New Project

So, for Christmas I received the Worldwide Ward Cookbook. Honestly, I couldn't be more thrilled. I love to cook and I'm so excited to have a whole new collection of recipes to work on.

While at work this week I was discussing this new acquisition of mine with my good friend Jill, and she told me that she had the book as well. We decided that we need to try every recipe in the book. So, we made a plan to choose at least 2 recipes every week to try out. And, in the spirit of Julie & Julia, I decided we should keep a blog about it. You can check it out here.

Enjoy!

Another One Gone

Well, my friends, another Christmas has come and nearly gone. I must say, it was a good one. While some of our family members were missing (We love you Elder Hatch!) we still had a great time just being together as a family.

So, to finish out the year here are 9 sort of important things that happened in 2009:

1. Curious George got laid off from South Valley. After a 6 week job search, they hired him back.
2. We decided to stay put for another year and re-signed our lease.
3. Pippi successfully planned and pulled off a surprise 30th birthday party for George
4. Pippi took her first (but definitely not last) trip to The Big Apple and fell in love.
5. Our living room ceiling caved in... and didn't get fixed for nearly a month.
6. George got laid off again, but started a new (and infinitely better) job the next week.
7. George ended up with a herniated disk in his back. So far the cortisone shot seems to be doing the trick to fix it.
8. We both got hooked on Glee and are anxiously awaiting it's return in April.
9. Pippi has started doing her own pedicures. (Sigh)

So, there you have it. A few important, and not so important things, that happened in 2009. Hope it treated all of you just as well.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Good People

I like knowing where I come from. I love hearing about my roots, hearing stories about my ancestors, and knowing who I am in relation to them.

Curious George and I attend the ward that my dad grew up in. There are a lot of "old-timers" in the ward that know my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, etc. A few of them know who I belong to, so to speak, but more of them don't.

Today one sister in the ward, who is quite familiar with my family, came up after sacrament meeting to chat with George and I. She introduced herself (I already knew who she was) and asked if we'd been able to attend a party they'd thrown for the young marrieds in the ward. I introduced myself back, and told her what family I belonged to. She grabbed my hand and said, "Oh, look at you. I can see it now, you have the Hatch eyes and dimples!" She then proceeded to tell me a story about my family that brought a tear to my eye. She said:

"When we were still a young family, I found out that my newborn baby had a blood clot pressing on his optic nerve. We took him to the hospital and were informed that he would need surgery. I would be required to stay with him, because the doctor felt that he wouldn't survive if I weren't there to nurse him and be by his bedside. Well, when your grandparents heard about this I got a call from your grandma. She told me to drop off my kids with some clothes and their sleeping bags and they could stay as long as they needed to. I knew she had a full house already, and that she was busy with both she and your grandpa working full time. I protested, but she insisted. She kept my kids for 5 days and allowed me to be with my baby in the hospital. I just want you to know that you come from a wonderful family."

We both wiped a tear away and I thanked her for sharing her story with me.

In this season of Christmas and giving I am amazed at the love and generosity I see all around me. I am grateful to my friends and family for giving me such a great example of Christlike love and charity. I am proud to be a part of such a giving, caring, and loving family and I hope that I can carry on the legacy that has been laid down before me.

Back to the Future

Well, the verdict is in: Curious George has a severely herniated disk at the L5-S1 level.

After receiving the run-around from the doctor (4 phone calls to even get the MA on the phone) we finally got the MRI taken care of. We figured we'd just take the disk with the images on it with us when we went to the Spine Institute this week. Well, lo and behold, Dr. Wood himself called Steve on Monday with the news. I believe that the exact wording was, "I took a look at your MRI and found a pretty severe herniation. I'm going to call Dr. Rich, who is a neurosurgeon, and turn your case over to him."

Alright. Neurosurgeon. Yikes.

Ok, let me back up. We're getting answers. We've been told to keep our appointment at the Spine Institute just as a second opinion. Apparently, Dr. Rich is going to take a look at the images and give us a call next week. It looks like my hopes of getting this taken care of before the end of the year are in vain.

So, let me just sum this up by sharing my gratitude for a few things:
1. Health insurance. Even if we don't get this taken care of by the end of the year, we've still got insurance to help foot the bill.
2. Money in savings. It will be nice to have a back up for the possible tough times ahead.
3. Good jobs for both of us. We'll both be able to get the time off we need to take care of whatever needs to be done.
4. Talented medical professionals. I'm glad George will be getting the help he needs so he can begin to heal and return to a normal life.

I'm grateful for so much in this season, but these are just a few things at the forefront of my mind today.

Sock it to Me

I have a thing for socks. The only time I wear solid color socks is to the gym. At work I tend to match my socks to my scrubs in color. Pattern is a whole different issue. Anyway, considering that my name comes from the movie Pippi Longstocking, I've decided to change the title of my blog. Also, for just a hint of privacy protection (without full-on taking my blog private) I will, from here on out, be referring to myself as Pippi. And keeping in the theme of childhood books/movies I will be referring to my husband as Curious George, or George for short.
I'll still post pictures, stories from our lives, and all of the goodness you've come to expect from this blog. I'm just going to exercise a bit more discretion in sharing the nitty gritty of our lives.

Thank you, come again!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I'm so happy it finally snowed. For some reason, I feel like the cold is more tolerable if there's snow on the ground. Plus, as "TAMN" as this might sound: I love sweaters and boots. Really, I do. I'm even considering doing something that I thought I'd never do. That's right, I'm shopping for skinny jeans to wear under my boots. Yikes. Anyway, now that I've got that out of the way I'm going to rant and rave a little bit. Stop reading now if you don't want to see my negativity.

I love the cold, but I don't love what it does to my husband. He already has bone and joint issues, and the cold just makes them worse. Around the time it got really cold (right after Thanksgiving) his back got really bad. We think it's a herniated disk causing some sciatic nerve pain down his leg and his right foot to go numb. I sent him to a doctor last month for back pain. They took x-rays and ran some blood work, but those tests didn't show anything. Anyway, the doctor told Steve that if the pain got worse to call him and they'd set up an MRI. So, last week we called. When we didn't hear back we called again. We finally got someone on the phone and they told us they'd set up the appointment and call us back. After 3 days of hearing nothing we called again. Again, we were told that they'd call us back. Finally, 3 hours later, we get a phone call saying that they've set up an MRI appointment. Did we get any further instructions than that? Nope. Just "show up". I'm not sure I want him to go. I think they'll do the MRI and we'll never hear back from his doctor. So, I'm currently "doctor shopping" at TOSH for him to see if we can find an orthopedic specialist that won't jerk us around.

