Yes Kids... I Know! Back off!!

So sometimes we as people have typo issues. For example one might want to talk about G.I. Joe, the Real American Hero... and instead type J.I. Joe, who as Peggy pointed out, is his lesser known Democrat Cousin.

G.I. Joe, always the looker

J.I. Joe, his lesser known Democrat cousin

And for the kids, the J.I. Joe plush doll

In case you need many more things to mock me for, my next post will be after I return from Vegas (2008 vaca #2) Saturday with pictures of me and a ferengi.

A Political Post

Let me get this right out of the way: I am a Democrat. I will not try to convert Republicans or berate the beliefs of others... I assume I'll receive the same respect. I tell you I am a Dem up front in case you do not know because I have had a super political week. Last week I decided to order some paraphernalia from the Barack Obama online store. I ordered a hoodie, a Utah Obama pin, and a yard sign. This would probably be a good time to tell you that my father is a staunch, conservative Republican... and we live in the same house. We have a rule (rule #1) that we do not discuss politics. This saves us from numerous fights because we DO NOT agree on most things. In fact calling him a Republican is just a title I can use for him; he says that from time to time they are even too liberal for his taste.

Well my pin and sign came in the mail yesterday (the hoodie is on back order) and I was super excited. I put the sign together and my sister almost broke rule #1 by making a statement about McCain that my father did not appreciate. He started in... to which my sister quickly squashed the fight by telling him she would not fight back. I digress...

So I debated whether to ask if I could put the sign up in the yard. I do not want to assume I can because others live here too. My mother would let me put it up, but I figured since he was already a little hot tempered I would not press my luck. Then I was reminded that if I put the sign in the strip of lawn between our sidewalk and the street he can not say anything because it is not our property, it is an easement from the city. (LOL) For the record, to be respectful, the sign currently is in my room waiting for a time to display it, or I will put it in my car window.

I decided that I needed to become more involved in the election this year because frankly I am tired of how things are right now: the deficit, the economy, the oil prices, etc. I could go on and on. So I signed up to volunteer with the Obama campaign this last week as well.

Well tonight I was sitting playing with my niece and the phone rang. It was a message stating that my Congressman, Jim Matheson, was holding a telephone Town Hall meeting and I could join in. It was great! These Town Hall meetings are a great way for the elected leaders to be able to meet with and answer questions from constituents; the phone Town Hall meetings are a new way of doing this so we still have access to the Elected Official, but he or she does not need to travel on our money. And let me tell you the questions he was asked were not easy ones. I asked a question about what we as average Americans can do who want to be able to own a more energy effective vehicle, such as an electric or hybrid, but can't because they are just too cost prohibitive up front. I think he had some great things to say about what some of the issues are in the country right now and how we can get involved. It energized me to want to do more and really get involved. Congressman Matheson, Utah’s Congressional District 2, by the way, expressed his desire to really be help to his district by doing what we want. So for those who might live in this district, his local office number is 486-1236 and he sends out an e-newsletter also every few weeks, that I have been a subscriber to for a while. The link there will take you to his House of Representatives homepage where you can see what it is he is doing on The Hill and sign up if you want to learn more through his e-newlsetter.

My thought is thus: no matter what party one belongs to, it is important to know what our elected officials are doing. Information is power, and knowing is half the battle (J.I. Joe)

Odd Night

For those who were involved in Birdie you will be interested in this story; for those who were not it will just be a funny mix-up story.

First I should tell you the reality: Austin, who played my Hugo in Birdie, had a cousin pass away yesterday; he was stung by a bee and was apparently allergic to it, he did not make it. They were really very close so he is having a hard time with it, understandably so. These two cousins were close enough to be brothers. Austin has an identical twin brother named Taylor who I refer to as Not Hugo, the two look so much alike the only thing I see different is that Not Hugo has longer hair, their voice is even so similar I can not tell them apart.

So here is how the story unfolded last night:I got a text message from one of the cast members that said: Did you hear that Austin's twin brother died this weekend?
Followed by a second text from another cast member that said: Did you hear that Not Hugo died of a bee sting?

I was struck by a sense of sadness that I could not quite understand. Not Hugo and I had met on a few occasions and he came to every performance of Birdie. He was a great kid, but I did not know him well. I was very sad for Austin because I know they are close and he would need some help. I also felt like I had lost a member of my cast.

So I called the first texter and asked what happened. She told me that Austin was in a show with her and he had missed a rehearsal on Saturday because his brother was in the hospital having been stung by a bee. The director of that show called Monday to see how he was doing, and he had just passed away. So Austin told her that he had not made it. She told the cast, and I got a text. Please to keep in mind that Austin never said, “My twin brother was stung by a bee and died.” He apparently had found it easier just to call his cousin his brother than to explain it was his cousin but they were raised so close they are like brothers… what ever.

