Christmas online. Don't get me wrong, I love going out to the stores and looking around, but there is something to be said for being able to go to almost any store with the click of a button. I find for the most part, I can get a better deal online, and if you look at the right times, you can even find free shipping (although paying some shipping doesn't bother me too much as I figure I spend that money in gas going to the store to make my purchases). I also made some cute Christmas cards online, and all I have to do is go to the store and pick them up. They will be printed and ready to go! So great!
I also have to admit that since finishing Ellison's scrapbook online, I have found that I am addicted to scrap booking online. I like the ease, affordability and the fact that I only have to pick prefab pages and click my picture in. I have also found that I can get a cute scrapbook done in very little time! I am in the midst of uploading all our other photos so I can start another book and get our pictures out in hard copy. So, I am now wondering how I ever lived without online scrap booking.
Anyhow, just a few random thoughts from a very random person! By the way, here's a random one for you. I have side swept bangs, should I grown them out or keep them? Just curious?! Hope you all are doing well!

It's Finished...what a let down!

2008-11-30T17:42:00.002-06:00

I have been working hard on doing a digital scrapbook for Ellison on Shutterfly. I uploaded all her pics, put them in the pages, added cute little sayings and descriptions to each page explaining what's going on. I thought I was being so efficient and frugal as I had a coupon for 50% off, plus free shipping, and...it didn't work. There is no way I am paying full price for that book, so it looks like Ellison's first year book will have to wait until my pocketbook (or a another deal comes along) can handle it.
In other news, we had a great Thanksgiving. We had a traditional dinner Thanksgiving day at Kam's sister's (Kallee) home with some ward members and missionaries. Friday, I worked half a day (time and a half baby!) and then we had another dinner with Kam's parents who had driven down from DC the day before.
Saturday we spent the day cleaning and putting up Christmas lights and decorating our tree. We had a great time. Our weekend was filled with yummy food and Christmas related activities!

Saturday is a Special Day...

2008-11-23T13:49:00.003-06:00

This is exactly what I thought yesterday when we were busy running errand after errand. We started the morning by cleaning the house, then got loaded into the car and headed out to take some family pictures (I will post a few teasers here). We spent much of the afternoon in Brandon and downtown Jackson taking some family pictures and finishing up Christmas presents for family members. We decided to head home, and Ellison crashed on the way. We hung out at the house waiting for her to wake up, so we could go again.
Later that night, we delivered dinner to a sick ward member and then went from store to store returning various items we had purchased however, decided we no longer needed. We then went to the big W (Wal-Mart) to print off some of the pictures we had taken that day and then ended the night at Kroger. By the time we made it home, it was about 9:00 where we finally ate dinner. Busy day, but we had a great time!
Stay tuned for more pics from our photo session!

Mr. Nonsense...

2008-11-14T18:35:00.002-06:00

I have been reading various news websites regarding proposition 8. I have been feeling frustrated by a lot of the events that have been happening. I was reading an opinion article that was reporting how people of the Mormon faith are being targeted at their places of work and businesses, as well as outside of churches and temples. I read this particular comment I am posting, left by someone and felt the need to reply (which I am also posting). I don't mean to offend anyone, but I believe we can differ in opinion on controversial things and still find some common ground.

I fondly refer to him as Mr. Nonsense...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 14, 2008 - 4:40pm.

Your article is such complete hogwash that i don't even know where to begin. (And you wonder why Republicans are viewed as homophobic?)

(1) You begin your article with some poor, poor straight guy with a lesbian sister (oh wow, he MUST be enlightened!) that works in musical theater - which is probably the gayest of all forms of entertainment. And this poor, poor guy is so oppressed because his colleagues and patrons don't like the fact that he wanted to strip them of a constitutional right to marry. Nobody forced him to donate money. He wasn't fired. But the people he works with and his customers didn't like his conduct and made it known. Yes, let's all feel sympathy for him, and not the thousands of people whose rights were taken away. After all, they were gays, and this guy is straight so we care about him. Who's the hypocrite here?

(2) Then you bring up the old, tired "this is democratic" nonsense. If 51% of the electorate voted to enslave the other 49%, would that be democratic or just? No. Purposefully targetting a minority and stripping them of a constitutional right is not democratic. It is an example of a tyrannical majority the likes of which John Stuart Mill warned us about. The will or view of the majority is not always right or just.

(3) You go on some rant about LGBT activists protesting at churces. Exactly what is wrong with that? Religious organizations were the primary force behind the Yes on 8 campaign. Are curches somehow immune from criticism?

(4) Of course you devolve into a despicable "think of the children!" rant. The fact that you want your children to grow up bigoted and homophobic should not prevent me from getting married. If you don't want children taught about such things in school then you can put that in a seperate proposition that does not strip anyone of their rights.

(5) Mormons donated about 80% of the money behind the Yes On 8 campaign. But pointing out that Mormons were forcing their religious views on others and taking other people's rights away is somehow "mormon-bashing"? And gays are now bigoted? Whose rights were taken away, again? Was there some vote on Mormon marriage that I missed?

Overall your article is ripe with the false sense of victimization that college Republicans are so fond of. LGBT people were stripped of equal rights, and somehow the bigots and homophobes are the victims? Please, don't insult our intelligence with this tripe.

My rebuttal...

Oh Mr. Nonsense,

I find it interesting how you try to mince words and validate all that is going on with the religion bashing when you can't even correctly spell the word church. What you wrote is exactly what you said...Nonsense.

First off, if there were some way we could dig into every vote you ever made, and then publicly berate you for choosing to vote that way, (protesting your choice in front of where you work, go to church and even live), I am sure you would find it intrusive and overwhelming. Interestingly, no one is asking you to quit your job and you are not feeling pressured to resign for believing and voting the way you do. Perhaps we should feel sorrier for you than for the man in the story...at least he has some moral conviction.

Secondly, I find it very interesting how people like you yell about how conservative people need to be more open minded, however, when it comes to conservatives sharing their point of view, if it doesn't agree with yours, you no longer feel the need to listen...contradictory to say the least!

You say that we are targeting a minority and stripping them of their rights. Perhaps in your mind that is true, but what do you think this community is turning around and doing to those who choose to vote for the ban on gay marriage? They are stripping them of their rights to worship, vote and hold an opinion contrary to yours. Yes, it is a democratic process and just like the American people spoke when they elected Barack Obama, so we speak now on proposition 8.

In response to your comment about protesting churches, (again it's c-h-u-r-c-h), you may know that many churches have been discriminated and protested against. However, the founding fathers knew how important it was for people to differ in opinions, and that's why we have freedom of religion. We don't need to be publicly scrutinized for being God fearing people. We have the freedom to differ from your ideas.

If we allowed all people to marry, that may open the door to polygamous relationships, incestuous relationships and minors who are marrying. Does that seem ethical?

So, Mr. Nonsense, although your comments were a way for you to express your frustrations, they are just as you say...Nonsense. Perhaps you should find some other way to occupy your time than pointing fingers at all the injustices you feel. Perhaps you should take a moment and reflect on the way other people feel when you support public and perhaps threatening actions taken to people who simply don’t feel, think or believe the same way you do. The way you feel your rights have been taken away, you are taking from others in a different way. Remember Mr. Nonsense, if you want others to be open minded to your ideas, you need to expect to do the same for them and respect it (even if they differ from your own).

I've Been Tagged...againx2!

2008-11-13T08:36:00.006-06:00

Thanks JuJu! I remember that car!
7 Weird Things about Me:
1. I have to have all of the lights off when I leave a room. I am so obsessive compulsive about it!
2. I love all the candy that most people hate. Circus peanuts, candy corn, smarties...love 'em!
3. Whenever I go to the Dr's office my blood pressure is through the roof because I am always so nervous! Don't ask me why, but I can't help it! When I was pregnant they always took my blood pressure after the visit because of this, and it was always considerably lower!
4. I have a hard time throwing away/giving away clothes. I don't know why, but when I am going through my closet, I always rationalize that I will or may need that shirt I wore 10 years ago again!
5. I live in Mississippi...enough said (sorry to all my beloved Mississippi friends)!
6. I like Julie, love looking for a good deal. I get a rush when I find one and feel like I have hit the Jackpot! On the same note, I can also walk away from a good deal.
7. I obsess and worry all the time! Mostly it's about money or health related issues, but it seems when one dies down, another one pops up!
10 Years ago...
1. I was a senior in high school getting ready to graduate.
2. I was dancing on the drill team, go Eshelles!
3. I was working at Lins copy center which is now closed.
4. I drove a teal mercury tracer.
5. I was getting ready to send off a missionary I didn't wait for.
5 things on my TO DO list...
1. Lose 10 lbs.
2. Rest and get rid of my cold!
3. Finish my Christmas shopping...almost done!
4. Exercise
5. Clean out the cars
5 Snacks that I like...
1. Fruit
2. String Cheese
3. Crackers (wheat thins)
4. Chips and Salsa
5. Ice Cream
5 Things I would do with 1 million dollars...
1. QUIT MY JOB, even though I love it
2. Upgrade my house!
3. Pay off student loans and any other bills.
4. Help others
5. Get all of my food storage. I think about this all the time lately.
5 Places I have lived...
1. St. George
2. Salt Lake City
3. Holladay
4. Brandon Mississippi
5. Pearl Mississippi
5 Jobs I have had...
1. Larsen's Frostop
2. Lin's Copy Center
3. IHC as a rehab aide
4. Mountainland Rehab as an OT
5. University of Mississippi Medical Center as an OT
5 People that I am tagging...Kristal, Sarah, Tiffini, Memaw, Rachel

8 Things Tag:
8 Things...
8 TV shows I like to watch
Big Brother
The Hills
Ace of Cakes
Law and Order SVU
30 Minute Meals
Kimora life in the fab lane
Rachel Ray
The news

8 Things that happened yesterday
I worked a full day (saw10 patients and wrote 10 notes)
Completed 4 Evaluations
Did a little online Christmas shopping
Made Peach Cobbler
Went to Young Womens Activity
Cleaned the kitchen
Rocked Ellison to sleep
Went to bed before 11:00 pm!

8 Favorite Places to Eat
Macaroni Grill
Newks Cafe
Cheesecake Factory
Cafe Rio
Anywhere with sushi
McCallisters Deli
Ztejas
California Pizza Kitchen

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
The weekend
Visiting Utah
Losing weight
Disney World
Kam's Graduation
A trip with my mom (to DC, I love that place)!
Moving somewhere
Taking a nap

8 Things on my Wish List
Losing these last 10 lbs
Kam getting a great job
Kam passing the bar
Buying a house where ever we move
New Clothes
Clean car
Money

8 people I Tag
Renae
Talea
Julie
Kristalee
Alix
Marcie
Cailin
Val

Loving my crock pot!!

2008-11-13T08:20:00.004-06:00

Lately I have been loving my crock pot. I love not having to do a lot of prep work when using it, the food always tastes good, I don't run the oven and the house is filled all day with yummy dinner smells! The other day I made this recipe and it literally took 10 minutes! It's black bean and sausage soup. It was really healthy, yummy and filling! Here is the recipe:

Black Bean and Sausage Soup

1 link of sausage

1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic

1 can stewed tomatos

1 can black beans

1 can lima beans

1 can beef broth
Brown sausage, onion and garlic in sautee pan. Combine canned goods into crock pot and add sasuage mixture once browned. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

We plan on trying another recipe tonight, and if all goes well, look forward to another crock pot post!

Trying to play catch up...

2008-11-06T14:56:00.004-06:00

As always, we have been really busy! Last week was filled with Halloween activities from Tuesday night on. On Tuesday night we went over to Kam's sister, Kallee's house and carved our pumpkins. It was a lot of fun. Kam carved our big pumpkin, and I the smaller, white pumpkin we bought for Ellison. I carved mine to sort of look like Ellison since it was her pumpkin (remember this detail for a funny story later).
Wednesday night we had our ward Trunk or Treat activity. It was fun to get Ellison all dressed up in her cute little poodle costume, which she actually wore! We had a lot of games for the kids to participate in. I was in charge of the pie/snowball eating contest, and Kam was the fortune teller. After games at the church, the bishopric judged the pumpkin carving contest and lucky me, won...for scariest! Hello! It was a picture of my adorable child's face! The bishopric laughed when I told them, and said they awarded me for scariest because they had never seen a white pumpkin. Then we took Ellison around to the Trunks for a treat.
On Thursday night, our county celebrated Halloween (yes, one day early, and why? Because there was a high school football game the day of Halloween...ridiculous, but that's living in the south for you)! We met up with some friends from the ward and Kam's sister and her family and went trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was fun.
Friday night some friends in the ward got together for snacks and games to celebrate the real Halloween. We ate some yummy treats, played some fun games, and enjoyed the company we were with.
Saturday we took Ellison to get her 2nd flu shot (they give them in two parts here) and then afterwards attended a carnival the MD's office was throwing for the kids. Ellison enjoyed playing the fishing game, jumping in the bouncy house, and watching mama paint a ceiling tile with her initials on it. Kam enjoyed the catered food, and I enjoyed painting the ceiling tile to further decorate Ellison's room!
Sunday was busy with church stuff as always, but we were happy for the extra hour we gained when we "fell back"!

Ellison is Famous!!!

2008-11-05T08:44:00.003-06:00

My home town newspaper puts out the one year old edition every few months, and children who have had birthday's can be published in the paper with a little shout out from the parents. As usual, the Spectrum got part of our text wrong (it should read Col. Richard Howard, instead of Cole Richard Howard), but otherwise I think the little tribute turned out well!

Not really a day off...