Speaking of being jerked around: I hate FedEx. On Black Friday I took advantage of an online sale (half off clearance, $25 off any order of $75 or more, and free shipping). I completed my order, and over the subsequent days I followed my package's progress on the FedEx tracking website. Well, the following Tuesday Steve and I were both at home. I was napping and he was watching a little tv. When I woke up from my nap I checked on the package again to see that it had been delivered at 3 pm. I opened the door to check, and lo and behold, no package. I decided to give them 24 hours to prove me wrong. Well, the next day, still no package. I called the customer service line and they said that they'd send the driver out to talk with me the next day. So, the driver shows up. First of all, he hardly spoke any English at all. I know, I shouldn't judge, but if you work in a customer service profession you should be able to communicate with your customers. Anyway, he very rudely told me, "Ask them." Pointing to the front door of the neighbors across the hall. Then he walked away. Well, considering I was in my sweats, I sent Steve over to ask the neighbors. They hadn't seen the package.
I called FedEx again the next day and was told that if the driver had checked in with me it was no longer FedEx's problem, and I'd have to call Torrid and see if I could get a refund from them. Really, FedEx? It's my problem that you lost my package? You really think Torrid is going to give me a refund on a package that you show has been delivered? I don't think so. I think that you are delusional, rude, and horrible to your customers. Never again will I choose to ship with you.

So, basically, the last two weeks have consisted of:
1. A lot of unanswered questions.
2. Horrible customer service.
3. Rude people

Happy freaking December.

Family Resemblance

Hmmm... I think I'm onto something here.


Do you see it?



*Thank you Steve, for pointing this out.

Grown Up Christmas List

Ok, so I just used a cheesy song title as a blog title... get over it. Anyway, on to my list:

Dear Santa,
I've tried to be a good girl this year. Here is my Christmas list:

A teapot (preferably of the metal variety that I can actually heat up on the stove)
The Fablehaven series (preferably in hard-back)
A ski/snowboard type coat
Grey or green sheets
Season 4 and later of Scrubs on dvd
Gift cards to Torrid, Joanns, Material Girls, etc.
Christmas dishes
Disney dvd's
iTunes gift cards
A renewed subscription to the Ensign, Better Homes and Gardens, or Family Fun
A puppy
New scrubs
Anything else you think I could use

Thanks so much,
Annicka

The Work Bestie

Ok, so I think it's time for another installment of my favorite people. This blog post will be dedicated to and all about my work best friend, the lovely Jill Whitney.

Jill and I met when she began working on the rehab unit with me as an LPN. She was a great nurse then and she's still a great nurse now as an RN. Anyway, Jill and I found that we had many things in common and that we were pretty well matched as friends. It really started with our shared love of all things Harry Potter, Fablehaven, and Twilight and pretty much grew from there. We even started spending time together outside of work, which is essentially unheard of for me. I generally like to keep my social and professional lives separate. Anyway, Jill's answers to the questions:

Where are you from?
Murray Utah (David Archuleta town, stacks for life, and if it’s good enough for Murray-it’s good enough for me) (Represent!)

What do you do for a living?

I am a nurse and a majority of the time I absolutely love it.

What is your favorite comfort food?
I love pizza-specifically Papa Murphy’s cowboy pizza, almost all icecreams, and I also love me a pork salad from café rio with the cilantro/lime vinegarette dressing. Any of these are a guarantee to make me happy. (Maybe we're friends because we like all the same food, eh?)

What color is your bedspread?
Aggie blue (navy blue) my favorite color of all time. (And might I interject that she has High School Musical sheets? Awesome.)

What book/movie has had a major impact on you?
Book is probably the whole Harry Potter series; Movie is Freedom Writers…this movie came out when I was getting my Sociology degree and just reaffirmed to me why I needed to take a break from nursing and become a sociologist first. (That book... and Kids Who Kill, right? Right?) And for fun the Play that has had a major impact on me is Rent, by Jonathan Larsen. This play seriously changed my life when I was in 8^th grade and it had first come out.

What is your favorite word?

Bueller. As in Ferris Bueller.

What is your best color?
People say magenta, coral, and teal are my best looking colors. I love these colors and own a lot of clothes this color, but I wear mostly navy blue. (Except your scrubs...)

What is your favorite restaurant?
The Pie pizzeria, and this little ghetto Mexican place in Bakersfield California. (Mmmm, ghetto Mexican food!)

What is one material possession you couldn't live without?
My Fiskar’s paper cutter. (Which reminds me. We still need to do a quilt/scrapbook skills swap.)

Which cartoon character do you resemble the most?

Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons…just kidding, but he is my favorite. I probably look the most like one of the fairies in Sleeping Beauty. (Flora, Fauna, or Merryweather? Ok, I just scared myself that I knew that.)

Why do you think I like you so much?
Because we are both extremely funny people…right? (Right)

What is the best compliment you could receive?
I like just knowing that I am needed and appreciated for it. (I appreciate you helping throw a baby shower that we weren't planning on throwing. And for assisting in the food costs.)

What is your favorite memory we have shared?
We have had a lot of good game nights with lots of laughter. (Why do they call it skip-bo?)

What 3 words would best describe you?
“loyal”, “random”, “creative”

So I'm sure you can all see why I adore this girl. She's just like me. Only nice. If you've never met her you should stop by the hospital some night and play a round of skip-bo with us. You won't regret it.

Animal Magnetism

It's official... I read vampire books for the Werewolves. I didn't realize this until last night at work. I've been reading (ok, devouring... pardon the pun) the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I began to notice a theme: most of the vampire series I've read lately have had prominent Were characters as well, and generally speaking, I prefer the Were.

For example: Jacob Black. I've preferred him over Edward from day 1 of reading the Twilight series. I didn't find anything appealing about the character of Edward, and I loved almost everything about Jacob. And then they did the casting for the movies. Enter Taylor Lautner.I think he's the perfect Jacob, even before he packed on 40 pounds of muscle for the role. Yeah, you read that right: 40 pounds. Oh, and did I mention he's only 17? Well, he is. Still...And not only do we have one beautiful shirtless brown boy in New Moon... we have multiples. That's right, and whole pack of them. Animal magnetism at it's height, my friends.

Anyway, back to Sookie Stackhouse. I don't care for the main male character, a male vampire named Bill. Almost as much as I don't care for Edward, and that's a lot. I don't see the draw of vamps in general. So, last night at work I was reading Club Dead, the third book in the series, and they introduced a new character. Alcide Herveaux, southern gentleman, surveyor, and Werewolf extraordinaire. For me, it was love at first sight. Alcide (said Al-see) is described as being "...huge. His eyes were green. His tousled hair was curly and thick and black as pitch...He looked handsome and rough, though 'attractive' might be a more accurate word than 'handsome'." Anyway, my pick to play Alcide in the HBO series True Blood (based on the novels) is Jeffrey Dean Morgan: huge, dark, brooding, and a lot less serious than a vampire.
I think it's the warmth and humor that attracts me to Werewolves over vampires. They just seem so much more real. So... there you have it. The effects of animal magnetism on l'il ole me.

Nightmare on Murray Holladay Road

I've worked night shifts for a long time. When I first started out in the land of the night I had no problem sleeping. I could lay my head down in the middle of the shift and spend my lunch break napping. I could come home in the morning and sleep the day away. I could even sleep in my own bed on my nights off.

When I got married I had a hard time getting used to sharing my bed. I was used to sleeping smack-dab in the middle of my (glorious after years of twin) queen-size bed. I struggled with rolling over and finding a body there, and looked forward to sleeping during the day when I'd, once again, have the bed to myself. Unisom and Tylenol PM became my best friends for awhile. And then one day it changed.

