Tis the season

It's not really winter yet, or Christmas, but on Monday two reminders of those things came to me.
1st. I leave for work at 4:30 a.m., and it was the first really hard frost at our house. All the outside cars had thick, frozen rain/frost on their windshields and my warm truck was cozy in the garage, and no scraping had to take place. I lived,(driving years) since I left home, but even there the garage wasn't mine, for 29 years without a garage. I am so grateful that I have a safe, weather proof garage and that even though it is a 2 car garage, and only one car can fit, that I am the one. Thank you family.

2nd. A number of years ago Kim and I were trying to come up with something different to help with the Christmas spirit. We decide to visit and to thank a few couples in our ward for the great example they were to us and our children. As a family we pick 4 couples. We bought a loaf of Great Harvest bread and honey for each and went out on our visits. I think we were all a little nervous to just knock, unannounced, and say why we were there, especially the kids, but they all went. Those were some of the nicest visits I can ever remember. The couples of-course were so sweet and invited us all in and we just visited. We really should have made that a yearly event but we didn't.

So many people come and go in our lives, many make an impact for the good and others do not. Somehow we need to thank those who do, not necessarily with gifts but at least with words.

This past week at work I had the opportunity to care for one of those men who we visited that season. He is now a widower and was very sick, but he has healed great. But I was grateful that once again I could visit with him and be reminded why he is so special.We are all blessed to have great influences in our lives and we need to let them know how we feel about them.

Motherhood

I was reading bloggs and after I read Annie's I was reminded of earlier days with younger children. I can't remember the ages of all the kids but I had all 4 home so it must of been summer, and I can only remember being at the "end of my motherhood rope". The exact situations with the kids does not even matter, but what I did I will never forget. I called Kim, who sometimes could come home in the middle of the day, and I said "If you ever want to see your kids alive again, you have to come home". Now no horrible act was in my mind, I am 110% sure I would have never harmed them or tried to drown them, but I also didn't have voices in my head telling me what to do. I only had 4 and possibly more voices all wanting and needing something from me and I couldn't give any more. With in 30 - 45 min. Kim came home, as happy as ever and gave me $100.00. Which then would be like $1,000 now and said " go do something nice for yourself. Get a good book, take your swim suit and go to a hotel for a couple of days, go shopping, or just go do something you want and I'll stay home with the kids today and tomorrow. Just let me know where you are.

Well after I picked myself up off the floor and tried to convince him I couldn't just leave. I did just that. I didn't go to a hotel, I would have been scared to do that alone, but I did go to Mom's for 2 days, I went to a movie, out to dinner, visited a friend and most important I had a much needed brake.

I have never believed in the "Super Mom" syndrome, but I am often haunted by the fact that I have never been one. Kim has said that women have a quilt gene that men do not have. But if you need a brake try and take one and when you come back things always look better and you are better.

I am so grateful for my kids, for the Lord blessing me with 4 wonderful and many times challenging kids. But despite my shortcomings they have done pretty good for themselves.

HIGH on the Lords Work

And I mean HIGH. The other RS councilor and I went and did some visiting tonight to new sisters. Our 1st visit was with a sweet widow women new to Utah after serving a mission here a few years ago and wanted to come back and live, She is a convert and so sweet and active with such a strong testimony. After we left I said I don’t think our next visit will be quite the same.

We knocked and shouted we were from the RS and had come to visit. We entered a smoke filled room and were told right off that the guy there was smoking marijuana, just so we knew. But this was her apartment. We were then told that the room over there, as she pointed, was the one she needed help cleaning, because it was full of fruit flies. Confused yet, well we were. We tried to just ask nice friendly questions and she said this wasn’t her husband but she was getting a divorce. We just asked if we could get her full legal name and birthday so we could get her records sent to the ward and then maybe the bishop could help her. She doesn’t know her real name. because I think her mom is dead or gone and that her grandma just put some random name on her birth certificate, but did I want her DNA? When she finally gave us a name and date we had forgotten a pencil and she asked the boy to get one and he said no because he didn’t have any pants on, so I told him to stay put and we’d remember the info. I thought that maybe they were both HI. I then noticed a highchair and asked if she had a child, NO but I am 8 months preg. Now this whole thing isn’t so funny. And my eyes are staring to itch and we really need to get out of there. A few more very strange things are said and we finally leave. This young women had called our bishop earlier in the week asking for $$$ help. She wouldn’t or couldn’t give him any personal information and didn’t want any one to visit, so guess who gets the job, the RS presidency.

