Kyle & Kami Willis

And The Winner Is....

2012-01-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Nicole Lindsay!!!! Congratulations!!!

I will send you an e-mail with the code so you can download the software.

Sorry to the rest of you, but here is the awesome part for you... The company who makes My Memories Suite loves me! They gave me this promo code STMMMS70839 that I can share with my family and friends (that’s you). By using this code at http://www.MyMemories.com, you can get $10 off My Memories Suite (you get it for $29.95 instead of $39.95) AND you also get a $10 gift certificate to use in their online store!

Simply go to http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software and use STMMMS70839 in the promo code box on the shopping cart page!

I've been messing around with the software some more and I simply drag-and-dropped my pictures right into the beautiful layouts. That was it! I had over 30 pages done before I knew it. I then tried creating my own pages from scratch, and that was fun too!

You can then save the pages as .jpeg images for printing or posting online or whatever you prefer to do with them. I'm excited to finish my wedding album and get it printed up.

My Memories Software

2012-01-17T20:53:00.001-07:00

I recently found a website called www.MyMemories.com that sale a digital scrapbook software that is extremely easy to use. It comes with lots of album templates. You can just choose your pictures and the software will add them to the albums they already have created. Or you can do what I did in the Wedding Album I created and loaded below and start with one of their templates changed the colors, and added a few embelishments.What in the past would have usually taken me several hours to complete took me just over an hour and most of that time was spent choosing what pictures to use.

You can also purchase additional scrapbook kits to use with the software if they don't have what you are looking for, but I found plenty of options for what I needed.

They have generously offered to let me give away a free copy of their software to 1 of my readers. Just visit www.mymemories.com and browse around. Then come back to my comments and tell me your favorite digital paper pack or layout. On the 22nd I will randomly draw a number and the person who made that comment will receive a code to download the software totally free.

If you aren't lucky enough to win the contest you can use my code to receive $10 off of your purchase of the My Memories Suite V3. The code is: STMMMS70839

2011 In Review

2012-01-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

To enlarge the post if you are having problems reading it: Right click on the picture and choose open link in new tab. Then if you click on the letter it will zoom in and make it easier to read.

Not so Good News from the Doctor

2011-12-08T18:10:00.001-07:00

So after 10 days of using the mouth wash stuff the thrush in my mouth is worse. I now have lots of sores around my teeth to go with the yucky tongue. Add that to the nausea, light headedness, earaches, sore throat, headache, body aches, fever, and chills and I'm feeling pretty much awesome. I spent almost 2 hours at the health clinic today. They put me on a strong antibiotic and took lots of vials of blood. Depending on the results I will either slowly start feeling better or else I have c-diff and am going to end up in the hospital on IV's. Isn't that special??? They also said that with having had Staff infection it will be a good 2 to 3 months before I feel completely normal again. I really didn't want to hear any of this.

Can I tell you that I have the most awesome boss in the world. His response to my last update was, "I am so, so sorry to hear this! Please don't worry about anything here at work. Just focus on getting whatever rest and treatment you need to get better, and we'll take care of things here. We want you to be able to come back at 100 percent strength!" Now how many of you can say that would be your bosses attitude about his new employee missing a few days of work?

The good new is some of my family is coming down for the weekend and my Mom can take care of me. She doesn't know that's on her agenda yet, but I'm sure she'll be thrilled because she loves me. Kyle wants to know what is wrong with the way he takes care of me. I told him sometimes you just need your mom and he understood that.

Page Links

2011-12-06T14:57:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to make you aware that with the new blogger layout you can create different pages. I wanted to point out in case you might have missed them that I have some pages you can click on and visit. The links are listed along the top of the page under the Header. There are About Us, Favorite Quotes & Thoughts, and I Am Thankful For... pages.

The Adventures of Old Red

2011-12-03T19:19:00.001-07:00

So ever since Kyle had to get rid of his truck when we got married due to the high cost of owning it (somehow this has always been my fault even though he was the one who did it) he has been in mourning. So when we found out we were going to have a little money coming in again and we ran onto a really good deal we purchased him an old 1991 Ford F150 Truck. It seemed to be in good condition and came with a shell and snowplow. For as old as it is it has low miles and the interior is in good condition. After driving it for a month or so it started leaking oil. So you would think it would be no big deal to change an oil pan. Boy would you be wrong!!!

Dad and Kyle spent all of last Saturday in Greg's shop under the truck attempting to change the oil pan. Turns out it involves moving both the engine and the transmission. After 11 hours they admitted defeat, loaded the truck onto the trailer and took it to the auto shop. So the $130 in parts turned into a much, much larger bill (although not quite as much as I figured it would).

Last night Dad, Mom, Tyler, Marlee, and Marijka met us in Layton for dinner at Red Robin to bring us the truck. My Dad keeps apologizing because he couldn't fix the truck. I'm the one who should be apologizing for making him attempt to fix it for 11 hours and coming home so covered in oil and transmission fluid that he had to throw away his clothes. It just shows the kind of man my Dad is that he blames himself for not being able to help me out. Thanks for trying Dad. I'm sorry you went through so much just because I'm cheap. I love you for all you do for Kyle and me.

And now Kyle has a truck and no longer feels like his right arm is missing. If it wasn't dark outside I'd go take a picture for you.

Gingerbread Houses w/the Kids

2011-11-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

I decorated gingerbread houses tonight with Gracie, Brooklyn and Garrett. Gracie decided she needed to make a gingerbread house because she has a sweet tooth (that's what she told my Mom.) Someone (Mom I'm sure) told her I was the person she needed if she wanted to make one and so she's texted me video messages all last week telling me how excited she was to see me on Friday night to make a gingerbread house. So what else was I to do? The best part was that the kit I stopped and bought at Cosco on the way home from work was already put together so we only had to decorate it. SO MUCH EASIER!! I wonder how much of their houses they have already eaten. Kids sure make the Holidays more fun.

Gracie is a happy girl!!!

Gingerbread House Decorating

The back of Gracie's House

Gracie's gingerbread man needed to be laying in the snow
and Brooklyn had to eat the legs off of hers so she
could be sure it wouldn't run away while she wasn't looking

Total concentration. Brooklyn has green icing on her cheek

Garrett's Masterpiece. He had to eat one of his gingerbread
men before he could go to bed that night.

Infections and More Infections

2011-11-29T22:25:00.001-07:00

I now have thrush and a yeast infection in my mouth to go along with the staff infection I'm working on getting over. The doctor said they have probably gone down my throat which would explain the sore throat, hoarse voice and uncontrollable coughing (to the point of throwing up several times) the past few nights. Also Kyle has new sores and infection in his non-broken foot so he is wearing the boot on one foot and a surgical shoe on the other. We've spent more money on prescriptions for the 2 of us in the last month than most families probably do in a year. Wouldn't you think at some point in the past 3 years the health issues would have at least slowed down?

The hole from the staff infection in my leg.

In this one you can see a small amount of the bruisin
from the pressure they used to drain the infection.

I Am Grateful For...

2011-11-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

Kyle and the wonderful man he is and the great way he treats me and lets me know he loves me.
My Heavenly Father - when I've had no where else to turn he is always there to listen to me and somehow offer comfort that things will eventually be okay.
My aunt Kathy's positive attitude as she deals with the effects of Huntington's Disease. I've never heard her complain and she is always so happy just to be with us. What a great example for me.
Jenny, Blake and their boys and the selfless way they have taken Kathy into their home and the love and care they give her. We should all be so Christlike.
My Parent's and the unconditional love and support they always give us.
My Dad for loving Kyle like his own son and taking him under his wing.
My Family (extended too of course). They are always there no matter what.
The Willis Family - They have loved me like their own.
My Friends - What would I do without their support?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the wonderful programs they have to help us. I know I got my job because of the things I learned in the career class I took at the employment center. They help so many people in so many ways.
My new job at ARUP - I am working with wonderful people who make me feel so welcome.
Modern medicine - I know Kyle wouldn't be here without it.
Great pharmacist's at Sam's Club - Roger and James have been wonderful to work with us.
Dr. Henninger - I asked him to perform a miracle and he did. What more can I say.
That Kyle still has his foot - Prayers are answered.
The wonderful people I am working with - It makes going to work so much easier.
A nice car to drive - It's nice to be able to drive to work in warmth.
A nice place to live - Kyle's parents have been so generous in making us feel welcome.
Technology: laptop, ipod, cell phones - what would we do without them?
Nice clothes to wear
Lilly & Button
A comfortable bed to sleep in
My electric blanket
Alarm clocks
DVR - I'm addicted. I can't stand to watch commercials anymore.
A comfortable pair of jeans - I would wear them everyday if I could.
A soft sweatshirt - Especially on a cold winters day.
Music - Especially the christmas music at this time of year.
Mom taught me to crosstitch and do other craft things - I find joy in creating beautiful things.
The answer to prayers in whatever way they come.
The blessings that have been in every challenge and trial we have been through.
Children - my nephews & nieces, and my cousin's little ones.
Hugs from the above mentioned children.
Britney who sends me cards just when I need them most.
The Internet
My wonderful grandparents and the life lessons they have taught me.
Being able to live in the house Grandma lived in for 3 years. I felt comforted by that during some very hard times.
Marlee and her quirky sense of humor.
Marijka and her willingness to help me out with all kinds of projects.
Chocolate milk
Pudding - rice, chocolate, tapioca - I'm not too picky
Popcorn
Hot soup on a cold day

There is much more I'm sure I can come up with, but it's WAY past my bedtime so this will do for now. I hope you all took a minute yesterday to remember what you are grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:52:00.001-07:00

When I think of everything we have to be grateful for this year our families are inevitably tied to each thing. We never would have made it through the past few years without them and their love and support. We still have our struggles but we are in a much better place than we were last year at this time. In so many ways. We would be very ungrateful if today on Thanksgiving we didn't thank our family and friends for their love and concern for us. As I sit here in a warm comfy house getting ready to eat a delicious dinner my mind turns to those who don't have these same blessings. Especially our men and women who are serving in our military or are serving missions for the church and are away from their homes and family today. I hope they know they are loved and appreciated. I am also thankful that Uncle Robert's surgery went as well as it did and pray that the news continues to be good for him. Happy Thankgiving to you all.