My first call was to Candice because I knew that her boss’s kids were close with him and would know what was going on. Then I called Kate to see what the best practice is for letting our cast know about it. She suggested sending out a mass email expressing our condolences to Austin on the passing of Not Hugo and then send a second one without Austin in the bcc telling the cast that we were going to collect for flowers if they wanted to donate. However she suggested actually calling a few key people in the cast to let them know. I tried to call Megs because they were an on-stage couple, luckily she was not there (I would have been mortified to tell her this and then have her be so sad only to call her back and say there was a misunderstanding.) I next called Laren, my BDPAE… or production assistant... because Kate had specifically told me they knew each other well. Laren was shocked because her roommate is a cousin as well. (this is a good thing, because it eventually kept me from sending out the info to everyone) Laren called her roommate to see what was going on, and also talked to Austin. In the mean time I had just gotten a hold of my choreographer Stephanie and was in the middle of tell her the story when Laren called me back. I told Stephanie I would get right back to her. Laren told me what happened and I was relieved. Not Hugo was alive!! Sadly, Austin was having a very hard time with the death of his cousin. I called Stephanie back right away and told her the news. THEN I called Candice and the two people who had sent me the text messages to tell them what had happened and set the record straight.

Right after this I was settling in to finish my final project that was due last night at midnight when my phone rang. I was not going to answer it because I did not know the number, but I am glad I did. The voice said, “Stephanie? This is Not Hugo; I understand you think I am dead.” I screamed for joy that Taylor was not only alive, but calling me. I felt really bad though, that all of a sudden a miscommunication had made a handful of people think he was dead for a time and I was smack dab in the middle of it. Dumb gossip.

Well I see why Austin would have just said “My brother” because I was raised close to my Uncle Lee’s family and his daughter Anna and I are the same age-ish so when I used to baby sit her kids I just called them my ‘nephews’ instead of ‘my cousin Anna’s kids’. They in turn called me Aunt Stephanie.

I am glad that Taylor is fine, I am sad that Austin is struggling, I am sad they lost a cousin. I hereby retire from trying to be helpful when I get death notices via text message!

It was a hard night… it was an odd night!

Picture if you will...

Sunday we had a family reunion with my mom's side of the family. I guess I really do not need to clarify that since my father only has 1 brother, and I have never met him. Story for another day. The Parker Family Reunion was up at a park in Copperton, in the hills by the copper mine west of Salt Lake. We had the park from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. so my family went up early, as we always do. My Aunt Mary's family was there too. So the whole family (100+) had not yet arrived. I was sitting in a camping chair reading New Moon (the second book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer... slower than the first, but just about to get good.) My sister Colleen brought my niece Lottie over and asked me to hold her for a minute while she finished a small project she was working one for the reunion. I laid Lottie on my lap and kept reading.

I had a moment to react but here is what happened next: I had the thought "This chair is leaning back." I put my book down in time to realize that the chair was collapsing. Why is it when you only have a second to react that thought seem to come so very clear? I thought "Grab Lottie and relax, the fall will hurt less." So I put my hands on Lottie's stomach and legs and just relaxed into the fall. I also had time to say out loud, "I am falling." Which my sister Debbie thought rather funny, I did too later... much much later. And then I fell. The legs on the chair just went the wrong directions and I was on the hard ground. My butt hit the cement, my head hit the bench that was behind me, then bounced on the ground, smacked the pole next to me, and my forehead hit the bottom of the bench before I rested in a pool of pain.

Let me first say that Lottie survived the fall unscathed. She had a nice cushioned fall. My first response was to find the first person that got to me and hand her off before the stars started swirling around me. I will be honest, I came dangerously close to passing out. I laid there for a minute to get my bearings and then the hard part came: GETTING UP! What in the world? Okay so I have the best brothers ever. Barry was right there and took my hand. I had to shimmy out from under the bench and became tangled in a sea of broken chair. In hind sight I should have gotten out of the wreckage of the chair first before trying to get up; although the legs were a mangled, broken mess, the rest of the chair was in tact. So the seat was sticking up in the air. Everett grabbed the chair from behind and held it still. Patrick was there ready to help as needed. Barry is a champ and just pulled me up, I did not help much because frankly my head was still spinning a little. Deb gave me an Ibuprofen to combat what surely would be coming: PAIN!

Question: Why do the chairs never collapse on the skinny girl? Why is it always the fat girl? Yes I understand the weight ratio, etc., but seriously!! Just once let it be the skinny girl when a random thing like this happens.