2008-10-23T19:42:00.003-05:00

I didn't have any pictures uploaded showing specifics of this post, so I decided to give you some cute random pics of Ellison.
Kam and I have been going, going, going lately. We have been so busy with work and school, and of course keeping up with Ellison. Last weekend the youth kept us busy. We spent Wednesday participating in a "shoe dinner". The concept is, the boy brings dinner for himself and a girl, and the girl brings dessert for herself and the boy. All the boys put a shoe in a bag, and the girl draws a shoe out, thus deciding who she will be having dinner with. The same is done with the girls, which decides who she shares her dessert with. It was a lot of fun and I think they youth had a good time. We played dating etiquette Jeopardy and talked about dating standards in the church.
On Friday, I went to a surprise party for a girl in our ward at another girls house. It was so much fun. We ate sushi and yummy snacks, as well as some yummy birthday cake. It was fun to hang out with some of the girls in the ward.
On Saturday, Kam, myself and Ellison drove to Raytown (approximately 45 minutes from where we live) for the youth to participate in the fall activity. There is a member family with a farm out there, every year they have a corn maze open to the public. During this activity, they had a dance in their barn for the youth 14 and older, and activities in the house for all the younger youth. They ended the activity with a hayride and haunted corn maze. We took Ellison on the haunted hayride/corn maze, and she was a champ! It was a lot of fun!
On Sunday, we drove to Clinton (approximately 30 minutes from where we live) to the stake center where we had standards night for the youth. It was a BUSY week/weekend.
This week has been pretty normal, however, I am working the weekend so I got today off. Instead of using my day off to relax, I decided to clean the house. I swept and mopped floors, scrubbed toilets, tubs and counter tops, cleaned mirrors, dusted, vacuumed, folded and put away laundry, wiped down the microwave and then fridge and even made dinner! I am becoming more and more domestic! It was a fun day. Kam and I met his mom and had lunch together, and I even had time to write this blog post! I keep telling Kam I could get used to staying home...just waiting for him to graduate and get a job!

Oh Ellison...

2008-10-13T21:01:00.003-05:00

Ellison is the cutest thing ever! I love her so much! She is so funny, has the cutest little smile, and charms most people who see her. When she is in the mood, she can be such a lovey, cuddly baby but...dun, dun, dun, she can also be quite a little monster!
As I said before, Ellison has the cutest smile, and can charm most anyone. We CONSTANTLY have people stop us so they can talk to or smile at Ellison, however, she can has this look she gives that can make you feel like you have done something so bad! This past Sunday, Ellison gave the "stare down" to a grown man during sacrament meeting. He frowned at her, she frowned right back, and held her own!
She has developed quite the attitude and temper. This past Sunday, we were walking by her Memaw's pool and Ellison decided she wanted to get in. When we told her she wasn't allowed to get in, she got mad, threw the toy she was holding in the pool, which was then promptly taken away.
She is also such a little ham. The other night, Kam and I went out to dinner. Ellison immediately seized the salt and pepper shakers, and shook them all over the table. Then she grabbed the ketchup and played with it, where it eventually landed on the floor. The fork we gave her also landed on the floor and when she grew tired of sitting in her high chair, she stood up and then started pointing and hollaring. Good thing everyone thought it was cute!
The last little story I have to share about Ellison. On Friday night, she decided it would be fun to tear off her diaper and then pee on the floor! Oh Ellison, you are a mystical creature. You move so quickly, disappear easily, and have knack of losing things!
I love you so much, and even though sometimes you drive me and dad crazy, we love you more than anything else! I miss you while I'm at work and can't wait to see you at the end of the day! You make us so happy, and make life so much fun and worthwhile! Keep us smiling, and never lose the attitude!

Two Week Follow Up...

2008-10-05T12:00:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday I went in for my two week follow up from surgery. I waited in the waiting room for a good three hours, and was getting more and more anxious as I waited. They finally called me back and did the doppler. I was so anxious, and didn't dare look at the screen until the doppler guy, Chad, told me that everything looked good.
I met with Dr. Neglen next and he said that everything was still going well, and instead of coming in for a 4 week follow up like he was going to have me do, he wanted me to come in at 6 weeks. I am so happy about the results of the surgery. I still have pain at times in my leg, but it is significantly better. Dr. Neglen told me he was also happy about the way the surgery turned out and he was going to use some of the pictures that were taken of the vein in a conference he was going to be speaking at. So, needless to say, I will have famous veins!
On Friday night Kam and I met up with his family and attended the good 'ol Mississippi state fair. We had a good time. We took Ellison on the Merry Go Round and, she HATED it. She cried until I picked her up off the horse and held her. Kam took her on a flying ride, which she liked. We walked around, looking at the animals, which is where Ellison met her fate. We let her feed the Camels, and with the last carrot she gave him, he bit her little hand. Boy did she howl!
We have had a pretty good week. We have been staying busy with work, school and Ellison and are doing our best to keep up with it all! I have included some pics of the fair, and a pic of the what the stents look like that they placed in my leg.

Flu Shots...

2008-10-01T07:21:00.002-05:00

Monday and yesterday were the flu shot days at our house. On Monday I went to the MD to get my weekly blood draw (to check how thin my blood is) and I noticed a flyer in their glass cabinet announcing they were now offering flu shots. I get a flu shot every year, the hospital provides them to us for free and highly recommend we get one while working in germ city during the winter. I don't mind getting a flu shot, and even like the idea of it being provided free by the hospital, however, there is a catch. We are a teaching hospital, so when flu season comes around, that's what they do, they teach the student nurses how to give them...no thanks! So, I asked the nurse at my MD's office about getting one and sure enough, they were more than happy to oblige. I was reading through the paper they give regarding the effects of the shot when I read that children as young as 6 months could get them, so I decided to get Ellison a shot.

Yesterday was her turn. She did great! She cried for literally 10 seconds, and then noticed the toy bin they keep in the room and found some toys to play with while we waited the 10 minutes to make sure she didn't react to the shot. She found a friendly stuffed frog that "ribbets" and played happily until they came to make sure she was fine. She did have some slight redness at the injection site, so they gave her a little Benedryl and we were on our way. We have the second half of the shot (they give it in two parts, with a months time in between) in November.

Sucker Making...

2008-09-28T18:21:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday night the girls planned to make suckers. So, like the good Young Women's leader I am, I prepared all the ingredients, bought sticks and molds and flavoring and made my way to the church. Once I got there and began unloading all the stuff, the girls look at the ingredients and said, "we wanted chocolate suckers". So, I think they were mildly disappointed, but toughed it out anyway.

I need to also let you know that I was the only leader there this past Wednesday. All my Counselors were busy, so this was a solo mission. So, during the candy making process, I tried my hardest to make sure each girl was involved, adding ingredients, stirring the sugar, etc. However, trying to keep an eye on 7 girls and my 1 year old child was a little difficult at times, but we had a good time.

So, there were a few girls who were taking the initiative to watch and stir the candy until it got to the point where we could pour into the molds. Unfortunately, they let the candy cook a little too long, and we had burned cinnamon flavored suckers! Although not completely successful, we still had a great time!

Surgery, Surgery and more Surgery...

2008-09-21T15:16:00.002-05:00

So two weeks ago, Kam and I headed to the hospital at 6 am in prep for surgery. We were feeling pretty lucky as I was the first person on the surgical schedule. I ran through all my pre-surgical screenings quickly and was in the OR by around 8 am. We felt even further lucky after we found out the doctor was able to place 3 stents to open the vein!! Yea!! The next morning, however, all of our luck had run out because the newly opened vein had clotted off with new clot. The doppler tech called the surgeon and let him know what he had seen on the ultrasound and the doctor decided we needed to try surgery again a week later.
This past Tuesday Kam and I were not feeling quite so lucky, we waited and waited and waited in the waiting room until about 10 am when they took us to my room in the ICU. There we waited, and waited and waited until around 3 pm when they came to take me for surgery. The MD (Dr. Neglen) wanted to place a catheter in the vein and drip medicine's to "bust" the clot and then place more stents in a narrowed spot he found in the vein. While I was getting these medicine's I had to be in the ICU just for monitering. So, he was able to successfully place the catheter and we were ecstatic. The next day they took me down to get a venogram done, which shows how the blood is flowing. We weren't able to see any dye in the vein and I was feeling a little hopeless, however, Dr. Neglen in his infinate wisdom decided to have a doppler done to check to see if the dye just wasn't making it past the narrowing in the vein, and sure enough, he was right, we did have blood flow! So, on Thursday we went back in for more surgery, he finished busting the clot and then was actually able to place 2 more stents in the narrowing! I think we were all on pins and needles that night and into the next morning to see if the surgery had clotted off or not.
The next morning the doppler tech came and did the ultrasound and sure enough, we had flow! Dr. Neglen was right there when the doppler tech came and wanted to see all the pics. It was so awesome. I could tell Dr. Neglen was proud of himself, and even asked the tech to take pics so he could show them in some conferences and stuff. The doppler tech said things couldn't look better. So, we are all on cloud 9 at the moment.
There is a 2 week period in which things can clot off, however, I am on some major blood thinners and am up and walking like crazy which helps prevent further clots. I go back on Oct. 1 to see Dr. Neglen where he will do another doppler to make sure things are still flowing. I have to give thanks to all those who have called, emailed, commented, whatever during this extremely stressful time. We have had such great support from friends, family and ward members, which has definately made things easier. I do have to ask that you all continue to pray that we will have flow at the 2 week follow up, and after that I think we are pretty much out of the woods. I also have to thank Dr. Neglen for all his hard work and intelligence, he is so seriously awesome! Mostly, I also have to thank Heavenly Father and Jesus for their blessing us with what we view as a miracle!

Ellison's First Birthday...

2008-09-16T07:41:00.003-05:00

Ellison's first birthday came and went, but we had a great time celebrating our little girl! Her birthday was Monday, Sept. 8th. We started the week with a birthday party at Kam's mom's house, aka Memaw. We had a family dinner, cake, ice cream and opened presents. Ellison got some cute clothes from her Memaw and Papa and Kallee, and a bear that sings from Memaw. Ellison got a little airplane she can push or ride on from Kam and I, as well as a play phone and some bath toys.

On Saturday we had her birthday party with family and friends at Memaw's house again. We were a little worried about the weather because of Hurricane Ike, but only got rained on a little bit. We barbecued in Memaw's yard and had some yummy hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, potato salad, chips drinks and cupcakes. We also had a little pinata (Curious George) there for the kids to hit. We had a good crew there, the Shields family, Flemmings, Rizzuto's, Simpson's, Kallee and her family and Kam's mom. Ellison was so lucky to get some more gifts from that party. She got a cute little play purse, a play cell phone and some blocks/shapes. We had a great time and Ellison did too!

For those of you who asked, I will blog later about the details surrounding surgery. Until then, enjoy the pics of Ellie!

Sorry no pics...

2008-09-03T12:51:00.005-05:00

We have been out of the Internet at our house for the past little while, which makes posting pics on the blog a little difficult. I will try to get some on my next post.

I am letting you all know that we are going to try for surgery again on Tues. Sept. 9th. The doctor thinks he can get a stent in place this time. He says if he is able to get it in, it will help with the pain, it will allow me to exercise more easily and I will feel a whole lot better. I am really hoping this works, I am in the mood to feel better. The surgery will be just a 24 hour stay in the hospital type of a thing and then I will go home and recoup. I will be down for just about 3 days and then I can be up and moving more, going to work, etc.

In happier news, we are on the countdown to Ellison's birthday. She will be turning one on Monday. I am bittersweet about it. It's fun to see her grow up and learn, but so sad that she isn't my baby anymore! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, it has seemed to fly and crawl by all at the same time. We are going to be having a jungle party for her complete with jungle cupcakes. My friend Elizabeth and I are going to try to make a cute little giraffe cake...it should be fun.

Young Women's is still going well, the girls and I are having a good time, and I am enjoying my time in YW. I have some awesome ideas I am working on for a combined activity as well as a young women's personal progress project. I will post pics and details later.

P.S. To my friend Kristalee, add me to your blog so I can view it and we can catch up!

Tag Post...

2008-08-29T12:42:00.003-05:00

I got TAGGED! Here are my thoughts...

I hearby proclaim...

I will never...

Use the Lord's name in vain

Stop finding ways to have fun

Allow myself to get overweight

Forget my dad

Lose my faith

I will always...

Love my child/ren

Work my hardest (whether it be at home, church or work)

Support and encourage my family (monetarily (if needed), emotionally, spiritually).

Look for opportunities to learn

Encourage my child/ren to get an education

I'll try to...

Be financially independent (student loans paid off for Kam and myself)

Create a loving and accepting home

Avoid gossiping about others

Read all the scriptures from beginning to end

Be knowingly dependable and happy person

When I'm old...

I'll tell funny stories

Continues to look for ways to have fun

Love my family

Do Genealogy

Attend the temple weekly

Remember my Dad

Someday I'll:

Be healthy

Be a full time mom and part time OT

Travel to my hearts content

Live in multiple places

Serve a mission

Dance in the rain

I tag: Marcie, Shelli, Shayla, Heather, Kristal, Sarah, Cailin, Natalie, Jamie

Young Women thus far...

2008-08-22T07:36:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been in Young Women about a month now, maybe a little more, and I feel like I have learned so much since then! One of the things I really like about Young Women is that when we have the lessons on Sunday, I leave feeling enlightened. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED being in primary and I learned a lot from the kids, but I left Primary feeling DRAINED! This has been a welcomed change.
We took the girls to Seminary Super Saturday about two weeks ago. It was a Tri-stake event and the girls really had a good time. There was a dance following the seminary activity and we had a good time at that. It was fun riding down with the girls and getting to know them, their likes and dislikes, etc.
My counselors and I just finished our first young men/young women combined activity. We played the Brandon Ward Youth Olympics. It was fun. We had six different "events" set up throughout the church including: hopscotch, floor darts, bowling, jump rope, bean bag toss, and the clothes pin toss. The kids worked in teams and completed the meadly, and even had a "baton" they had to pass back and forth. The kids had to answers church related questions at each station correctly, before they could complete the task at the station and then advance. Without the kids knowing, their "Baton" held a piece of paper that said "my testimony", so at the end of the evening, a member of the bishopric gave a little talk about how when we share and pass along our testimonies with others, we all succeed. It was awesome! We then finished with "gold medals" aka Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a snack. It was a lot of fun!
This evening the girls are staying over at our house for the night and we are going to go "heart attack" the less active girls. I think they will have fun. Then tomorrow early in the morning we are shipping them off to the church so they can go on their temple trip.
I love young womens, but goodness, it's a lot of work!