I spent my first night alone sometime this summer when Steve went to scout camp. It was ok, I was more bored than anything. Then he began a new job last month. Now, more often than not, I spend the majority of my nights off alone. That was when the nightmares started.

I've always had strange dreams (they run in my family, just ask my mom and sister), but these go above and beyond. Throughout my life I've had the occasional nightmare, but nothing like this. This is beyond anything I've ever experienced. I now wake up on a regular basis with heart racing, muscles tensed, tears in my eyes, gut-clenching fear.

And I have no idea why.

I've had nightmares about everything from family being killed, to my house being broken into with me still in it, to Steve leaving me for his first girlfriend Kandice (who, by the way, is happily married in the real world). And these all occur after I've finally lulled myself to sleep. I don't like being home alone. I miss having a warm body in the other side of the bed. And there's nothing I can do but get used to it, because this job is most likely going to be a long term one.

But what do I do about the nightmares?

Foolish

Lately I've been a blanket making fool... with plenty more to come. I have several friends that are expecting babies in the next 9 months, so I've got plenty of little blankies to make. The first, though, is my sweet friend Kasi who has been trying to get pregnant for almost a decade. She is expecting little Ashton Allen in November. We threw a shower for her and this is the blanket I opted for.The quilt top

The finished project

I backed it in soft brown minky and put a sailboat in the middle to match the nautical-theme nursery.

My second blanket is actually for us. I bought this fabric around the start of football season and have been meaning to make a tie-edge blanket for awhile. Today I finally laid down the fabric, cut, and tied the edges. The whole project took me about 2 hours, but I think it turned out great. Plus it'll keep us warm at the games until the end of the season!

The front

Back in Black. (Ha! I'm funny!)

More projects to come!

Stolen Ideas

So, I'm stealing the following idea from my friend Tara. She recently did a blog series on some of her favorite people. I decided that I'm going to borrow her questions and do the same. So, without further ado I bring you my favorite person #1: My bff, Ally.

The wonderful Mrs. Allyson Lundberg Bracken and I have been friends for a long time. We met in the 7th grade (chapstick soccer, anyone?) but didn't really get close until our sophomore year of high school. We've been together through thick and thin, and seen lots of good and bad times together. From living 300 miles away, to weddings 6 weeks apart, we've seen it all. Not only is she amazingly smart and dedicated, she's wonderfully talented as well. She plays the guitar and sings in a band, she loves craft hour, and she is a decorator extraordinaire. And now, a little about Ally from the woman herself.(All comments in a different color have been inserted by me at my late-night-influenced discretion)

Where are you from?
Murray, Utah (Heck yeah! Represent!)

What do you do for a living?
I’m a process engineer for Kimberly-Clark.

What is your favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes! It makes my day when I walk into the cafeteria at work and see they made mashed potatoes. (Amen.)

What color is your bedspread?
Right now it’s a dark orange but soon to be white with green, orange and blue stripes on it. I can’t wait to redo the bedroom while Shad’s out of town in a few weeks. Don’t tell him – it’s a secret! (It sounds delightful. I just hope Shad doesn't read my blog...)

What book/movie has had a major impact on you?
The Pastures of Heaven by Steinbeck. It’s not only one of my favorites but it’s how I knew my husband was the one. I brought it up on our first date for some reason and not only had he read it, but he loved it and we had an amazing conversation about it.

What is your favorite word?
Ideal. I blame Ashlee. I even have Shad saying it now.

What is your best color?
I love the color Lime green but it doesn’t do much for me to wear. I’d have to say light blue or red.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Faustina in SLC. Do you think if I beg the owners, they’ll open one in Ogden? (It's possible, just don't offend the waitress by calling the baked cheese fried. She doesn't like that.)

What is one material possession you couldn't live without?
My Iphone. I seriously don’t know how I did anything without it before. So many random questions answered, to do lists organized, email anywhere, all my favorite pictures, movies and music.

Which cartoon character do you resemble the most?
I’m going to say Josie from Josie and the Pussycats. (Meow)

Why do you think I like you so much?
Because we’ve always been there for each other regardless of the ridiculous situations we’ve gotten in. We help each other laugh through problems and even though we don’t see each other often, when we do, it’s like we just saw each other the day before. (True. We should make more of an effort to get together, however.)

What is the best compliment you could receive?
When someone tells me I made their day – got them to laugh or smile or something like that.

What is your favorite memory we have shared?
I don’t have a favorite. All the time we spent together is my favorite. Reading magazines, riding in Blanche, going to shows, laughing all the time, speaking without words, visiting you in the George, hating Las Vegas but always going, Butch!, awful New Years (Too many to count, really), harmonizing in the car, hating ----- (was that too true?)(Just a little, I edited out her name to protect how others see us. Selfish? Yes. But it's my blog, so I get to decide that.), our World History project (The 80's, when the mullett was created.), watching each other have goals and dreams and then attaining them. I’m going to start tearing up so I’m going to stop but I love you! (Don't worry, I teared up too.)

What 3 words would best describe you?
Quirky, energetic and sarcastic

Seriously, does anyone doubt why we've stayed friends so long? She is my soul-sister, no question.

Shout Out

Just wanted to send a few shout outs...

The first is to Lena, who is getting ready to have her last round of chemo.

The second is to Paris, who just had her first round of chemo.

You are both awesome women and such an example of strength and perseverance! Love you both!

And lastly, one for my little brother, Elder Hatch. He hit his one year mark last week. Way to go Zig!

I'm Getting Too Old For This

So, as many of you know Steve and I (along with close to 25 of my family members and close friends) have season tickets to U of U football. Well, a few weeks ago we were all sitting around discussing this year's schedule and someone (I think it was Maddie) said, "Hey, why don't we drive down to Vegas for the UNLV game?" We all thought for a collective 3 seconds or so and said, "That sounds like a great idea! We're in!" So a plan was set into motion for a trip to Las Vegas.

As we all got looking at our schedules it looked like Steve, Kellen, and myself wouldn't be able to leave until Saturday, a day later than everyone else. So, after working all night Friday night Steve and I headed over to meet Kel and head down. 4 hours, lots of hunter-orange-clad rednecks, and one lunch break later we were in St. George. After a quick stop off at Grandma's house to watch the puppies play for a few minutes we were back on the road headed for Las Vegas.

Let me just pause for a moment to remind you all how much I loathe and detest Las Vegas. I was reminded why on this trip. We met up with everyone for a lovely dinner at the Sunshine Station buffet. I opted for salad and prime rib, followed with cannoli and lemon sorbet. Delightful! After dinner we made our way a few blocks over to the stadium to find our seats.

Luckily for us, we were right inside the stadium doors. I'm not sure I'd want to venture much further around that particular arena. May I just say, I love the fact that beer is not served at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Granted, some people have thoroughly partaken before a game even begins, but you don't have to worry about the smell, people driving home after drinking too much, getting someone else's beverage spilled in your lap, etc. This is not the case in Las Vegas. The people sitting in front of us were a testament to alcohol sales.