Today I have bumps and bruises to show for it, and a MASSIVE headache. But the rest of the reunion was fun.

I am a follower...

1. YOUR REAL NAME: Stephanie Johnson

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle) Steizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal) Green Fish

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME:(your middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number) Coolidge

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Johst

6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink) Blue Water

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name) Thjprcj (I am a vowel-less Iraqi... I think the J's are silent)

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names) Ann Joe

9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets) Black Patches

Vaca #1, 2008

Recently I went on a girl's birthday weekend away with Candice. We do it every year. Instead of buying a prezzie for one another we go on vaca. This year we went to Park City for Friday-Monday, a bit late in the year for us... we went in June and our birthdays are in January and February. While there we often stayed by the pool reading books, getting a tan, or in my car shopping for homes for when we are independently wealthy (or lost in East Canyon… maps people!)

One day we went for a drive to Heber, grabbed some breakfast; and then sauntered over to the Heber Valley Railroad. The train had left for the day so we wandered around and took some photos. I sometimes like to pretend I can take great artsy photos; most of the time in reality I take decent photos. (My sister-in-law is a photog) So here are a few of the best ones, the ones I really liked. I also need to learn photoshop to touch up the ones I do not like, but have potential. (btw, my sister’s brother-in-law takes some great shots!)

I call it vaca #1, 2008 because I have another girl's weekend away next weekend to Vegas. There might be those who say I have too many vacations planned, to them I say: "Shut up!" (Seriously if you have not see The Drowsy Chaperone and it is playing in a city near you, GO!! That last line is funny if you have seen it and frankly rude if you have not)

Persuasion

Imagine my joy, she is my favorite of the Austen ladies. I also am a big fan of Elinor Dashwood and Elizabeth Bennett, but over all she is my favorite. Loving Captain Wentworth for all those years after being persuaded to not marry him. My heart ...

btw the new PBS Masterpiece movie is my favorite version of this story, although the others are good as well.

Take the Quiz here!

1000

I have had 1,000 hits on my blog... that is kind of cool!

Kind of Snarky

July 24 is a state holiday in Utah to celebrate the pioneers entering the valley of the Salt Lake and, in essence, establishing what we now know as Utah, sharing the land with the original inhabitants the Native American Indians. Many people have the day off of work, as, in fact, I did as well. However, I chose to come into work and trade it to have next Friday off. I was sitting at my desk working, very hard I might add, it was a very productive day, and I get this text on my phone: Happy Morman Holiday!

I pause for a moment

Did I read that right? Morman? What is a Morman? So I figured that it was a day specifically for single girls like me. Those who do not usually get men, do we get more men on July 24 from now on? A little bit bugged because 1) it is spelled Mormon, get it right; 2) it is a Utah holiday, not an LDS holiday... were it an LDS holiday then my friends in Chicago are so very sad they did not get it off of work and those non LDS people I work with here in Utah sure did take advantage of a free day off. (Sometimes I just need to vent)

THEN I went to bed last night at a reasonable hour. I was in bed by 10, and probably asleep around 10:30, not too shabby! (Side bar of information: For those who do not know I am terrified of guns. I have never really liked them and less so in the past 10 years as 2 members of my extended family have lost their lives to those who have carelessly handled life and were murdered. I am not telling you this to get into a gun debate, but more so as information of what happened last night and why I am a little snarky today in regard to fireworks.) So last night at 11:30, me being aforementioned asleep, was suddenly and rudely woken with 3 loud BANG, BANG, BANG. My heart still races thinking about it. May we have a moratorium on late night fireworks please? I do think that the fireworks (sidewalk of fire) that start at 9 or so when the sun goes down are very appropriate and often fun. But a note to you punk kids who fire off illegal fireworks at inappropriate late night times: KNOCK IT OFF! There is a reason that some fireworks are illegal: for evidence of this please see the mountain by BYU. Those firecrackers that sound like an AK47, are not a good idea at 11:30 at night, jerks. Also they are not a good idea outside the window of the snarky single fat Morman girl who is terrified of guns and not in the mood to deal with your crap.

And exhale, end of therapy session! Thanks…

In an attempt...

So I recently booked a trip with some girlfriends to Vegas (next week... holla!) We are going with the express purpose of seeing the Star Trek exhibit at the Las Vegas Hilton before it closes September 1. I was wondering if this made me an official geek. I had heard there was a test online for such a thing (1% of this score is because I knew there was a test online for such a thing... thanks Peggy) but over all I think that I survived my upbringing by geeks and living with 2 VERY geeky brothers for years and years.

btw, the major bulk of this score was because I knew the name of the ship on Firefly!! True that!! I will proudly claim to know my love Serenity! I love you Wash!