Only one more year!!!

2008-08-14T11:55:00.002-05:00

I am excited to make this post because as the title states, Kam only has one more year of law school left! His last year of law school starts on Wednesday the 20th. It feels like these past two years have both flown and drug by. We have had a lot of stuff go on in the past two years, a lot good, a lot bad, but this is going to be great! I am so excited for Kam to finally finish, and I know he is too. The new motivational phrase at our house is going to be, "only one more year." So, to Kam, I wish you luck this last year, study hard, and make good grades! Soon you will be graduating and studying for the bar!

Our Awesome Trip to D.C...

2008-08-06T21:21:00.004-05:00

We just returned from our visit to D.C. where we were able to spend time with Kam’s family who are living on Andrew’s Air Force Base. Let me just say, D.C. is one of the most awesome places I have ever been! The city is so beautiful, well kept and clean. There is so much to do, and there is just this awesome, upbeat, fun feeling to the city.

We flew in to Baltimore on Thursday evening and basically just hung out with Kam’s family. Ellison was being a little difficult when we got there, but she soon perked up and was excited to see everyone! On Friday we spent the morning visiting, going to the BX (a department store on the base) and then spent the afternoon and evening on the mall visiting all the monuments. We were able to see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, a World War II Memorial, the Vietnam wall and the White House. We also saw the Capital building from a far. It was a lot of walking, but totally worth it!

On Saturday we spent the day at Mount Vernon, which was totally awesome. We toured George Washington’s house, saw the room and the bed that Washington died in, and toured his home. It was really beautiful and we learned that 40% of the furniture in his home is original…very cool! We also spent that night touring the building Kam’s dad works in on Andrews, visiting his office, etc. and it was so interesting! I also got my hair cut and colored that night, can we say hallelujah! Thanks Tiffini!

On Sunday we said goodbye to Kam’s sister and her family and then headed out to Gettysburg. We toured the museum there and saw all the battlefields. Gettysburg had this awesome historic feeling to it, and it was so green and beautiful. The downtown of Gettysburg was totally touristy, but so cute! We were also able to see the Washington D.C. temple along the freeway on our way to Gettysburg, and it was so beautiful. It looks like this castle that is floating above the freeway!

On Monday we went downtown again and visited the Holocaust Museum which was so interesting and then tried to go see Ford’s theatre, but it was closed, however got to see the outside of the building, as well as the building where Lincoln died. After walking past the theatre, we went to the International Spy Museum, and played a spy game, which was so fun. We had to find our way into the game by pushing on the wall and then once we were in the game, we were taken around by our “Field Officer.” We had to follow a double agent who had a meeting with her cousin on video equipment, then we had to “break into” an office and diffuse security camera’s, rifle through papers, and find a “trigger” to a “nuclear bomb” that was going to be sold. We then “jumped” into the back of a van (which was really just a moving room) and were debriefed about things we found in the office. We then went and “conducted a lie detector test” on the double agent. After that, the game was pretty much over. It was so much fun! Kam, Ellison and I headed home with Kam’s mom after that to meet my cousin Shelli, her husband Lige and their two little ones Liam and Remy, as well as Lige’s little sister Cam. It was so fun to visit with Shelli and her family. Her little ones are so cute!

Tuesday Morning we went to Arlington and saw the changing of the Guard, which was totally awesome. I have to relay a funny story. During the changing of the Guard, they ask you to remain standing and silent out of respect for the Unknown Soldier. Well, Kam’s brother Kory decided to bend down, I think to get a better shot with his camera. Well, one of the soldiers announced that everyone needed to remain standing during the ceremony, directing the comment at Kory. We then went into Baltimore and hung at the mall a minute or town to grab something to eat, and kill a little time before the flight left. We flew home on Tuesday evening.

We had a great time. We played some emotional games of Settlers, drank lots of Slurpee’s and heard people randomly singing the “milkshake song” throughout the trip. Of course we all came home with colds, but also a lot of really great memories! Kam, Ellison and I can’t wait to get back!

Random Thoughts...

2008-07-27T07:22:00.003-05:00

I decided to use by blog again as a way to express feelings. My thoughts on this post hopefully aren't as depressing as the last time I decided to vent, but some thoughts I will admit are sad for me.
I have been thinking a lot about my dad the past few days, and have really been missing him. I miss that he is not here for me to ask random questions to, or to help me feel better when I am feeling down. I am sad that we aren't able to share the happy and exciting experiences we are having with him. I am sad he hasn't been able to see Ellison at all, and has missed out on her entire life here on earth and that he missed Ryan's wedding. It is sad to think that he will never know mine or Ryan's and some of Brad's children.
Kam has told me multiple times that Heavenly Father knew that my dad could help us more on the other side than he could here, and irionically enough, soon after he passed, I started having all my issues. I know he is around and is aware of everything that is going on with us, but it's not the same as having him physically here. On the upside, he lived a great life, all his children look up to his example and have tried to model their lives in the way he lived his.
I will say that one of my sweetest memories of him was actually the last time I saw him. Kam and I were in the midst of moving to Mississippi and I really wanted my folks to come along, however knew they would never go for long hours in a car, driving across country. That's when I had a great idea...dangle the idea of Nauvoo in front of him to entice him. I knew I could talk my dad into more so than my mom, and he could talk her into the idea. So, I presented the idea to him, and he bit! He and my mom flew out and we met them in Nauvoo. We spent 2 happy days in the small town with them. I was anxious to get to Mississippi so we could meet the moving truck and get the drive over with, and my dad kept trying to talk us into staying another night. I wish now I would have. Right before Kam and I took off to get to Mississippi, I said goodbye to my parents and thought to myself, "what if this is the last time I see them?" I quickly dismissed the thought, and then said to myself, "don't be so silly, you will see them at Christmas." I hugged my parents and then watched them walk into the Nauvoo temple to do a session. That is the last memory I have. I am greatful that the last thing I saw my dad do was participate in a temple session.
I have been thinking a lot about a surgery that may or may not happen. Whenever I over do it (exercise, work, whatever), my leg will start to hurt. Well I just so happens that I have overdone it, and my leg is hurting. I am so over this and am really needing a reprieve. Would you guys think I am crazy to look forward to surgery? Well I do, if it means that pain is alleviated! I am going to try to make an appointment with the surgeon in September and hopefully he will tell me he can slice and get this thing taken care of!
On happier thoughts, I have been thinking a lot about Young Women. I feel that if I just get in there and love the girls, everything will fall into place. I am however, concerned about all the activites, the amount of time it takes and all the other little details. I have such awesome counselors, so I know that we will be successful, I guess it's just this whole getting used to the change in calling thing. I will say this, I already love the girls, and am constantly thinking of ways to show them we care about them, to help them make good choices. We are having a super Saturday on August 9th that I am looking forward to taking the girls to.
I have been thinking about Ellison's first birthday. It's coming so soon and I can't believe my little 5 week early, 5 lbs. 11 oz baby is almost a year old! I know I still have a month and a half, but I have been trying to figure out exactly how to celebrate the occasion, when, etc and I think I have a good bit of it figured out and to be explained in later posts. I am going for a jungle theme (sort of like her unfinished bedroom!), and I will be great!
Weight loss is also something that is constantly on my mind. I have sort of been keeping a food journal, and was on a really good exercise program, but am taking a small break while my leg hurts. I am only about 5-7 lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight, however I want to loose an additional 7 lbs off of that, so I am still around 12-14 lbs from my goal. I lose about a pound a week, but then when I have to stop because of my leg, it seems (of course) to creap back on. Anyhow, still trying to figure that one out!
The last thought I have is that I am excited for our upcoming t rip to D.C. to visit Kam's parents and hopefully see my cousin Shelli and her little fam. I am excited to see all the landmarks and visit some great museums. I know I am a total nerd, but I love historic, and/or educational landmarks, and D.C. is chuck full of them! I am psyched to take it all in!

Another Ellison First...

2008-07-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

The past few days Ellison has not been acting like her normal self. She has been clingy, a little fussy and was running a fever. We chalked it up to her teething because she is getting her second bottom too as well. This continued for about 4 days, we would give her Tylenol, the fever would go down, the Tylenol would wear off, and the fever would go right back up. So, I decided to call the doctor and try to get Ellison in on Saturday.
We get to the doctors office, he looks in her ears, and says she has the starts of an ear infection. So, we are dealing with our first ear infection. The doctor gave her an antibiotic which we give her two times a day, which leads into a funny story.
On Sunday Ellie was crawling around the front room, I was sitting on the couch working on some Young Women stuff and Kam was walking around. Kam noticed some brown spots on the carpet, and started freaking out! In a frantic tone I heard "I think that's poop, I think that's poop," so I look over, and sure enough, there is poop on the carpet, Ellison's legs, her dress, everywhere! So Kam was left to clean the carpet and I stripped Ellison down, cleaned her up and then put her in the tub. Poor Ellison has been stricken with diarrhea from the antibiotic.
Sunday was also an eventful day for Ellison. She was playing in our bedroom, pulling up on the furniture when she fell and hit her head on the cedar chest. She has a big goose egg, with a purple bruise on her forehead! She cried like I have never heard her cry before! I felt to bad for my little one! We put ice on it after she fell asleep, which I think helped with the swelling. So, there is another first for Ellison.
Otherwise, things are going well. Work is busy as always, I am working the weekend this weekend, which means I get to take a day off during the week, Thursday. I fumbled my way through my first YW activity and Sunday, but am hoping to get better! I am finishing up in Primary, ending my run as President on Wednesday by running the summer Primary activity my Presidency an I planned.
Kam and I have been diligent about exercising. We go at least 3-5 times a week, sometimes more, walking or doing a walk/jog combo for about 50 minutes each session, and then do weights 2 days a week. Thanks to my sister, she has been helping me with the weightlifting part, which she told me helped her drop a lot of weight...I am still waiting for that to happen!
Tuesday was my birthday, and boy was I spoiled! Kam had me look for clues to find my gifts. He got me some perfume, shoes, weights, a game, pictures/frames of Ellison and then a necklace that was from Ellie.
On Friday we went to a Japanese Steakhouse for my birthday dinner. It was so funny to watch the look on Ellison's face as she watched the man cook on the flattop in front of us. She got scared when fire appeared, but was easily calmed. On Saturday Kam had a 10 year reunion, but I will let him blog about that, while Ellison and I attended the ward Pioneer day activity, which was fun.
That was our week in review, sorry to do yet another run down, but that is what has been going on with us. I have decided I can do the run downs, and Kam can do the fun little posts...seems like a good set up! I will remind him to blog about our Sunday activity! I hope all my readers are doing great!

ROCKIN' MOM back in MISSISSIPPI

2008-07-16T12:30:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday Mom flew back to Mississippi to visit for a few weeks before helping Kallee and the kids drive to D.C. where we will all try to meet up for a few days. Yes, poor Mom doesn't really have a home. Technically she has two houses but I am not quite sure she has a home. Since she must split her time between MS and D.C. So when she goes to either she visits. Regardless of what it actually is when she visits either place the family residences that live their sure do enjoy the time she does. Since Kallee and Chris were out of town to Nauvoo Lisa and I decided to invite Mother over for dinner. After dinner we got Mom to rock it out on our Wii by playing a few minutes of Guitar Hero III. I was impressed at how well Mom did. She tried two songs and each time she played them she was able to complete 40% of the song. I am not sure I have ever really seen my Mom play video games so this was quite something. (Although she really enjoys the bowling on the Wii sports game and does quite well with it.) It is fun to have Mom back even if just for a few weeks Enjoy the picture of Rockin' Mom.

Standing for Truth and Righteousness...

2008-07-15T07:41:00.003-05:00

Approximately one month ago, Kam and I were stopped by the executive secretary at the end of Sacrament meeting and told us the Bishop wanted to talk to us following church. I thought to myself, "Oh no, Kam is finally getting a calling when I need him to watch the baby during Primary." I went through the rest of church working on Primary stuff, getting our activity ready, checking on classes, etc. During this time I ran into the 1st and 2nd counselor in the hallway. We began to chat and I started trying to convince them to tell me what the Bishop wanted to talk to us about. I knew the Young Men's presidency was needing to fill some positions, so I was slightly worried that Kam would be called to that. Of course the counselors wouoldn't crack, and I was left to figure out in my mind how he was going to juggle school, Young Men's and home life up until we met with the Bishop.

We walked into his office and participated in small talk. He started asking us how long we were planning on being here, how things were going in Primary, at work and in school, just chit chat. Then he hit us with it, the calling was for me, and they called me to be the new Young Women's President. I was floored. "Are you serious?" and "Ok, Ok" was all I could muster. So, last Sunday they finally sustained and set apart myself and my presidency. I think it will be a good group and I am excited to get to know the girls. We are having our first presidency meeting today and I think we have a lot of good ideas.

I am sad to leave my Primary kids. I have really enjoyed my time in Primary and have learned to love those kids. I know the new President will do a great job, but in a way it's bitter sweet to leave Primary behind.

So, if any of you have any positive suggestions in how to make my time in Young Women's successful, please suggest away!

Hi and Bye, Bye...

