1st Day of School

Today was my first day of school.  I wake up. . .my sinuses are so stuffed and my ears really hurt.  So I go to the clinic and yep I have a double ear infection and a sinus infection.  Not at my best for new experiences.  I bought the meds and came home for a bit of a nap before my first class at 4 pm this afternoon.  Feeling not really better, I load up my backpack (thank goodness it has wheels) and Mandy drops me off at school.  This is sort of a roll reversal in that my daughter is dropping me off instead of the other way around.  I go in to ask the registrar a question, and yep, I am a ditz, I forgot my Student ID card.  So I call Mandy and she brings it to me.(I guess since I had to do all these things for her during High School and earlier, it is pay back time, but you would think I would have learned by now.)  As Mandy and Daniel drive away I get a text message. "Be Honorable, Make Good Choices, We Love You"  This is the message that I have given each of my children as they left each day for school.  It makes me smile and feel so warm and loved.  Definitely a good thing when facing a new challenge. 

My first class we went over all the rules, how to get to the Web CT and what will be expected.  It was pretty much what I expected, except more.  My other class was so different.  It began with the instructor opening the door (there were about 45 of us waiting in the hall) and he said "If you are here for Biology 101, you can come in---or not."  That class is huge.  So he starts right on in with the lecture.  At the end he tells us we can pick up the page of what is expected--or not.  I can hardly wait to see what my other 2 classes are like.  So far I have begun my English class online, my HIT intro class and my Biology class.  It is going to be a full semester.  Right now my brain is so full of information, I am surprised it isn't shooting out my ears like little fire hydrants getting rid of water.  Whoosh!!  Hope the meds work soon.  Oh and the picture up top. . .that is all this new knowledge swirling around in my previously not used much brain.  Pretty, but swirled.  I am really going to have to put a mental file cabinet in my brain to organize all of this learning so I can do good on tests.

Testing, one down, one to go

I finished the first mitt tonight.  I am pleased with the stitching.  I think it is just a bit big for my hand though.  It is sad as the yarn was a gift from a dear friend.  So I guess this pair when finished will be a gift for someone with bigger hands than me--or not, I mean big might hold in the heat better--or not, it could just make a big draft.  I don't know.  I will see when they are both done and I am trying to type with them on.

Summer 2010 Trips, Projects, Life, Etc.

Summer is a fun time, full of things to do, people to see.  This summer was totally full.  I started it out by taking a trip to Utah.  Rachel and Marcus met me at the airport and we immediately went to Artic Circle to eat.  This is becoming a tradition for any of us who travel back west.  It isn't so much the food at Artic Circle as it is the fry sauce.  See people here look at you like you are totally whacked when you talk of fry sauce.  It is a thing of the west.  After eating stuff with my fry sauce, we went to Temple Square were we were searching for

this set of sister Missionaries--Sister Laura Hales, our Bishop's daughter and her companion. 

Rachel, Marcus and I next went on a tour of the conference center.  It is so big.  We really enjoyed the gardens, both on the temple square and on the roof of the conference center. 

Here they are, my oldest babies, Rachel and Marcus Lee.

The next day we went to see Aunt Millie.  It was wonderful to remember with her and discuss family pictures.  For those of you who I have shared with, this is the Aunt Millie of the "Aunt Millie's Most Fabulous Housekeeping System"

She is still so elegant.  It was a too short time out.  After that they took me down to visit with my long time, best friend in the world, Laura.

While there we climbed Mount Timpanogos.  This was a personal triumph for me as I have been so ill over the past year or so and had so little strength.  I am thankful for the increased energy and strength Heavenly Father has blessed me with.  Here is Laura with her family--well those who made the climb with us.

While we were there in Payson, Utah, Laura's daughter called and encouraged us to travel to the local Comfort Inn.  There we saw it.

Yep that is Ratchet from the Transformers.  They were taking it either too or from the filming of Transformers 3.  I can't wait to see this movie.  It is funny because not too long after we returned we attended a model car contest, where Bill entered his model of Bumble Bee.

He didn't win, but it was fun going.  This model won it's class at the last GSL model car contest.  In this contest there wasn't really a class for it to go in so it was entered in the miscellaneous class.  That is like competing with apples, oranges, cherries and grapes.  Not the best situation.  But I got ahead of myself.   Before I left Utah, we attended the Manti Temple and later that night the Manti Pageant.  To finally be able to attend a session in my favorite temple, was fulfilling in a way I can't explain.  The pageant that followed was uplifting and grounding at the same time.  It filled me with joy to be reminded of who I am, where I come from, and why I am here.

After returning home a very good friend of mine got married.  It was my privilege to create all of the flowers for them.

As my friend, now Geri Anderson, loves frogs, I incorporated them into the design of both the bridal bouquet as well as the grooms boutonniere.

The reason she loves frogs is what the word frog stands for.

F--fully

R--rely

O--on

G--God

This week my project is to knit a test pattern, making some fingerless mitts for a designer.  This is really fun and exciting to be testing a brand new pattern.  I am about 1/2 done with the first mitten.  So far I really like it.

I think that brings me current for a couple of days.  It has been a very full summer--full of projects, full of friends, full of time with family--Full of Joy!