For the record we also bought tickets in Vegas to a Cirque show to ungeekify.

11% Geek

Created by

Last Sunday

I had such a great experience Sunday that I wanted to share, and then I forgot to. I teach Gospel Doctrine at church (it is the adult Sunday School class) I have people in my class who taught me in my youth since I live in the ward I grew up in, so it hard sometimes to teach every other week those who, I feel, are more qualified than I. The topic was about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who would one day be called the people of Ammon or the Ammonites. These Ammonites were converted Lamanites and were so very converted unto the Lord that they “never did fall away” (Alma 23:6). In an attempt to show devotion to God they buried their weapons of war and covenanted to never fight again in the flesh. (Alma 24:15-17)

But the point was made that in addition to burying their weapons of war, they likewise buried their weapons of rebellion: “For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.” (Alma 23:7) The class started to talk about the various weapons of rebellion we face today. While these weapons are different for everyone (television, books, magazines, internet, etc) we all have them. The class then came up with a plan to recognize and bury them. Keep in mind that although I was the teacher, this discussion had a life of its own. I did not go into the lesson thinking that this was what I was going to teach. I knew I wanted to touch on it briefly, but it consumed the students and they took over as the teachers. Frankly it was awesome!!

So we decided the first step is to identify what our weapons of rebellion are; this is done by taking our life and giving it to the Lord. We decided that while we might know of glaringly obvious issues we might have as humans, the Lord can help us identify things that we might not know are weapons of rebellion. Second we must accept and admit that we have a problem with something contrary to the Lord’s will. Third we have to admit to the Lord we need His help through prayer; we need to humbly ask for help, strength, and guidance. Fourth, and very importantly, while it is imperative that we pray for help, we MUST act on what we know to be right. Like the Ammonites we need to act and rid ourselves of temptation. One guy said that if we have an issue with watching inappropriate things on the television it is one thing to turn it off, it is another to unplug it, and altogether a different thing to actually carry it out of the house (burying it, if you will.)

So I really started think about my life and what my weapons of rebellion are and how I might rid myself of them and bury them deep in the ground so I am not tempted any more. I came up with one, but do not know how to bury it in the ground. I guess I need to take it back to the Lord and see how He would have me change.

If you had to choose

So I am a fan of the tv show Psych on the USA network. This week Shawn (played by the dreamy James Roday) was hiding in his old room and found a lot of cool things from his childhood: a Furby,shrinky dinks, and an old magazine. Which made me wonder if I could only play with one thing from my childhood, which would it be. I pose the question to you, for scientific fun:

As a child would you rather have played on the Slip 'n Slide or with Shrinky Dinks?

As an adult would you rather play on the Slip 'n Slide or with Shrinky Dinks?

Don't know what either of these are? You might not be a child of the 80's!

Awesome Amber... And Carrie too...

Once upon a time there was a girl named Awesome Amber. If you do not know her, she is awesome; if you do know you her, you know how awesome she is. Awesome Amber's mom cuts my hair, she is awesome too but in a different way because her name is Jenae. So one day Awesome Amber commented on my blog... how did she find me I wonder? So I looked up her blog, and alas one has to be invited to read said blog. So Awesome Amber I wonder why, oh why, you have not invited me to read your blog? my email happens to be sassyjose at gmail dot com (if you are a fan of Jeff Dunham did you sing the end with me? Dot Com!! Jeff-fahfah Dun-HAM dot com!)

Speaking of Awesome...ness... I want to talk now to my Awesome Visiting Teaching Companion, best friend on the street/ward, introducer of fine musical groups, walking buddy, and favorite restaurant-goer-0uter-with person: Carrie. I miss you. One time we each need to stop being so crazy busy so I can go see The Dark Knight with you when you call, we can walk again every week, and hit some Sush-Ex or India House so you can tell me all about MCR and how dreamy Gerard is. (persoanlly I have a crush on Mikey F Way because my dream boats from Drive By were wearing his shirt...) Remember when we went to that concert and I almost died in the mosh pit? Good times, great memories, awesome music. How did you find my blog too? How does anyone find my blog? Inquiring minds want to know.

Lastly today I want to give a Wii update. I LOVE the Wii Fit! I did 30 minutes last night and was dripping with sweat. I did not even think 30 minutes was that long, did I mention I hate exercising? Fun fun fun. AND I am down to 39 years old instead of 42 years old. (Yes I know for real I am 32, but at least my Wii age is heading in the right direction!)

Just kidding, there is one more thing I wanted to put in my random of random posts: Mamma Mia!! I had a nice girl's afternoon out with Colleen, Lottie and Ainsleigh (and to the snarky old bitties we sat in front of: YES there are 2 babies sitting in our laps, perfectly acceptable at 3:00 in the afternoon and those little girls were great in the movie!) Back to Mamma Mia... fun show! I had a great time seeing it and would see it again!

