Employee of the Month

This guy right here was named Employee of the Month last night at his staff meeting. I'm proud of him. Seriously, I've said before that when I've seen him working in the ER, he does an AMAZING job of interacting with and taking care of the patients there. We regularly receive cards in the mail from his coworkers/supervisors telling him how much they appreciate him. He's going to be mad at me for bragging about him, but I don't care. :) He has SO much on his plate right now, & he still puts everything he has into his job. I love him! CONGRATS LINC!!!

What A Relief!

Daisy & Duke got sick...AGAIN. I don't know what it was, but it was GROSS. Let's just say when one of them scratched on the door to go out, we came RUNNING. We had to feed them CHICKEN & RICE (vet's orders) & now my year supply of canned chicken breast is GONE. They woke us up MULTIPLE times a night, so that we would take them out. I wished SO badly that I had a DOGGY DOOR & a BACKYARD! It lasted for at least a WEEK. They are fine now. UGH.

Happy Belated Bday Dad!

We celebrated my dad's birthday last night. I LOVE this picture! Apparently he & Aaron were pretty excited about the celebration!

My dad has mastered the karate chop! The boys decided to try to beat up on him...I think my dad won. :)

I love my dad so much! He is a great example and has a good attitude about life. The best thing he taught me was to always analyze myself & my life and find ways to improve every day. I love my dad's sense of humor too. Seriously, I think he is SO, SO funny. His bday was a couple weeks ago, but I want him to know that I love him and that I'm INCREDIBLY thankful that he was born!!!

Sidenote: My dad gives his mom a present every year on his birthday. How cute is that?!

H-Y-P-N-O-T-I-Z-E-D

Aaron had Prom on Saturday night, & his group decided to have a hypnotist come to my parents' house for their night activity. My family sat in on it, & ended up playing a big part in the show. :) Megan didn't want to be hypnotized (especially in front of a bunch of Aaron's high school friends) but once the hypnotist started, I looked over and saw Megan like this...
She was totally hypnotized in the audience! It was crazy and so funny. We pointed it out to the hypnotist & she ended up being one of the funniest people in the show. I had only seen a hypnotist once at the state fair for a few minutes, and I came into this being kind of skeptical, but now I am completely convinced...Megan would NEVER have done the things she did that night!

The picture above is her trying to bend her arm after the hypnotist told her she couldn't.

He pulled her up to the front...here Meg is thinking that her shoe is a phone. She was getting really frustrated because nobody was answering on the other end.

Aaron was completely out & kept falling on the ground.

I wish I had gotten better pictures and video of this, because it was HILARIOUS. Aaron thought he was in the Mr. America Pageant & took off his shirt and flexed about 30 times. He must practice this in the mirror in real life, because he came up with so many different poses. :) He was SO into it. It was definitely one of the funniest things EVER!

Here he is....flexing away! The pictures aren't great....the lighting was bad in there.

Shawn participating in the Mr. America Pageant. He was laying on the couch next to this group & was hypnotized from there. He did a bunch of push-ups. None of us knew he could do so many...he must have REALLY wanted to win!

I didn't get pictures of my favorites...Megan trying out for cheer was HILARIOUS. She was strutting around & jumping & cheering. Another time, the hypnotist had Megan & Shawn (my BROTHER & SISTER) fall in love with each other. She was flirting like CRAZY with him and kept moving closer to him & flipping her hair. He started laughing & said "This is so weird. You're my sister!" but he still was telling her that she smelled good & stuff. He told me later that he knew she was his sister, but she smelled EXTREMELY good and her eyes were "twinkling". I think it freaked both of them out pretty bad! Megan was so "under" that when she was awake, she started shaking like crazy and couldn't remember anything she had done. The hypnotist had to make her fall asleep again and "remove" the hypnosis. It was CRAZY!!!!!!!!

More Fun

On Saturday night, our family went to eat at Red Robin. This was the YUMMIEST & BIGGEST burger ever...guacamole bacon burger with an egg. I was having a hard time deciding between two different burgers...so with Brad's help I was able to combine the two. :) YUM!!!!!!! Unfortunately, I can probably never eat it again! I'm having bad stomach issues now. This was only the 2nd burger I've had in about 4 months. I was convinced that greasy foods don't play a part in my stomach problems like I originally thought, but I guess I'm wrong. I'm cranky about it...I LOVE burgers! Shawn & Ashley hanging out...I like this picture of Ashley. :)

Melissa & Brad decided to practice feeding each other cake at the reception, with leftover cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.