The Move

2011-11-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know I recently accepted a job at ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City. Kyle and I made the tough decision to move to Salt Lake rather than me try to commute. It has been hard to leave Grandma's house. There has been some comfort to living there while we have gone through all the trials of the past few years. I had it fixed up the way I liked and it is always hard to leave home. It will be hard to see someone besides family living there. I've lived in Wellsville for 36 years so this will be a big change for me, but I know it is what we are to do and I will be fine. It's not like I moved to Conneticut like Brett and Chelsea. I can be back in Wellsville in an hour and 15 minutes.

Kyle's parents have a kitchen in their basement and generously offered to let us live there as long as we need to. I started work today so we packed everything up last week and made the move on Saturday. I have an amazing family (including Emily and Natalie of course) and they were so incredible last week as they pitched in with packing everything up. Then on Saturday Darrin Roundy and some of the scouts from our ward came and helped load up everything going to storage and went and unloaded it. Then my family loaded up the rest and came to Salt Lake. We owe them all big time.

Kat, Darren, and Brian met us and helped us unload everything. Kyle's parents spent last week cleaning their stuff out of the basement so we have room for all of our junk. They went above and beyond what I expected and we really appreciate all the work they have gone to, to make us feel welcome and at home.

Things went well today for my first day. It was orientation today and tomorrow so it's not like it could really go badly. Two of the ladies I will be working closely with came and had lunch with me and I really think I will enjoy working with them. They seem like wonderful women.

Now we just have to unpack all these boxes and we will be settled in.

Last Minute Yellowstone Trip

2011-10-20T18:58:00.001-06:00

A week after I had the surgery on my knees Dad decided we should go to Yellowstone. That was on Tuesday and we left Wednesday afternoon. We spent Wednesday night in West Yellowstone and went into the Park in the morning. That afternoon Jan, Matt, Marlee, and Marijka came. They had already planned a trip so we basically were hoarding in on their trip. None of them would stay in the trailer with us so it was just the four of us. We got up Friday morning and had breakfast and were messing around getting ready to go for a ride. I was in the trailer and heard horns honking and then I swore I heard Susan's voice. Susan, Emily, Natalie, and the kids had all come at the last minute. Brett and Chelsea had left for Connecticut the day before and Susan was feeling a little down and Natalie was able to reserve some cabins. The kids loved the animals. We saw several bears. There was a dead buffalo in the river and we saw 4 bears eating on the carcas. It was neat to see the kids see the buffalo and stuff for the first time. We had a lot of fun. Of course the trip wouldn't be complete without a little car trouble. Natalie brought new brakes, but when they got them off it turned out it was more involved and Dad and Kyle had to run to Cody for more part.s Dad, Mom, Kyle and I went from Yellowstone to Bear Lake and spent the next week there. Dad had to work but the rest of us had a good time.

Button Makes a New Friend

2011-09-27T09:22:00.000-06:00

Kyle's dog is very skittish and doesn't like anyone to touch her but Kyle and after several months me. If anyone approaches her she crouches down on the floor and starts shaking uncontrollably. To my surprise the other night at one of our gatherings Garrett comes through carrying Button. How he got her to hold still long enough for him to pick her up is beyond me as she usually takes off running if any of the kids get anywhere close to her. Not only did Button let Garrett hold her for a long time she wasn't shaking the whole time either. It was quite an accomplishment on Garrett's part. Garrett says Button is his "best dog". I assume that is something like being his best friend. Every time I see him he wants to know where Button is and since then when we've been together Button has let him hold her as well.

Our Anniversary Get Away

2011-09-26T19:21:00.003-06:00

Thanks to the generosity of our loved ones Kyle and I were able to spend some time in Park City for our anniversary. I was informed that I had to spend the money I received for my birthday on something fun so we used it to go down the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, and the Zip Line. We went to dinner at the No Name Saloon for our anniversary dinner and it was really good. They have really good mozarella sticks and Kyle said his buffalo burger was excellent and my fish and chips were really good. They have a good batter.

The leaves were already changing and it was absolutely beautiful.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

2011-09-26T01:07:00.040-06:00

Today is Kyle and my 2nd wedding anniversary. We were sure blessed when Heavenly Father led us to each other. I'm not sure either of us would have made it through the past two years without the other to lean on and pull each other through the trials we've been through. We have spent many nights sleeping together in a hospital bed and I don't think you can get much closer than that. I think we have both aged about 20 years in the last two. I thought about doing a recap of all we have gone through but that would just depress me and if you don't know you can just look back through the blog to catch up. We have faith that I'm going to get a good job soon and that things are going to turn around for us. We read a plaque today that said, "Whoever said that less is more, doesn't know what they are talking about." We totally agree with this statement.

I love Kyle so much. He has a huge heart and would do anything for those he loves. He takes good care of me and shows me he loves me in so many ways. Despite everything he has been through and continues to deal with he stays positive and doesn't complain. Whenever you ask him how he is then his answer is always that he is fine. It's a good thing I've learned to see through that. I would not be happy if I had been told I had to spend the next six months wearing a big boot, but he just took it in stride and doesn't whine about it. At times it seems the last two years have flown by and at others it seems like we have been together forever. We are looking forward to many more years together and figure that after the last two the rest should be a breeze. Thanks for all of your love and support. We never would have made it this far without our amazing family and friends.

LOTOJA

2011-09-20T19:54:00.002-06:00

Brian rode in the LOTOJA bike race for the 7th time on September 10th. Craig, Dad, and Kyle were his support team. Susan, Mom, Marlee, Marijka, and I followed along and cheered every rider we passed. It would safe to say that Mom and Susan were having a pretty darn good time. Things went down hill quickly when we went to check into the condo and found out that it was reserved for June instead of September. Brian was totally exhausted and we couldn't find anywhere to stay so we all had to get in the cars and drive back home. I felt so bad for him, but I did end up being home for my birthday.

Baby Shower for Lola

2011-08-20T18:58:00.001-06:00

Jessica had her baby on July 22nd and weighed 5 lbs 10 oz. She went past her due date and when she went into labor she had some complications and ended up having a C-Section. Her name is Lola Kai Twiggs. The week after she was born their family went up to Bear Lake. Mary Ann arranged for us to meet at Marie Callender's on August 6th for a shower on their way from Bear Lake to Snowbird.

A Little Surgery

2011-08-14T23:11:00.000-06:00

Surgery might be worth it if it means getting these absolutely gorgeous flowers from your husband. Kyle bought them for me last night at Costco and brought them home for me today. Now isn't that a sweet husband. Should I mention he left yesterday for a family reunion and just barely came home tonight? He had my permission and knew I was in the excellent hand of my family so it really was just fine. I am doing well and as long as I stay on top of the pain medication and take it when I am supposed to then I feel fine. I can definiely tell the left one was the worst of the two, especially when I go to stand up. It pulls some muscles or something in that knee when I stand up. But for the most part things are going fine.

Our Little Visitor

2011-08-05T18:15:00.001-06:00

Sunday night when we let the dogs out I looked down and saw a brown dot on our hedgehog shoe scrubber by the back door. Seems we were being visited by a very tiny frog. We were able to keep the dogs away from it. Dad transported it to their pond, but we haven't seen it since so we don't know exactly where it ended up, but he must be pretty adventurous to make it to our back door since we aren't anywhere near any water. It was a fun little surprise.

Beautiful Sunsets

2011-08-04T23:10:00.001-06:00

We have had the most beautiful sunsets the last few weeks. I wonder which artists in Heaven create them? Here are a few pictures I was able to capture.

Trax & Gateway Trip

2011-08-04T19:32:00.017-06:00

We took the kids on the Trax train to the Gateway, let the kids play in the fountain, and watched a movie at the Planetarium, had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and celebrated Karen's birthday then rode back home. Some of us drove down instead of riding the Trax down and only rode back on the Trax so Natalie could have her car to go do something with Greg's family.

Wright Cousin Reunion

2011-08-03T18:09:00.001-06:00

Last week we were able to get together with Tara, Ashleigh, and Patt in Bear Lake at Patt's cabin while the girls were here visiting. We had a fun time together as we always do. It doesn't matter how long we go without seeing each other we are always able to pick right back up where we left off. Jesse and Ashleigh headed home on Friday to Greensboro just in time to move into a new house they bought while they were here so we are very excited for them. The kids had a fun time playing together. Getting a picture of them together was lots of fun as always.

Walking on Air

2011-07-21T22:02:00.007-06:00

.
Kyle got a new boot for his foot on Tuesday. It's hard to describe but it holds all of the weight of his leg by the calf so that no weight or pressure is put on the bottom of his foot. So far it seems to be working. The point is that it gets him off of his crutches. Of course when he has the surgery for the skin grafts he'll probably be back on them for awhile, so he isn't looking forward to that. We will both probably be having surgery in the next few weeks. Eventually he will end up in a custom made boot that will be to try and heal the broken bones without having to do surgery. If that doesn't work you don't want to know what the plan is, but I will say it involves Kyle's foot having a cage around the outside of it. Let's pray for Plan A.

We went over to Wellsville Dam last night with Em, Sean, the girls and my family and did some fishing. We didn't even get a nibble. I think it may be fished out, but it was fun to hang out together and watch Sean perform his usual antics. I've never seen anyone break their line just by casting before. He definitely provided the entertainment for the evening. I spent the majority of the evening untangling my line.

Bear Lake - 4th of July

2011-07-20T22:28:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July

We spent the week of the July 4th in Bear Lake at the cabin with my family and most of the Petersen crew. I guess there are some benefits to not having a job. I love the cabin and I'm grateful to Grandpa and Grandma Wright for having the forsight to buy it for us. I was just a little girl when Grandpa bought it, but I remember going to see it for the first time. It definitely isn't the style of a cabin but it is great for us. Kyle and I stayed out in the trailer. It is a little quieter out there and you definitely get to sleep later than if you stay in the cabin with all the kids. It is definitely nice to be able to play with the kids and then send them back to their parents. It was a nice week and we had a lot of fun. We are headed over there tomorrow for the next week.