Wii Sore

So we have set up the Wii and frankly it is fun! I played it Friday night for a while (btw the Wii Fit puts my Wii age at 42, +10 my real age... good times!) And I have a really sore arm from playing baseball. So my question is can I say "I have an old baseball injury?"

You know you are an adult when...

So I was sitting in my office and two of our insurance men came in at the same time. The first was our health insurance guy, Eric, to talk about claims etc from our employees who have made claims against their health insurance. It is interesting to me that I now am in charge of this aspect of the business. The second man was our life insurance guy, Tom. We have insurance policies against the lives of our stockholders so that in the event of their passing the company will be able to buy back their stock, keeping control internally rather than externally. So we were talking about insurance and the different policies we have and I remembered a conversation I had with my mom a few weeks ago about my life insurance policy. It is one that she has had for me since I was a kid to cover my funeral, etc. I am going to take over the payments and such, but I asked Tom what he suggested for me in terms of a life insurance policy. I felt like an adult ... like there are a few conversations you have in life where you know you are there: Adulthood – The neighborhood for adults. Buying a home, getting married, having kids, and getting quotes on your own term life insurance policy are some of those instances though not entirely inclusive as some people who have done these things are still very much not adults, if you know what I mean.

So what did Tom suggest? He told me to keep the small policy my folks have on me, one can never have too much insurance. Then I should look at investing in a 20 year term life insurance policy for about $100,000. In the event of my death this would pay off my debt, any bills I might leave behind, pay off a car or home I own, and leave some money for my family... what he calls the human element. To those who say you should not profit in death he says, "Shut up!" (that is a homage line from The Drowsy Chaperone, love it!) It got me thinking that if he can get me a good rate, I would go for it. I think it is time that I take care of that aspect in my life. I do not have many possessions so I do not have a will; I am not married with children so I really do not need to take care of them; but I do have loved ones, who will need to take care of my affairs in the event of my death, and I DO NOT want to be a burden on them after I am gone. Morbid post, much?

And for the record: Colleen gets all of my books (scrap and reading); Candice gets all of my movies and my Kennedy election pin (I will convert you from the grave); my Mom gets to keep the Wii and my bed; Barry gets the Mac; Everett gets the PC; Patrick gets the bike; Ainsleigh gets Potty, my pictures, and my Grams’ earrings; Lottie gets the car for Mommy and Daddy, but then they have to give their old one to Katie; Dad can have all of his shirts back! Sad that those are my possessions… And with the rest of the money from my soon-to-be insurance policy? Go back to Hawaii for a week and think of me, think of me fondly! Again morbid post, much?

Dr. Horrible: This week only

Joss Whedon is a genius. The pic above will take you to his musical video blog. It is free this week only, episode 1 & 2 are out, episode 3 is coming Saturday. At the end of the weekend the episodes will only be available by download on iTunes. If you are a fan of Buffy... especially the musical epi... you will love this!! Or you might hate it, I loved it. Firefly's Nathan Fillion has one of the best lines in episode 2. "The hammer is..." I shall not ruin it for you. Slightly inappropriate...

This blog has Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Falicia Day, and Simon Helberg (one of the geeks from The Big Bang Theory) and my favorite director: Joss Whedon. Enjoy, my friends! And welcome to a glimpse of what truly amuses me!

Election Time is Here!!

I am a political junkie!! I love elections and have signed up as a volunteer for my first Presidential Election. Candice sent me this video today and I laughed until I cried. I LOVE IT!!

Deep Thoughts... by Starbuck

Shots hurt

Scars

I was thinking about scars last night because my back was hurting and I have a (unrelated) shot scheduled today. It is hard to explain the bouncing ball on this one, so I will not even attempt it. But scars are a visible reminder of physical pain or trauma. I have plenty of scars from injuries and surgeries over the years. For example I have a scar of my cheek from having a mole removed while I was a missionary in Michigan. I have the scar on my back from my back surgery in ’02 (ironically from an injury sustained while a missionary in Michigan) and the non-related scar also on my back because while doing the surgery, for some reason, they took out one of my moles on my back (it is kind of snarky looking.) I have the scar on my leg from cutting it when I was young shaving because I wanted to be like mommy and then cut it again in the same spot as a teen because I was shaving and someone scared me when they knocked on the door. There is a scar on my right leg from falling 2 years ago and cracking my knee cap and the resulting surgery from that. The scars that are hidden in my belly button from abdominal surgery when I was 21. I have a scar on my arm from the nastiest paper cut I got at work one day and another one from burning my arm cooking and then the one on my finger tip from when I almost cut it off doing a Pampered Chef show. I have little scars all over my hands and arms from when I played Evil Knievel and did a pretty sweet bike jump or when my fist went through the bathroom window when I was a kid. I have little white dot scars all over my arms from little sores I get when I am sick and my Frankenstein scars from having moles burned off either side of my neck.