I still like Brad's plan to body slam Melissa into the cake... :)

It's crazy...Brad already feels like part of our family. I would never guess that someone could be liked so easily and could immediately fit in like he has. It's interesting to see how he adds to the family dynamics. I'm even more excited now for Melissa & Brad to get married. She's getting a really good guy...and of course I think he's getting an AMAZING girl! It's neat to see how things just kind of fall into place when it is right.

Family Time

Well, my whole family is finally in town! We haven't all been together since December, so it has been great spending time with each other. Yesterday Linc & I hung out with Shawn (my brother) & Ashley (his girlfriend). We talked, ate treats & everyone (except me) went swimming. Daisy & Duke even swam. Lincoln just threw them in the pool over & over and they would paddle to the side and get out. I don't think that they loved it. :) That night Melissa (my sister) & Brad (her fiance) got into town, so we ate dinner and then headed over to my little sister Megan's softball game.
Here are Shawn & I hanging out at the game. I'm SO excited that he is living here for the summer!

Here are Melissa & Brad...the happy couple! We actually had never met Brad until last night! My parents hadn't even seen a picture of him. I'm sure he was so nervous to meet all of us at once...being engaged to my sister already! All of us love him & are so excited that he is going to be a part of our family. Melissa & Brad are getting married July 17th & are moving to AZ about a week before the wedding! (By the way....I'm trying to gather addresses for them, so any of Melissa's friends who want to get an announcement, please leave your address, unless she has it already!)

Here is my dad at the softball game, being weird as usual! Basically a SUPER creepy guy carved something creepy in this tree next to us. My dad started joking that the tree was hurt (he owns a tree business) & the picture above was his response to my brother calling him a "tree hugger". My dad is hilarious! He can seriously always make me laugh!

Today/tonight we all went to Aaron's track meet & he did SO well! He PR'd at 14.28 on the 110m high-hurdles. He bashed his leg on the first hurdle too, so his leg was all bloody when he was done...and he still got his fastest time even after hitting the hurdle! The weather was PERFECT tonight & it felt so good being out & about and spending time with everyone. I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post in a few days!

Update: Aaron's time last night moved him up to #1 in the SW region (which is made up of 6 states) & #22 in the nation! I'm SO proud of him!!!

Hooray for my Endodontist!!!

I just got back from my monthly endodontist appointment...and the x-rays looked SO good. My endodontist was so excited about the progress I made this past month! It was crazy...there was a pretty big difference between this month & last month's x-rays. The best news is, he is pretty confident that he won't have to do surgery at all now!!! He told me that if things keep going the way they are, I might only have to see him two more times! I've been going to see him since June of last year, so this was great news for me! He told me that a lot of endodontists would have immmediately gone to surgery, but that he tries not to do that, unless nothing else works. I went & got my teeth cleaned & had some x-rays done at my regular dentist's office a couple weeks ago & they were incredibly excited about my progress. The dentist was just looking at my x-rays with a huge smile on his face & couldn't believe what the endodontist had done for me. Hooray, hooray, hooray! I definitely won't miss all of the numbing & needles!

My Exciting Life

Here are a few random pictures from the past week. Yes, I know I am completely obsessed with my dogs. I'd rather be a somewhat sane animal lover than an insane lone hermit...trust me, it's a good thing I have them! Here are Duke & I just hanging out watching tv one night while Lincoln was doing homework. Duke cuddles with me more than Daisy does & I love it! He was extra cuddly when he didn't feel good. We still have to feed the dogs chicken & rice (there goes my year supply of bottled chicken!) but the dogs are doing good!

Duke will sit at our gate or sit on the couch and look out the window forever. He sat like this for at least a half hour just staring outside. It was so funny. (And yes, I know my couch needs some cute pillows! It's so BLAH right now.)