2008-07-05T20:53:00.004-05:00

This past week was a pretty good week. I was so happy by only having to work a four day week, it makes me wish every week was a four day week! Work has been somewhat slow, which has been a nice change. Instead of trying to see eleven or twelve patients a day, I have had eight on my list, which allows me time to see all my patients. I am on the ortho floor right now, which is a nice and for the most part, welcomed change. The treatments seem to be easier on this floor and most patients don't mind participating in therapy because they have elected to have their surgeries.
I did have one patient the other day who was in an accident and broke both of his legs, he was young and had surgery to correct his fractures. The Physical Therapist and I went in to work with this gentleman and get him out of bed. The man did fine getting out of bed, but once he tried standing, he told us he simply could not. HE DIDN'T EVEN REALLY TRY! I calmly told him that because of his injuries and his surgery he was going to have pain and would need to try to work through it. He became frustrated and told the PT and I we didn't understand because he had just had surgery yesterday. We explained to him that we get patients out of bed the day after surgery all the time, and sometimes we get them out of bed the day of surgery. We explained to him that we do this with all patients, even the little 80 year old ladies. The man continued to refuse.
What made matters worse was that they were trying to get this man out of the hospital the next day. The man didn't have insurance and couldn't get any equipment unless he paid for it. He kept telling us he needed a wheelchair, but I didn't (and still don't) feel he needs a wheelchair because he is weight bearing as tolerated on both of this legs. I was so frustrated with the man and ready to leave work following that. To all my male readers, I am sorry but this reaffirms that to me, women have a much higher pain tolerance.
Ellison has had quite a remarkable week. She is able to stand unsupported for longer periods of time. She has learned how to wave hello and bye, bye, and we think (crossing my fingers) that she is finally starting to get back on a schedule. Ellison is starting to eat more solid foods and her little tooth continues to grow more and more.
Ellison also celebrated her first fourth of July! She really enjoyed the fireworks, which surprised me, and even fell asleep during the fireworks show, which further surprised me. Kam and I attended the ward pancake breakfast, and then ate dinner and had a fourth of July party at Kam's sisters house with some other ward members. It was a good time, and much better than last year, when I contracted all day long! Happy Fourth of July!

UNINDEPENDENCE DAY?

2008-07-03T08:54:00.006-05:00

This is my first blog post to what has been Lisa's forum for keeping track of our lives. I don't know why I thought I would post one now but here it goes.
Most of the family knows the "drama" I guess you could say surrounding the families and my dog Kiwi. A quick synopsis will help those that don't know. Kiwi is the forgotten dog. Ever since Mom got Katie the mini schnauzer Kiwi has been kicked to the proverbial cAurb. Because of Kiwi's copious amounts of shedding hair she has not been as free as she would like to come into the house. However, now that Dad lives in D.C. Mom must visit and spend time up there as well. Leaving Kiwi to have free rein of the house. Up until this pas visit that Mom has taken to D.C. Kiwi has been fine. Yet, this past leave from Mom has caused Kiwi to go into crazy, depressed, manic mode. Kiwi has clawed, dug, and abandoned the house she usually tries so desperately to get into.
I had to discuss this with both Kallee and Mom to figure out what to do. We were not sure. Lisa noticed that Lowe's was having a sale on fencing and I looked into that. (Maybe it will still be a possibility) I figured pricing and talked to Mom about it. However, that could take a while and the cost was around $600+. Instead I bought a tether system. So yesterday started Kiwi's, you could say, unindependence day.
A quick story from last year. Our house got infested with fleas. I think Lisa may have blogged about this but a quick reminder. It was awful. What is worse is I noticed a hot spot of flea activity at Mom's house since she left. It was gross. I have since used half a can of pesticide that was under Mom's sink. It may have done the trick. Anyway ever since out infestation I have been paranoid when I see fleas on the dogs and particularly on my person. This led to extreme measures if I was to rescue or take hold of Kiwi's madness.
So, Yesterday I headed to Mom's. Kiwi was not there the day before but came quickly over when called. I immediately got the hair comb and began to brush Kiwi. She was in heaven. No one has done that for a while let alone given her much attention. I then called Mom to locate the doggy hair clippers. With a buzz and some gross but enjoyment I cut into the jungle of Kiwi's mane. It went pretty easily. However, there was a lot of dirt and bugs. Lots of fleas at least two different kinds it appeared. Some were large some were small. They were freaked out because I was destroying their great hiding place. Kiwi did fairly well. I wish I had the camera to take a picture of all the hair. I have it on my phone but do not yet have a way to transfer to computer. Anyway after the shaving I gave her a bath with a couple different fleas shampoos. Locked her in the bathroom while prepared to leave. Sprayed her with flea spray and off we went to walmart. I was nervous about the fleas dirt and hair so Kiwi got to ride in the trunk. Fortunately our car has a 60/40 split on the rear seats and I was able to crack it a bit so Kiwi could get some good fresh air and hang out with Ellison and I. (By the way Ellison loves dogs and has loved Kiwi and Katie since she realized what they are.
Skipping minuet details I got the equipment, plus flea collar for extra protection, set up the tether system on the existing part of the fence in the backyard, got out the medium size harness for dogs and attempted to put it on Kiwi. It was way to small. So we went out later and I exchanged it for a large it fits great. Kiwi spent all yesterday in the garage did fine and is at this moment out on the tether system. She is getting the hang of it and seems much happier. Now Ellison and I can go hang out with her and Kiwi can come on our exercise walks with the family. I really enjoy having Kiwi around and really enjoy the interaction between Ellison and Kiwi. They both seem to not only tolerate each other but enjoy each other.
Ellison will pull and grab at Kiwi's fat rolls and ears. Kiwi does nothing just sits there happy to be loved. Kiwi will try to lick Ellison for loving on her. Ellison loves to watch the dog. If the dog leaves her sight she whips around till Kiwi is in view. Hopefully and so far this situation will work out for everyone. As for Kiwi I think Unindependence Day may be her best day ever. Enjoy the pictures. I think Kiwi looks great shaved. It makes her look skinnier, healthier, and younger. It reminds me of when she was a puppy. So if it is possible I will try to keep her shaved. Except maybe the winter time.

Another One Down...

2008-06-29T17:18:00.002-05:00

Another week down. Last weekend Kam and I celebrated our Anniversary. We went to a fairly popular restaurant here in Jackson called Ichiban. It is a huge Chinese buffet, and also has a huge sushi bar, which was the main reason for our visit. We had a great time trying the different types of sushi rolls they had at the sushi bar. We also decided to spoil ourselves a little bit and went shopping. I haven't really shopped since before Ellison was born. I did decide to only buy shirts this shopping trip because I am still trying to lose this baby weight. We were able to find some good stuff.
I also had a doctor's appointment this week. Things are going well, and my blood tests have all been coming back good, which is good news. Even the doctor was surprised because we have had a hard time getting my INR (how thick/thin your blood is). My blood has been thin enough so we have been happy with that. I also found out from the doctor's appointment that I have lost approximately 15 pounds since I had the baby so, only 15 more to go!
Work is busy as always. I just finished my last week on the Trauma and medical floors. I like those floors alright, but I have decided these are my least favorite of the rotation. It seems like the patients there are always really banged up and are there forever! No lie, we just had a patient on the trauma floor leave this month who has been there since before Thanksgiving of last year! I am rotating onto the Ortho floor, which is nice because the nurses up there are fun and the treatments are easy!
Kam and I have been busy trying to exercise these past two weeks and get back on our schedules...as it has slipped since we went to Utah. We have been doing pretty well, however the past 3 days of this week have been raining, which has halted the exercise. We have also been busy in the yard, weeding the flower beds and trying to give our house some curb appeal. Kam still needs to mow the lawn.
I decided to include pictures of Ellison and I swimming in Memaw's pool, in the new dress Memaw sent her and some of her enjoying her banana's.

Our seven year history, condensed version...

2008-06-22T19:40:00.001-05:00

This Monday, as in tomorrow, Kam and I will have been married for 7 years. It's hard to believe we have known each other that long because it feels like I just graduated high school yesterday! So here we are seven years later. We started our married life together by living in Salt Lake, in a small 1bedroom "garden level" (code for basement) apartment with retro 70's decor. I finished my first year at the U of U and found out I was accepted to the OT program while living in that apartment.
We then moved to a 2nd floor 2 bedroom apartment...definitely a step up. I finished OT school, graduating with a bachelors and masters in occupational therapy, and Kam graduated from the U with a degree in history. I worked my first year as an OT at a crazy nursing home and with some crazy co-workers. We bought our first real car and furniture while living in that apartment.
We then ventured out of the bubble we call Utah and moved to Mississippi so Kam could attend law school. We have upgraded again, to a house this time, and have our own little critter we call Ellie. I started my first hospital based job here. Kam has finished his first two years of law school here, and Ellison has accomplished a lot of her firsts here. We have had a lot of "firsts" in the past seven years, which makes me wonder how many more are to come. Here's one for you now, this the first time I have blogged about an anniversary! Happy anniversary Kam!

P.S. Sorry for the downer blog last time, but thanks for all the encouragement! Also, I posted some random pics, hope you enjoy!

Between a Rock and a Hard Place...

2008-06-17T21:34:00.005-05:00

I am feeling discouraged today, and I have decided to use the blog as my outlet. I will warn you, I am about to have a pity party, so if you have the desire, you can read on and join in! I have decided to write about what has been going on with me lately. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is where I feel I have landed for the past year of my life. I know things in life seem so trivial to some people, but to those who are experiencing such issues, they are mountains. I have been struggling with multiple "mole hills" but combined, they feel like quite a mountain.

1. My leg. This has been an ongoing issue since Ellison was born. It frustrates me daily, and I am reminded each and everyday of this stupid blood clot. Every time I turn my leg a certain way I am reminded of the DVT by the pain in my leg. Every time I am unable to crawl on the floor to play with the baby because my leg hurts, or when I am unable to hold her because she kicks or stands on my leg and causes pain, I am reminded of the DVT. Every day when I am unable to exercise the way I would like or eat the way I would like, I am reminded of the DVT.

2. Working. I love being an Occupational Therapist. I get such joy from helping others recover from both minor and devastating illnesses. I am grateful I have a good job that allows up to live comfortably, pays the bills and offers good benefits. I have enjoyed getting to know people around the hospital and learning all that I have learned, but I hate leaving the baby at home. Every morning I wake up early to feed her, do my hair, get dressed, eat breakfast and then sneak out the door before she totally wakes up, because when she is awake, all I want to do is be there for her and love on her all day. I hate to think that part of her schedule every day is waving goodbye to mom. I am away from my baby approximately 9-91/2 hours every day. I spend more time at the hospital than I do with her. I spend so much time away from her during the week and then to "work" again on Sunday for 2 hours chasing kids in primary, with my attention diverted away from her, is hard. I told Kam on many occasions that I feel like a full-time OT and a part-time mom. This is a very sensitive subject for me, especially when I see a lot of the girls in my ward staying home with their children, and knowing that a lot of my friends in Utah stay home as well. I look at their lives and think to myself, how lucky they are! Do they comprehend how lucky they are? I wish I had a flexible daily schedule to spend with my child, running the errands that need to be run, participating in play dates and chit chatting with friends. Working is another way I feel "left out" of the loop. I am so jealous of these girls, but at the same time am grateful they have the opportunity to be at home! I am glad they are able to be home with their children...I just wish I could be too! I also have to admit when I get home and want just a moment to myself, I feel guilty because I think Ellison's every waking moment should be spent with me after I get home from work.

3. School. I know this is so necessary in our world today. I am so grateful for my education because (not to sound cliche), but I know it's one of the only things we will take with us when we die. However, this ongoing school cycle is going to make me crazy if it doesn't end soon! In the eight years Kam and I have known each other, one or the other, or both of us have been in school. We have paid so much money in tuition and owe a pretty penny in student loans. I am glad to say that Kam only has one more year left (hallelujah!), but at times this seems like forever! I am so looking forward to the day when Kam is wearing that cap and gown, has a certificate saying he can practice law, and hears word that he has passed the bar. Come that day, I will be turning in my hunter green scrubs for blue jeans and a t-shirt.

4. Medical bills. Perhaps I should have lumped this in with number one, but I frustrated by the amount of money I pay in medical bills. Why do I have insurance? I pay the premium monthly, and then get to pay 20% of whatever after that. Just when we think we have most of them paid, another lingering bill will show up in the mail. Can you believe we got a bill last week for lab work Ellison had done when she was born? There is no reprieve in sight as we still owe the vascular surgeon for the surgery in March and will expect to rack up more when I have my surgery this fall. I will say that even though #2 on my list is a stress, it provides me with the means to pay the medical bills and the insurance to have health care.

5. Housework. I love having a clean house, but because of all the other numbers on my list (with the exception of #4), I am unable to keep it in the order I would like. Ellison does do a great job of making a mess and I really don't mind cleaning up after her, but the additional load of laundry that has come with having her is something I haven't enjoyed. I also have been unable to do the "deep clean" I am used to doing. I used to scrub tubs, toilets and dust weekly, along with the other usual household chores, however, I have gotten out of my routine and found that I am getting the house cleaned well perhaps twice a month! I feel guilty when my house is a mess and think, what could I have done better to keep it clean or clean up the already established mess.

I am grateful to have used this blog as an ear piece to my complaints. I apologize for those who are reading this. I really try hard to stay up beat, but some of these things have got me bogged down for the moment and perhaps it is due to the rough day I had. Thank you to all who have left words of encouragement before, I am grateful to you for that. I hope none of you think ill of me after having read this, but it needed to come out! I promise my other posts will be happy and cheerful! I also want to say that even though all the things I have mentioned above have been bogging me down, my little Ellie, Kam, and family brings things into perspective, and I remind myself I do it all for them. Thanks again to all my fellow bloggers!

Another One Down...