The dream time trying to fix the water leak. It didn't work but Garrett
was entertained for the afternoon.

Garrett's new pet worm. When it died later that day he was devastated.

This was quite the photo shoot. I think the parents actually got
some decent pictures.

Imagine my surprise to find Tyler
carrying Ella around.

Watching the fireworks going off over the lake.

Looking Good

2011-07-19T21:58:00.002-06:00

Always so happy to be at another Dr. appointment. Dr. Heninger's
office in Perry is in The Lodge by Maddox and it is very nice.
It is all made of the most beautiful wood and is gorgeous.

We are still getting good reports from Kyle's doctors. They are even stopping the IV antibiotics a week early because his blood work has been showing for the past few weekes that everything is cleared up. We get a new special boot tomorrow which will allow him to put more weight on his foot. Dr. Heninger is so funny. When he sees Kyle's foot each week he gets so excited at how much it has healed in the 2 weeks since he say him last. I remember him telling me at our first appointment after the surgery that he sure wished he could come up with a miracle for us. I remember responding to him that he was going to he just didn't know it yet. I consider what we have seen the last 6 1/2 weeks a miracle. If the insurance will approve it they are going to do skin grafts on the wounds so that it will speed up the healing process.

Now that we have Kyle headed in the right direction I'm having both of my knees scoped on August 10th so now lets pray that goes well. It goes back to the car accident I was in 3 years ago when Dad, Marijka and I rolled in the truck. Dr. Mattsson hopes if he cleans out the scar tissue then the bones will sit straight again and relieve the pain I'm dealing with now.

Dr. Heninger likes to make Kyle bleed every time we go in.

If you look close you can see the tendon in the middle
of the incision. The doctor has had to cut it out 3
times because it keeps regenerating itself.

I had to add this picture just because she is so cute. She layed
there the entire time I made the bed on top of her and never moved.

Relay for Life - 2011

2011-07-18T21:30:00.000-06:00

The Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society turned out really well. Our team raised almost $6,000. The event raised over $81,000. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of great memories. We appreciate everyone who donated to our team and helped us do so well. We have a lot of great friends and family who helped us out.

Why We Relay

2011-06-28T21:43:00.000-06:00

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is more than just an event to Kyle and I. It is our personal opportunity to help save lives from cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society. Kyle's and my goal is to raise $100 and time is running out as the Relay is July 8th.

My family originally started participating after the Petersen's lost Vone and then Claude to cancer. Since that time my sister Janalee and best friend Britney have both become survivors of thyroid cancer and my Grandpa Farrell suffered from prostate cancer which contributed to his death. Kyle's aunt Peggy and Grandma Willis were also victims of this horrible disease and his Aunt Jane is a survivor. Craig's brother Bruce is currently fighting against cancer.

It's amazing to think that millions of people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Somebody close to us may be one of them.

But, by taking part in Relay, we are helping the American Cancer Society save lives by:

Helping people stay well by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it's most treatable
Helping people get well by being in their corner around the clock to guide them through every step of their cancer experience
Finding cures by funding groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer's causes, determine how best to prevent it and discover new ways to cure it
Fighting back by working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight

Please support my efforts by making a donation or by joining my Relay For Life team. Together, we have the power to help create a world where cancer can no longer claim another year of anyones life. If you would like to donate $10 or more you can do it on our web page. If you can send less than that please feel free to mail it to us at: PO Box 354, Wellsville, UT 84339

We are also looking for donations of merchandise or services for the auction we hold during the relay. Last year we were able to raise quite a bit of money with it. Your business name will be displayed on a sign hung next to the track.

Thank You,

Kami and Kyle Willis

Click here to view my personal donation page: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=11794761&pg=personal&fr_id=30492&fl=en_US&et=Dvr7kyg4VhQtrREMK2sMjw..&s_tafId=813545

Click here to view Kyle's donation Page: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11GW?px=19703039&pg=personal&fr_id=30492

Click here to view the TEAM page for ABCP

You Get 5 Minutes to Drown Your Sorrows (If you're lucky)

2011-06-22T00:55:00.005-06:00

Sunday was Father's Day but we spent the day in Salt Lake and I didn't get to see my Dad. But I would like to take a few minutes if you will indulge me and let me tell you about two amazing guys in my life. One is my Dad and one will someday make a great Dad and I pray everyday that he gets that chance. Even though so far things aren't looking too promising in that department for us (we are trying that faith thing again).

Anyway things have been a little rough for me lately. My last day of work was almost a month ago. When I worked for the District Dad and I would car pool to work. I remember the day I found out they weren't renewing my contract and sitting in the Yeatte's convenience store parking lot and talking with Dad about it. I can't tell you one word he said other than he made me feel like I had given everything I had to give the last year or two and that everything was going to work out okay in the end, that this was obviously the way things were supposed to go for now, and that there is obviously a great opportunity out there for me. You have to understand that my Dad isn't know for saying the best thing at the right time. For example when he found out I was getting married he asked me if there was any particular reason I had picked the time he was in the worst financial situation of his life to do so. Needless to say wedding plans went real well after that. But that day he knew just what to say and has given me some amazing advice and counsel countless time since. He has been the biggest comfort to me the last couple of months. He has just really helped me through these latest challenges and made me feel like I am doing okay. I am sitting here sobbing as I type this and am not even sure why other than I love him so much.

Anyway my last day of work I picked him up and he said we had to go by Smith's to get prescriptions. When he came out I pulled out of my parking place and went and picked him up. He made me repark when he got in the car and pulled out a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk and some Boston Pie concoction and informed me we were going to drown my sorrows. My Dad and I share a love of chocolate milk. As we ate we decided which days during the next week I could fit in mourning the lose of my job before I had to pick it up and move on. Turns out Kyle was hospitalized the next day and I never did get those days. I think I was jipped, I only got 5 minutes to drown my sorrows.

Then that night Dad took us to Chuck-A-Rama to celebrate my last day of working for the School District. I remember when the waitress asked us if we were celebrating something we all just looked at each other and said no. How do you explain celebrating losing a job? So thank you for being such a strong support for me Dad. Words can't express how much you mean to me and I hope you were able to have a good Father's Day even though I wasn't there to share it with you. I will never forget the way you have taken Kyle into our family and made him feel loved and welcome. I know he loves you too and tries so hard to meet your approval. And you do so much for his self-esteem.

The other man in my life, Kyle has also been amazing and I hope he knows how much I appreciate him. After finding out they weren't renewing my contract, going to work each day until the end was awful. When things have been bad I climb on his lap or he climbs on the bed and he holds me while I cry and just loves me and tell me things are going to get better. He doesn't know when but someday they will and until then we will just have faith they are going to. Kyle has the sweetest spirit and has such a huge capacity for love. It amazes me how much he loves me and I know I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'll take it. Things are getting better. His foot continues to improve both wound and infection wise. We were able to pay the bills this month and we are having faith that things will come together somehow for this coming month as well. In the mean time Kyle is in Salt Lake for a few days as I'm sick and there isn't much he can do for himself. Besides that we have had just a touch too much togetherness the past month. Our theory is that when you start snapping at each other it's time for a day or two apart. But we'll meet up again in a few days and continue our journey to happiness. Because as Elder Uchtdorf says it is our heritage you know.

Kyle's Foot Doctor Appt

2011-06-07T22:22:00.000-06:00

We were 20 minutes late for Kyle's doctor appointment today. Anyone who knows me knows that puts me over the edge. It was in Tremonton and the mapquest directions didn't work because all the interstate ramps were closed so I went off of the address they gave and they had the west and north reversed on it. Lovely!!! None of this should have been a problem because we have GPS, but of course the Bear River Hospital isn't in our system.

Luckily the doctor had just been called into surgery right before when our appointment should have been and it all worked out and we didn't have to wait too long. If any of you are in need a foot specialist we highly recommend Dr. Heninger. I think he is younger than me. He looks about 18, add that to the fact that Dr. Francis looks like his is 12 and our nurses at the hospital were always teasing us about our kid doctors. He is awesome and I can tell he genuinely wants to get Kyle's foot healed up and better. Dr. Francis is amazing as well. He has called a few time personally to check on things and let us know of changes we are going to make.

The bottom line from today is that the wounds are looking good (in my opinion they are absolutely disgusting). But those in the know say they are healing up and looking good. Our problem is that the infection is not getting better and it is the infection we have to get to heal in order to save the bones in Kyle's foot. Dr. Heninger was giving them 8 weeks and we are now down to 6 1/2. I know you have all been praying and I am asking you to continue to do so. Dr. Heninger said he so wishes he can perform a miracle for us. I told him he is going to he just doesn't know it yet. Don't you think it is about time for Kyle to get a miracle?

I'm warning you that the following pictures of Kyle's foot are a little graphic.

We have made progress because all though this is a large incision

it is healing and isn't nearly as deep as it use to be. This is

the spot where they lanced his foot in the hospital

room the night before his surgery and all kinds of disgusting puss and

gunk came shooting out of it. It is basically what made the final

decision to take him into surgery as soon as possible.

The white stuff you can see in this incision is tendon
and they cut it out today because it is dying.
There is a 2nd tendon that will still do what this one does.

They completely cut off the black looking skin so this looks
completely different now. I'll have to take a picture
when I get to change the dressing tomorrow. The favorite
part of my day along with hooking up IV antibiotics and
giving insulin shots. O the fun we have around here.

Janalee's Wedding

2011-06-06T19:12:00.000-06:00

Saturday was Janalee and Matt's wedding and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. She had everything planned down to the minute and it all went off without a hitch. I wish I would have gotten a picture of one of her typed up schedules. Everyone had different ones with their specific instructions and time frame on them. I didn't get one so I just basically did whatever and whenever I wanted. The ceremony was beautiful and I don't think the reception could have been lovelier. Stay tuned for a future post about my wardrobe malfunction. I have tons of pictures of the day, but I'll try to weed them out as you probably don't have days to look at them. I'll probably post a slide show in a day or to either here or on my facebook.