One woman, we will call her Mrs. X (because I'm convinced she had some in her system), was particularly smashed. Apparently this is the norm for her, since her mom said that last week she was passed out before kickoff even occurred. Awesome. The healthcare professional in me kept a close eye on her throughout the game, but she managed to stay breathing and keep her dinner down for the entirety of the game. There are some CLASSY football fans out there.

Well, we had a great time at the game, despite the Utes' best efforts to give the game away. We ended up winning, which is a good thing. If we'd lost to UNLV I'd have been teased mercilessly at work for some time to come. Maybe next time it'll be a prettier win.

Needless to say, we had a lovely time (as you can see from the pictures) but I'm glad to be back in the safe haven of my Salt Lake City bubble. These 2 day trips are hard on me, it might take me awhile to recover. And next time I head in a Southerly direction I'm staying longer than overnight.

Relationship Status

I have a love/hate relationship with the "next blog" button you find at the top of many blogs. On a good day, it can be a veritable goldmine of new places to lurk, people to stalk, and interesting and/or funny things to read. On a bad day, everything is in Japanese.

I would say that one in every 15-20 blogs is either a Utahn or a Mormon Mommy in some other state. Apparently, I'm following a very popular trend among women in my age group and comparable social situation. Does this mean I'm going to stop? In the words of TAMN, "H-no!" Does it mean I'm going to be a little more discerning about what I post? Probably.

Now, on an average blog-jumping day I'll run across any number of blogs in different languages. No problem, hit the "next" button and carry on. Unless... there is no next button. Enter one of my blog pet peeves: When your blog is so fancified (yeah, I made it up, so what?) that you no longer have the blogger navigation bar at the top. Kind of annoying. So, I trek my mouse back on up to the "back" button at the top of the browser window, and suffer through letting a blog I've already passed reload so I can hit the "next" button again. *Insert long dramatic sigh here*

Another peeve: When the magical button proceeds to bounce me back and forth between two blogs that I've either already read, can't read because I don't speak the language, or don't care to read. It leads to major e-frustration.

Alas, there is a silver lining, which I would like to share with you now... Some of the fun things I found today:
Teddy Loves Lu Loves Teddy
Rockstar Diaries
Emersonmade
Dollop
Coloring Our World
Langua Vert

So, for now I'll take the bad with the good since the Wonderful World of Blogging has provided me with a few reasons to continue taking my chances.

Perfect Primary Programs

It's the holy grail of primary presidents and choristers everywhere...but I'm still convinced it doesn't exist. It's like Sasquatch (ok, sometimes he exists at Sunday dinner), Atlantis, The Perfect Husband, etc. There's just no such thing. This mystery of life is: the perfect primary program.

We had our primary program today and man, was it an adventure! I seriously admire Elizabeth (our fearless leader) for all the work, time, effort, and everything else she put into this years program. As for me, I'm just glad it's over! We have what could be called a "difficult primary". There are generally 10-15 kids on a weekly basis, and probably 75% of them are under the age of eight. Yikes. Needless to say, if you write a kid into the program (and make sure Mom and Dad know they need to be there) you get a good turn out! We had over twenty kids. Halle-freakin'-lujah! That, in and of itself, is a miracle for our ward.

Now, call me crazy, but I feel like if you've been learning a song for 6 months or more you'd probably know it pretty well. Uh, not so much. The song we started learning in January was probably our worst one of the day. Oh well, they were so dang cute to look at that it doesn't really matter. Except, maybe, the song they forgot to sing. That's right, they forgot to sing it. Ah well, the not-yet-eight year old girls did a lovely impromptu solo.

The crowning jewel of the day, however, was during the closing hymn (I Am a Child of God) when the Sunbeams had pretty much had it with the whole program idea. One little girl, we'll call her Mary, decided that it was dance time. That's right, she danced her way through the song. Yeah, we'd lost all control at that point.

Anyway, I'd say the day, while not perfect, was quite a success. Now, I'll take a nap and start getting ready for next year.

Nurses Are People Too

Sometimes I feel like people expect perfection of nurses. They want us to be precise, perfect, and work with an almost robotic efficiency. I understand that we are dealing with peoples' lives, health, and general well being. However (and I may only be speaking for myself, here), I'm only one human person. I am not a robot. I am not perfect. I do make mistakes.

For example:
I have cared for a patient recently who came into the hospital for routine knee replacement surgery. This patient opted to have both knees done at the same time, which is quite common. She and her family were informed of the risks, signed the consents, and the process began. After surgery she had a few clotting issues and ended up with a clot in either side of her brain, essentially a stroke on both sides. Now, clots are one of the known risks of any joint replacement surgery. The patient, and her family, were well aware of this when they signed the surgery consent forms. Unfortunately, they feel that they were wronged in some way and are taking legal action against the surgeon, and consequently, the hospital. They are very closely monitoring the care of the patient while she does her course on rehab. They watch the nurses and doctors like hawks, ask completely unanswerable questions, and essentially expect perfection. Can I just say, it is very difficult to deliver good care, much less perfect, with an angry family breathing down your neck.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that this is someone's loved one. I understand that they feel wronged, uncared for, etc. What they are forgetting, though, is that nurses and doctors are only human. We're not mind readers. We're not robots. We're not perfect. A lot of the time I am one person trying to do a job that requires more than 2 hands. I do the best I can in the situation I am placed in.

I read on a lot of blogs people complaining about less-than-perfect performance from some healthcare professional or another: an iv stick hurt, the nurse was too slow getting to you, someone wasn't able to answer your question right away but had to research an answer. I also see people blaming all nurses for the deficiencies of one. We are not all the same. We are individuals with personalities, senses of humor, and different priorities. What is important to one of us may not be important to another. The one thing we all have in common, though, is this: We are all human beings with feelings that can be hurt. Please remember this next time you deal with a nurse.

Noteworthy things

Oh my, so much to say and so little space to say it in (I know you all, if this is too long you'll never read all the way through...), so I think a list is in order. I put in as many links as I could so you could all enjoy the things I did.

25 Highlights From This Weekend:
Steve got a job (This was the most important, so I put it first)
A red-eye flight to NYC
A subway ride through Manhattan, complete with me in sweats and lugging a suitcase
Shopping at FAO Schwartz
Chocolate dipped croissants
Fifth Avenue, in all it's glory
The Tiffany Diamond
Tiffany's in general!
Discovering H&M
The American Girl Store, that place is stuff little girls' dreams are made of
Stromboli from Ray's Pizza
An 8 hour van tour of Manhattan
Staten Island Ferry
Haggling over a purse I didn't buy
Central Park
A session in the Manhattan temple
Cupcakes at Crumbs bakery on Broadway
Prayer in the Square
Getting all glammed up and going out with the girls to Wicked (We all looked amazing!)
Defying Gravity
Discovering Cuban food
Bagels
A spontaneous decision to see Lion King (Do it, you won't regret it!)
Conway's lack of dressing rooms
Achmed (Not the dead terrorist) and the drive back to JFK

You can check out pictures of the whole grand adventure here.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I think it's time for a little good news/bad news update:

The good news is: I've applied for multiple jobs and I've heard back from several.
The bad news is: They're telling me they've filled the position.

