Christmas Eve Tradition...

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

It started years ago when they were all little.

Every Christmas Eve they all sleep in the same room and watch a Chrismas Movie.

This year it was "Home Alone"

They are getting a little older and wiser...

They watched part of the movie and then turned it off and went to bed!

CHRISTMAS EVE!

Family, Friends, & Food...

Singing Christmas Carols....

CHRISTMAS NATIVITY...

Snow Day!

Let it snow, let it snow...

We have had snow days in Utah and Wyoming!

Never expected one here, so what do we do on a snow day...

The boys have loaded up and headed to Utah for skiing!!

It is great to live in a town with no snow equipment, a little snow and the town shuts down.

Even the airport is closed and so is I-15 south. We are enjoying the humor.

No one here has a snow scrapper in their car!

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We have SNOW in the desert...

And a REAL Christmas tree this year that smells so good....

I love these little things of the Christmas Season...

It's not me...

The test results are back... it's not me.

My sweet Mike is the carrier of the Factor V Leiden.

Now his siblings and parents are lucky enough to be tested.

Still waiting for the boys results!

Thanksgiving is over but...

This is a great thing my niece sent to me:

Something cool that Xerox is doing If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving, it is one holiday that has not turned commercial.

I love that the Friday after Thanksgiving is called Family day.

What a blessing that we can have a great long weekend being with family & friends.

We have time to think of the abundance of blessings in our lives!

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable."
Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Live in Thanksgiving Daily,"

Sam went to the doctor..

Today Sam went to the doctor, it is part of our quest for Factor V carriers.

I thought since he was 18, he did not need me to go with him.

Wrong!

He told me if I would go all the way to Vienna to take Katie to the doctor.

I could go with him to Charleston Drive. Such a cute boy.

New Church Calling...

I have a new church calling... I was gone for a Sunday and got a new calling. It really was not quite that bad, Mike did run it past me. So I am Cub Scout Committee Chair, whatever that is. At the first meeting they gave me this box of stuff. I was sorting thru and came upon a list of Ten Tips for Tackling the Tears. It made me a little nervous about the new calling. Well anyway I thought it was a pretty good list that we can all use in this stressful world.

My favorite of course is #10, More benefits then I knew of.

Ten Tips for Tackling the Tears
1. Make Time to Relax
Find ways of relaxing. Learn how to meditate or use relaxation exercises. Listen to soothing music. Take a bath. Do whatever helps you relax.
2. Maintain a Normal Routine
As much as possible, try to stick to a normal daily routine. Limit additional responsibilities. Learn to say “No.”
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Focus on whole grains, fruits & vegetables. Avoid excessive sugar, fatty foods and caffeine.
4. Include Exercise as Part of Your Day
Participating in some kind of moderate exercise activity for at least 30 minutes of most days helps relieve stress, boost energy levels, aid sleep and improve mood.
5. Keep a Positive Attitude
Holding positive thoughts, rather than succumbing to a negative one can help in maintaining a positive attitude. Think positive about yourself. Surrounding yourself with positive and inspiring people can help elevate your mood.
6. Participate in Activities you Enjoy
Make time for hobbies and other interests. Read a good book. Garden, knit, be part of a sports team. Keep a journal. Work on crafts. Volunteer your services.
7. Get Enough Sleep
Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night will make it easier to cope with stress. A well rested person is more alert and quick thinking and less irritable, grouchy and tense.
8. Talk with a Trusted Person
Talking with someone about intense feelings when stressed can be helpful. Share feelings with a trusted friend, family member, healthcare professional, or clergy. Sharing the distress helps to lessen the feelings of distress.
9. Learn to Adapt Instead of Control
Accept that there will be situations, events and people that throughout life that you are unable to control. Learning to be flexible, to roll with the punches and ride the waves can help in reducing stress.
10. Remember to Laugh!!
Laughter is one of the best medicines; it releases chemicals into the brain that promote relaxation. People who are able to find humor in life and are happier tend to be more productive, live longer and have less physical problems. Maybe a good laugh a day will help keep the stressors away.

The tests have begun...

Today I had my blood drawn, they took 3 of these little vials.

Mike goes on Wednesday to have his blood drawn.

It is the quest to see who is the carrier of Factor V Leiden.

The doctor said whoever is the carrier will need their family to be tested.

For simplicity sake I hope Mike is the carrier,

there are alot less people in his family that would need to be tested.