How do people get so messed up? She is only 24 yrs. old. What happens in their lives that this is how they want to live? Why are others so blessed with the desire and will to be the best they can, and want to improve their lives? I may not be the smartest person, or the wealthiest, but I am so grateful and blessed to have the love of good parents, a wonderful husband, loving and supportive children, and most of all the gospel in my life. Life is hard for a lot of people, but as we all know from personal and observation of others, that you can still be a good person with good values if you keep the Lord in your life.

Risks

I found this poem in a sketch book of Bevan’s, in his own hand writing, with a few changes and fixed words. I don’t know if he wrote it or not but I thought it was good.

Risks
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep it to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exploring your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd it to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying’
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live.
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has fortified freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

Slow to blogg

I'm note just slow to blogg, but I am slow a everything else too.
Wed. the MRI results showed I have torn my meniscus in at least 4 places. They gave me a hinged brace which is SOOOOO much better than the immoblizer brace. I can get around better and in and out of the car. I am working what they call "modified", but I think my regular job is easier on the knee. I just won't be running to any CODEs. I have discovered a few things about the medical feild. If you don't know even little and have a say,or a brain of your own, no one will tell you anything. I had to leave messages and messages for our empolyee health nurse to finially get back with me last week. And at work med. the MD and NP just said, after I got the results, so be careful and try and stay off it. The End. I had to ask for the new brace, the Ortho. MD appt. ask the questions about poss. surgery or rehab. I was just very frustrated because we give our pt's, probaby too much information, and they gave none. So if any of you need a voice give me a call.

Other life. I really like good music, going to the symphony is usually a fun thing to do. Kim and I were given tickets because Mel and Justin couldn't use theirs Fri. night. But I sware my attention span was that of a 5 yr. old. I couldn't sit still, I was constanly looking around, I couldn't get comfortable, my mind was everywhere but on the music. I thought I might have to fake a seizure when the last number wouldn't end. Kim was so into it, I felt bad I was a bad date. I am not ruling out ever going again, but not anytime too soon.

Friday and Sat. Sally and I participated in the Washington Height Babtist Church craft fair again. I don't think we did very well, but it's kind of fun and keeps my creative juices flowing. I'm not sure I'll do it again, but I said that last yr.

I am grateful I have a bit of a creative side. Maybe it's a small talent but it keeps me dusting at least monthly when I change out the decorations.

Balderdash: Which is the real story?

I was skiing down the moguls at Powder Mountain and the sun was in my face and the snow was like satin ribbon, and suddenly a very cute boarder came by and took my breath away and I fell right on my left knee and the rest is history.

I was wakeboarding at Pine View trying out a toe side tantrum and I got hit by a huge wake from the other boat, I was suddenly air born and landed on my left knee.

I was running, like a good code team RN, to a CODE blue (full arrest) and my left ankle felt funny and as I took my next step I heard and felt a Pop, Pop, Pop, and then felt my knee turn and twist. That was the end of any running. I did not fall.

I was vacuuming my carpet and my foot got wrapped up in the cord and I fell backwards and in trying to catch myself twisted my left knee.

Hint: Jodi was right “Running is only for Criminals”.

But the truth is I have either torn my meniscus or torn my ACL. That is the Dr.’s best guess, but my MRI is Tuesdays night. When I got back up to my floor the other team leaders said they don’t ever run to codes. I thought we had too. Besides doing my little Curves stationary jogging & running to CODES was my best exercise.

So right now I have to wear a knee immobilizer and just be real careful. I don’t know yet when I can go back to work. So if any one has any knee advice I am listening and a little scared, because so far the shared Horror stories aren’t so good.

I am grateful that I didn’t fall and that I still have one good leg and knee that I can get around with and that today, Sat., the pain has eased up tons. Just a not so funny side note. It wasn’t even a real CODE. A little old gentleman just got tired and weak from walking so far to get to his Dr.’s office and felt faint. So anyone having to go to the new IHC IMC building, take a Moped to get around on.

All In A Days Work!

Thought this was so true!