The good news is: I have a steady, good paying job, no matter what the economy.
The bad news is: I'm burned out with my floor.

The good news is: Our Utah football tickets and my trip to New York are already paid for.
The bad news is: We won't be having any more "extra" things like these for awhile.

The good news is: Steve's car is paid for.
The bad news is: Mine isn't.

The good news is: I know we can make it on just my income.
The bad news is: Because we've had to do it before.

The good news is: Steve went on a job interview yesterday.
The bad news is: He was laid off, again, from South Valley this morning.

The good news is: Now he'll be forced to find something new instead of stagnating.
The bad news is: I have to be the one to push him to do that.

The good news is: We've got great friend and family support.
The bad news is: Well, there really isn't any bad side to this.

Thank you all for your continued love and support through our trials. Please keep us in your prayers as we, yet again, explore the world of unemployment.

Change is in the Air

Change is in the air... in a big kind of way. So, there's a bit of a problem with job burn-out going on in our house right now. Steve and I have both hit the point where we've just sort of had it with our jobs. Consequently, the job hunt has been on for both of us.

I've put in applications for 5 different jobs within IHC. I've already heard back "no" on 2 of them, which I expected but figured it wouldn't hurt to get my name out there. I got a call to interview for one but haven't heard back yet on setting a date for the interview. I'm still waiting to hear on two more. They're all day jobs, in either an OR setting or a clinic setting. I'm excited for a change and ready to explore more avenues in my career.

As for Steve, things are getting scary at South Valley again. The shop has been so slow that I'm afraid come winter there are going to be more layoffs. We can't go through that again, so I've been encouraging him to start looking and interviewing for other options now. He went on an interview this morning at A to Z Produce. We're a little iffy on whether that's the right job for him or not, but it seems like a good option. He'd start out making less than where he's at now, but they give raises often. The hours are a little screwy ( 2 am to 10 am, 5 days a week), but they might work out well if he decides to go back to school. We'll see what happens.

As far as other changes, there's a possibility that we'll be moving around the start of the new year. A good friend of mine at work may be moving overseas for two years and asked us if we'd rent their house while they're gone. It'd be for two years, and we'd be in a house twice the size of our apartment for the same amount of money. It made me feel good that she'd trust us with caring for her home. She'll know in October whether or not they're going for sure, so I'll keep you posted.

Other than that, life is pretty much the same. I'm excited for fall, and I hope our summer doesn't extend too far into it. I hope everyone else is doing well.

Monday Motorcycle Mania

So, last night was a nice evening and Steve and I thought we'd take a little drive on the motorcycle. We opted for Parley's because we haven't done many canyon runs together, and that one isn't too twisty. We decided we'd go up Parley's head out past Jordanelle, drive around Kamas a little, and head home. If only things had gone that smoothly...

The ride up Parley's was uneventful, if you don't count the huge cold pockets at the summit. We headed down the other side and made our way past Park City. All of a sudden, I saw Steve shake his head and pull off to the shoulder. Not knowing what was going on, and thinking something was wrong with the bike I got off and noticed that there was a Highway Patrol officer behind us. One speeding ticket later, we were back on the road to continue our journey.

We, uneventfully, made it the rest of the way, stopped for a break in Kamas for some water, and headed back for home. By this time it was dark and starting to get pretty cold. Not to mention we were both a little saddle sore from a fairly long ride. As we were going home things were going fairly smoothly. We went back past Park City, Jeremy Ranch, and headed back up Parley's. We'd just gone over the summit when the bike started to sputter. And then it died. We coasted our way to the side of the road, just at the top of the Lamb's Canyon on-ramp.

Steve attempted to restart the bike several times, to no avail. He flipped it over to the reserve tank... still nothing. We stood there for a bit, hoping someone would stop, and knowing no one would. We were right around a bend, and most people couldn't see us until they'd passed. Steve had just decided we'd have to coast down the shoulder until we got to the bottom of the canyon (not something I wanted to do, a little too dangerous for my taste), when I noticed 2 sets of headlights on parked cars at the bottom of the on-ramp.

After making a quick decision that serial killers wouldn't be hanging out there, we walked down and asked for help. The first car drove away without even an, "I'm sorry." The second car, however, happened to have 2 empty seats and the willingness to help us out. They drove us clear back to the Jeremy Ranch gas station, took us back to our bike, hung out to make sure we got the tank filled and the bike started, and then offered to drive the gas can back to the store and meet us there.

Needless to say, we were extremely grateful. Who new that our rescue crew would be 3 barely legal, foul-mouthed, chain smokers from Park City. Nevertheless, we were grateful that anyone was willing to help at all... especially as much as they did. So, a big "thank you" to Walker, Carson, and black tank top kid for taking pity on two stranded people.

I think it's time that Steve fixes the gas gauge on the bike, how about you?

Why We Suck

Dear Dr. Denis Leary,
I am writing to tell you that your book on CD Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Being Fat, Loud, Lazy, and Stupid nearly killed me this weekend. It's true, I wouldn't lie to a doctor. Let me tell you how this came to be:
I was at the library and wanted to find something entertaining to listen to on an upcoming road trip. I happened to glance down and see Why We Suck on display. I picked it up, read the synopsis on the back, and decided that it would be my book of choice.
Anyway, back to how I almost died. There I was, cruising along at a cool 80 mph, casually taking a sip from my water bottle, when you began expounding on the subject of "celebutards". I, quite unceremoniously, snorted water up my nose and nearly drove myself off the side of the road. And that was just the beginning of the laughter.
While I find your politics laughable, your language abhorrent, and your views on Jesus downright offensive, I tend to agree with you on almost everything. I particularly enjoyed your conversations with your mother. She sounds like the kind of mother that everyone should have, even with her strange obsession with "terrible cancer."
I also very much enjoyed, and agree with, your view on child-raising. I, too, feel that whenever possible the father should be out supporting the family, and the mother should be at home raising it. While I, like you, know that this is not always possible, it is something that should be carefully thought about and tried for... even if it means going without some of life's little pleasures sometimes. My children will never have a nanny, and hopefully they'll always think of me as Mommy, and not someone else.
In short, I would just like to thank you again for saying the things that most of our society is too politically correct to say... or too dumb to know are true. Thank you for your, sometimes brutal, honesty. Most of all, thank you for the laughs.
Your new-found fan,
Annicka

August is Awesome

Oh my goodness, I didn't realize it'd been so long since I'd updated!

August is a pretty busy month for us, it includes our anniversary, Steve's birthday, and a few other things.

The first Saturday in August we went out with some friends of mine from work to see a coworker sing and play at the Tin Angel restaurant. The food was to die for, and Kris' music was incredible. From cover songs, to her own original pieces, the woman knows how to rock. Thanks friends, for a fun night out. It was also the first time Steve and I took the bike out together this summer. I have no desire to drive one, but I love riding on the back... especially in my cute pink argyle helmet.

Since it was our one year anniversary we decided to go away for a night. (Actually, we got a free night for going to some spiel about vacation time shares and booked it for our anniversary.) So, the Sunday before the big day we took a lovely drive up Ogden Canyon to stay the night at the Alaskan Inn. It was really nice, since it was a Sunday night we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Our room was aptly named the Hook Line and Sinker Suite. Everything in the room was fishing oriented. It was pretty cute. The best part, though, was the fact that I got to take a nice soak in a giant jetted garden tub... while drinking sparkling cider.