They have to "send the blood out" (I am not sure where they are sending it)

so it will take two weeks for the results.

I will keep you posted.

as the world turns....

Thanksgiving Tradition...

One of our Thanksgiving Traditions is to have Pumpkin Waffles for breakfast. When we first started making them, the kids were leary. But now they all love them enough to have them once a year. I have hauled my waffle iron to St. George, Salt Lake & even Breckenridge, Colorado.

The syrup is divine.

Pumpkin Waffles

Mix Together:

2 cup flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. salt

Add:

4 egg yolks

1 c. pumpkin

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 ½ cup milk

¾ cup margarine melted

Beat 4 egg whites till stiff peaks and fold into batter

Buttermilk syrup:

½ cube butter (not margarine)

½ cup buttermilk

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. light corn syrup

Bring to a boil and take off heat.

Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp. vanilla.

It will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure you use a large enough pan to allow for this.

Stir it until it settles.

Enjoy!

Off to a Retreat!

Katie and I are heading to St. George for a weekend with the women in my family.

We will laugh, shop, eat, laugh, make crafts, go to the Temple, and have a fabulous time together.

Here is a picture from last year of some of us at the Tai Pan store.

This Girl's Retreat is an annual event, I have been gone alot this year, but I can't miss this.

I am leaving the boys to fend for themselves once again, but we have stocked up on cereal and frozen pizza... they will be fine.

Family...Life..etc.

It is a great weekend when all my family is home together.

We have Stake Conference this Weekend.
The visiting Authority is Elder Kikuchi.
We went to the Saturday night meeting.

You know you are in a different stage of life when 2 of your 3 children are adults.

Well all 3 kids ended up going to the meeting with us and it was wonderful.


Mike reported that in the afternoon Leadership Meeting. Elder Kikuchi said we all need "our own Sacred Grove". That 6 days a week (sleep in Saturday) we should get up 15 minutes earlier, get ready for the day (shower etc). Find a secluded place, have a prayer, and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon.

It made me think about what I do when I first get up...
How much time do I spend reading blogs as to
how much time reading the Scriptures?
Just something to ponder on this Sunday morning.

Riley & Soccer

Woo Hoo!! The season is over and Centennial is undefeated in regular season games!

Riley's most loyal fans!! We are glad Katie came back for some games.

Mike is also a loyal fan... he took the picture!

Cute Riley #13 our lucky number!

Good Luck in Regionals this week!

There's No Place Like Home!

At times I felt like Dorothy and how hard she worked to get home!

I was wishing I had some of these spiffy ruby slippers...

Never Give Up! We made it...

There truly is no place like home!

Thank you for all your Love, Support and PRAYERS that got us home!

We are very blessed.

Woo Hoo!

We got medical clearance!! We are in London. We fly out early in the morning to HOME!! We are so happy. Katie is actually very tired, but everything went well without a hitch. They have wheelchairs everywhere waiting for her. We walked out of the airport and there was this very nice gentleman with Katie's name on a card and he drove us to the hotel. We are staying at a Hilton, the clerk who checked us in was from Iasi, Romania. So she upgraded our room and we are now in the Executive Lounge. This hotel is connected to the Gatwick Airport which is the one we fly out of in the am. Life is good... 1:30 tomorrow we will be happily home! We are so grateful to Virgin Atlantic and British Airways for giving us clearance to fly!!!

it better be Wednesday...

We are still in the hospital.... and we aren't coming home Tuesday... but now Wednesday is the day. We will really believe it when the plane takes off and is in the air, until then we are still hopeful that it will really happen. We do get to head to London tomorrow though, which will be nice to have a change. We will stay the night there and then fly home Wednesday morning. I am so ready to be home again! Katie is even more ready...

Sunday update...

This is the Sunday Update, it has been a quiet Sunday.. Katie is right now having her last antibiotic IV. She is so happy, then they then can take out the IV.. The Dr has been in and given us all the necessary paperwork, the official Katie is fit to fly paper. We hope tomorrow the insurance can get the rest of the flight arrangements done. We will spend Monday night at the hospital per the doctor request. Katie says, "Dang" She was hoping for some variety in food. To celebrate that we might really leave, we went and bought a chocolate bar at the hospital cafe. I will say Milka chocolate bars give Dove a run for the money. The doctor told Katie to wear those lovely white socks for 6 months. Katie is banking on a second opinion from doctors in the states. She does not want to wear them to Church, and under Capri's. We have had several discussions (Katie terms them lectures) about following doctors orders. She is still holding out for the Doctor at home. I am going with her to the first appointment so I know what the doctor tells her.