While I do not like to remember the pain inflicted getting the scars, each one serves as a reminder of some interesting story that makes my life remarkable and fascinating. No one else in the world has scars that match mine. Which made me wonder if we have scars on our bodies from trauma do we also have scars on our souls from emotional or spiritual trauma and what must they look like? Obviously our souls heal the same as our body does, with time and help of a physician. I think it depends on how we heal. Like if my soul hurts because of emotional pain until it feels split in two, and I try to heal it myself what does the scar look like? Conversely, if my soul is torn because of pain and I use the Savior’s atonement to heal me I think it does not leave a blatant scar. The scars I have that have been sewn by someone who knows that they are doing look a lot less noticeable than the ones that just healed on their own. Even emotional pain healed by the Savior leaves a reminder for us. While we might not remember every bit of the pain we felt it is good to learn from our soul scars so we become stronger and more resilient to pain in the future; we must remember who we can turn to in time of pain.

All in the Family

Barry sent me this pic of Ainsleigh and the Rubik's Cube. I laughed and laughed at it (until I saw my mom' s snarky bruise from her treatment in the background) because I have often said that Ainsleigh is advanced!!

Suggestions?

So I had a nice long vaca weekend, awesome girl's weekend away with Candice. And now I am working to get caught up from it (is it a vacation when it takes 7-1/2 hours of over time to get an 8 hour day off?) Anyway I find I am easily distracted today and I think it is my music. I was listening to things with words, and just switched to Lord of the Rings... no words and I am concentrating better now. SO give me some GREAT suggestions of music you listen to with no words that is calming and soothing. I would love to get some more downloaded on iTunes for just such a day!

Squeeee

So a little box was just put on my desk at work and I was all excited because I thought, "Oh prezzies for me?" Even better!! Prezzies for Wretchel's baybay! But then I was like, oh what if I think it is so cute and she is like, "Don't you know me at all?" And I'll be like "I guess not, I guess spending 3 months with you and your unborn fetus was not enough." And she be like, "Well yes it was you worked me so hard I never want to see you again ever!" And I be like (sob) but then who will be my Wretchel and why then invite me to the baby shower?

And then I wake up and realize I over think things.

(Note to those who may take this post seriously, please don't! Sometimes I just amuse myself! #1 Wretchel loves me and always will, that is an order; #2 This prezzie is so awesome how could you dislike it?) Looking forward to see ya'll again.

Sweet Sweet Victory...

Obviously I have been obsessed with the Rubik's Cube for the past 3 days. I was getting to the last 3 squares and messing up. Over and over again. I did it last night twice, twice today during lunch, once tonight at home. My Jedi Master, Barry came by this evening and talked me through it one more time, but I wanted to do it on my own, with no help. (by the way he did it again tonight but in two minutes. He is like the Rainman of the cube.) Anyway he messed it up for me, and I set off to solve it again. I got to the death spot... Started to do the last sequence to solve the puzzle and I felt I was doing it wrong, I looked up at Barry... and told him he was not allowed to help me this time. I DID IT!! You can see Barry's legs in this shot below... what a good brother!

It amazes me how good finishing this one thing made me feel.

Side bar on a small funny story: My mom has an appointment tomorrow to get a bone treatment that is supposed to strengthen her bones so they do not break so easily. I asked her if she needed to borrow a book but she said she had one. I asked her what it was and it is called Step on a Crack. I laughed so hard and looked at her and said, "As in 'or you'll break your mamma's back'?" As if the cancer wasn't doing that fast enough, now books?

I missed it by that much

I got so painfully close and then made one wrong move and messed it all up Following the suggested steps for solving that come with the Rubik's cube I solved for green first
Then it says to solve the bottom two rows
Then the top row middle square (obviously I am working hard since you can see my feet up on my desk at work)
So I was this close... and then disaster struck. I turned right instead of right inverse and it is all over... at least for now since my lunch hour is over!

A blast from the past

Raise your hand if you remember the Rubik’s Cube as a kid. Anybody who is a product of the 80's should (yes I know being born in ’76 does not make me a product of the 80’s.) As a kid we had one, to share, as a family. I am sure that Everett could solve it naturally and frankly the rest of us just peeled off the stickers and put them where we wanted them.