We got an e-mail from them today that they had arrived at the resort in the Dominican Republic. It is very humid and they were just getting ready to go to their room. They will be home in a couple weeks. I'm very jealous. The furthest we will be venturing forth the next few months is to various doctor appointments. With wound changes on Fridays and Mondays we can't even sneak in a long weekend at the cabin. I hope they have a great time and enjoy every minute of it. I can't believe one little sister is married and the youngest of us is graduated.

The dinner Friday night. It was really nice.

They did it!!!

The flower girls

Kyle made it through everything. He's a tough guy.

Did you know my Dad is a dork?

A rare picture of Tyler. In a pink tie no less

I made this for Jan & Matt's wedding present

Matt's friend made the cake for free and it was gorgeous

The escape

The dip that didn't quite work out

No injuries were sustained in the fall

Off into the sunset or dark so to speak

Marijka Made It! She Graduated!!

2011-06-01T19:29:00.000-06:00

She did it folks. Marijka graduated from Mountain Crest High School on Wednesday night. We are so proud of her. We celebrated before hand with dinner at The Bluebird. The best part of the whole thing was that the speakers kept their talks nice and short and we were out of there in 2 hours. I can't belive my baby sister is 18 and graduated from high school. Where did the time go? She has informed me that since I am currently unemployed we are going to do some projects. I'm interested to see what she comes up with. We love you Marijka and we couldn't be happier for you. Congratulations

Incredible Blessing

2011-05-27T21:10:00.001-06:00

We received an amazing blessing on Wednesday when Kyle came through his surgery with his foot still intact. He has 2 open incisions still in his foot and the wounds on his heel now that we need to get to heal. They have packed his wounds with sponge and attached a wound vac to them.

We came home late this afternoon with the wound vac in Kyle's foot and a pick line in his arm so we can run IV antibiotics twice a day for the next 8 weeks. Home health nurses will come and change his bandages and help out. The biopsy on his bones show a little infection in them, but they are going to give us 8 weeks to see if we can get him to heal before they do anything drastic.

It is good to be home. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight. Six nights in the hospital have sure taken a lot out of me and I'm exhausted.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and concern. We couldn't have made it through everything we have without our amazing friends and family.

Button's Visit

2011-05-26T20:08:00.004-06:00

Marijka's Big Day

2011-05-26T19:30:00.001-06:00

Marijka had a big day last Sunday, May 22nd. She spoke in sacrament meeting and received her Young Womanhood Medallion. Then that night she graduated from Seminary. I missed the whole thing because I was at the hospital with Kyle. Rumor has it that she gave a great talk and everyone enjoyed it. She has worked hard to earn her medallion and I am very proud of her.

I can't believe she is 18 and graduating from high school tomorrow. Her graduation is at the USU Spectrum tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. When I graduated we were only given 2 tickets for our family to attend, so it is nice they have it at the Spectrum now where anyone can come. We are all very proud and excited for her. Marijka is a huge help to me and I don't know what I would do without her. Congratulations on your graduation Marijka! We are so excited for you. You have become a beautiful young woman and we love you!

Surgery

2011-05-25T14:10:00.001-06:00

Kyle is currently in surgery. He went in about 12:30 and we don't know how long it will take. It depends on what they find when they get in there. If any of the bones are infected then they will have to remove them which means he will lose at least part of his foot. They are removing the hardware from the surgery he had a few months ago. Last night he had a lump on the left side of his foot and the doctor lanced it. He ended up draining a ton of puss and disgusting stuff out of it. He then filled the hole with several yards of gauze. It was incredibly disgusting. So with all of this, plus the sores on the heel the doctor says the foot is basically self destructing. There really was no other option than to go in and see what is going on inside. So we are sitting here waiting for news with no idea what the outcome of this will be. It basically came down to the fact that we would rather lose part of Kyle than Kyle himself. Please pray for him.

Update on Kyle

2011-05-24T09:56:00.001-06:00

Kyle's blood culture came back that he has a strain of staff infection called MRSA. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Which means it is resistant to many antibiotics. Luckily they suspected that was what he had and they have had him on the right ones. Dr. Francis says he will have to go home with a pick line and more IV antibiotics. They don't want to put the pick line in for a couple of days because bacteria likes plastic and it would have a good chance of becoming infected. So we will be here for at least a couple of days.

Kyle's foot and leg are horribly swollen and very warm to touch. The ulcer is now surrounded by redness so there is no doubt that is where the infection is coming from. I didn't think there ever was, but I guess they weren't completely sure the first day or two. Kyle is down getting x-rays right now, but he pretty much just sleeps all the time. He told Dr. Francis this morning that he felt like he had been hit by a train. Yesterday morning he told me a truck so I guess it is worse today. His fever broke during the night and hasn't come back yet, but it probably will.

They brought breakfast and the only thing he touched were some grapes. He isn't eating much of anything. They had to put in a 2nd IV line this morning and it took them 5 tries. Luckily Kyle didn't hit any of the 3 different nurses it took to get it done. His fever broke during the night but is now back up to 101, but he is currently having chills.

Anyway that is the latest from Room 391 in Logan.

Gross!!!

2011-05-22T21:22:00.000-06:00

We are in the ICU at Logan Regional Hospital. I brought Kyle into the ER last night with what we thought was bronchitis or pneumonia. He started coughing on Thursday. He had chills and a fever Friday night but it went away with Tylenol. Then last night he started having a really hard time breathing and he was burning up. I didn't dare go to bed in case he quit breathing and couldn't let me know so we decided he needed to be checked.

After I think pretty much every test imaginable we ended up being admitted into the ICU with suspected sepsis. The suspected culprit was his foot, but he still had the cast on so it couldn't be determined until we got the cast off this morning. As you can see from the picture it is awful. He hadn't even complained that it was hurting until Friday night.

The treatment is no pressure on his heel at all and tons of different antibiotics and medications. He is in pain and they have given him some morphine and lortab tonight and he is pretty much out of it. He is still struggling with his breathing and his fever stays between 100 and 101. He's a pretty sick guy.

When Seasons Change

2011-05-20T16:45:00.006-06:00

There is a blog out there: http://thegypsymama.com/ that has what is called 5 minute Friday. On Fridays she picks a topic and writes about it for 5 minutes and then posts it unedited.

Today the topic is When seasons change... This brings to mind two entirely different thought processes into my mind. The first being that we have been in the season of spring now for what feels like forever and I'm thinking it may never change to summer. Unlike a lot of people I could actually be fine with that. I'm not a hot weather person. The 60's and 70's are great for me. It's been a little chillier than that around here but I'm still not minding it. I am hoping for Janalee's sake that it doesn't rain tomorrow morning. Her and Matt are having their pre-wedding pictures taken and so some dry weather for a few hours would be a nice thing for them.

This kind of brings me around to my other thought process about seasons changing and that is the seasons of life. It never stays the same for long. For me something new seems to be thrown at me on almost a daily basis. Today was my last day working for the School District. I am now unemployed and desperately searching for a decent job with good health insurance. So please keep me in mind if you should hear of something. Kyle and I have been living in a constant state of change since the moment we met. Today we have been pushed into taking a giant step of faith. We have no idea what is going to come next. Luckily we can keep our insurance through Cobra. Unfortunately that will take my entire unemployment each month to pay for it. How are we going to pay our other bills? No idea. We do know Heavenly Father has a plan for us and all of these challenges are leading somewhere, but we have no idea where that might be. So like I said: Faith. Faith that someday soon it might become clear to us where we are going and why we have had to take this rough road to get there.

Another change of seasons is upon my family as Marijka graduates from high school on the 1st of June and Janalee and Matt get married on the 4th. So even though it may seem like we are stuck in Spring the seasons of life are moving right along.

Meeting Miss Ella Sue

2011-05-13T17:09:00.002-06:00

Kyle and I got to drop by the hospital during my lunch break the other day and meet the newest member of the family. She is a doll and has hair to die for. It is even frosted a nice lighter color on the ends. Of course she immediately won our hearts as all new additions to the family do. Congratulations to Emily, Sean, and their family on the newest addition. They aren't the best photos, but you get the idea. Tonight we are tending the G-man and Abby so we will report on our adventures in a later post. Garrett can't wait to come see his friend Kyle and Button.

Kyle Begins Treatment for the Charcot Arthropathy

2011-05-11T07:00:00.007-06:00

So they have this new cast they have come up with to treat people with charcot arthropathy called a total contact cast. People with diabetes are very susceptible to getting horrible sores on their feet if anything rubs them wrong. It is quite the process of a series of layers. This cast is totally molded to Kyle's foot so that it can't rub or move around creating sores. On the top of the cast he wears a knee high black boot (or "The Beast" as Susan named it when she had to wear it to not one but two of her children's weddings) to protect it. The great thing is that he can put a reasonable amount of weight on his foot. He isn't totally dependent on the crutches. So that was the bright spot of the day. It will be changed every 2 weeks. They don't expect any healing of the broken bones to show up for at least a month so he won't have any more tests until then. They are hoping he will only be in the casts for a couple of months and then move onto to braces or whatever comes next. The doctor said we will be fighting this off and on pretty much forever.

Did I mention we love Dr. Heninger and his staff!!! We definitely feel we have ended up with the doctor we need to have to treat this problem. I was somewhat molified that Kyle got a personal phone call from his previous foot doctor the other day to apologize for not doing more about the problem. When I spoke with his nurse to tell her we wouldn't be returning she was very surprised that after 6 weeks of treating it as an infection they hadn't actually ever run any kind of blood culture or anything to verify it was actually an infection. Needless to say we are done with the foot doctors at the Logan Regional Hospital.

Before & After Hair Cut

2011-05-07T19:09:00.001-06:00

Kyle's been tossing around the idea of shaving his head for a while now. Last night he decided to go for it. It will be easier for the summer. Plus he has a little OCD thing about having to have his hair washed everyday and it's not easy to do with a cast on your leg. So I think he figured it would just be easier. Isn't he cute?

My Reason to Relay & Garage Sale Reminder

2011-05-06T11:14:00.000-06:00

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is more than just an event to me. It is my personal opportunity to help save lives from cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society.