Sleepless in St Joe

Sometimes I think sleep is highly over rated.  Here I sit wondering just why I can't sleep.  I have checked all the kidlets (ok so they are NOT so small anymore) and all are slumbering away in the arms of Morpheus.  Me, my mind is just running lists.  Lists of things that need to be done.  Lists of future projects, both work on the house as well as craft.  Shopping lists.  Cleaning lists.  Lists of people I should call to see how they are doing.  Lists, lists, lists.  It just goes on and on.  Bill often tells me that my mind works in a hundred directions at once.  I sometimes laugh at that, picturing in my mind a giant spider web that circles round and round the many spokes that create each distinctive design.  Perhaps he is not so far off after all.  Tonight I can't seem to quiet my mind.  This is crazy, our home is quiet.  The terrible storm of this afternoon is past.  Nobody is out on camping trips--Well Rachel and Marcus are, but they are adults so I am not really worried about them.  All is peaceful with the exception of my mind running constant lists.   Fact is that sleeping is one of my problems.  I spend many nights restless or awake.  My doctor says that it is because I have cared for so many people at night and so don't have proper sleep patterns.  He gave me some exercises for my insomnia, and for the most part they work pretty well.  It is only the odd day out now that I don't sleep when I really want to sleep.  I can still stay up night after night when needed, however as my children have grown and now that I am no longer caring for Ethel, I don't need to stay up each night.  So now I long to sleep.  I will do the exercises once again tonight.  Perhaps soon I will sleep.

Hope

Hope Springs Eternal

This past week has been an adventure in hope.  Josh had his tonsils out 7 days ago.  For a teen this is a painful operation, but do-able.  For Josh nothing is ever simple when it comes to medical things.  Because he is diabetic, they didn't use the steroid that they usually us to keep down swelling.  Steroids and diabetes is a very bad combination--blood sugars act like they are on a roller coaster.  We went home a few hours after his surgery and as per doctor orders kept him pretty drugged.  Wednesday afternoon his throat was really starting to swell inside, so we pushed, forced, encouraged him to eat the Popsicles, and ice water to help reduce the swelling.  It helped a little bit, however by Thursday mid-morning we he started turning blue--fingernails, lips, skin was sort of grey.  Needless to say we rushed him to the Emergency Room.  They gave him a large bolus dose of steroid (and a couple of other meds I can't really remember as the days were starting to run together.  By that time I had been awake since early Tuesday morning.) Breathing is more important than blood sugars. Shortly afterwords he was admitted.  Well the roller coaster had begun, so by the next morning--Friday, Josh was transferred to Children's Mercy hospital in Kansas City.  I have to say that Bill and I both were rather relieved as Children's Mercy is where his diabetic doctors are, and the fact of the matter is that there is such a feeling of hope that you feel as soon as you walk in.  Not too long after we got there, it was decided that Josh would receive another even bigger bolus of steroid and a better pain medicine as well. The rest of Friday and all of Saturday was sort of rocky.  During the early hours of Sunday, Josh's blood sugar stabilized, and we were able to return home early Sunday evening.  At that point I still hadn't slept (fact is I didn't leave his side for more than bathroom breaks pretty much) I want to say that all of the doctors and nurses at both hospitals worked really hard.  They are a rare breed, doctors and nurses--I am thankful for their dedication, but most of all for their compassion.  Josh is doing better and will be able to join his brother and sister at school next Monday.

I have spent a lot of time in hospitals with Josh over the years.   As we were on our required walk abouts (Children's Mercy believes that children heal by doing "normal" things and NOT staying in their rooms, so as long as they are not in isolation, they are expected to go on walk about, even if it is a parent pushing a wheel chair.  The hospital is built for children's exploration, with not only play rooms in each section, but a library, music room, teen room and many halls of art to engage their interest, many courtyards to rest, read or visit with those who come to see you.)  Anyway while we were on our walk abouts, we met and visited with many other  parents and children, some who had spent years being in and out of hospitals like us, others who were brand new.  It filled my heart with joy to help some of these new parents.  Show them where things were, help them with their fears.  The general feeling though was one of hope--even with one girl I learned of.  She has been in the hospital for 5 months.  She has cancer and will probably not live for much longer.  She is a fantastic piano player and her parents have had a piano put in her room.  Downstairs in the main "Moon Lobby" is a grand piano.  I am told that even though she is weak and in great pain, she tries to go downstairs and play the grand piano once or twice each week.  I asked why she did that when there was a piano in her room.  Her parents told me that it because it gave others hope and joy, and that was all she had left to give.  The courage of these sick children fills me with amazement.  This is just one story, there are many.  I guess Josh is one of those now, as new parents were sent to talk with us about our journey in and out of hospitals since his birth.  It is humbling and yet I am continuously amazed at Josh's courage. 

Which brings me to other events--School started this past yesterday.  So far we are encouraged and are looking forward to a full and rewarding year. 

Looking forward, I now have 2 more weeks until I start school.  I am so excited that I can hardly stand it, and yet I am scared too.  It is a new beginning--a time to look to the future.  I fell in love with this picture recently, and was quite surprised when I found out that the name of it is "Looking to the future"