This weekend Barry brought one to play with and got VERY good at it. He can solve it in 3 minutes... like Will Smith only employed and not in the back of a cab he gets stuck with the fare for. Anyway, I digress. So he messed it up and had me try to solve it giving me instructions on how to do it. I managed after 4 hours to get it done. We’re so proud. (He called me his young padawan, I might not be a geek, but I am a padawan) Now Barry was with me step by step… the big test is now seeing if I can do it on my own. I bought one yesterday and messed it up, as shown above. I am determined to do it on my own… so you might get sick of the Rubik’s Cube blogs, but I shall keep you updated. Oh yes I shall… for I will conquer the Rubik’s and take you on the journey with me!

For the record when the leg warmers come back, I boycott!

A family weekend

The whole family was up for the majority of the weekend. We did not do anything really on the 4th, but everyone came up for Saturday the 5th. We started with a pool party for the little ones. Ainsleigh loves the water, and I think Lottie did not appreciate being splashed by her older, more aggressive cousin. Barry and Debbie bought this little frog pool that is perfect for the little girls. Barry blew it up on Friday and I filled it early on Saturday so the water could warm up.
Like I said Ainsleigh is no stranger to the splashing
I could not decide which pic I liked best, so you get to see both of them.

Then the family all (with the exception of Colleen's hubby Brad who had to work) went to see Get Smart at the theater. It was pretty funny. I am a fan of Michael Scott and the Princess from the Diaries and who does not love a gay Rock?

Then we all went back to the homestead to have a bbq meal together to kick off another fast for Mom. There is something to be said about a hamburger, dog, and banana split! We have a little bird living in our patio area. I am fairly certain that we found his dead mom when doing yard work earlier in the day. Gus, as I named him, did not fly much. He was not afraid of us getting close to him, although we did not attempt to touch him or anything. I left some little bits of popcorn on the ground for him, I am growing as a person.

The Oncologist Visit

A fair warning: This is a fairly long post about things you might not find interesting but that I needed to talk about.

I went with my mom to see her oncologist today, Dr W. I have decided to call him Dr W because his name is one that I probably will spell wrong. Dr W is a nice man and his office is very warm and inviting; needless to say it is not a place I want to visit often. But I went with her because I think that we as a family need to know what is going on and frankly I have the easiest schedule of all the kids. Dad can go, but well… that is a blog for another day.

So we got to the office and her advocate was in her office right off reception. I was way impressed with Val because she remembered my mom’s name without having to look up the file or ask her. She also knew enough about my mom to ask how her back was feeling. Very impressed with the cancer advocate.

Then the nurse came and took her to get her weight and take blood. They take blood every visit to see how her levels are doing since the cancer is in her plasma. The numbers tell them if the chemo is working or not. Her levels were good today; down from when she started, but the doctor said that she is probably reacting to the meds and he is really interested to see what happens the week she is off chemo (not this week but the next.) That will tell him if the treatment has started working.

Dr W then met us in the exam room and told her her levels, answered her questions, and then answered mine. I probably came on stronger than I needed to but I needed him to tell me that if there ever was a time that he felt as a doctor he could not treat her any more that he would be honest with us and send her to someone who could help. I needed to know this. He said that he first sends his patients to the Mayo Clinic and then to the University of Utah. The U has a way more aggressive treatment plan that would not be good for my mom’s cancer he said. He then gave her a thing for a handicap parking permit for her bad days (although my mom wants to stay as active as possible, frankly it is hard for her some times) so she does not have to walk more than she has to unless she is up to it.

She will be on this chemo treatment for the next 4 months and then she meets with the transplant team. Her transplant team will assess her condition (right now she is stage 2, ideal she needs to drop to stage 1 and then remission) and then they harvest healthy stem cells; keep her in the hospital for a month while they basically kill her immune system and pump her full of the kick-your-butt chemo; then they put her healthy stem cells back and she starts from scratch building her immune system and healthy plasma cells. I always have been a huge fan of stem cell research and now I think I know why!! What they have learned from stem cell research in the past 5 years will potentially save my mom’s life. (Before I thought I might just be rebelling against my dad because he opposed it because President Bush opposed it. nuff said)

He then told her the results of the bone scan. He had a full body bone x-ray a few weeks ago and it just about killed her. It was basically 3 hours of lying on the x-ray table. She has myeloma cancer lesions in her back, neck, pelvis, and shoulders. This is why she is in such pain right now. They hope that this chemo will reduce them enough that one she has her transplant they can focus on repairing her marrow to make it stronger. Her back fractures should take care of themselves in time.

So there you have it; that is the news. The prognosis is good, but not great. Right now the mortality rate is 5-6 years, but they hope to get it up to 10 years soon. Which means that 5 years from now she might have 5 more years, and then 5 more after that which would make her in her late 70’s and have lead a good long life.