For our actual anniversary we made dinner reservations at Epic in Midvale. The food was delish, the atmosphere was great, and the live music rounded it out. Only downfall to the evening: watching the obviously pregnant woman at the table next to us down half a bottle of wine all by herself. Can anyone say Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Then, the Tuesday after our anniversary, was Steve's 30th birthday. I love being able to tease him that he's old now. (He's not, 30 is the new 15, or something.) We didn't do anything for his birthday cause I had to work that night, but I told him that this weekend we were going to see a movie with some friends. Really, I had a surprise party planned. We had a lovely time with food, friends, babies, puppies, and cake. He was totally surprised, he had no idea that I'd planned anything. The only regret is that more of our friends couldn't make it. Thank you so much to those of you who took time out of your busy lives to come wish my hubby a happy birthday. The realization that this party brought to me, though, is that I really don't see some of my friends often enough. I'm going to make more of an effort to initiate social activities from now on.

The other big excitement of the month is Mom and Pops' new puppy, Ruby. She is an adorable Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix. She's succeeded in winning over everyone but Gracie-girl. She's also succeeded in making me baby hungry... for any species.

I'm sad that Mac is going back to school next week. We didn't get very many chances to go on field trips this summer, but the ones we did take were a lot of fun. I'm excited for him to be starting this new chapter in his life as a junior high student.

I can't believe we're already coming up on the end of summer, I think it went way too fast this year. I hope you all are enjoying what's left, and if anyone wants to play... Call Me!

Shhh...

So, my wonderful hubby turns 30 next month. For some reason, I've got this idea in my head to throw him a surprise birthday party. Crazy? Yes, I just might be. Luckily, he's a pretty easy guy to keep a secret from, mostly because he's got the memory span similar to that of a goldfish.

The problem is this: I'm running out of time. His birthday is on the 11th, which is a day I work. This means we're going to have to aim for either the weekend before or the weekend after. I'm probably going to go with the weekend after just to give myself more time.

I'm thinking I'll just keep it simple. Probably a barbecue, some friends, some music, and maybe some games. I'll probably have to borrow my parents house since, let's face it, our apartment is not exactly ideal for entertaining large groups of people. Oh, and the best part of the idea? I'm going to attempt to make him a motorcycle cake. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, anyone want to come party with us?

Life is Good

There are a lot of negative people in this world. I, sometimes, have a tendency to be one of them. This is something that I'm seriously working on. I don't like being a pessimist, I don't like looking for the worst in situations, and I don't like complaining. I also don't like listening to it from other people.

Lately, it seems, there has been an influx of negative people in my life. They never see anything good in a situation, they never have anything good to say about a person or situation, and every day is bad. Really, people, is life that bad?

I get it, bad things happen to good people. Sometimes life just plain-out sucks. But for most of us, the day to day is better than bad. Don't get me wrong, I know that we all have bad days, trials, and things we'd rather not experience. Just keep in mind that experiencing those "negative" things will breed blessings. Most likely, the bad days will make us more appreciate the good ones, or even just the normal ones.

So, sometimes it's not a matter of glass-half-full or glass-half-empty, sometimes it's a matter of being grateful that you have a glass to put liquid in. Sometimes it's a matter of walking a way from a closed door on an opportunity, and realizing that while you might not see the open window right away, it's generally there waiting for you to find it. Sometimes it's a matter of crying because you're laughing, dancing in the rain, and smiling for no apparent reason.

Really, what it comes down to, is realizing that despite the bad, Life Is Good.

Field Trips!!!

Ok, one of my most favorite things about summer is that Mac and I get to go on a field trip every week. Due to family vacations and such we didn't start until last week, but we had a blast! We decided to go to the International Peace Gardens and Gilgal Garden. It was a good time. Rather than tell you all about it, I'll just give you a slide show so you can see for yourself!

A lot to say today

Man, it's been awhile, and a TON of stuff has happened in the past few weeks. I'll start with Panguitch...

Panguitch Lake was, as always, a blast. We fished (although we didn't catch much), camped, shot guns, ate good food, hung out by the fire, and spent lots of great family time together. Steve and I stayed in the tent that we got for our wedding, and it was cold!!! We decided to stay at Grandpa's Brian Head condo for Saturday night, it was a wise decision on our part. It actually worked out well for Sunday, so we weren't trying to get 7 people through a shower the size of a postage stamp before 10 a.m. church. Speaking of church, it was awesome! Last year when Zach was ordained an elder, we did it at the Panguitch Lake Branch. Well, the branch president overheard us singing a song as a family (we're moderately vocally inclined) and decided that this year we'd be in charge of all of church. Ma and Pops spoke in sacrament meeting, along with Mac and Josie. We did a choral number as a family, which brought several women to tears (I hope good ones!), and then we dismissed for auxiliary meetings. Maddie and I were in charge of primary. There were so many kids there! It was great to be in a primary where the kids actually know the songs and like to see them. We did a little Father's Day activity with them, and then headed back to camp. All in all, it was a great trip, and a much needed vacation for us all.

After we got home I got it in my head I needed to go to the temple. I wasn't sure why, I just felt like I needed to do a session. So, Thursday morning I decided it was time. I got all ready to go, and started to drive. About halfway to the Jordan River Temple I thought, "Hmm, I hope it's not closed for cleaning, I forgot to check." Well, I got there, and lo and behold, it was closed for cleaning. So I made a snap decision to head for the Draper temple. I couldn't remember how to get there, so I pretty much just drove toward the steeple on the hill. I finally made it, but had just missed a session. I didn't mind, though, one of my favorite things to do is sit in the chapel and listen to the music. As I was sitting there the organist abruptly shifted (mid-song, might I add) from hymns to primary songs. It was just what I needed. I felt so spiritually uplifted and rejuvenated for the days to come.

Lastly, my mom informed me this past week that in September there was going to be a girl's trip to New York City to see Wicked and for my Grandma Mary's 70th birthday. She invited my sister and I to come along and we readily agreed. Well, this weekend we started shopping for trip packages and I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to afford the trip. I decided to take a night to talk it over with Steve and to sleep on the decision. This morning upon waking I let my mom know that it just wasn't going to be possible for me to come, we had too many other expenses to cover this summer. My parents looked at each other and said to me, "We'll cover your hotel cost. All you need to worry about is your airfare. We're proud of you for thinking it over and making a wise decision, but this is a once in a lifetime trip and we want you to experience it." Ok, seriously? I have the greatest parents ever! They've even offered to give me a monthly payment plan to pay off my airfare a little at a time. So, come September, this little girl gets to visit the Big Apple!

Mac and I started our weekly field trips today... more on that later. I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine (finally) and having a fantastic summer!

