Cancer Sucks

Hailey & Mom, Dad, brother, sister

Kamdyn in hospital
Cancer is sure rearing it's ugly head alot. Recently my niece Hailey was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and is currently halfway through her chemo. (If you want to read about her journey, go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileyolson/journal - she's been journaling throughout this trial). Tonight is the 2010 Light The Night Walk at Target Field in Minneapolis. She and her family and many friends are going to participate in it to raise money and try to bring attention to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My brother ordered t-shirts that say CANCER SUCKS on the front and Hailey's Hope on the back. I ordered one for me so that even though I'm not there to walk with them, at least I can lend a little support. My sisters-in-law Beth and Michelle are both cancer survivors as are my good friends Lena and Teresa. I know many other people that are cancer survivors (my dad had bladder, prostrate, and skin cancers, yet he died from something completely unrelated.) I so admire their strength and courage as they battle this ugly disease.
This past week Krysta called to tell me her niece Kamdyn (Todd's sister Lindsey's 3-year old daughter) has been diagnosed with a rare kind of liver cancer and was started on chemo right away. Her tumor is the size of a grapefruit. A special fast was held for her today - it's always nice when you can help out by participating in a fast. Our thoughts and prayers go to her and her family.

Where Did This Past Week Go?!

Sheesh! I can't believe it's already Sunday again. I remember one of the kids saying when on their mission that it seemed like some days went by slowly yet the week would fly by. That's kind of how I feel right now. The days this past week didn't drag as they were very busy, but the week absolutely flew by. I can't believe a week is gone already. Because I didn't have to get up early for anything today, I didn't! Even though I was awake, I stayed in bed because I could!!!
This past week was a busy week. Besides working Mon - Thurs 8-3, I worked Wed - Sat at my friend's craft show - The Holy Cow Boutique. I love love love working there. First of all, it's fun to work with the people I do, I get to see friends come through the line and also see people whom I only see at the boutique, I get to see the fun stuff the customers have found in the crafter's booths (I don't care how many times you walk through this show, it seems you never see it all!), and I get to buy things I wouldn't ordinarily buy!!!
Today will be another busy day - I teach the lesson in Relief Society (Pres. Monson's talk "He Is Risen" from the October conference). The kids are coming over later for Tonya's birthday dinner and that will be fun to have everyone here.
When I was growing up we had a tradition of going out to dinner for our birthday's at Jack's Supper Club or Turtle River Supper Club (those of you from Bemidji will remember those places!) and we also got whatever dessert we wanted (I always had a 2 layer white cake with either lemon or raspberry filling and white frosting. Funny, today I wouldn't pick that although I still do like that dessert!).
I've carried that tradition on somewhat. We couldn't afford to take the kids out when they were little so we let them choose the foods they wanted for their birthday dinner - main dish, dessert, etc. They also didn't have to do dishes that day. Today I still fix what they want and they still don't have to do dishes for that dinner. We've included the sons-in-law also now and have them pick what they want to eat for their birthday dinner.
Tonya has requested chef's salad (she's always liked salad. When she was as young as 4 years old and went out to eat with Dave's parents she was told she could have anything on the menu - she picked a salad. What 4-year old picks a salad?!!), turkey burgers (I'll make a few of those but will have hamburgers for the majority), fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, and malts. I'm also going to make deviled eggs and a pasta salad. We won't be lacking for food, that's for sure.
I love my family so much, and I'm so proud of each and every one of them - the direction their lives are going, their accomplishments, and the way they've triumphed over the trials that have come their way. They are good people, and I am truly blessed. It will be a fun evening.

One Week Down, Not Sure How Many To Go!

I decided last Sunday I wanted to feel good again about how I looked. I'd worked so hard last year to lose weight and had been quite successful. I'd kept working out and eating right - even through the holidays. Then, while still working at JetBlue (wow, that seems a lifetime ago and yet it's been only a few months) we changed from one reservation system (Flight Speed) to a new one (Sabre) at the end of January. Mandatory overtime went into effect for all of February - 7 hours/week for the first 2 weeks and 4 hours/week for the 2nd 2 weeks. I was in the Groups departmet at the time and ALL shifts had to be worked at the center. My schedule was 7-3:30 Wednesday - Friday, so I started going in so I'd work my overtime before the shift started. I got up at 3:30 am and was on the road to Salt Lake between 4:00 and 4:15. It's a half hour drive to the center and traffic wasn't bad at that hour of the morning, but on the way home it would usually take at least 45 minutes. By the time I got home each day I was tired, and didn't go to the gym to work out (I'm one of those that if I don't go in the morning, I don't go). I also got lazy with watching what I ate (I'm so much more careful about what I eat when working out) so some of that weight I'd worked so hard to get off found it's way back. I got discouraged and have been very disappointed in myself for allowing it to creep back on. So, Sunday I said "NO MORE" and decided to start exercising again and eating right using what I'd learned during the 100-Day Heart Challenge.
Monday morning rolled around and I just couldn't get out of bed early enough to go to the gym. I did eat right that day, however. But, Tuesday morning I made myself get out of bed. I want to be down as much as possible before we go to Hawaii. So, this week I went to the gym every morning Tuesday thru Friday, so week 1 is over. I've been careful about what I've eaten - even when working at Holy Cow. I didn't have any of the Big Buns and only 1 piece of Wendy Sue's toffee (love that stuff). I only drank water - no pop (soda or whatever you want to call it). I figure a person can do anything for 6 weeks and that's what's left before we leave. By then, I'll be in the habit of eating smaller portions and healthy food again and will be hooked on exercising.
I do feel so much better after exercising. I've been walking on the treadmill - always kick up the incline as high as it will go, but I'm also doing some running (at no incline). I'm running in a 6k October 9 with Tonya at Thanksgiving Point (I hate to admit I'm not sure which if any of my other daughters are running it too) so I'm trying to get used to running. I try to increase the time running each day so that at least I can run a fair portion of the way. Running's not my forte, but I find as my body gets used to it (and after a certain point) it kind of settles into a groove and I do OK. I'm hoping that as I lose the poundage and get more into shape I'll find it'll get easier to run. Who knows, maybe some day I'll even try a half-marathon. Wait, am I too old for that - we'll see!