2008-06-13T09:30:00.004-05:00

I was told that I needed to update my blog, so here I go. Sorry it has been so long, I have finally had a few days off from work and found the motivation to update my blog. We have started out last week by taking Ellison into the doctor because she had conjunctivitis. We had to give her eye drops for a week, which has seemed for the moment to clear up the infection. We took Ellison to the doctor again on Tuesday for her 9 month follow up. He told us her head is growing, but still only in the 5th percentile, he said her length is in the 42nd percentile and she is still small on the weight side, at 16 lbs. and 6 oz. The doctor told us he isn't concerned about her being small because she is eating well, and meeting all her milestones.
Ellison is becoming more and more mobile. She is crawling so fast and so well now, and is even able to crawl up stairs. The other day, Kam made chocolate pudding and left it on the coffee table where Ellison found it and made a big, delicious, chocolaty mess! I have included pictures of the aftermath!
Work has been going well, and we are staying busy as always. I have almost 2 weekends down and only 2 more to go. Since I worked Sunday of last weekend and will be working Saturday of this weekend, I had two days off in a row, yesterday and today. Kam, Ellison and I have been having a great time hanging out. We have been able to do nothing but relax, which has been great for me. Yesterday we went for a walk and then swimming, but I seemed to come home with a sore throat. Today we are hanging out, and I am trying to be my own nurse and heal myself from the cold.
Kam has been staying busy in school and is still going on Tuesday and Thursday nights for class. Other than that, things are still going well and we are having fun watching Ellison become the big girl she is!

Ellison the Great!

2008-06-02T12:26:00.002-05:00

Is it June already? It's hard to believe that Ellison will be nine months old this month, which means, only three more months until she is actually a year old...time has sure flown by! This week Ellison seems to have reached a few milestones. She is crawling so well now, and can get from here to there so quickly, which means we have to totally baby proof the house now. Ellison, just like all babies, gets into exactly everything we don't want her getting into, and keeps us on our toes. We have rearranged some furniture to accommodate her change in mobility and keep things safer for her.
Ellison has also figured out how to pull herself up, and does so whenever she gets a stable surface. She wakes us up at night by pulling up in her crib and "talking" to us. She also likes to pull herself up on Memaw's fireplace hearth and the coffee table. She is such a cute girl!
The last "first" Ellison had this week was swimming. We took her into Kam's parents swimming pool. It was so funny because she didn't quite know what to think of the giant "bathtub" she was in. She kept this bewildered look on her face, but did seem to enjoy it as well.
Kam started school again this week. He is taking two classes this summer, pretrial and Ethics. He will also take the Ethics portion of the bar as soon as this class is over. He is gone on Tuesday and Thursday nights, giving Ellison and myself some girl time.
I am still working, just rotating now the the Trauma floor. I have to admit that I hope June flies by as quickly as May did because I am working at least one weekend day every weekend this month. Primary is also keeping us busy as always. We are planning our quarterly activity (which should be a lot of fun), for July and getting the kids ready to sing in Sacrament for Father's Day.

What a Whirlwind!

2008-05-27T21:00:00.003-05:00

The Utah trip has come and gone, and unfortunately, as of today we are back to the daily grind. We flew into Salt Lake on Thursday, arriving at 11:30 pm. My little brother and his now wife, Janie, picked us up from the Airport and drove us back to his apartment. It was fun to see Salt Lake from the air, and then from the freeway, and we were able to easily see some changes that have taken place since we have moved.
We woke up early on Friday and cleaned Ryan's apartment for him, and completed small chores for him to help prepare for the wedding. We were able to get an hour or so away from chores and went to the Cheesecake factory (one of the greatest additions to the Salt Lake Valley) where I met a former co-worker (Anna) and caught up with her over lunch.
My family arrived later that afternoon and were anxious to see Ellison! We spent much of the afternoon catching up and then that evening had a family dinner with Janie's family at a church near her home. Ellison loved seeing her cousins, and basically loves any children around her same height!
The next morning was busy getting Ryan, myself and Ellison ready for the wedding. We spent time as a family and just hung out until the ceremony. Ryan got married in the Salt Lake Temple and thankfully we have such a great friend, Heather, who came to temple square and watched Ellison while we went to the ceremony. That night, Ryan and Janie had their reception at Cactus and Tropicals...such a pretty place! We had a good time seeing some old friends from Salt Lake at the reception and catching up with my dad's side of the family for a moment.
On Sunday Kam and I got together with Chad and Heather who so graciously invited us to lunch at their apartment. We had a great time visiting with them and catching up on all that they/we have missed since we moved. After lunch, Kam and I drove around the Holladay area, to see the places we used to live and work...it was fun to see how things have changed. Later that night, Kam and I drove to North Salt Lake and had dinner with a bunch of my friends I went to OT school with, it was so fun to see everyone (thanks Cailin and Val for getting things together)! It seemed that most of the people there had children around the same age, so Ellison had a great time playing with the other kids.
After dinner, Kam and I drove to Ephraim, Utah to visit Kory, Tiffini and Hailey. We were able to spend the night and visit. Ellison really enjoyed Hailey and tried to attack her (succeeding at times) and love on her. We were able to see their cute house, visit Kory at work and see some of the sights of Ephraim and Manti.
On Monday, Kam and I left Manti and drove to St. George where we attended a retirement party the school threw my mom. It was fun to visit with some of her co-workers. Throughout the rest of the week, we spent much of the time prepping for the open house at my sister's house that was held on Saturday. We were able to visit my sister a work for lunch a few times, and spent some time at the park with Shayla and her cute little boy Max.
On Saturday we had the open house, the weather mostly complied, and we had only a little bit of rain at the very end of the night. It was great to see some old friends from St. George, and I was really excited to see Chelsa and catch up with her. On Sunday we mostly hung out and relaxed at my mom's house, as we were all tired from the weeks activities. Early yesterday morning we woke up, drove to Vegas and flew back to Jackson.
We had a really great time in Utah and were glad we were able to visit, but are also glad to be home. We can't wait until the next opportunity to visit!

Happy Mother's Day to Me?!

2008-05-11T21:21:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I am celebrating my first Mother's Day! I hardly seem old enough to take care of myself, let alone another human being! I had to work this Mother's day while Kam and his mom spoke in church. I heard they did a great job. Kam and some other Elders were also sweet enough to take over primary so my teachers and counselors could attend Relief Society. When I got home from work, Kam had the house cleaned, flowers on the table and a gift from Ellison as well as him. I got a necklace, a homemade card and a portable DVD player for our upcoming trip to Utah (we leave on Thursday...yahoo)! I was so excited about these gifts...the house cleaning more than anything! We went to Kam's mom's house and had dinner with the family and gave Kam's mom and Kallee a gift basket full of chocolate...I think secretly we wished we would have kept some of it! We also gave Kam's mom a card from us, and one from Ellison, complete with her hand print. Even though I had to work on my first Mother's Day, it was a positive memorable Day.
I remember last Mother's Day, (I worked) I was talking with a co-worker who was telling me all about the gifts she received for Mother's Day, including home made cards. I was pregnant with Ellison and remember thinking how much I wished she were already here...365 days later, here she is and eight months old already! Ellison has made me realize how much I appreciate my own mother and how much she has done for our family. I don't know if I know a stronger woman than her. She has cared for her family both physically and emotionally. She had dealt with all the illness in our family, and for the most part was the strength to get the rest of us through it. She diligently went to work everyday, wishing she could be home with her babies, but knowing this was something she had to do to take care of the family (something I can also relate to). She has helped so many other people, and I have been told time and time again how much she means to other people, and I know that she means that much more to me. I can only hope that I become a mother to Ellison like my mother has become to me.
Kam says about his mom:
She has always supported me in my dreams and ideas...no matter how crazy. She fixes the best food and is always willing to do whatever it takes to make her family happy. She is always concerned about other people and wants everyone to be happy. She loves her children and grandchildren so much, she spends time away from dad to be with them. She is always willing to help out, and a lot of times doesn't have to be asked, but volunteers. She is fun loving, happy and supportive and I am glad she is my mother.
I hope everyone else had a great mothers day as well, whether you were celebrating it for yourself or for your mother!
P.S. I won't be posting again until we get back from Utah, so check back later!

She is getting a mind of her own...

2008-05-04T13:21:00.003-05:00

This past week has seemed to go by fast and slow all at the same time. Kam had two finals earlier this week, and spent the rest of the week studying for the three more he has this coming week. Work has been busy as well, we have had a few other therapists out, so we have had over 12 patients each. For all my therapy buddies, you know how difficult it can be deciding who gets therapy and who doesn't.
Ellison has been busy as well, she is still trying to get the crawling thing down, but still hasn't fine tuned working her arms and legs together. She is so happy and such a good baby. We went out shopping on Saturday (just she and I), and I got stopped 6 times by people telling me how cute she is! Her Grandma, affectionately known as Mema, bought her a walker this week, so she has had fun enjoying that! She has also learned a new trick, every time we try to sit her on the ground, she straightens her legs to prevent this. She has a new found love for standing and will hold on to the back of something (couch, church bench, etc) to support herself while she stands. She gives the ward members quite a show when she does this!
On Saturday we took Ellison for a ride in the bike trailer, and took some cute, fun pictures which I have posted here. We also spent time at Kohl's, Old Navy, Belk (equivalent to Dillards or Meier and Frank), and Ross. I have been on the hunt for a new dress for Ryan's wedding. I looked all through Kohl's and couldn't find a thing, went to Old Navy...same thing. Everything at Belk was too expensive, and I finally found 5 dresses at Ross. I called Kam and told him I couldn't decide which dress to get, so he told me to buy all 5, (which I did) and then we would decide as soon as I got home. So last night, we took back the other dresses I didn't need! It has been so long since I have gone shopping for myself...way before I was pregnant! Anyhow, long story short, I have a dress for Ryan's wedding, Ellison is set with a dress for the wedding and Kam refuses to look for any type of clothing that is related to anything church like...come to think of it, any clothing altogether!
We are busy getting things together for our trip to Utah, and trying to get Kam through this next week until finals are over! Wish us luck!

Sorry it's been so long...

2008-04-27T07:49:00.003-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted, life has been busy, here is the rundown. Last weekend Kam and I had the opportunity to finally hang out with some friends. We had our friends Marci and Michael and Nick and Elizabeth over for a barbecue. We had a good time trying to cook over a fire instead of a grill. It was nice to hang out with some friends and have some adult conversation. Kam has been busy studying for finals. He has a final on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday. He gets a break until the week after in which he will have three more. I have been keeping myself busy this week with Enrichment night, working and taking care of Ellison.
Ellison is doing great. We thought she may have had an ear infection because she has been pulling at her ears a little this week. We took her into the doctor and he said everything was fine! She has been trying more and more to crawl and I am sure she will figure it out soon! She is so wiggly and we practically wrestle with her when we hold her (specifically in church)! I know I am biased, but she is the cutest baby ever, and we are constantly stopped by strangers who tell us so. I am sure this is one of the perks of being a mom right?
Work has been going well, but we have been busy! I am seeing about 9 patients a day on average and am still in the intensive care units. I also have some great news to report. When I had my surgery the doctor drew a lot of labs on me to test for clotting disorders. He said that usually people don't have a clot as big as mine unless there is some underlying reason. He did also mention the idea that during the pregnancy everything just came together (the weight of the baby on my veins, blood being thicker, being on bedrest and having a narrowing in my vein) which could have caused the clot. So I went for my six week follow up from surgery and he let me know that all the tests came back negative, but one Lupus Anticoagulant, they were unable to tell if I had it or not (this is a more severe clotting disorder than the others tested). So he drew another lab to test for this particular clotting disorder. That was all about 3 weeks ago. So I called on Monday to get the report and they said that the pathologist wasn't done reviewing the lab work...Pathologist? I didn't know they reviewed the lab work! So I wait through Tuesday and call again on Wednesday. The office staff inform me the nurse is busy and will call me back...but doesn't. So I wait through Thursday. Each day I am becoming more and more anxious at knowing the results. On Friday I call and am informed that the nurse is out of the office. I display some mild irritation on the phone and they finally get another nurse to tell me the numbers. She tells me the number is a little high, but didn't know what that meant so I would have to call on Monday and ask the doctor. I was so irritated to think I would have to wait through the weekend again!
It just so happens that I had to work the weekend and low and behold who do I see...Dr. Neglen. What luck! He tells me that the lab work came back fine and he had talked with the pathologist personally to make sure. So, now I wait 5 or 6 months and go back for surgery again. I was so happy to hear that I didn't have a clotting disorder, and was able to rest that worry.
Last night Kam and I went out for sushi to celebrate! Anyhow, besides my long story this blog is somewhat disinteresting so sorry about that! I hope you all have a great week! Enjoy some random pictures!

Hooray for Spontaneity...

2008-04-14T18:41:00.003-05:00

After working half a day on Saturday, Kam and I decided to be spontaneous and take a day trip to a smaller town in Mississippi. Kam and I packed up Ellison and drove an hour east to a town called Meridian. We stopped by a natural water fall (yes in Mississippi they have waterfalls...granted they are only about 50 feet high) that used to power a gristmill. We stayed there for a few minutes taking pictures and letting Ellie put her feet in the water. We then ventured out and found an old general store that has been in operation since the 1860's. In Meridian there is a section of town that houses an old carousel, we tried finding that, but didn't have any luck. We then went to the mall which was a very special treat. Ever since Sarah Jessica Parker announced her clothing line, I have wanted to shop at Steve and Barry's just to see what they have because I know the whole premise of the store is affordable clothing. Well, the closest store was in Louisiana and I knew that I may never get there. A couple of months ago, my sister in law and I were talking about the store and I decided to look again and found they have a store in Meridian!!! So, we stopped at the mall and I got a jean jacket from the Sarah Jessica Parker line for $9.64. Needless to say, I will be making another trip to Meridian when I have lost more weight.
On Sunday I got to conduct again because my counselors were out. One of my counselors was in Long Beach, CA attending AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association) conference, and the other home sick with her child. I was also down 2 of my teachers, so Kam and his mother saved the day by taking some of the kids. We also finally took a picture of Ellison in her Easter dress, complete with the headband sent by my sister, who loves to spoil Ellison (keep it up Christy)! I hope you all had a great weekend to, I can't wait to read about it in your posts!