We originally started participating after the Petersen's lost Vone and then Claude to cancer. Since that time my sister Janaee and best friend Britney have both become survivors of thyroid cancer and my Grandpa Farrell suffered from prostate cancer which contributed to his death. Craig's brother Bruce is currently fighting against cancer.

Tomorrow we will be holding at garage sale from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 264 East Main in Wellsville. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. Please take time to stop by and check it out. If you have anything you would like to donate it isn't too late. Give one of us a call and we will come pick it up tonight. Just leave a message at 245-4500.

It's amazing to think that millions of people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Somebody close to us may be one of them.

But, by taking part in Relay, I am helping the American Cancer Society save lives by:

Helping people stay well by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it’s most treatable
Helping people get well by being in their corner around the clock to guide them through every step of their cancer experience
Finding cures by funding groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer’s causes, determine how best to prevent it and discover new ways to cure it
Fighting back by working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight

Thank You!!!

If you can help with a donation, please donate here at my page:

Click here to visit my PERSONAL page.If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=11794761&pg=personal&fr_id=30492&fl=en_US&et=XYYr5iVTOswa3udnxH4mGA..&s_tafId=813541

Garage Sale for American Cancer Society

2011-05-04T17:12:00.002-06:00

Each Summer, our family participates in the Relay for Life which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. We do this in honor of Janalee who has survived cancer and our other family members who passed away from cancer. We're getting a jump-start on our fundraising this year and having a garage sale this Saturday. ALL proceeds will be donated to the ACS through our Relay team. If you have anything you would like to donate to our garage sale (and live within a reasonable distance), please let us know and we will get it from you. We have a truck and trailer so anything that will fit on them we will be glad to take to sell.

If you have nothing to donate to sell but would like to check out what we are selling it will be held from 8 am-12 pm at 264 East Main, Wellsville, Utah.

We are still going to be collecting donations for our auction at the actual relay so you if have any goods or services to donate for that let me know and I'll pick it up. The items donated last year were awesome and helped us immensely. Gift certificates and homemade craft items were the favorites.

Charcot Arthropathy

2011-05-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

The current diagnosis of Kyle's foot is that it is not infected. He has what is called Charcot Arthropathy or Charcot Foot. I said in my last post I was looking for the blessing in this latest challenge. I found it in the fact that our doctor last night in the ER was Dr. Stolworthy (who is my favorite of all the ones we see there). When I said I wasn't sure I wanted him to call in the same podiatrist we have been dealing with. He immediately said he was glad to hear that because he felt his neighbor was the foot doctor we needed to deal with this.

When Dr. Francis came in this morning he looked at the foot and didn't think it seemed infected. He went out and called Dr. Heninger and confered with him. He was back in about 10 minutes with the idea that after going over the CT scan together they felt it was this Charcot foot thing and not an infection. I was worried because Dr. Heniger wasn't listed on as being on our insurance. When he came in at lunch time he said he can bill our insurance as long as we are seen in his Brigham City clinic instead of Logan. Which is no problem for us, because it's not that much difference by the time you come clear through Logan to here. So that was another blessing answered. We were very impressed with him. He is young and positive and told us he can get Kyle back on his feet. In reading about the disease on the internet they say it often goes undiagnosed until the foot is completely deformed because not many doctors are aware of it, so we are very grateful to have been led to Dr. Heninger.

This is a complication of diabetes that those with neuropathy can get. Which is something Kyle has had in his feet for awhile. There is very little pain because he doesn't have a lot of feeling in his feet. If he did it would be very painful. We are looking at no weight bearing on his foot for probably 6 to 9 months. It can even take 1 to 2 years to totally solve this problem. The bones in Kyle's foot are breaking down and his muscles aren't supporting the foot as well as they should. He will be put in a cast as soon as we get the kidneys under control and can get him over to the clinic in Brigham.

Although this is going to be a long process and Kyle is looking at another summer of no water sports at least we aren't looking at possible amputation due to a bone infection.

Let's hope this is still the prognosis tomorrow and we don't do another 360 degree turn around. It is hard to look at how long this is going to lay Kyle up and he is having a hard time with it, but at least is isn't an infection.

Thank you all for your love and support. We have a great support system and we couldn't be luckier. If any of you have any ideas how to keep Kyle from going crazy for the next year please feel free to let me know.

Here We Are Again

2011-05-01T19:45:00.002-06:00

This is as close to a smile as we are going to get.

It has actually been more swollen than this

It is Sunday night about 7:30 p.m. and Kyle and I are sitting in his room at the Logan Regional Hospital. I was busy all day yesterday so Kyle was in Salt Lake with his parents trying to relieve some of the boredom of always sitting around the house. His foot started to smell so his mom took him into InstaCare. They said he had infection and his kidneys weren't looking great. They gave him some IV antibiotics and left the port in so he could go back and get more on Monday. Today we got a call that someone else had looked at his test results and that he had infection in his bone and his kidneys were in big trouble. We were to get him to the ER as soon as possible for more aggressive treatment.

So now he has been admitted. They said he has an oozing bone infection and his kidneys are failing again. We have a new foot doctor and he said he will be operating at some point to remove the plate from Kyle's foot and then we are looking at 8 to 9 weeks of IV antibiotics. At that point we will decide if it is necessary to put it back in. The kidneys are being treated with fluids and hopefully will turn around and improve like they did the last time. If anyone can help me see the blessing in this one let me know. I'm looking for the bright side.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

2011-04-29T01:39:00.011-06:00

Today is my man's birthday. We won't mention how old he is turning because that just depresses him. I know things haven't gone exactly as he may have envisioned since we got married, but I know things have gone the way they are supposed to have. The trials we have gone through have brought us together in ways that we never would have otherwise. I have to admit there has been more than one occasion this past year when I wondered if he would make it to this birthday. But, here we are and looking forward to celebrating many more to come. I love you honey and I appreciate all you do to take care of me. Even if it isn't in the way you would prefer. You are an amazing man and I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for bringing you into my life. Have a happy birthday. I love you honey!!!

Looking for the Blessings

2011-04-25T23:04:00.004-06:00

I was reading on another blog today that was saying hard things either make you cling or crumble. Trials make you bitter or beautiful. I've been trying really hard this past couple of years not to crumble or be bitter about things. And it is HARD. When my mind starts the "why us" train of thought I have to consciously change the direction my thoughts are headed. The truth is that for a long time for every trial we have gone through I could come up with a reason why it was a blessing. I wish I had written more things down because looking back the past 18 months or so are pretty much a blur and I probably can't tell you what those blessing were. I realized today though that somewhere in the past few months I just quit looking for the good in situations and began to count them as one more thing to endure. It's time to pull it together and get back on track. Yes things have been hard for me and Kyle, but we have faced the trials together and we are still together and in this day and age that fact is the biggest blessing of all.

*On another note. After more than 10 weeks of antibiotics Kyle's foot is still infected and very swollen. The option we have now is to put him on a strong antibiotic that is not in any way good for his already damaged kidneys. There really isn't another option so please pray with us that this antibiotic clears up the infection quickly without doing any more kidney damage. Thanks everyone for your love and prayers!

Zions National Park

2011-04-21T20:53:00.009-06:00

All the times we have been to St. George we haven't really ever explored the parks and things down there. So this time we ventured forth and went to Zions on Thursday. We took the bus on the scenic route and it was beautiful. This time of year there were several waterfalls due to the spring run off. Dad, Marlee, Marijka, and I went on a short hike and saw this huge squirrel. We then drove over to the east entrance so we could drive through the mile long tunnel. On our way back we saw a herd of bighorn sheep. When we entered the park the ranger told us not to expect to see any because people rarely see them. So we thought we were pretty lucky to see a whole herd of them. There was a cute baby with them too. Here are some videos and a bunch of pictures of our day.

Soul Surfer

2011-04-15T20:46:00.000-06:00

After work today we went and saw the movie Soul Surfer. If any of you haven't seen this film I highly recommend you go and see it. It's a true story of a girl who shows remarkable bravery, courage, and faith in the face of a horrifying experience. It was very refreshing to watch a good clean movie that wasn't afraid to talk about God. You should go see this movie if for no other reason than to show support for those people who were willing to take a chance and release a christian film.

Vandalized!

2011-04-12T20:27:00.001-06:00

Last week was spring break for the school district so I had the week off of work. We went to St. George with my family and had a great time. Things didn't start off too great, but they got better after the first morning. On Saturday we woke up to discover that sometime during the night someone had vandalized the cars in the condo parking lot. They painted the van license plate, Susan's wheels, and all the indentions on our car. Our car was the worst and we ended up having our car in the shop for 2 1/2 days of the trip while they got the paint off. We were lucky it didn't end up having to be repainted. I don't understand people who damage things just because they can.

I Am Happiest When...

2011-03-25T07:53:00.005-06:00

On a blog the other day (I can't remember which one) they were listing the things that made them happy in an attempt to help them through a hard time and lift their spirits. Since I had absolutely not one thing to do at work I took up her challenge to do the same. When I started I really didn't think it would be a very long list, but as I went along more and more things popped into my mind and I realized I have a lot more to be happy about than I originally thought. Lucky you, you get the privilege of seeing my list (don't feel you have to read the whole thing). I have to admit it did lift my spirits. I encourage you to try it out if you are feeling a little low.

