Like father, like son...

A few years ago, my little brother competed in the Iron Man competition and did very well. I am pretty sure the the Iron Man entails: swimming 2 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles (sorry if I got it wrong Brian). One morning my dad was getting ready for his bike ride and said that he felt like an Iron Man so I knew this had to be documented!! So is it...

Iron Man...or


IRON MAN? You choose!


In preparing for his 5 mile bike ride my dad knew it would be cold so this is what he came up with...an Elmer Fudd hat underneath his bike helmet!!



So, is this an Iron Man or the next cover for GQ magazine?!?!

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Yes, it is a girl, the 4 pawed meowing kind anyway. Princess Bella (yes it is from the Twilight series) was adopted on Saturday. I think this is going to be the most spoiled cat in the world. The first two nights she was here I slept in the family in a chair next to her bed so she would be lonely...actually she ended up sleeping around my neck most of both nights. Last night I put her bed in my room because I was sick of sleeping in the chair and she spent half the night in my bed and the other half in my mom's bed. We are so excited to have Bella, especially for my dad. There have been studies done that prove having a pet helps with dementia! I am not quite sure how, but all the research I have done agrees with the findings.

Nieces and Nephews

It is hard to imagine that I could have more love even for my own children as I do for my nieces and nephews. They are such amazing spirits and brighten up any day...even if I am in the hospital :D At my mom's birthday party this year we had a pinata. After it was demolished all the kids put it on their heads and wore it as a hat. I think they look like Book of Mormon warriors :D

I LOVE these kids and would do anything for them!

Roommates vs. Parents

In the year and a half that I have been at home I have noticed there are pretty big differences in living with roommates verses living with your parents. These are the best examples!

1. With roommates we always played games--board games, card games (canasta or hand and foot for hours on end), etc. But my parents and I discovered a game that I never played while I was at college. It was "whose blood pressure is the lowest today"!!! I won...is that something I should brag about?

2. All night parties with roommates were just that...all night long. All night parties at home consist of dinner in front of the t.v., watching news, Reba, and whatever is on at 7:00 followed by bed promptly at 8:30.

3. My roommates and I used to love to sing whether it was with a piano, guitar, or just to the radio. At home the singing is usually left to my dad and his renditions of "If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all" and who can forget the time he started to sing "You are my sunshine", to me, but it came out "You are my cow pie, my only cow pie." Now that is love.

But, there are also PERKS!!

1. You can turn the heat on in the winter because parents have money to pay for that luxury.

2. Family/Roommate dinners that consisted of Mac and Cheese and Top Ramen only happen once a month at home instead of once a day with roommates.

3. Parents cars are a lot nicer to ride in and you don't have to hope that you make it to your destination like you do in a roommates car.

4. There is always toilet paper because no one is fighting over who has to buy it THIS time.

5. My mom is ALWAYS there to talk to and no one can compare to your mom!!!

So, which is better? Parents of course!!!! Because fun and games and all night parties can't compare to the love I have for my family!!!!!!!

Mug shot

The other day my dad went to the post office to get the mail. When he came back he had a tray with him. I was thinking why in the world did we get a tray in the mail. Upon further inspection my mom found the letter 'M' all over it...then we discovered that it wasn't just a regular 'M', it was the Golden Arches! We figured out that my dad must have gone to McDonalds and instead of eating there he took it to go...tray and all! We went back to McDonalds and I snuck inside the building hoping to not set off any alarms. I put the tray on the garbage can and made a mad dash back to the get away car! As far as I know "borrowing" a tray to take your food home on isn't a felony! I love you dad!

New Carpet!!!!

I had forgotten about these pictures until I came across them tonight and decided it was definitely worth making a record of. A few day's before Brian's wedding Diana and Jeff surprised my mom with new carpet for our living room. We have had this old brown carpet for almost 30 years (since the flood) and just a few days before the surprise my mom made the comment that she was sure she was going to die in this house on the ugly brown carpet.











Diana's amazing friends the Parker's helped make this whole project possible. Thanks Jodi and Steve! Casey and Steve laid the carpet in one evening, while my parents and I just sat a watched in awe of the amazing transformation!