And the rains came down...

2008-04-09T18:46:00.005-05:00

We had a crazy week last week. We went about as if it were a normal week, however on Friday we were hit by a crazy storm. A few co-workers and I decided to walk across the street from the hospital to a little burger joint (Backyard Burgers) for lunch. Little did we know the storm was going to be moving through at the same time! We were just sitting down to eat our lunch when we saw big black storm clouds moving in. Noticing the clouds, we decided to get some "to go" bags and take lunch back to the hospital. Well, we didn't make it in time, and the storm opened up. It rained hard, hailed and the wind was crazy! There were tree limbs falling a few feet away from where we were, and the stops lights hanging on wires were being blown back and forth. We waited in Backyard Burger for a while and when there seemed to be a lull in the storm, we decided to make a run for it. In transit, from Backyard Burgers to the hospital, I lost my cell phone. (The phone I just got 2 months ago and paid big bucks for).
We got back to the hospital and I called Kam and let him know the storm was coming and to take care of Ellison. About 15 minutes later, Kam called and said the storm had just passed by our house and he and Ellie were alright. He told me one neighbors chimney blew over, and the other neighbors tree branches broke, hitting our house and falling in the backyard. Fortunately, the house sustained no damage and we made it out fine. I wish I could say the same for some of our neighbors, they had shingles blown off their roof, and a house in the neighborhood had a tree fall through the roof. We never lost power, but about 90,000 people in the Jackson area did. We were really blessed.
On Friday night, Kam and I went and got new cell phones, and on Saturday spent the day reprogramming names and phone numbers into it. On Saturday Kam and I ran also errands, we bought a bike trailer for Ellison to ride in, so now we can ride our bikes again. We also went and played games with some friends, and had a good time doing that. On Sunday, Ellison started a new trick, she got up on all fours and started rocking back and forth, so it will only be a matter of time now before she begins crawling. Anyhow, I am glad to say we are all doing well, and staying busy!

Six month shots...

2008-04-01T20:17:00.004-05:00

Today we took Ellison for her six month follow up visit. We changed her to a new MD, which is also the same MD I use. It's nice that he is both an Internal Medicine doctor as well as a pediatrician...one stop shopping. We were able to get her visit in and get my blood draw during the same visit...very nice! The doctor said Ellison is doing well, he did say she was a little on the small side, 16th percentile for her height and weight and the 6th percentile for her head. I was a little concerned about her head size, but he said when babies are premature, they have to play catch up a little bit, he also said she may just have a little head. She is meeting all of her milestones. Her latest trick is sitting up by herself unsupported. Here comes the therapist side of me, so just bear with me. Ellison's trunk control is so good. She is able to sit up, and then reach for toys side to side as well as in front of her. Ellison can transfer her toy from hand to hand and hand eye coordination is improving as she is able to target to her mouth better. So, the fact that she is meeting her milestones makes me less concerned about her head size.
Ellison also did great with the shots, and only cried long enough for us to get the bottle to her mouth. She is a little fussy tonight, but expected because of the shots today. Ellison also celebrated an Easter again this Sunday with her Mema. Kam and I found the cutest little duck basket for her at Target, and Ellison just loves it. Ellison also got to play in the sand pile on Sunday for the first time. She loved trying to pick the sand up in handfuls and bring it to her mouth. The funny thing was, she was never able to get the sand to her mouth because it would slip out of her hands before she reacher her mouth.
In other great news, my student is gone! Can we say hallelujah! I am sure she is just as glad to be done as I am to have her gone. I know it's awful of me to say, but it was honestly 12 of the most trying weeks I have ever had since practicing Occupational Therapy. Anyhow, she is done and gone and work is getting back to normal. I just rotated onto the intensive care units and most of my patients are medicinally sedated/paralyzed and trached on the vent. I am doing a lot of passive range of motion right now, which makes for a boring day at times. There are other times when I am able to work with the higher functioning patients.
I am also glad to report that my month of conducting/sharing time is over. Gratefully I won't have to worry again for another 2 months! I am starting to worry that primary isn't much fun for the older kids and am trying to figure out how to engage the junior primary throughout all of primary. If any of you out there have any ideas, please let me know!
Kam is still plugging away at school. He will start studying for finals at the end of this month and finals will be during the first two weeks of May. We will be leaving for Utah shortly after Kam completes his finals for Ryan's wedding (my little brother). Kam and I are also thinking of taking a small trip during the summer somewhere in Mississippi, Alabama or Memphis, as well as a trip to visit Kam's parents in Washington D.C. That is all that is new our week. I hope all is going well with my many blogging buddies!

I must be a little tired...

2008-03-23T21:35:00.002-05:00

So I was reading through my post AFTER posting it and realized my first paragraph made no sense at all. What I was meaning to say was even though sacrament was full of people, primary wasn't. We did start with about 15 kids, and by the time primary was over, we only had 8. I also had sharing time this week and it went really well. We talked of course about Christ, but more about the atonement and repentance than the actual Easter story. Sorry for the confusion...welcome to my world!

Easter...

2008-03-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this post by apologizing for not getting any pics of Ellison in her Easter dress up. I just plain forgot to grab the camera, however did mention it earlier this morning as we were running out the door to try to make it to sacrament meeting before the sacrament was passed...we failed in both areas. Easter in Mississippi is so different from Easter in Utah. Some members here observe church the way other religions do...a Christmas or Easter thing and sacrament was full. By the time primary was over, the size dropped from around 15 to 8. But nonetheless sharing time went fine.
This coming week is the last week I have my student...I am ecstatic and I am sure she is too. It has been a long 12 weeks and I am ready for her to be done. We have had many bumps in the road and a few weeks ago I got to the point of telling her that if she left the hospital hating me, it was fine as long as she had learned to treat her patients safely (all my coworkers think she is crazy too). Anyhow, even though we didn't mesh well, clinically she is doing fine...professional behaviors still need work.
Kam has had the past week off for spring break and has been enjoying the time home with Ellison. I think if he had the option, he would be a stay at home dad. He has been enjoying his time so well, that I have had to nag him to study...which he still hasn't done. Ellison has also been battling a cold for the past week, and I think she is finally on the upswing (thank goodness). We also got our taxes back this week and found out we are getting a nice little return. We will be using part of the money to pay off medical bills and get Kam some insurance. We of course will save some, but I was also thinking new carpeting in the house would be nice, but it's probably a long shot! So, I am going to pose this question, just what are all of you doing with your tax return money?

Dare I say Spring?

2008-03-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

The weather has changed considerably in the past few weeks, and for the past few days, Kam and I have HAD to turn on the air conditioner in the car. I have started wearing some capri pants (the ones I fit into), and found some cute little summer shoes on sale at Wal-Mart (can't beat 5 dollars a pair). I almost don't want to welcome such beautiful weather in fear that it will change again. It has been so nice taking Ellison for walks in the evening, and having some sunlight after 5:00 pm (although I despise the time change). And we keep talking about getting a bike trailer for Ellison to ride in so Kam and I can start riding our bikes again.
With such great change in weather, come the bugs. Kam and I had some friends over for a BBQ the other night, and had to pull out the bug spray because the mosquito's were out in full force. I got bitten a few times, and I think Ellison got one right on her little cheek.
This morning we had one of our quarterly primary activities. We had an Easter activity. The kids started off by making biscuits with marshmallows inside. Once the rolls have baked, the marshmallow melts, and the biscuit is empty...just like the tomb after the resurrection. We also had a scripture treasure hunt around the church for the older kids, and a color and take home puzzle for the little ones. The kids also had a chance to decorate sugar cookies, and we ended with an Easter egg hunt. Overall it was successful, however somewhat disappointing because only six children showed up. Sometimes it is so frustrating and disappointing that we as a presidency put so much time and effort into these activities only to have a poor turnout. I am grateful we were able to serve the six that were there, but would have loved to see the numbers we planned for.
The rest of the week was alright. I went back to work on Tuesday after dropping my mom off at the airport. I have hated leaving Ellison, it is so awful. The week seemed to be so long even though I only worked 4 days. I found out my blood isn't thin enough yet after surgery, so my doctor bumped up the coumadin dosage for a day, and I go back and have it re-tested on Monday. (I guess through all this experience, I have come out on top regarding one thing...I am no longer afraid of needles). Kam has officially started his spring break, although I am a bit jealous that he gets to stay home with the baby while I haul off to work. Other than that, all is well in our corner of the world.

I guess I didn't have my 4 leaf clover...

2008-03-08T08:47:00.000-06:00

Thank you to those of you who called or commented on the blog regarding my surgery. Here is a run down of the events. On Monday I went in and had all the pre-surgery tests done. First they took me to the lab where they drew 12 viles of blood (they had to stick me 2 times to get the blood and then sent many of the viles to the lab to test for clotting disorders), I then went and got an EKG (I guess to make sure my heart is in working condition), I then went to get a chest x-ray and a venogram. To do the venogram they have to start and IV type of thing, so I got stuck again in my foot...they didn't get the vein. They called in another person who stuck me again...didn't get a vein and blew the vein they were trying for. They called in another person who finally got the vein and the venogram was done.
On Tuesday Kam and I were at the hospital by 6:30 am. They checked me in and we waited, and waited and waited in the waiting room for about 2 hours. It finally got to the time where I needed to pump, so off I went, and not 5 minutes later they called me for surgery.
Kam and I were taken to the prep room, an IV was started and meds given to put me out. A few hours later I wake up in recovery and the nurse tells me, the surgery didn't work. Overall I am doing fine, and only stayed overnight in the hospital. Unfortunately the surgery didn't work. The surgeon said the clot was too big and too hard to push through, so it still remains in my leg. He cut me in 2 different spots to try to get through the clot, but just couldn't. So, I remain on the coumadin for another 6 or so months for the clot to dissolve. The surgeon did say that he may want to go back in again in another year and place a stent (a device to keep the vein open). He thinks I may have a narrowing in my vein which may have started this whole clot business in the first place. He says if we place the stent it should help prevent further clots. So we will see what happens in the next year.
I have been very fortunate to have my mom here and am so grateful for the help she has given us while I have been down and out. Ellison is glad that she has gotten to know her Grandma better and made a new friend.

Cute Clips of Ellie...

2008-03-02T08:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday...

2008-03-01T16:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear dad,
Happy Birthday to you!

We love and miss you lots!

Par for the course...

2008-02-27T16:26:00.000-06:00

So I hate to write again about all the medical maladies in my life, but here we go again! My leg has started hurting again, and has been doing so for the past week and a half. The concerning part is that the leg is hurting in the exact same spot as the location of the blood clot. I have complained to my MD multiple times of my leg hurting and he sent me for repeat dopplers (Ultrasound to the veins in the leg). Well that whole thing was a fiasco and making a long story short, they weren't sure if they saw a new clot or not. So my MD tells me to keep taking the coumadin as scheduled and things will be fine. Well the leg pain continues to get worse and I call and let him know that the pain is worse. Let me preface this by saying that I do have an awesome MD and I am so grateful for all the help he has given me thus far. So, he decides to send me to a Vascular MD (a vein MD). I go this morning and the vascular MD tells me he wants to do repeat dopplers, so we do. They find the clot is larger than thought and say they can't tell if it's new or old. So, he wants to do surgery to try and "blast" the clot. We were initially going to do the surgery tomorrow, however, my blood was too thin and so we scheduled for Tuesday. I am a little nervous for the procedure, but if it's going to help things out, then I am willing. The MD says they will make a small incision and thread a "catheter" into my vein and drip medication that will hopefully dissolve the clot. Sooo....wish us luck and pray for us!

Should we play freeze style?...

2008-02-27T16:12:00.000-06:00

5 Things on my to do list:
1- clean my house
2- book an airline ticket for my mom
3- book an airline ticket for myself
4- take a shower
5- take a nap

5 Jobs I've held:
1- Frostop
2- Lin's copy center
3- Physical Therapy aide for IHC
4- Avalon Care Center
5- University of Mississippi Medical Center

Places I've Lived:
St. George, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, Pearl, Mississippi

Favorite snacks:
Chocolate Twizzlers

Things I would do if I was a Billionaire:
Pay bills and quit my job!

5 Things you may not know about me:
1- I love to laugh
2- I have a massive blood clot
3- I love to play Settlers of Catan
4- I did my Masters thesis on Asthma and it's relevance to occupation in children
5- I am having surgery on Tuesday

ABC Tag...

2008-02-26T07:39:00.001-06:00

ABC Tag
A- Attached or Single? Attached
B- Best Friend? Chelsa, Mandy
C- Cake or pie? Cake
D- Day of choice? FRIDAY
E- Essential Item? Chapstick
F- Favorite Color? Green
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears
H- Home town? St. George, Ut
I- Favorite Indulgence? Ice Cream (I'm a vanilla girl)
J- January or July? July
K- Kids? Ellison Eve
L- Life isn't complete without? Family and Friends
M- Marriage date? June 23rd, 2001
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 sisters 3 brothers
O- Oranges or Apples? Oranges, by far the superior fruit.
P- Phobia and fears? Death
Q- Quote? "Kids with humps on their backs." Love ya OT class of 2005!
R- Reason to smile? I have a wonderful family!
S- Season of choice? Fall
T- Tag three people? Cailin, Renae, Tiffini, if you haven't already done this.
U- Unknown fact about me? I am obsessive compulsive about turning out the lights in the house.
V- Vegetable? Broccoli with cheese, butternut squash
W- Worst habit? Time Management.
X-Ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food? Chinese, Mexican
Z- Zodiac sign? Cancer

Ellison's Blessing...