I am happiest when...
a I'm Reading a book.
a I'm with Kyle.
a I'm Reading scriptures and saying prayers with Kyle before bed.
a I'm having a nap.
a I pull in my driveway and know I am home.
a I'm with Kyle and our families on vacation.
a I'm snuggling with Kyle.
a I'm crossstitching and watching TV.
a I'm waking up without an alarm clock.
a Lilly (our dog) does her funny howling thing to let me know I have screwed up her life in some way and she wants it fixed right now.
a I'm decorating our home.
a I'm digital scrapbooking.
a The dogs do their happy dance when I come home.
a I'm listening to music.
a I'm talking to a good friend.
a Kyle comes up behind me, puts his arms around me, and nuzzles my neck.
a I'm living in a clean and organized home.
a The kids faces light up when they see me and I get a big hug.
a I can give money or gifts to others.
a I am helping someone else.
a I can come home from work and know I don't have anywhere else I have to go that night.
a I'm wearing comfy jeans and a roomy sweatshirt.
a I can smell rain in the air.
a My house smells good.
a I have a fire burning in the fireplace.
a I am sitting around a campfire at night.
a I'm visiting with my mom and sisters.
a I hear birds singing.
a I'm looking at the stars.
a My Dad calls me Kamster in a certain tone of voice he has.
a I'm looking for shells and treasures on the beach.
a The bills are paid and there is still a little money in the bank.
a I am at the cabin in Bear Lake.
a I'm with Marlee (she has an awesome/wacky sense of humor and it's impossible to not enjoy being with her).
a We go camping in the trailer.
a I'm drinking a Peanut Butter Moo'd Jamba Juice.
a I'm in a different room than Kyle and Button (our other dog) comes into the room every 10 minutes to make sure I haven't disappeared.
a I'm eating Farr's chocolate/peanut butter ice cream.
a I find a great deal and can afford to buy it.
a I'm laying in the shade in a hammock.
a The leaves change color and the coolness of fall is in the air.
a The tulips and daffodils start to bloom.
a I turn out the light and snuggle into my pillow in my own bed at night.
a Lilly wants to lay by me (she usually parks herself about 3 feet away).
a I receive a surprise.
a I'm sitting in a dark room with only the christmas tree lights on.
a My plants grow & thrive.
a I find a convenience store that sells Orange Bang.
a Someone gives me flowers.
a I'm drinking chocolate milk and eating chocolate chip cookie dough.
a I'm watching a good show or movie.
a I'm getting on an airplane to go somewhere.

The Cowboy Rendezvous

2011-03-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

Kyle got the stitches out of his foot on Thursday. So far it is looking like the surgery was successful. He has 3 more weeks before he can put weight on it. We got out of the house today and went to the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous and it was good for him. We had fun and highly recommend you check it out next year when they have it. There was some amazingly talented people there. Tonight they were having a dutch oven dinner and dance. The dinner was out of our price range and dancing really isn't an option this year. But next year we will have to check it all out.

We were able to go because his heart doctor got him this scooter thing that he kneels on with the bad leg and pushes himself around with the good one and it makes it so much easier to go places where we normally wouldn't because of the crutches. The crutches push in on where his pacemaker is and it can get kind of painful so he hasn't been able to walk too far with the crutches. I have a video of him taking off on the scooter, but I can't get it to load up.

Early Morning Vet Visit

2011-02-24T19:57:00.002-07:00

Kyle and I spent some quality time at the vet's in the middle of the night last night. Kyle woke me up at 1 am to tell me Lilly had suddenly started throwing up and she couldn't walk straight. She would walk sideways to the right and fall over. We called the vet and due to worry she was having a stroke he met us at the clinic. She has Geriatric Vestibular Disease which affects her equalibrium. Basically she constantly feels like she is moving. They throw up due to perceived motion sickness. She got a couple of shots and should fully recover in about 2 weeks. If we can't get her to eat or drink she will have to go back and be put on an IV. So we had a $180 adventure last night we hadn't planned on. This was after I came home from work to find my parents there because Kyle had fallen down the stairs and did a header into the wall. Luckily he wasn't hurt. All in all it was an eventful night.

I also learned that Kyle doesn't handle one of his "babies" being sick well at all. Lilly was my dog when we got married, but I have been completely thrown over for Kyle as shown in this picture. She doesn't give me the time of day. She never sits on my lap. If we are home alone she sits on the chair across the room. I will be interested if we are able to have children to see how Kyle handles them being sick. It's a good thing I have the ability to stay calm in an emergency, because he was a basket case.

Thank goodness she is doing so much better tonight. She can almost walk a straight line and she has been drinking some water. She is such a sweet dog. I hate to see her sick. She didn't even make a sound when Dr. Kemp gave her the shots. She rarely barks so I wouldn't know where she is half the time if I didn't have bells on her collar. Well and also the fact that she spends most her of her time sitting on the back of my love seat. We sure appreciate Dr. Kemp from the Cache Meadow Veterinary Clinic for coming to meet us. He is a great doctor. He save Marlee's dog Teddy's life a year or two ago so we quite like him.

Kyle's Foot

2011-02-17T23:35:00.002-07:00

Dad took Kyle to the doctor today for his post op appointment for his foot. Dad was kind enough to text me this picture. I don't know why Kyle isn't in any pain from this. The doctor couldn't believe it. He said he should be very uncomfortable. I guess the numbness he has there is a good thing in this case. On Kyle's pain scale his foot hasn't been above a 2, but the tooth he is having problems with is at an 11 or 12 most of the time. It's just weird. Any way enjoy the view. He has pins in 4 of the toes. A plate at the bottom joint of the big toe and they did something to the ligaments and tendons to flatten his foot out so it doesn't almost bend in half like it use to. I was going to take a before picture of Kyle's foot and forgot to do it. We have before and after x-rays but I haven't taken the time to scan them in yet. His foot also had a reaction to the tape they used and that is why it is all red and in some places has little blisters.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:00:00.002-07:00

Kyle went a little overboard this year on the size of my Valentine's gift and I am seriously wondering where we are going to keep it. I also recieved a dozen gorgeous roses. Kyle is a sweetheart and I love him so much. I hope you all have had a great day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2011-02-14T18:50:00.003-07:00

Saturday was Mom's birthday. We had cake and ice cream that night to celebrate her special day. Mom is amazing and I don't know what any of us would do without her. She is always doing something crazy or off the wall and it's never on purpose. Those kind of things just seem to happen to Mom and we've learned to just expect it. Hope you had a wonderful birthday Mom. We love you!!!

The Birthday Girl!

We never lack for helpers with opening the gifts anymore.

Abby is such a sweetheart.

We almost lost the cake with all the help
Mom was receiving in blowing out the candles.

Hardware Ranch

2011-02-09T19:56:00.002-07:00

This past Saturday Dad took Grandma, Garrett, Marijka, Kyle and I up to Hardware Ranch to see the elk. We took a ride on the sleigh and it was really cool to see them up so close. I haven't been up there since I was a kid. I remember my Grandpa LaMar taking us up there when I was a kid. It wasn't too cold and a light snow was falling. It was a fun day. Garrett loved it.

A Fun New Year's Eve

2011-02-09T19:30:00.001-07:00

Mom and Dad had their annual New Year's Eve Party as usual. There was a packed house and everyone had a great time. There was lots of good food and good company.

What to Say

2011-01-10T19:56:00.036-07:00

"I'm sure there is a light at the end of the tunnel." "Money can't buy you happiness." "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." "Things are going to get better." "How much worse can things get?" "You do realize you are going to lose your job don't you?" "Everyone has their cross to bear." "Why don't you just get a divorce." "It's always darkest before the dawn." "Everything is going to work out." "You've just got to think positively."

Just a few of the things I've heard lately or a variation of them. Most of them over and over again. I know the perople expressing the sentiments means well, but I have to tell you that they haven't been the least bit helpful so far. The thing that I have learned from our experiences the last 18 months or so is that I have no idea what other people are going through or how they are feeling. I don't have to look far to find someone else who is much worse off than me (but I definitely don't need someone to point that out to me.) From this point on my response to someone in need will be, "I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. It must be really hard for you. What can I do to help?" And then actually help if I can. There have been many people who have responded to me in just this way and it helps to know that someone else cares. I wonder at what point is it that people just give up. How many days do they have to wake up feeling hopeless? How many bills have they opened that they have no hope of paying anytime soon? How many problems have they had to face? Don't worry I'm not ready to give up. I still have hope and faith. Hope that things are going to get better and I get that hope from all of you. Faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and he will keep helping us through these challenges. Thanks so much for the money, the gift cards, the hugs, and the love you give us. Please don't stop loving us, don't stop caring. We love you too.

Our Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T20:26:00.005-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve in Salt Lake with Kyle's family. Kat and Darren were kind enough to have us over for a delicious dinner on Christmas Eve. It was fun to spend time with their boys who were so excited for Santa Claus to come. After dinner Kyle and I went and walked around Temple Square and looked at the lights. It was beautiful and very peaceful.

Bryson played his recorder for us.

Christmas PJ's for the boys

Christmas morning Kyle's family came over to his parents for breakfast. Hydee had fixed her usual feast. After breakfast we opened presents and enjoyed each others company.

Hydee's Breakfast Spread

Us with Don and Hydee on Christmas morning

The video file of the whole family ping pong gun fight is too large to post. So you only get to see Kari.

We joined my family at Susan and Craig's house Saturday night for dinner with the Petersen crew and then came home to open gifts with my family.

Marlee and Brooklyn

Garrett was in awe of his horse barn

A rare photo of Tyler

Gifts at Mom and Dad's

We have an amazing family and we enjoyed our day with them. They love us very much and we are fortunate to have them. We received many gifts from secret santas this year and if you know anything about that then please know we couldn't be more grateful for your love and generosity. We hope you all had a very merry Christmas as well and have felt the Christmas spirit as strongly as we have this year.

The Real Meaning of Christmas

2010-12-27T07:24:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-24T23:55:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas From Our House To Yours!!!

A Thank You From the Bottom of our Hearts

2010-12-23T19:15:00.002-07:00

It's been no secret that the past few months have been less than wonderful for us and financially things are far from where we would like them to be.

This past week we have been receiving blessings from several Secret Santas. We don't know who all of these much needed blessings are coming from but we couldn't let them go by without saying thank you and letting you know how much your kindness is appreciated. This will be a Christmas we won't ever forget. So Merry Christmas and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A Trip to Bethlehem

2010-12-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful experience a few weekends ago. Kyle and I got to spend a day tending Garrett and Abby. In Nibley they do a live nativity once a year so we bundled up the kids and took them over to see it. It was an amazing experience. The feeling of the spirit was very strong. Garrett reached up and took my hand and said, "Kami, are we in Bethlehem?" He and Abby enjoyed seeing the sheep, donkeys, and Moses the camel. He has been telling everyone how he went to Bethlehem and saw the shepherds, and wise men and baby Jesus. He is so cute! I could just eat him up.