Hopefully Tuesday...

We have had a delay in our travel plans. The insurance company is arranging our return home. (and they are paying - woo hoo!) but they can not get medical clearance from the airlines by Monday AM since it is the weekend. So we will probably be flying out Tuesday... So Sad.. The good news, we have found a little fridge in our room in a cupboard. We are so happy, we were tired of drinking room temperature water!

Our Daily Agenda

• 7:00 am Lady brings in fresh water glasses and German newspaper (sometimes they remember that we don't know German and we don't get offered the paper)


• 8:00 am Nurse comes and steals Katie's blood and starts her morning IV of antibiotics


• 8:10 am Breakfast arrives and everyday its the same (not too much to panic about), offered tea and coffee


• 9:30 am Ladies come in and change all of the sheets (they think we need fresh down comforter covers daily)


• 12:00 pm Lunch arrives and Katie picks whatever looks the best (a little scary for me though)


• 1:00 pm Ladies come in and and clean the room


• 2:00 pm Guy comes and tries to sell us magazines for $12 each or more German newspapers


• 2:15 pm Lady comes by trying to give us pedicures (an every other day occurrence)


• 2:30 pm Our afternoon cake is delivered (50% chance that it is edible), offered tea and coffee again


• 3:00 pm Nurse comes in to start Katie's 2nd IV of the day


• 5:00 pm Dinner is delivered (again Katie gets first pick... sometimes she doesn't want either plate)


• 8:00 pm Nurse comes and starts Katie's 3rd and last IV of the day


• 10:00-ish pm We head to bed ready for the same thing tomorrow

For entertainment in between all of the scheduled activities we read every blog that has ever been started, check our e-mail, and read magazines over and over again. Here are pictures of our dinner trays and then the cake they delivered yesterday:

Monday is the day!

Monday is the day we get to go home! The arrangements are being made!

We ventured out of the room today! Woo Hoo! But not without a lot of grief. The nurses were freaking out...and insisted that Katie use the wheelchair. The doctor keeps telling her it is okay to walk a little and there is a garden here at the hospital. The garden is not very far from our room but the nurses would not let Katie walk there. It was just too far. The whole outing was 10 minutes! When we got to the garden Katie thought she could get out of that wheelchair and walk around a little bit... I quickly made her get back in... what if the nurses were watching?!? Katie kept telling me she could walk... but to no avail. So here is Katie enjoying the garden from the wheelchair that she thinks she doesn't need. It was a pleasant morning.

another day in the hospital...

We have had blood drawn, an EKG, chest xray and moved the IV to the left hand. They are still doing antiboitics three times a day through the IV. We are waiting for the doctor to come give us the report and let us know when we can go home. Katie is thinking this hospital stuff is getting real old. She really wants to go home. The doctor wanted to make sure she did not have to go back to Romania. So we both planning on flying home "as soon as they let us out of here". (direct quote from Katie) The two doctors that we have met with are both named Wolfgang..random.. But I guess we are in Austria. Sometimes we are not sure where we are or what day it is. We have finally decided that it is Thursday. All the nurses can't figure out how someone so young could have blood clots. Nor can we. Thanks for your prayers, we will keep you posted.

Well we got the report from doctor. The Ekg was fine, he asked Katie if she was sporty? The chest xray was also good, he noticed she has a curvy spine. After the blood tests she needed to only take 1/4 pill more of Coumadin. He said we would talk tomorrow about when she gets to go home probably next Monday or Tuesday... Woo Hoo - an end in sight!!

We did not do so well on our German Meal ordering tonight, we had a hard time deciding which one was worse. We were not even sure what a few things were. We would smell it, look at it and then decide we were not brave enough to try it, luckily we had good rolls.

Quiet Day...

We have had a quiet day at the Hospital. Katie has had a few naps and I have read. We thought we would add some pictures so you could see where we are hanging out 24/7. We do have a nice balcony and Katie got the go ahead to walk around a little bit. She even ventured outside to see the sun for a minute or two. They took 3 vials of blood this morning and the doctor said they will take more tomorrow along with an EKG. Her dosage of Coumadin the last two days has been the same, 1/2 pill, so hopefully they have figured out her dosage to keep her blood thin enough. The

antibiotic seems to be working, the doctor was pleased with the blood test results. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!