Blogging Slacker

I am officially a blogging slacker. Really, our lives are pretty much the same as always. So, on that note, I'll just share a few random facts about myself:

I have an aversion to turning right into parking stalls.
I am growing a cilantro plant in my living room window. It's out of control.
I really, really hate Wal-Mart, and yet continue to shop there for the low prices.
I'm not a violent person by nature, but sometimes when I get annoyed, I want to kick people.
I have a difficult time reading historical novels. Jane Austen is so not my style.
I want to write a book. Maybe someday I'll start on it.
I'm a stress baker, and cleaner, and shopper. Yeah, I lose.
I enjoy wearing patterned socks to work.
I biffed it in a patient's room the other night. He laughed at me.
I have a slight obsession with Gerber Daisies.
I am a fountain of random knowledge. Ask me for a random fact next time you see me.
I feel bad that I don't spend more time with my friends, but have a hard time initiating a get together.
I have about 15 sewing projects that I need to get underway.
I love being out on boats. I'll leave the fishing to the men, just let me relax in the bow.
I have 3 very unique siblings. I look up to them all, even the short ones. :)
I have a thing for musicals. So does Steve, it's ok.
If I could live everyday in a tshirt and jeans, I would.

That's enough from me. What's something random about you?

To Hell in a Handbasket

Yesterday I had the lovely opportunity of spending the better part of 2 hours in Hell (aka the Social Security Office). I got a new card after Steve and I got married, but it went through the wash so I needed yet another new one.

There are many, varied, and unusual (thank you Ms. Martindale) sorts of people to be found at the Social Security Office. The first example of humankind at it's finest was the man sitting next to me (brain injured wife in tow) who quite obviously did NOT know the meaning of the word shower. After going outside for multiple cigarette breaks, he decided it was time to fill out the necessary paperwork for obtaining a card. He answered the standard questions: name, date of birth, address, etc, and then came to the question of Place of Birth. He thought about this for a moment, wrote in Valencia, and then asked me in all seriousness, "Do you know how to spell California?" He then proceeded to tell me that he needed a social security card to get a state i.d. so he could prove who he was when he went to court next week. And he wasn't even the best story...

Sitting about 4 people down from me was a young woman of about 18. She arrived just ahead of me, and so we spent about the same amount of waiting. After about 45 minutes of waiting for her number to be called she began to get quite antsy and impatient. She squirmed around, stood up, sat back down, lathered, rinsed, and repeated. After she became quite agitated she began to yell, "This is ridiculous! I've been waiting here for an hour and nobody has called my number! I don't have all day people! No one should be kept waiting this long for a stupid piece of paper!" Everyone in the place was giving her a wide berth and strange looks at this point. One brave soul leaned over and said, "Honey, we're all waiting here together, and we all have other places to be. We just have to wait for our turn." This seemed to calm the girl down momentarily until a woman came in carrying a pink slip of paper that allowed her to jump right to the next open window without waiting for her number to be called. This pushed our little friend right over the edge. She jumped out of her seat and started screaming, "Are you kidding me?! I've been waiting here forever, what gives that stupid girl the right to jump in line in front of me?! If one more person jumps ahead I'm going to start bashing heads in!" (She used much more colorful language than that, but I felt it inappropriate to repeat here. This is a family blog after all.) At this point the security guard decided to intervene from behind his glass. Something about the uniform must've scared her because she didn't utter a peep the rest of the wait.

After this lovely experience I got to go hear Mac play in the Elementary School band and orchestra concert. For being the only string bass player he did really well. As the band teacher was introducing each section they'd raise a hand or a bow to show the students who was who. So, the band teacher says, "Bass" and instead of raising a hand or a bow, what does Mac do? He flashes the "rock on" sign at everyone. Like this for example:
Apparently a little known fact of playing the string bass is that it makes you hard core. Who knew? He's also mastered the bass spin, although at this point it's more a nervous habit than anything.

I'm getting ready for our field trips this summer. We've already got a few cool places planned, and I'm taking a class next week about fun, free things to see and do in Salt Lake. I'm going to try and get us out to see things we haven't yet.

I'm pretty excited about the warm weather, but not so excited about the fact that now that it's warm our downstairs neighbors feel the need to do laundry every night. Considering that it's an older building we all share a dryer vent system, which means anytime they do laundry our apartment turns into a sauna. So not fun, but what can we do.

I think that's about all for now. I hope you're all enjoying the beginnings of summer as much as I am!

Update-a-licious

Things are still going well for us. Since I lost my internet access at work my blog life has slowed down a bit, but one of my nice coworkers is lending me hers for a few minutes (Thanks Carrie!). Our ceiling is finally finished. They cleaned the carpet and the couch on Monday, hallelujah that's done! However, when they cleaned the carpet they didn't bother to remove any of the black spots the workers tracked in over the 6-week course of fixing the ceiling. All I can say is, after everything we've been through here (and still planning on staying for probably another year) we'd better get our deposit back. Sometimes I get really antsy and start wishing we had a home of our own, and then I remember that anything that goes wrong with a home of your own, you get to fix. Including caved in ceilings. So we'll tough out apartment life awhile longer.

We got a chance to talk to Zach on Mother's day. That was really awesome. He sounds so great and like he's really found his niche in Hawaii. I'm sure he's a fantastic missionary. Just for kicks and giggles, however, is part of the conversation he and I had on the phone that afternoon.
Z: When I get home we'll totally have to come back here for a vacation as a family.
Me: Yeah, that sounds like fun but I don't know how well it'll work for Steve and me.
Z: Why is that?
Me: Well, we're planning on getting pregnant around the start of the year, so you could very well come home to a neice or nephew.
Z: Awesome! Here's what you should do... Just get pregnant in like February, that way we can do the 9 month countdown together!
Me: There will definitely be paper chains involved.

It was good times. My little bro is planning out my fertility-future. Shall we see how his plans hold up? Also on Mothers Day my l'il primary buds got to sing in sacrament meeting. I was incredibly worried about this. They practiced hard in Primary that day, and when the time came to go up to the stand I was surprised that even some of my Sunbeams that don't usually participate came up. Steve was sitting in the back row and he said he could barely hear the kids (I consider this quite an accomplishment since he doesn't hear me when I'm sitting next to him most of the time). All in all, it was quite a success. Now to get ready for Fathers Day...

I'm totally digging my new haircut. Part of me wishes it were a little shorter, but I still love it. It's so fast and easy. Curly hair is definitely my new best friend.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather as much as I am!

Not quite THAT big...

My you all think big, but I'll end your suspense. The change is...



A new hair cut! Almost 2 inches off the total length, and a TON of layers all over. Here's a preliminary picture, I'll post more when I've actually done it.

Change is in the air..

I can smell it coming.

What do you think it will be?

Dental Fun

So, I got a notion into my head about a month ago that Steve and I needed to get in to see a dentist. I hadn't been in about 18 months, and it'd been more than 7 years for Steve. Well overdo, right? Anyway, I researched some dentists that accept my insurance, and discovered that my childhood dentist would take us. I was ecstatic! As a dentist he's fantastic. So, I made us appointments, and that's where the saga begins...