Can we talk about “the cancer face” as I now call it? Any time someone comes up to me and asks how my mom is it seems they first tilt their head to one side, scrunch up their face, and in a soft tone ask, “So, how’s your mom?” Like she is dead already? What in the world? Alright so here is my thought: If you want to know how my mom is just ask me. I will tell you outright if she is good or bad then. I do not need people to have pity for my mom because she is sick, I might cry but I will tell you!! My mom is a fighter and is strong; this is where I get it from. I am getting a little annoyed with it. I do not care at all if anyone wants to ask me about my mom and her condition. I love that so many people love and care about her. What I do care about is that people seem to be writing her off because she has cancer. Granted her cancer is incurable, but it is treatable and she has at least 5 years!! A lot can happen in 5 years! And cancer might not kill her (my Jewish side just went: sha sha) So right now I am educating myself on the treatment options so I know and we wait and fight like hell to kill those ugly cancer cells in her body.

Diatribe over. It was something I needed to say now.

Told you it was a long post. I warned you up front!!

Tag I am it

I have been tagged twice, so this is a combine tag and frankly in looking at who has been tagged it makes no sense to tag anyone as I have a core group of blog mates that will be all tagging one another….

3 Joys:
1. My family
2. My friends
3. Shoes

3 Fears:
1. I hate scary movies
2. I am afraid of the dark
3. I am terrified of guns

3 Goals:
1. To read every thing for my classes this time instead of just skimming
2. To swim twice a week, and ride my bike 3 times a week
3. To find a Wii for my mom

3 Current Obsessions/Collections:
1. I collect thimbles
2. I am obsessed with this blogging thing, fun!!
3. My nieces are another current obsession

3 Random Surprising Facts:
1. I weigh more than I look like I weigh (no I will not tell you)
2. I can touch my nose with my tongue
3. I am surprisingly under-paid

Five Things On My To Do List:
1. Finish the 3 books I have started
2. Join a book club
3. Clean off the chair in my room, i.e. fold and hang up my clothes
4. Get the internet to my Mac
5. Sleep

Places I've Lived:
1. Millington Tennessee
2. Oak Harbor Washington
3. Bremerton Washington
4. San Diego California
5. West Jordan Utah
6. Midvale Utah
7. Lincolnshire Illinois
8. 8 cities in Michigan while serving a mission

As I said before there is a core group of those who have tagged already, so for the rest of you I guess it is your turn: Tag you are it

Wii Help

So I was reading in my mom's cancer book last night about how when patients get tired, like she is now, they do not exercise and this leads to muscle loss and bone breaks. It suggested finding an activity that is enjoyable and low impact. So I thought right away of the Wii games. The trouble is they are so hard to find. Any tips from those of you who might have found one? I could buy one on eBay but they get more expensive than finding it in a store here... anyway tips please!!!

Okay Chatterton here it is

I can not believe I just posted my toes on my blog... I am growing as a person

Growing Pains

My new favorite phrase is "I am growing as a person." I use it a lot lately. Those who know me well will know that I am some what set in my ways and like things done a certain way. I also seem to be allergic to pink and frilly things.

One of my rules for Birdie was that no one got to wear pink (although I had many people break said rule) on stage. I was going to allow Rosie and Kim one pink outfit each. I just do not like pink. I do not like that our society has really over emphasized the colors to specific genders. Like when my nieces were born they were given an over abundance of pink clothes. (Their closets look like pepto bismal exploded) Why can a girl not wear blue, green, or brown clothes? Also why are little boys not given pinks or purples? See this is my point. Now I know that my not allowing pink on stage is not going to change the world but it was my way of taking a small stand. Ineffective as it might be, at least I stood for something. During the run of the show the darling Maag family gave us all bracelets that they had made. In an effort to show that I am not a color-ist (like a racist of every day colors) I took an all pink one. It burned a little at first but came in handy closing night when my Emily and I were both falling asleep at Denny’s... that is a story for another day. Taking an all pink bracelet … I am growing as a person.

Then yesterday Candice and I had a date for her anniversary because her beloved husband has a class on Monday night. So we went to get pedicures and out to dinner (yum!) While we were sitting in the pedi chairs I thought it would be fun to have her pick my color and visa versa. I knew what I wanted to pick for her, she objected (yes Candice I know you needed something more opaque) so I decided that I would do what ever she chose, even pink. Lucky for me she chose a shade close to what I would pick: Boris and Natasha (from the OPI Russian collection.) And then… she added white daisies. I am growing as a person.

What is next? Who knows, I might vote for a Republican this election... one never knows!!