2008-02-15T19:25:00.000-06:00

So I realized I accidently put the same picture up twice, forgive me for that. I thought I would share some pictures we had taken of Ellison in her blessing dress. I am so greatful to my mom for saving my blessing dress, because it's the dress you see Ellison wearing here, and the dress she was blessed in. Ellie was blessed on December 29, 2008. My whole family was gracious enough to drive up from St. George to Lehi (where my brother Brad and his family live) so we could all be together for the blessing. We were so happy to have Kam's Aunt Rochelle and his cousin Rachel attend as well. The blessing was held on a Saturday at my brother's ward building. It was a small affair, consisting of family only. Kam had my brothers Steve, Brad, Ryan and John in the circle along with a member of Brad's bishopric. After the blessing was over, we went to dinner with my brother Brad and his wife Rachel at the Bombay house (best Indian food ever). We were sad more of Kam's family wasn't able to attend (plans fell through), but we are so happy to his Aunt Rochelle and cousin Rachel were able to attend. We also appreciate the support from his family even though they weren't there. Overall it was a beautiful, memorable event!

And again...

2008-02-11T09:13:00.000-06:00

For my fans, I have decided to post a new blog...lucky you! I decided to finally change the background template, thanks to google, and a user friendly how to site, I figured out how...all on my own! This week seemed to go by quickly thank goodness. I worked my regular 4o hours, and ended the week with a blood draw at the doctor's office. Only another month and a half until I am finished with taking the coumadin and blood draws. I am suspecting my coagulation will be low and I will need to adjust again, as evident by all the bruises I have. I have no idea where they came from either!
Kam and Ellie had some sort of something this past week. Both with runny noses, but thankfully, Ellison never developed a fever or acted fussy...chalk it up to allergies or the sniffles. I think both are finally on the upswing now. Kam has been keeping busy with school, and I with work and primary. I am excited to report that we had 15 kids on Sunday, one of which is an inactive, hopefully reactivating. That is my next big feat in primary, trying to figures out strategies to reactiviate the less active children. If anyone has any suggestions, they are welcome. Yesterday I was so frustrated with my primary kids, I made them sit for the last 5 mintues of primary and practice being reverant (an idea I heard from my sister-in-law, thanks Rachel)! It seemed to work momentarily. We are also finally finding a teacher for the new class we developed and new achievement night leaders and a new secretary (something I have never had since becoming the primary president). Now if we could only find someone to lead the music, we would be fully staffed!
Ellison is as cute as ever. We are going to be starting her on cereal...I will let you all know how that goes. I am hoping it will help fill her belly at night and we can cut out the 3 am feeding. Ellie has figured out how to roll from back to belly, and on a good day and with momentum can roll herself back onto her back. Ellison is the most talkative baby ever and loves to communicate with us. She coos and will even laugh at times, which is adorable. Ellison will also try to pull herself up when given two fingers, and tries to sit up. We have started reading every night before bed, and although her attention does last through the entire book, she is patient enough for some. Well, that is our week in review. Sorry no pictures this time, I had some taken of Ellison in her Blessing dress that I finally got on the computer on Saturday, and will post them later this week with details on her blessing.

Week in Review

2008-02-03T20:41:00.000-06:00

So this past week has been crazy. Of course we all know about the death of President Hinckley. It's amazing how fast information spreads, all of my friends here in Mississippi knew about his death in a matter of minutes (thanks to our family in Utah).
On Tuesday I attended a pampered chef party at Elizabeth's house. Despite my best efforts to refrain, I did end up buying more kitchen utensils. Fortunately I always buy things I know I'll need, which included bamboo mixing spoons, a small frosting spreader and a small bar pan stone.
On Thursday I met with my student's OT professors to discuss her progress thus far. She is doing better, but still gets an attitude at times. She has been able to start seeing some of the patients on her own on the ortho floor, but now this week I am rotating to the neurology floor, so she will be right by my side again.
This week I also got a new cell phone which was way over due. I ran my last one into the ground until finally the screen went black, and wouldn't call out anymore. I do admit I have really upgraded! I have this awesome samsung phone that plays music, and takes video! I didn't even know they had cell phones that take video...so much for me being techno savy!
Saturday Kam and I stayed at home and watched President Hinckley's funeral via satellite tv (yes we do get BYU tv) and had the missionaries over to watch as well. I also tried making cinnamon rolls on Saturday. Some worked well, others not so much, but they must have been somewhat good, because the missionaries ate them...hmmmm, wait...don't missionaries eat most anything? We also took a trip to Wal-Mart (which was crazy busy)...never a good idea on a Saturday in Mississippi...it's like their Mecca!

Then I grew up bigger...

2008-01-27T19:36:00.000-06:00

I have decided to post some new pictures because my friend Cailin was only somewhat happy with my attempt to even get some pictures on the computer. Hopefully you will all enjoy the new pictures I have posted. I do have to admit though, the pictures of my sweet baby do her no justice, because she is so much more adorable in real life! Here is another update of our week...
Ellison has decided to continue to grow up on us, despite my repeated pleas for her to stay my little baby. I know she is only 4 months old, but she has just hit that cute stage where she is smiling and laughing. Her latest trick is rolling over. Ellison has finally mastered maneuvering her body weight from her side to her belly, and on a good day, can get her arms underneath her! She is such a cute baby, and I am so glad to have her!
I am still working with my student, who I have had for about 3 weeks now. Clinically she is doing well, it's the professional behaviors we are working on. I am sure she will be doing well by the end of her 12 weeks, but we continue to chip away on this aspect of the fieldwork. Primary has also been keeping me busy. We have decided to split the primary into a junior and senior primary as our primary is growing! I think I counted 17 children today (not including the nursery children) which is almost double what we are used to! We created a new class this year, which puts us up to four classes now. I never knew how much work teacher retention is, as well as juggling the budget and calming teachers concerns. We are looking to fill our achievement nights calling now...I hope that works out soon!
Kam has also been keeping busy in school. He goes Monday through Thursday from 8-11, and then picks up the baby, and watches her until I get home. Kam has been such a trooper through our tumultuous year and is a good, protecting dad. I know he loves the time he is able to spend with Ellie.
So, that is the update on us so far, until next week...

Pictures of Ellison

2008-01-20T21:39:00.000-06:00

So I have been told my MULTIPLE people that I have not posted any pictures of Ellison on my blog and need to do so. So, for all my fans, or rather, Ellison's fan's here you go. Included is also an update on the Howard family. Kam has started school again this semester, by the end of this year, he will have completed his 2nd year of law school, with only one year to go! I am working my life away and right now have an OT student with me for the next 10 weeks, which I realize now, is a lot of work. Primary is also keeping me busy. Ellison keeps growing like a weed. She weighs about 13 lbs now, smiles and laughs, shakes her rattle and when she feels like it, will roll onto her tummy from her back. We love her so much!

Lisa's Weekly Exercise Plan...

2008-01-10T13:57:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I have FINALLY started trying to lose this baby weight (who would have thought a diet rich in ice cream wouldn't help) and the results are as follow.

Tues: 30 minutes of cardio following an 8 hour workday
Wed: Weight training x30 minutes, 2o minute walk following an 8 hour workday

The rest of the week I plan on alternating cardio with weight training (light walk following) and trying to change some of the unhealthy eating habits I got into when I was pregnant. I will post any changes (good or bad) by next Tues.

My goal is to lose at least 10-15 lbs. by my little brother's wedding on May 17th.
If anyone has any other positive, helpful suggestions, feel free to comment!

Co-workers...what's the use?

2007-12-21T11:50:00.000-06:00

So I have decided that many of my co-workers are a bunch of gossipy grownups who act like children. I will admit, before I had Ellison, a small part of my work life was involved in gossiping. I guess I enjoyed the thrill of what was going to be said next about whom. After having Ellison, my perspective has changed and I am no longer interested in such silly banter. I wonder if these people realize how hurtful gossip can be? It's interesting that many of the people who do choose to gossip can dish it out, but can't take it (sorry for being so cliche). Anyhow, I have this to say, I am now promising that as much as I can help and resist getting sucked into the gossipping, I will NOT gossip any longer! Besides when one person gossips about another, does it just make the person gossipping look bad? (Did you all get that?) I think so!

Christmas time and random thoughts...

2007-12-13T12:45:00.000-06:00

Kam and I are excited for the Christmas season to finally be here. Kam is finishing up his last final tomorrow, and I am ready for a trip home. Kam and I were commenting the other day that we haven't been anywhere in the past year because of the awful pregnancy and post pregnancy stuff we had going on...we are ready for a vacation. We are excited for our family and friends to meet little Ellie. We are also planning on blessing Ellison while we are out there with my family around. I think we will be able to get most of mine and Kam's family there.
On another note, it has been brought to my attention (multiple times) that I need to post a picture of Miss Ellison (as the Southerners would say)...I am working on that one to. She is doing great, I am stressed about bringing her on the airplane with all the germs that are there. I know that I can't protect her from everything, but I can try! RSV season is the devil!

A Losing Battle...

2007-11-30T13:34:00.000-06:00

I have decided that I am losing the battle. You know what I mean. It's down to just saying no, and I can't do it. The will power is gone, I mean how can I deny myself of the sweet taste of a nice brownie? I can't deprive myself of the cookies that were at the baby shower or the trifle at Thanksgiving. Nevermind that I still have 20 post pregnancy pounds to lose...not to mention the fact that exercise isn't easy anymore with big blood clot sitting in my leg. I would love to lose this weight, but I am beginning to wonder if it will be possible. In 3 months, I have lost 3, yes 3 pounds. I was hoping by this time it might be more like 10. So I have this to say...to all you women who are able to fit into your skinny jeans just weeks after giving childbirth, may your hips spread wildy and your thighs engorge, so you know just how I feel!

This whole blogging thing...

2007-11-24T18:14:00.000-06:00

As I have quietly lurked around other blogs on the web, I have decided that my blog is somewhat boring compared to the other blogs I have seen. How do other bloggers get such cute backgrounds on their blogs? How do they upload or download all the little "extras" such as polls, slide shows, etc? I have decided I am not as blog savvy as I once thought I was. Perhaps I just don't pay my blog as much attention as others do (keeping in mind I work a 40 hour week), or maybe it's all just beyond my mental capacity at this time. So to all you savvy bloggers out there...help!

My addiction...

2007-11-16T14:30:00.000-06:00

So I thought I would indulge my readers (the few I have) regarding one of my latest addictions. Since being on bed rest, Kam and I found that "regular" TV is no longer cutting it, and invested in Dish Network. My oh my has this opened up a new world to us! I have found that not only am I addicted to cable TV, but one channel in particular...channel 110 a.k.a the Food Network channel. I know that most of the time I will never try the recipes, but something about watching someone else cook makes me feel more domestic. I love watching Giada (*sp) on Everyday Italian, The Barefoot Contessa, and of course 3o minute meals by Rachel Ray. I have also found that prime time food network is great. Who wouldn't love the Food Network challenges, Throw down with Bobby Flay, Ace of Cakes and Dinner Impossible? And of course, let us not forget the fast paced favorite...Iron Chef. So to all the Food Network lovers out there...cook on!

Week in Review

2007-11-10T11:22:00.000-06:00

So I thought I would write a run down on what has happened this week. Monday through Wednesday were pretty uneventful. I came home from work on Monday feeling listless and with a scratchy sore throat. I felt bad because I didn't want to be around Ellison and get her sick, so in addition to spending 8 hours away from her at work, I spent the rest of the evening in bed, keeping my distance. I had the day off on Thursday, so Ellie and I got to hang out. We were pretty low key, and at 2:30 I went to get my blood drawn (which is now only happening every 2 weeks!). At 4:00, we took Ellie to get her RSV shot. I felt so bad as I heard her screaming, but I kept telling myself it is for her own good. We have to take her to get these shots every month through RSV season. Yesterday I had to work, and Kam got the lucky job of taking Ellison to get her immunizations. Kam said she only cried for about 5 minutes after it was over, but she was fussy last night, and has been some today. The pediatrician said she is in perfectly good health and all was well. He even gave us a prescription for some ear drops to give to her before we take off on the plane during our visit out to Utah. I have to work the weekend, so I went to bed early last night, and woke up feeling awful again today. I hope I can get over this cold soon!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.

2007-11-07T08:59:00.001-06:00

It's offical, I am back to work after having Ellison. I have hated coming back to work and leaving my little one, but I have no other choice. I have to admit that I am quietly looking around for something that isn't going to require 40 hours a week, pays well and offers insurance. If anyone knows of a job like this, I would be more than happy to take the offer...unfortunately no one wants to offer me anything like this. In the mean time I have let my boss know if the oppertunity to reduce hours ever arises, I would definately be interested. We will have to see how that goes! In other exciting news, Kam and I have booked our tickets home for Christmas. We are flying into Las Vegas on the night of the 26th and flying out the afternoon of the 2nd. We are going to try to bless Ellison while we are out there.

Only 2 1/2 weeks left...

2007-10-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

I became bummed out today as I looked at the calander and realized I only have about 2 1/2 weeks before I have to go back to work. I was hoping that the maternity leave would never end, and I would get to stay home forever. I have quite enjoyed having my time at home, having a very flexible schedule, and not having to worry about working an 8 hour day. I have also enjoyed not having to worry about my co-workers using aweful language, or writing notes on each patient. I do love what I do, but I really love being a mom more. I do have to admit, I have found that being a mom is the hardest job I have ever done! Any other mothers out there who agree, comment now!

My klunky body...

2007-10-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

Here I am writing again, to let you know all about the maladies I have experienced for the past few weeks. As you all know, I had Ellie by C-section in September...well lucky me formed a blood clot as a result and spent and additional week in the hospital on blood thinners to try to treat this thing. I am home now and will be on blood thinners for the next six months to treat this beastly thing! As a result I cannot breastfeed the baby because of the medication I am taking, so I pump and dump. I missed a feeding today and developed mastitis. I have to admit I am feeling like Job, I would like him to move out of my house and go visit someone else. Kam and I need some down time from all these medical problems! Anyhow, the doctor dosen't seem to be too concerned about the mastitis, and I will be taking an antibiotic for it. Other than that things are going well, we are enjoying our darling baby girl!