We went in last week for new patient visits. I had a cleaning done, some impressions taken, and discovered that I had a new cavity that needed filling. No big deal, right? Well, then comes Steve's news... mild periodontal disease. Lovely. He needed deep cleaning done over the course of 2 weeks, antibiotics injected into his gum line, and another check up in 6 weeks. It was also decided that my metal fillings would be replaced with the white stuff. Ok by me. Good thing we have a savings account. Anyway, we both made appointments for the next week and went on our merry way.

We returned today for the second half of Steve's deep clean and antibiotic treatment, and my filling replacement. They took me back first and got started on numbing me up... quite an achievement, apparently. It took on shot in my bottom jaw, three for my upper right, and two for my upper left. I'll take the shots over being able to feel the drilling, though! Anyway, long story short, they finished up his cleaning and my fillings and started to send us out the door. But wait! They needed new bottom impressions for me. So, we took the impressions, and started to send me out the door again. Hold on! They needed new top impressions, too. So, they finally finished all of the work, we paid our bill (don't ask how much, you don't want to know!), and we were on our way.

Only problem? Steve apparently had to be numbed for his antibiotic injections, so he can't feel his tongue or any part of his lower lip or chin. I'd take that, though, since I can't feel anything on the right side of my mouth, or the upper left side. I try to smile and I look like a stroke victim.

I guess it's a good thing anesthesia wears off...

It's poker, not poke her.

So, we had a pretty uneventful weekend, but still pretty fun filled. Saturday night was our ward party consisting of a chili cook-off and quick wits. I must say, my chili was delightful even if it didn't win the $1 grand prize. Pretty much anyone who knows me knows that I am anti-tomato, so I decided to find a recipe for a spicy, tomato-less, crockpot chili (no, I am not demanding!). After searching what felt like every grocery store in the city for a dried habanero pepper (and not being able to find one), I settle for a different kind. I don't know what it was, but my chili still had some bite to it. This was the first ward party we'd attended with our ward, even though we've been in the ward almost 9 months, and I must say that it was a blast. Way to go Heidi and Marcus for putting together a fun Saturday night for us.
The next day at church I spent the morning wrangling sunbeams into singing. We've only got one more primary session to practice before they sing in Sacrament meeting for Mother's Day, and they are nowhere near ready. I think the teachers may be helping out with our performance. Anyone have any good ideas on how I can keep them entertained but still ingrain into their little brains the songs for the program?
On Sunday night we successfully climbed out of the newlywed abyss by accepting an invitation to Sunday night poker night (I know, seems wrong somehow) at the Wings. It was a good time. The boys played poker while the girls sat around and ate leftover candy and chatted. It feels good to have some friends in our ward that are in similar life situations to us. Too bad they're all buying houses and moving away, hopefully we can keep Sunday nights alive even after they scatter.
Our ceiling is coming along nicely. They've got the tape, mud, and texture done. They were supposed to paint this afternoon, we'll see what it looks like when I get home. I'll be pretty excited to have this particular apartment adventure over with. Hopefully with the new roof we won't have to worry about any more cave ins.
Well, I think that's all I have to update on for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the warm sunniness while it lasts!

Not quite fiddler on the roof

So, we had a pleasant surprise upon returning home Saturday evening... the Ceiling Fairy (aka the maintenance dudes) had come at some point during the day and patched our impromptu skylight. They also had put our furniture back in it's regular spot, vacuumed, and generally straightened up. They still needed to tape, mud, texture, and paint, but it was a start. They left us a lovely note saying that they would be back on Monday to do the tape and mud. Well, Monday rolled around and we had about a bazillion things to do, so we took off with hopes of returning to another Ceiling Fairy completed project. Alas, this was not so.

Tuesday morning as I was leaving for the gym I ran into one of the maintenance guys in the hallway and he informed me that due to our issues they were going to be re-roofing the whole building. Now, in general, I love the idea. I'd rather not have anymore cave ins, leaks, etc. Only problem, I sleep during the day. All through nap time yesterday and trying to sleep this morning I laid in bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, and wondered how it was possible for two grown men to sound like a herd of elephants. I still don't quite know the answer to this question.

Anyway, yesterday it sounded like they were making something fall in my laundry room while they were stamping around upstairs. So, I decide to take a quick peek to see what the ceiling in there looks like... Lo and behold, we're on the verge of another cave-in. So, I had Steve call the management and leave, yet another, message. You think after all of this someone would have the decency to return a phone call (maybe they're afraid of what we'll say to them on the phone), but alas we never got a call back. So, this morning he called again and was able to leave an emergency message for whoever holds the magic pager. The phone call was never returned, but I have evidence that they came and checked out the ceiling. Granted, they didn't do anything about it, but they've at least seen that we're about to have another impromptu skylight.

Needless to say, our living room ceiling still isn't finished (we're waiting on texture and paint). They did, however, say that when they are all finished they will pay to have our carpets and couch cleaned. I wonder when that day will finally arrive.

In the meantime I think I've developed a twitch.

No, I wasn't planning on a skylight...

So, our living room ceiling had been bowing for about a week. After three unreturned calls from the management, this is what we ended up with this morning:

Yes friends, that is my living room ceiling. No, we weren't planning for a skylight.

Let the Games Begin!

So, Mac and I have a tradition of going on one field trip a week during the summer months when he's out of school. This works out well for both of us cause it gets me out of the house in the daytime, and it gives my mom a chance to get things done without him underfoot.

Anyway, today was our first field trip of the season, he's off for spring break. We decided to go to the Clark Planetarium and see the Imax 3d movie that Jim Carrey narrates. It was really cool. I enjoyed the movie, and I always enjoy a trip to Gateway.

Anyway, Mac and I were trying to decide what we want to do this summer on our weekly field trips. So, once again, I'm turning my blog over to you...

Where would you suggest we go? What cool places have you found in the city that are worth checking out? What things in Salt Lake do you think every person needs to visit or see at least once?

Help a sister out!

Last one

This has been a lot of fun, and I'm more than happy to keep answering any questions sent my way, but for now this is the last one I've received.

Talina asks:
"For my question, where do you see yourself in 10 years? You can do realistically, best-case-scenario, awesome dream fantasy, or all of the above ;)"

Alright, get settled, cause this could be a long one. Just for the record, 10 years from now I'll be 34.

Realistically, we'll be in a house with a yard. We'll most likely have 4 kids. I'd like to have 2 or 3 of our kids be biological children, and 1 or 2 of them be adopted. I would love to be able to take in some children that need a good home to live in. If we're not able to adopt, then I'd definitely love to take in foster children. At this point I'd like to have my bachelor's degree. As far as my career goes if I'm still doing floor nursing I'd like to just be working part time so I can be home with kids as much as possible. Ideally I'd like to be working at a doctors office or an insurance company so I can be home when my kids are home. No matter what else happens, I'll be happy. :)

Really, my dream fantasy would be close to what my life will be like in the realistic scenario. About the only thing that I would change, is that job-wise I'd be working for a plastic surgeon, assisting in surgeries and working in office. I'd be living in our dream house, built on an acre somewhere not too far from Salt Lake City. We'd both be driving our dream cars, working our dream jobs (I know what mine is, I don't think Steve has any clue what his is), and raising well-behaved and intelligent children.

Okay, I know this post was kind of lame, but really, this was kind of a hard question to answer. You should try it for yourself...