"It's Been Really Bad"

2010-12-08T20:40:00.005-07:00

I've debated back and forth for awhile on if I was going to write about what has been going on in my life the last few months. In the words of Natalie's little guy Garrett after knocking over the Christmas tree, "It's really bad." I've been in a really bad place for the last couple of months and I've pretty much tried to keep it off my blog, partly because I haven't had the words or even the desire to try and explain it, but the other night while laying in bed some of the words I wanted to express came to me and so I feel that there must be someone out there who needs to hear that they aren't alone in what they are going through. There are people who understand and you don't have to be alone. Don't get discouraged by those who don't understand. Unless someone has gone through this themselves they will not get it. Hopefully they will still be compassionate and loving, but don't expect understanding. I'm fortunate that I have an awesome Mom who has been where I am and an amazing doctor who hasn't given up on finding something to help me. My Dad and Kyle have been awesome. Kyle has no idea what to do with me, but just laying on the bed and holding me while I cry has does more than words can say. The people I work with are incredible and have been completely supportive. The notes and flowers I have received from friends mean so much.

My mind has been in a weird place. It is a constant fight to get out of it. Sometimes I would succeed for a day or even several days and things would seem to be better until I ended up here again. In this place things feel completely overwhelming and hopeless with no chance for things to get better. I didn't just wake up here one day. It took awhile and a lot of stress and having to deal with a lot of problems for me to get here.

This place I'm in feels like a big hole that I'm drowning or sinking in . As one more problem, one more bill, one more thing for me to handle piles up on top of me it becomes too heavy for me. Too much for me to balance and I start falling, sinking. The load just kept getting heavier and harder to handle and no one has been able to help.

In September I guess it all just became too much for me to deal with and I had a nervous/mental breakdown or whatever you want to call it. I got on some medications and it seemed to help for awhile. I was out of work for almost 2 months, which didn't help our financial situation. Kyle hasn't been able to collect unemployment since August when he had the first of his surgeries, which is what started our whole financial disaster to begin with.

Three months later I am on completely different medications than I begin with and I am making it to work. Some days that is all I do, but at least I accomplished that. I dread opening the mail because it means one or more bills I don't know how I am going to pay. When the phone rings I just plan on it being a problem. I can honestly say I wouldn't have made it through this without my incredibly awesome and supportive family. They are so completely amazing.

I know there are a lot of people who don't believe in talking medication to help with your problems, but I don't think I would be here without it. If you are feeling down and it isn't getting better go see your doctor. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and no one even needs to know. I know so many people who have been helped by medications. The amazing LDS singer/songwriter Michael McLean has been clinically depressed for over 30 years and this year has made a real push to get people to go get help if they need it.

I don't tell you about this so that you can feel sorry for me, but in hopes that it might help someone else realize there is help available for depression if they need it. You are not alone and I would be happy to do anything I can to help you. Just let me know. kamia911@gmail.com

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T21:00:00.001-06:00

We are playing catch up on my blog since I haven't been quite with it lately.

Dad made his usual chili, we had cinnamon twists and homemade Root Beer and Cream Soda. It was quite the feast. Here is a video and a few pictures of the festivities. The kids were a lot of fun at Halloween this year. Garrett sang me the witch song many times. There is a better video on the video camera, but I haven't mastered it yet so I'm not sure how to get the video from there to here quite yet.

Witch with her angel Benji

Tyler the Jester

Gracie as Tinkerbell

The Witches Brew

Stirring the Brew

Bruce, Maggie, Kelly

Susan's mullet

The Dark Angel

These 2 together are Trouble with a capital "T"

Kyle's Latest Adventure

2010-10-19T20:54:00.001-06:00

Kyle had surgery yesterday on his right shoulder and they went into the left knee again because it has been locking up since the last surgery. They also drained a bunch of fluid off of his right knee. Dr. Mattsson is 72 years old and said Kyle's shoulder had the worst impingement he had ever seen so I imagine he has seen a few in his years as a doctor. This means the bone and the rotator cuff had no space between them. They had to grind about 3 mm off of the bone so it could move freely. His knee had a hole in the meniscus and a tear in the muscle on the side of his knee. We have no idea how he managed to do that in the last 9 weeks since the last surgery. His knee will need to be completely replaced in about 3 years or so.

It was a long day yesterday. He didn't even go into surgery until 6:15 last night. They got him settled in his room a little before 10:00. He hadn't been able to have anything to eat or drink since the night before so he was a little hungry to say the least.

The numbness has worn off of his shoulder and now the pain has hit. He is miserable and it could be a really long night.

Kyle's night in the hospital

Kyle was glad to get back home to his girls

She never sits on my lap. I've been thrown over for Kyle.

Kyle's baby standing guard

One Down Many More Years To Go

2010-09-26T23:06:00.002-06:00

Today is Kyle and my 1st year wedding anniversary. We went over to the cabin in Bear Lake Friday night and stayed until this afternoon. It was nice to get away together for a couple of days. The weather was perfect and the leaves were beautiful. This morning Katrina, Darren and the boys came over to the Lake and we took the boys to see the beach and had lunch with them. It was fun to spend time with them. Their 3 boys are so cute and I love to give them hugs. Tonight we had a fish fry at Mom and Dad's with the salmon Dad brought home from Alaska. Kyle's parents; Katrina and Darren and the boys; and Kari and Jason came up from Salt Lake. My family; Grandma; Susan and Craig; Brett and Chelsea; Emily and Sean and their girls; Karen; Janalee and Matt; and Bruce, Kelly, and Maggie James. It was a lot of fun and we had more wonderful food than we could eat.

I look back on the past year and I can't believe everything we have been through together. I've been gathering Kyle's medical records to try and get some disability benefits. I started counting some things up and in the past year we have dealt with:

* Over 70 doctors appointments
* 4 Surgeries
* 5 nights in the hospital
* 4 trips to the ER
* 5 trips to InstaCare
* About 90 blood tests
* 5 tickets
* 1 car accident

I think that is all the highlights, at least the ones that stick out in my mind. I love Kyle very much. He is an amazing person and marrying him was the best thing I ever did. I think that everything we have gone through has brought us closer together and made us both stronger.

The last couple of weeks I have really been struggling with my emotions and nerves but I know I am going to start feeling better and am hopeful that things will turn around for us soon. So many family and friends have helped us out this past year. We are always surrounded by love and are very grateful for it.

All in all we had a really nice anniversary.

Sumer Fun

2010-09-05T20:32:00.000-06:00

These are some pictures from the Summer that I never did get around to blogging about:

Kyle and I saw this moose right down by the lake. It was just North of the State Park

On the same trip we saw these 14 wild turkeys up by the cabins.

Kat, Darren and the boys came to see us at Bear Lake and we went down to the park at Ideal Beach

The boys loved the merry go round

Preston's favorite was the swings

The Steck Family enjoying the beach.

Kyle loving the swings

Garrett's favorite thing at the lake this year was to go for rides.

Kyle on Abby duty

Garrett trying to convice Jan to take him for a ride.

His trick was to get in the car and then convince someone to drive it.

I Wonder...

2010-09-03T07:24:00.001-06:00

I look at him and I wonder.

I wonder how he stands the endless stream of doctor appointments.

I wonder how he endures all the needles they endlessly stick him with.

I wonder how he puts up with the constant barrage of health problems.

One thing after another after another.

I know he gets discouraged and depressed, but for the most part he handles it well. Sometimes he talks about it, mostly he doesn't. My Kyle is not much of a talker. When I ask what he is thinking I usually get "nothing" for a response. But I know it has to be hard. I know he feels he is a burden to me. I know he wouldn't agree, but I think he has so much courage and strength. I love this man so much. He has made my life complete and I don't ever want to live without him. So I think it's time for things to start getting better, because I wonder how much more he can take.

Heart to Heart with Holley

2010-08-25T07:02:00.001-06:00

I found a blog that does more to lift my spirit and help me through each day than any other I've read. I love to see what Holley is going to say each day. She is a very talented writer and I wanted to share the link to her blog with you.

Heart to Heart with Holley

Thank Holley for helping me find some hope in the middle of it all.

A Beautiful Sight

2010-08-15T15:12:00.000-06:00

Last weekend when we came into Garden City we saw the most beautiful rainbow and clouds over the lake. It was gorgeous.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

2010-08-10T10:24:00.001-06:00

Kyle had surgery yesterday on both of his knees. They removed 2 screws from the left one that were from a previous surgery. They repaired a few tears and removed a lot of gout crystals. The right one they aligned the knee joint and repaired a bunch of tears on the left side of the knee. It was really extensive and he is in a brace and can't put full weight on it for 4 to 6 weeks. We are in the McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. They kept him here overnight and we are most likely going to to be going home later today. He is in a lot of pain, but walked out into the hall and back using a walker despite it. I am very proud of him.

Screws removed from Kyle's left knee

Are we having fun yet?

Willard Bay

2010-08-05T21:48:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of the summer we went and spent a weekend at Willard Bay camping and fishing. Don, Kyle's dad brought his boat up and he, Dad, and Kyle spent Saturday morning fishing. Then that afternoon Kyle took everyone out and pulled them around on a tube behind the boat. I wasn't feeling well and stayed on the beach, but from all accounts everyone had a great time.

Update on Greg

2010-08-02T07:12:00.004-06:00

Greg, and by extension everyone who loves him, did not have a great weekend. The CT scan and ultrasound they did Saturday afternoon showed that his gall bladder was very infected. The doctors did not want to do surgery because of the infection he had in his body. They decided to put a drain in hoping that would buy some time to get the infection under control. They took him into radiology to put the drain in. He was not put out because they needed him to be able to move. Whatever it was they gave him for the pain did not work and he felt them cut him and sticking the drain in and them trying to push it into the gall bladder. It was not a good experience for Greg and it ended up not working. So there was now a hole in the gall bladder and bile was leaking into Greg's abdomen. They brought Greg back to his room to prep him for emergency surgery. I wasn't there, but the accounts of the experience from those who were are awful. Greg was in excruciating pain. As they brought him off the elevetor they could hear the yelling/bellowing/moaning sound he was making clear down the hall in his room. Every nurse on the floor was in preping him for the surgery. They were throwing paperwork at Natalie to sign. She asked if it was possible to send him to another hospital and they told her he wouldn't make it if they did.