The 3 musketeers, together we fight crime!!

I am not a very big fan of Halloween, but I do enjoy decorating the pumpkins. And who might these attractive pumpkins be? Why the 3 Musketeers of course!!



I'm sure you can all tell that this is the spitting image of my father (I do mean that in a respectful way dad...).



My bright eyed, adorable, and "brains of the family" mom!



And me. If any of you ever wonder what is going on in my head...this is about it!!!

"Don't let your troubles knock you down"

Just in case any of you didn't know, Reba is just about the best show that was ever made. My parents and I can sit and laugh for ever at what happens, mostly because her luck is as bad as ours!! In the pilot episode Reba sings one of her songs called "Walk On".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQLQ_aqsTT8

I feel it is very appropriate in my life right now so this is her singing while reminiscing about her cast.

Man taking care of his women!

As the first day of snow came to Sugar City my dad was ready and willing to brave the freezing weather to get to the wood shed and make a blazing fire so my mom and I wouldn't freeze. And yet he looks so manly doing it...doesn't he?




In reality this was all the snow that fell, but we were prepared!!!

Wedded Bliss

Brian and Sarah haven't been able to see many pictures from their wedding yet, so I decided to help them out and post a few of mine. I love you guys!!!

The top 5 DUMBEST hospital moments...from last week!

WARNING

All names, locations, accents, races, and sexes have been changed to protect the innocent.

Here we go, the top 5 dumbest things said/done to me at my most recent hospital stay (and I wish I would have taken some pictures because the rooms are quite nice in the new hospital...only I would be able to truly compare!)

5. I was supposed to have a breathing treatment every 4 hours around the clock. The 3rd night there I woke up gasping and coughing realizing that it had been nearly 7 hours since my last treatment. I called the nurse and she came to turn my oxygen all the way up and when the guy finally came he said "Oh, a...well...the orders read every 4 hours but I thought if you really needed one someone would call me"...way to instill confidence in a patient!!!

4. At the 5th IV attempt as I was bleeding all over (I have the bruises to prove it) the nurse said to me with a concerned look "you're not here for a transfusion are you?"

3. Although I made it abundantly clear that I am deathly allergic to chicken and turkey the guy helping me plan out the day's menu said confidently "well, it is actually just the chicken breast that we are serving for lunch, so that should be fine right"...I wanted to say, "actually all I can have is the beak and the toes, so if you could bring me a few of those in some rice I would really be grateful."

2. As a nurse came in to check my vital signs she said "let's take you off the oxygen for a few minutes and see what happens because I am not quite convinced that you really need it." As the minutes ticked by and my oxygen fell to 79% the nurse finally came back and said "well, I guess the doctor was right"...hum, ya think?

1. And the number one dumbest thing said to me in the hospital was when I first got into my room from the ER and the nurse was helping me get into bed. She said so kind and loving "is that our gown or did you bring that from home?" So, to set the record straight, although I do love them, I DO NOT collect hospital gowns...but the light airiness of them tends to grow on me :D

My latest trip!

When most people say they took a trip they mean something like Hawaii or Fiji, but my trips are usually just 5 miles down the road to the nearest emergency room. But this time was more exciting than usual because they kept me. I was having really bad asthma problems and then had bronchitis on top of that so the doctors nicely said they would "tuck me away for a few days and see what happened"...now it is the last part that caught my attention (and see what happened). Most people know that when I am in the hospital things never run smoothly. They usually try to feed me chicken a few times and maybe accidentally do the wrong procedure on me, but other than that I have survived!!! But, stay tuned, because coming next is the list of the top 5 or maybe 10 dumbest things said or done to me in the hospital THIS time....

No husband, no children, no blog, NO WAY!!!!!

So I have been flirting with the idea of a blog for a long time...and then my sister mentioned it as a great source for a journal so I thought Aha! But, then I thought what in the world do I have to blog about. I am single with no children, living at home helping to take care of my parents. But, little does everyone else know, that can be quite exciting :D So as I now start to follow the advice of our church leaders to keep a record of my life, I will be extra excited to share that will all of my friends.