And now...to the most EXCITING news!!! My sister Melissa is getting MARRIED in July! She got engaged this past Friday. I am so, so excited to have another married couple in the family, since I've been the only married child in my family for 5 years. Melissa also told me that she & her husband will be living here! She & I have been living in two different places for WAY too long! By the way...her fiance's name is Brad, he is from Cali & they met through work (they both teach at the MTC). I really wanted to announce Melissa's engagement with a funny picture I have of her sticking her stomach out, acting like she is pregnant. The pic totally looks real...I knew she would kill me if I posted it though! :) Melissa & Brad are coming to visit tomorrow & my brother Shawn & his girlfriend Ashley are driving down here today. Shawn will be living here for the summer! I'm hoping to spend a lot of time with my family during this next week, so I'm sure I'll have some fun pics to post soon!

Improvements

Last Thursday through Sunday I felt pretty darn good! Usually I have a good day here or there, which is what keeps me going...but this time I had FOUR GOOD DAYS! I really needed it! Yesterday & today I've felt pretty nauseated and extra-sleepy, but I will definitely take that over excruciating pain, which was what I was dealing with just a few weeks ago! I think my endometriosis is starting to come back...I'm getting twinges and sharp pain when I move quickly...but it seems to be coming back very slowly, which I'm very grateful for. It's funny that I questioned myself so much & wondered every day if I was just a huge baby or if my pain was really that bad. Deep down I know that it REALLY IS THAT BAD...but when I don't get answers immediately it's easy for me to question myself.

When I woke up this morning I laid in bed for awhile, just thinking. I do this almost every day now...it takes a few minutes to get that medicated fuzzy feeling to leave my brain. Anyway, I realized that my headaches are getting A LOT better. I have had a headache almost every day since junior high or high school. I could never figure out why, so I just deal with it. I don't think Lincoln even knew that I got them. They aren't migraines or anything...they just hurt enough to be annoying and to make me feel extra crappy. I realized this morning that I only get one or two a week now & I am convinced that it is because my mouth is healing! I had never put that together before...but I've heard that if you have problems in your mouth your whole body can feel the effects. I'm really excited to think about the possibility of only getting a headache once in awhile! Yes, things are slowly looking up. Heavenly Father is definitely answering my prayers.

Biopsy Results

I got a phone call today from the GI's office about my biopsies...apparently I have some inflammation. I'm going to get blood work done in the next week or two. I also might have what they call a "capsule endoscopy". It looks pretty cool! I guess I'm kind of relieved that they found something, but now I'm wondering what it means. It may be absolutely nothing. I guess I'll just have to wait & see.
P.S.-It felt so good to receive a phone call from the office instead of having to call them multiple times to get my results! The lady I talked to is setting everything up for me. Sadly, I haven't had a doctor take charge in such a long time, but this one really did. I'm really happy about that!

Pam Beesly: Michael are you alright?
Michael Scott: It was a setup. Dwight told Charles. He told 'em.
Pam Beesly: Tell us what you're talking about.
Michael Scott: It's like a girl says she'll make out with you but then her boyfriend is waiting around the corner with a pee-filled balloon.
Pam Beesly: We can't help you if you don't just tell us what happened.
Michael Scott: I got hit in the face with a pee-filled balloon, Pam! Ok? I don't know how they did it. They filled the balloon with pee. A funnel? I donno! Is that clear enough for you!

I LAUGHED MY HEAD OFF WATCHING THE OFFICE LAST NIGHT!!!

Shoes

I went to Enrichment last night & the theme was "Sisterhood of the Traveling Shoes". We each brought a shoe with us that had significant meaning. (I didn't bring these red shoes...I just think they are cute. :)) I brought some worn out brown shoes that I wore on my first date with Lincoln...kind of lame, but they do hold a certain significance in my life. Anyway, we ate dinner & then one by one told the story of our shoes. I was amazed to hear women who I've known for years talk about something that happened in their life that I had no clue about. Many of the stories were about shoes that they had worn during a huge trial in their life. A few stories had to deal with major heartache. I realized last night that I tend to get so caught up in my own trials, that I forget that everyone around me has had or will have hard things happen to them. Sometimes I feel incredibly alone when I'm dealing with this chronic pain and waiting for answers that aren't coming. I discovered that listening to others talk about their trials and the healing that has come into their lives, gives me hope and courage to deal with my own trials. The saying "Don't judge someone until you've walked in their shoes" took on new meaning to me. It just goes to show that we are all in this together.

5th Anniversary!