Kyle and I were in Bear Lake and I happened to call my mother about this time. She was crying and told me things were really bad. We got in the car and headed for the hospital in Logan. When we got there everyone was waiting for him to come out of surgery. When the doctor came in he said it had gone well and it was probably for the best that they took it out. It was very infected and diseased. The doctors theory is that Greg got salmonella back around the first of June when this whole thing started. It has been ravaging his body and got into the blood stream causing the infection there. He said he figures that the salmonella is what attacked the gall bladder and infected it. The first antibiotic they gave him in June killed too much good bacteria in the stomach and has caused a different infection there so getting the right mix of stuff to treat this is going to be tricky.

When I saw Greg yesterday he was still in quite a bit of pain, but said it was a different pain and not as bad. He was very doped up but was able to carry on a conversation with me for a little bit. He will be in the hospital at least until tomorrow and maybe longer. The doctor said after all the messing around with his general doctor and the 3 trips to the ER he isn't letting him go home until he knows they have a handle on this and that Greg is getting better. Natalie is amazing and holding up really well. I'm so proud of her. She is such a strong woman.

Please Pray for Greg

2010-07-31T13:03:00.000-06:00

If you have been following Natalie and Greg's blog at: http://gregnatandgarrett.blogspot.com/ then you are aware that Greg has been really sick for awhile now and that Natalie recently broke her ankle. Things have taken a turn for the worse and Greg was admitted to the Logan hospital last night with a blood infection on top of the bacteria he is fighting in his stomach. The medication to fight the blood infection will make the one in the stomach worse. Needless to say he is not doing well. His is in a lot of pain in his stomach and they are doing a CT scan this afternoon. We are asking you all to pray and fast for him, Natalie and their sweet kids as they go through this hard time.

Relay for Life - Team ABCP

2010-07-14T16:51:00.004-06:00

The Relay for Life was last weekend and our team had a great time and raised $7,070 (almost double last years effort). Thank you to all who donated either money, products, time, or talent to help us out. We really appreciate it. The Herald Journal did an article about our team. You can view it by following this link and then clicking on the file name: https://secure.filesanywhere.com/fs/v.aspx?v=8972648e586070b96e97

Survivor/Caregiver Walk

Mom & Dad

Luminaries to remember those who have passed on

Kyle & Abby

Our team

Survivor Lap

Our sponsors

Our bucket auction tables

Me and Garrett

Good Things to Come-Jeffrey R. Holland

2010-06-22T10:20:00.006-06:00

I watched this video on someone else's blog today and it struck a place deep in my heart. I needed to see it today. Probably only about 1/3 of the things Kyle and I have dealt with since we have met make it to this blog. Others are just to personal or hard to talk about. It's times when life gets too hard to deal with anymore when I notice my Heavenly Father sends me a reminder that he is with me and he is watching over me. Even so, I would sure like to know what the point of all these catastrophes are. And I would love to know why we are having to deal with them one right after another. Don't you think he could maybe spread them out over a few years at least? I know there are lessons in here somewhere, but it sure doesn't make it any easier now. Now that I'm done complaining enjoy the video. The new website http://www.mormon.org/ has tons of amazing inspirational videos. So if you are in need of something to do you should head on over to the site and check some of them out.

10 Things...

2010-06-07T07:47:00.006-06:00

Thanks Chelsea!!

Terms of this award: must list 10 things about yourself, thank the person who gave you this award and pass it on to 10 wonderful bloggers.

1. My favorite color is red.
2. I have never broken a bone (knock on wood).
3. I have 2 dogs. Lily and Button. They are currently having trauma with being apart from us so often. I expected Kyle and Button to have the hardest time but surprise! it's been Lily. Button is just going with the flow. She is beside herself to see us but once we are out of sight she seems fine. Lily on the other hand is just sad.
4. I love to read. Preferably fiction, but any book will do if I'm bored.
5. I am not a morning person!
6. I hate raisins.
7. I enjoy doing crafty things.
8. I am loving being married (even with all the challenges it has brought with it). Love you Kyle!!!
9. I love technology. If I could afford it I would buy every new gadget that comes along. I would love an iPad or Kindle (either one will do).
10. I'm addicted to blogging.

Okay so I pass this along to: Natalie, Emily, Mindy, Marlee, Britney, Charlotte, Katrina, Mandy, Stacey, Karen, and anyone else who would like to take on the challenge.

Relay for Life

2010-06-02T07:37:00.002-06:00

We are participating in the Relay for Life again this year. We started participating after the Petersen's lost their Grandma Vone to cancer many years ago. Since then we lost Claude and my Grandpa Farrell as well. Janalee is a survivor of thyroid cancer and the Petersen's uncle Bruce is currently fighting cancer. So as you can see this a very personal thing for our family. If you can help me out click on the button below to make a contribution. Online donations have to be a minimum of $10, but donations can be sent to me as well. Even a $1 would help us reach our goal. Thank You!!!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

2010-05-27T07:42:00.017-06:00

We spent last weekend at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes down by Kanab with the Willis family. Kyle had a stress test that morning and his heart went into an arrhythmia and his doctors wouldn't let him drive until they figured it out. Because of that and his passing out in Moab recently Dad agreed to be a good sport and went along with us for a little R & R so we could still take the trailer and go. He took the opportunity to go into St. George on Saturday and take Roy to lunch for his upcoming birthday. Kyle saw Dr. Miller yesterday and they adjusted his pacemaker and gave him the all clear to resume his normal activities so that is nice. It was kind of an inconvenience for him not to be able to drive.

We knew I had to drive him over to Bear Lake when we got home Sunday night so he could be there for work Monday morning so we left to come home in good time. So of course we had a problem with the tire on the truck in Draper and were delayed by two hours. This led to us heading to Bear Lake about 11:00 Sunday night and of course driving through a blizzard to get there. O the fun we have. It just never stops.

Food for Thought

2010-05-19T07:04:00.000-06:00

"How do you reconcile two seemingly unmixable things--on one side you have a God who is all loving all powerful and on the other side, life that's full of disappointment, crisis and hurt?"

"Faith is saying I choose to believe in you, God, more than this or that tragedy."

-Pete Wilson

Kyle vs. Semi

2010-05-18T17:11:00.000-06:00

The Semi Won

Our Summer Adventure

2010-05-10T07:29:00.003-06:00

Kyle and I are going to be spending our summer looking at this wonderful view:

Last Tuesday I posted a comment on Facebook hoping Kyle could find a job he would like, and hopefully it would happen soon. That afternoon we got a lead, on Wednesday Kyle went and met the man in charge and Friday after meeting with me they offered us the job. Now that's what I call a quick answer to my prayers.

Starting tomorrow Kyle and I are going to be living in Bear Lake for the summer. Kyle and I are working as carekeepers/housekeepers for a private family owned compound. There are 4 cabins and several smaller living facilities on site. There is a tennis court, beach, marina, boats, jet skis, 4-wheelers, and horses to be maintained and taken care off. Part of the deal is that we will have an apartment in a really nice cabin on site for the summer.

Kyle will be staying there full-time working with Gabe, the man in charge (who seems awesome), and I will be there on the weekends for sure and at least a couple of nights each week to do my part. We are really excited and think it is going to be a great summer adventure. I'm sure it will be a lot of hard work, but fun as well. I can think of much worse places to spend my summer. The owners have a lot of influence in Cache Valley so maybe it will lead to something else for Kyle come October when we are done with it. Wish us luck!!!

Jeepin' in Moab

2010-05-07T16:55:00.002-06:00

Kyle spent part of last week in Moab with Dad, Tyler, Jon and Jaron. They had a great time and he came home with only a few scratches and bruises. They went on a little hike up a mountain which resulted in Kyle passing out and scraping up his arm and back. Luckily Dad and Tyler were right there and got to him and stopped him from falling too far.

On a positive note, at his appointment on Wednesday with Sheralee and Dr. Miller (his heart doctors) he found out that his heart function has improved. Before his pacemaker surgery it was functioning at 18% and 6 weeks or so ago it was at 34% so we are thrilled with this news.

Happy Birthday Honey!!

2010-04-29T07:25:00.003-06:00

This is my favorite picture of Kyle. Alana took this candid photo of him at our wedding reception in Logan. I love this guy and today is his birthday. I don't get to spend the day spoiling him because he is in Moab with my Dad and Tyler. I figured a trip to Moab was a pretty good way to spend your birthday so I sent him off with them. They left yesterday morning in the snow storm. So far they have blown a tire on the trailer and had to buy new ones for it and the wind blew the hood of the jeep up breaking the latches on it, so they are off to a good start to the trip. Let's hope it gets better and not worse.

A year ago today Kyle had no idea that in less than a month I was going to pop into his life. I'm sure if he had known that it would have been a much better birthday don't you think?

I thank Heavenly Father every day that he led me to Kyle. I love him so much and he is an amazing man. I've never been someone who needs to be around people all the time so it has surprised me how much I miss him when he is gone. Before I married Kyle if I could have the house to myself for a day or two there was nothing better, but he is changing that. I love to come home and have him waiting there for me.

Kyle has such a tender heart and a sweet spirit. I fall more in love with him everyday. I hope you have an amazing birthday today honey. Hopefully one free of problems so you guys can just enjoy yourselves. Happy Birthday!!!

Beach @ Gig Harbor

2010-04-26T17:14:00.001-06:00

This beach was a mile or two from the house we stayed at. It was mostly rocks with almost no sand. We found some great shells. I found a sand dollar and a small star fish but they met with an accident and are no more. We learned in Mexico to soak our shells in water and bleach to get rid of the smell. Well the bleach disolved the star fish and made the sand dollar crumble into pieces. So a lesson was learned there.

The Space Needle

2010-04-23T07:02:00.002-06:00

Grandma, Kyle, Marlee, Marijka and me went up to the top of the Space Needle to check out the view.

Somewhere on this lake is the house from the movie Sleepless in Seattle

Seattle Skyline

The wind was a little cold.

The docks

Marlee

The Ocean

Marijka