My New Life...

2007-09-18T18:04:00.000-05:00

Hello all, sorry it has been so long since I have last written, as most of you know, life has changed dramatically since the last time I wrote. We have welcomed our little girl, Ellison Eve Howard to our family. She was born on September 08, 2007, five weeks early. Ellison weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. and is 18 1/2 inches long. We are both doing fine, and have been home for almost a week. I have to say, I am sleep deprived, and still trying to recover from a C-section, but other than that, I am doing well. Kam has been a great dad, taking on a lot of her care, from feeding and burping to diaper changing. We feel really blessed to have this little girl in our family and will keep you updated on the progress.

2007-07-10T13:29:00.000-05:00

So today is another day and a of course another bump in the road. Today I went to the Dr. for my gestational diabetes test. Well of course I got to drink that disgustingly sweet drink an hour before, and then had the wonderful opportunity to give my blood following to check the sugar levels. Well the cut off for gestational diabetes is anything below 140. Well as it turns out, my score was 140 on the dot...so I get to go back next Monday for the fasting glucose test. My Dr. told me it was going to take 3 hours for the test. I get to drink that yummy stuff again, and then give blood an hour later, and then again an hour later. This is all going to be happening the day before Nauvoo...fun stuff! The Dr. told me she isn't worried I have gestational diabetes at all, and was able to say with almost 100% surety that I don't, but I do have to go and take the test, just to be sure...Other than that, everything is looking great with the baby and me!

Sugar Addiction...

2007-06-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have decided that pregnancy has increased my craving for sugar even more so than it was before. It seems that all I want to eat is sugary, types of foods. Not just deserts are enough anymore, it has transcended into breakfast, lunch and dinner. For example, I will eat some type of sugar cereal before coming to work, at lunch I will have a granola bar and yogurt. When dinner time rolls around, I like some kind of chicken dish with a sugary after taste (stir fry, sticky chicken, etc), followed by some small sugary desert. At times my snacks are even sugary (watermelon, nectarines, grapes, etc). I try to keep it healthy, but it doesn't always work. It's a surprise I haven't gained more weight than I have. I am afraid with all the sugar I have been having that my child will be 12 pounds. That doesn't sound like fun. If anyone has any suggestions on how to curb my appetite, feel free to suggest! Don't forget to leave comments!

Busy Week...

2007-06-12T07:21:00.001-05:00

Last week was quite a busy week. I worked on Sunday last weekend and half a day on Monday and then spent the next few days at Girls Camp. I worked with the 3rd year girls on getting their certification done (building fires, using a compass, etc). It was fun, but I was reminded why it's nice to be through puberty. Those girls got their feelings hurt over everything it seemed! It felt like we spent a lot of time diffusing situations. Anyhow...

Saturday was a great day as well. Kam walked out the door to find that our next door neighbors were selling their 3 year old Whirlpool washer and dryer set for only $150.00! We snatched that deal up and now have our own washer and dryer! Yeah!

Sunday I spent the day at church conducting primary, doing sharing time as well as singing time. We are trying to learn all the songs for the primary program and have one more to learn and 2 to learn better. I have found that being primary president is quite the task!

Yesterday Kam started an internship at a law office here in Jackson, he said it was interesting, and seems to be enjoying it so far.

Well, that is the low down on our lives thus far, interesting or not, it's kept us busy!

P.S. Don't forget to post your comments!

Maternity Clothes

2007-05-30T08:37:00.000-05:00

I have decided to sound off today regarding my irritation and appreciation of maternity clothes. I went ahead and bought some new maternity clothes (yes, panel pants have become a must), and despite my hesitation toward doing this, I find that I am so much more comfortable when I wear them!

In regards to my irritation, I am irritated at the fact that I could not find any of my maternity bottoms on sale. These stores know they can take advantage of poor pregnant women who need to wear their clothes, but don't offer any that are super affordable (I am talking $10 or less...I know I am cheap)! I did however, find a bunch of T-shirts on sale for 6 dollars, so I guess that isn't too bad. I just hate spending money on these clothes that I am not going to be wearing for very long! Anyhow, I am appreciative of those who have lent me or offered to lend me clothes until I have the baby! Any of you other girls who have felt this frustration, post away!

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's back to work I go...

2007-05-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

Well, my 3 day weekend is officially over, and Monday has come with a vengeance. I never realized how much I truly enjoy my weekends until I had to work 7 days in a row. Oh well, that's life I guess. I am however looking forward to next Monday as it is Memorial day, and brings me another 3 day weekend.
Yesterday I was officially sustained as the Primary President of our ward. I am nervous about how I am going to do with the calling, but hopefully it will all work out well. Since being called as the Primary President, I now have 4 callings in the ward. I am considering becoming inactive...just kidding.
Kam starts summer school this week. He is taking 2 classes, 5 credits. I am hoping he does well this summer and doesn't get too burned out since just finishing Spring semester, but this will ease his schedule next semester when the baby comes...
That's about it in our neck of the woods. I have decided that I need lots of comments on this blog, I need to ensure that I do have readers, so post away!

Canton Flea Market

2007-05-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

The Canton Flea Market was held yesterday. Canton is a small town in Mississippi where some 2000 vendors come to sell buyers anything from clothes, to purses, shoes, crafts, blankets (you name it, they have it). Kam's sister Kallee, myself and our friend Elizabeth braved the crowds and attended the Flea Market. While we were there, we found the best booth. The booth was selling children's books for $3.00 a piece and I bought a few for the baby. I bought a counting book about lady bugs, complete with a hand puppet with lady bugs on each finger, it's cute. I also bought a book I believe will be a good "quiet time" book during church about loving everyone. I also bought a pair of earrings (sterling silver) and a headband. All in all, I spent $13.00, I love it when one can find good buys!
Yesterday the weather was crazy hot! I sucked down water like crazy and still felt like I was becoming dehydrated. It appears as if summer is here in full force, and I am ready for the fresh summer fruits, bring on the Watermelon!
P.S. I have to work the next 7 days straight, wish me luck!

It's been awhile...

2007-05-09T07:46:00.000-05:00

I know it's been awhile since I last blogged, and I have been told that I need to update my blog, so here goes. The past few weeks have been eventful and uneventful at the same time. I won't go into the eventful, because most of you know why, and I don't like thinking about depressing things. Uneventfully, Kam has been studying his little heart away trying to get ready for his finals. Thankfully tomorrow is his last one and he will be done with his first year of law school! Only 2 more to go. He is planning on taking 5 credits over the summer so next semester when the baby comes, he won't be so bogged down. I also felt the baby start moving this week, it has been the craziest, most exciting thing ever! It's fun to tell Kam when she is moving about. I hope she stays this active! Otherwise, nothing much new. I have to work the weekend this weekend, which I am not looking forward to, but because I am working, I get tomorrow off, and next Friday. Tomorrow I am going to a big flea market with Kam's sister Kallee. It should be fun, maybe I will find some good fun buys! Next Friday I am planning on hanging out and relaxing! I love 3 day weekends!

Chocolate Twizzlers

2007-04-25T17:13:00.000-05:00

I have decided to post a blog dedicated to Chocolate Twizzlers. They may be one of the most under appreciated flavors of Twizzlers ever, but they are in fact the most tasty I have had. I have been craving these delightful treats ever since I became pregnant and when I was sick, Kam was a sweetheart and got some for me. Ever since I tasted this licorice treat, I have been unable to think of anything else when I eat. I bought myself another bag last night and have eaten 10 strands, and still crave more. I must stop myself before I become morbidly obese! Anyway...
I also told Chad and Heather I would give them a shout out here on my blog, so here it is, HEY GUYS! They have been great friends, and even sent us an email telling us how worried they were about us living in Mississippi. One reason being that there are multiple tornados that swirl around us, then they remembered we didn't live in a double wide and their concerns were eased. The second reason being that Chad heard on the radio in SLC that Jackson is ranked #3 in worst drivers...which is totally true. Anyway, thanks for the concern! Hope to have lots of comments on my topic today, perhaps you will all go out and buy a bag of Chocolate Twizzlers and we can have an in depth, intellectual conversation on the goodness of Chocolate Twizzlers.

My Weekend...

2007-04-19T08:09:00.000-05:00

This past weekend has been an interesting one at that. I have been sick with a cold and sore throat all weekend long, and since I have been pregnant, suffered through without taking any medicine, mostly drinking water and sucking on cough drops. I missed work on Monday because of my illness (I make it sound like I was dying of the plague), and came to work for about 6 and a half hours on Tuesday before finally surrendering to the fatigue and going home to sleep. Yesterday I seemed to bounce back a little, and am feeling better and better every day! I still have the cough, for some reason I always get a cough (which makes me sound like an old man), and a stuffy nose at times, and can't taste anything I eat. All in all I think I am on the mend.
We had another doctor's appointment yesterday. The doctor said everything looked good, and the baby's heartbeat was fine. She also told us we get to find out the gender at the next visit, and can bring a video tape to record if we want. The doctor also said at this next visit they are going to ask if I want the Downs Syndrome test done. I am opting not to do this, because as you all know, I am quite the worrier, and I don't need a false positive test to worry me more. So my question for all you mothers out there is, did you get the test done? If so, did it come back with a false positive? Also, did you record your sonograms?

Easter...

2007-04-11T07:56:00.002-05:00

Easter was fun this year, this was the first time we have ever spent and Easter with family while being married. We of course spent the morning at church. It was interesting teaching little Sunbeams that Easter is actually about Christ and the resurrection, instead of the Easter Bunny...
We spent much of the afternoon at Kam's parent's house. We had dinner there and then had an Easter basket hunt around their 5 acre yard, and found that even the Bunny remembered Kam and I this year. That night we watched Extreme Home Makeover, it was filmed here in Brandon where we live. We actually saw Kam's sister and her girls for a brief second, in the audience holding a sign, and yelling "move that bus"! It was entertaining. We were also able to get our laundry done, which hadn't been done for the past two weeks.
As far as our house goes, we have been having some unseasonably cold weather lately. We had to cover our plants in our garden to protect them from the 30 degree lows that we have been having. I hope they survive!

Easter...

2007-04-11T07:56:00.001-05:00

Easter was fun this year, this was the first time we have ever spent and Easter with family while being married. We of course spent the morning at church. It was interesting teaching little Sunbeams that Easter is actually about Christ and the resurrection, instead of the Easter Bunny...
We spent much of the afternoon at Kam's parent's house. We had dinner there and then had an Easter basket hunt around their 5 acre yard, and found that even the Bunny remembered Kam and I this year. That night we watched Extreme Home Makeover, it was filmed here in Brandon where we live. We actually saw Kam's sister and her girls in the audience holding a sign, and yelling "move that bus"! It was entertaining. We were also able to get our laundry done, which hadn't been done for the past two weeks.
As far as our house goes, we have been having some unseasonably cold weather lately. We had to cover our plants in our garden to protect them from the 30 degree lows that we have been having. I hope they survive!

Easter...

2007-04-11T07:56:00.000-05:00

Easter was fun this year, this was the first time we have ever spent and Easter with family while being married. We of course spend the morning at church. It was interesting teaching little Sunbeams that Easter is actually about Christ and the resurrection, instead of the Easter Bunny...
We spent much of the afternoon at Kam's parent's house. We had dinner there and then had an Easter basket hunt around their 5 acre yard, and found that even the Bunny remembered Kam and I this year. That night we watched Extreme Home Makeover, it was filmed here in Brandon where we live. We actually saw Kam's sister and her girls in the audience holding a sign, and yelling "move that bus"! It was entertaining. We were also able to get our laundry done, which hadn't been done for the past two weeks.
As far as our house goes, we have been having some unseasonably cold weather lately. We had to cover our plants in our garden to protect them from the 30 degree lows that we have been having. I hope they survive!

Work...

2007-04-04T07:56:00.000-05:00

To my dedicated reader (I think I have only one...), sorry it has been so long since I have posted something new. So, I will try to make up for it now.
On Monday we rotated floors at work, which means, I went from the psych floors (where I have been for the past 3 months), to the neuro floor. On the neuro floor, I am working with patients who have spinal cord injuries, strokes, brain bleeds, etc. It has been hard work moving around some of these patients who can't move themselves. By the end of the day I find that I am totally exhausted, only wanting to crawl into bed. When I heard that many pregnant women were tired all the time, I never knew what they were talking about, because I was doing a job where I got to sit all day. Now that I am up and moving around and moving patients around, my energy levels are depleted at the end of the day.
Last night I went to a bridal shower for a girl I work with. Tonight I have Achievement Days, and tomorrow night is the city's Easter Egg Hunt, which I plan on attending with Kam's family and a friend. It looks as if even though I am so tired at night, there will be no rest for me.
By the way tomorrow marks my 13th week, I am hoping to start feeling better soon!

Oh How My Life Has Changed...

2007-03-29T07:50:00.001-05:00

I have decided that besides the obvious reasons of my life changing secondary to me being pregnant, that it is changing in a lot of other ways too. The nauseous feeling has got to stop soon right, the dry heaving and vomiting, that has got to stop to right? The facial breakouts, loss of sleep because I have to use the restroom, me being hungry every two hours...this has all got to stop right? Kam has told me he doesn't think pregnancy is agreeing with me, but I think it's agreeing with me too well.
Last night I woke up at 3:30 a.m., and couldn't go back to sleep. I have heard that sometimes pregnant girls have insomnia, I am not saying I have this, but is this normal? I also had to eat when I woke up, I have never had to do this before.
I guess these are the joys of pregnancy, and it's the yucky stuff one has to go through before the good stuff comes right? (Do I sounds like I am trying to convince myself)? Anyway, I hope all who are reading this are either sympathizing with me, or laughing because they know all too well how this stuff all goes!