Old Habits Die Hard!!

I love cherry Coke - always have. As I've been watching my caloric intake I decided perhaps it would be better to drink diet sodas - at least once in awhile. I found Cherry Coke zero - Yahoo! I could have the taste without having the calories.

However, as church members we've been advised not to drink caffeine because it is habit-forming and not healthy for us. I have decided now it's time to start living right again! So, I made a pledge to myself Sunday night to not drink anymore caffeinated drinks. Wouldn't you know, Monday I totally forgot about that pledge and drank some Diet Coke when offered to me at work. I also drank some of Brian's Pepsi Tuesday night. Wow - I didn't even make it one day!! So, I'm concentrating more on remembering my pledge, and have gone 2 whole days now!!

Interesting side note: when we lived in Minnesota (and after I'd joined the church) I NEVER drank caffeine. In fact, when Tonya was in 3rd grade she had a field day at the high school football field. It was a hot spring and the only drinks they had available for the kids were caffeinated drinks. She went without drinking anything because she'd been taught not to drink caffeine. We moved to Utah just a short time later, and after we lived here for awhile I started drinking caffeinated drinks again.

Travel Necessities

On a recent trip I took my purse along - no biggie right? But, I got really tired of carrying it everywhere I went. I realized I had a bunch of junk in there that I didn't need, especially on a trip. I decided I would find a smaller purse that I would use just for traveling. I found this "pewter"-colored one at Kohl's - on sale to boot. My camera fits in one pocket perfectly, my phone in the other. It also has 2 zippered areas - one that our checkbook and a small notebook will fit into (our passports too, if needed), the other has room for credit cards, cash, and change. The long strap allows me to put it over my shoulder so my hands are free to do whatever. I love it!

Then the zipper on the wallet I have used for a few years now broke. I really liked that wallet, but apparently it was out-dated!! Time for a new wallet, so I headed back to Kohl's and found this one - also on sale. Score!! (I'd bought one at Target but it wasn't big enough to hold what I needed in it so I took it back.) I like this one even better than the one that broke. Only problem is - I don't remember where I put things. It's got more slots and nooks and crannies than the old one did and I don't remember what I put where! Guess it'll take me awhile to get used to it.

The last time we traveled by plane I discovered that the tote I used for my personal item was getting very worn. It has been many places and I guess it's tired of traveling. Dave needed something to use as a personal item (you're allowed one carryon and one personal item to take onboard with you), so we started looking at backpacks. He found these on clearance on REI's website so we each got one. We're going to take these with us when we go to Hawaii in November - 6 1/2 weeks before we leave.

Two Monitors - I'm Cookin Now!

We bought 2 computers just alike a few years ago - one for me, one for Dave. After a few years, he got a newer faster one and we gave his old one to the kids. Well, that one recently died so we were trying to decide whether to get a new hard drive, whole new tower, just what we should do. The kids all have their own laptops, so there's not much reason to get a whole new computer or even fix the old one. (We'd been able to get most of the info off of it before it was totally kaput.) When I'd been working in the center at JetBlue I'd worked at a desk with 2 monitors. I'd been intimidated at first, but when I got used to it I LOVED IT! Dave uses 2 at his job, and finds it so useful. I got to thinking about it one day, and thought - hey, what if I moved that extra monitor into my office. Dave was all for it so Sunday night he hooked them up and got them working and I am now in a very happy place when I sit at the computer!!

Shirley's Rolls

Brie's been working at Shirley's Bakery, and every once in awhile she brings home some of the goods that didn't sell that day. My favorite is their molasses cookies, but I didn't have any to take pictures of - they were already in my belly!! Now that I'm watching calories, am eating smaller portions, and exercising, I probably won't be eating many of those in the next several weeks. (Gives me something to look forward to!)

However, something that's amost as tasty is their dinner rolls - mmmmmm, very delicious. She brought some home to go with our chicken dinner on Sunday, but they didn't last very long. In fact, there were quite a few that didn't even make it to the dinner table!!

Stripling Warriors!

L-R: Tabor Secretan (Cordoba Argentina), Cameron Meacham (Utica New York), Cameron Kirby (Vancouver Canada), Ben Gerun (Seattle Washington), Zach Brady (Riverside California), Mitch Clarine (Halifax Canada), Sean McClean (in front of Mitch - Lisbon Portugal), Braden Frampton (Berlin Germany), Ty Keetch (Joan Passoa Brazil)

In the fall of 2006 Mitch was on the high school football team. After one of the games we got a picture of several of the players together. Soon after graduation they started serving 2 year missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today I went to the "homecoming" of Cam Meacham. He is the 2nd to last one of the group to come home after successfully completing their mission (Sean still has 9 months). I love this picture by Rob Kirby, Cam Kirby's dad.

These are great young men and they are all going to be assets to society during their lifetimes (that includes you too, T-Web). It's been interesting to see them leave as 19 year-old boys and return as men. They've grown and changed and matured in so many areas and in other areas they're still the wonderful person they were before they left. They're still fun and affectionate (love those hugs I get each time I see one of them), but now they're focused on their futures as they go to school, work, and look for their eternal companion.

Listening to Cam speak in church today I could tell that his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has grown leaps and bounds and that he really got to know the Savior and Heavenly Father while serving. I truly love each one of them and the great example they are to each other and to the rest of us.

Organization and Reorganization!

My inspiration is from my daughters' closets and drawers. I can guarantee they didn't get these skills from me!!

I've been trying to get my life more organized lately - hopefully it will last! Dave and I reorganized our crawl space this summer. We put only food storage items down there and moved what was stored there either to the garage or to a storage unit. Before moving them to either of those places, however, I went through all the files, boxes, totes, etc. Holy cow, what a packrat I am! I threw out tons of stuff I'd saved for years - some as far back as 1987 (it was not so kindly pointed out to me by one of our children - Holy crap Mom, that's 23 years! My reaction - I felt like saying - Good for you, you can do elementary math!) I'd saved stories, recipes, instructions on how to make now out-dated crafts, patterns, etc. At the time I saved them I figured I might need them "some day". Well, that was before the internet (yes, there was life before the internet!!) Now most anything can be found on the internet so there's no need to save all that stuff.

I also reorganized my "office". When I quit JetBlue Missy suggested I move some things around in my office/craft room. She's of the mentality that if you don't use it - get rid of it. I, however, hang onto things probably much longer than I should. But, she also has some good ideas of how to organize things. So I took some of her advice and put all sewing stuff in one area, scrapbooking supplies and pictures to be scrapbooked are in another area, and genealogy is in another area. I actually got the top of my desk/table cleared off and instead of it holding things to be filed I'll be able to use it!

We got new carpet in the family room, stairs, and bedrooms earlier this year. I painted the family room and before putting anything back up on the walls, decided to simplify. We don't have as many things on the wall now, and it's actually more serene. We got a new big screen TV and entertainment center, bought a couch and oversized chair at a garage sale, and I love it. There's still a couple more things that I'd like to get - a sofa table for behind the couch and an end table, but I'd like them to match the entertainment center so they'll have to wait a little while as they will have to be custom-made. The entertainment center was made by one of the ward members, so it'll be awhile before we can afford to add those pieces.

It feels good to simplify, but I know I can improve in still more areas. However, Rome wasn't built in a day, and my house won't be organized in a day. It will take several weeks and emotionally letting go of items that have been around for many years. But, eventually I'll get things around here to the point I want them to be at! With my daughters as inspiration and helpers, it may be sooner than I think.

Setting Goals

I have set some personal goals, one of which is to blog on a regular basis. I plan to incorporate thoughts and feelings along with our happenings.
Life is a series of events - some happy, some sad, some trying, some boring, some more meaningful than others! We have our ups, we have our downs. But, I feel truly blessed to live in this beautiful country, experience freedoms of all kinds that many people in the world will never experience. Have you ever thought about that? I wonder why it is that I was born at this time, here in this country, and get to enjoy so many things? I watch TV and see war and severe poverty in other parts of the world and wonder why I'm so blessed.
Another goal is to live life, not just exist, but to truly live. I want to experience lots of what life has to offer and be thankful for those experiences. There are lessons to be learned and ways to be refined still by the refiner's fire. Think of the personal growth that will provide. I want to appreciate ALL the blessings I have, no matter how big or small they may be and to recognize those blessings each and every day.
Henry B. Eyring said: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today? As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.” “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”
I'm going to try to do that on a regular basis. I'm sure I'll find many things I'm grateful for that I hadn't even thought about. There may be days, however, where as Oprah said on one of her shows many years ago when talking about gratitude journals, there may be times when things may not be going so well and I may only be thankful for being able to breathe.
There are several other goals I've set. Some are personal, some will be shared. But, in trying to attain these goals, I will be making progress to improve and appreciate life. Thank you Heavenly Father for all that you have given me.
I love this quote that President Hinckley has been quoted as saying: "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed.
Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.
Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."