This past Friday was our 5th Anniversary! I really can't believe it has been 5 years. Linc had school all day Friday, but took the night off of work. We had dinner & dessert at The Melting Pot. I had been there once, but Linc had never been. It was awesome! It felt so good to be going out on a date together on a weekend like a normal couple. :)
Our waiter brought our dessert to us with a little candle in the cheesecake. The lighting in the picture is bad, but you get the idea!

We snapped a photo of ourselves when we got home to document the date. All I can say is Lincoln is great. We put up with each other when it is hard to, & we always seem to pull through things and grow closer in the end. We've been through a lot together. I'm really not sure what I would do without him! Seriously...he does so much for me. He helps me sort through things that I feel like nobody else could. He's amazing.

He didn't want me to post what he got me for our anniversary...let me just say, he incorporated something that he gave me when he proposed that I didn't know he had kept. It was seriously the sweetest gift ever. I was so surprised...he is not a big gift giver normally. Happy Anniversary Lincoln. I LOVE YOU BABE!!!

Easter & Updates

I have the dumbest sense of humor. I think the little Easter joke of the bunny with no ears is hilarious. Anyway, our Easter was different this year. We missed the annual Allen Easter Party (I wasn't feeling well & Linc wanted to sleep in that morning) and heard that the prize for the Egg Toss was a trip to Cali! What?! Lincoln & I won it last year and got a chocolate bunny. Not that I'm complaining...I feel so out of it these days, I probably would have dropped my egg on the first try this year anyway. :)

On Easter I was on a clear liquid diet. Church was wonderful. I got released from being in the Primary Presidency, and was able to go to Relief Society & Sunday School! While I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my calling in Primary, the timing was right. Yesterday was SO relaxing. In the five years that I've been married & in this ward, I've spent all but two weeks of it in Nursery or Primary. It felt good to have a little change. I am now in charge of typing & printing the sacrament meeting programs. I love typing and doing stuff on the computer, so it's perfect for now.

After church I enjoyed drinking about a gallon of nasty stuff for my tests today. I won't go into any more detail on what that drink does. At least I had Amazing Race & Celebrity Apprentice to distract me as I gulped glass after glass of that stuff down, and tried not to be jealous of everything Lincoln was eating. My tests were at 8am today. I'll let you guess what the results were...that's right! Everything looked great. Hmmm...the doctor took some biopsies just to make sure there isn't anything wrong that he couldn't see during the tests. I'll find out those results in about a week & will meet with the GI again in 3 weeks. Now I'm just waiting for the bills to come in the mail. :)

Some good news...Duke is okay! Both he & Daisy are eating & drinking again and they are back to being crazy & fighting with each other any chance they get. I enjoyed having Duke sprawl across my lap or lay on my shoulder for long periods of time while he wasn't feeling well though. :) I also have some really bad news...we found out today that my grandma has pancreatic cancer. I am praying that she doesn't have to go through a lot more pain before all of this is over for her.
I'm going to post more about her in a later post.

Easter is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays. I love what it stands for. Since I had Jackson, Easter especially reminds me of my testimony of life after death. With everything my grandma is dealing with, it was nice to be reminded of these things yesterday. My family was in Cali over Easter weekend for Aaron's track meet. We got our Easter goodies from my mom today. I can't decide whether to throw all of it away or eat it all in one day. It's just not like me to eat a little bit every day...it never happens. That is one of my least favorite things about myself! I have to admit...I am definitely looking forward to a more normal Easter next year!

Knowing Where to Look

I find it interesting that I do really well at trusting in the Lord for awhile, but that I always end up losing focus. Today was one of those days when things just became too overwhelming & hard

for me. I cried for awhile, wondering what to do. Then I realized that my prayers have been somewhat repetitious lately, and that I haven't been studying my scriptures like I should. I have these big "light bulb moments" with the same light bulb every time! I end up looking all around me...to other people, doctors, the Internet, etc. for a perfect solution to my problems, when the real solution is right in front of me. Of course, I know that those "outside" resources can be very important too...but my testimony & relationship with the Lord should be number one. He knows the perfect answers that I'm searching for! I was getting so discouraged that I wasn't trusting that Heavenly Father knows EXACTLY what is going on in my life, and that He sends help. I also get caught up in the fact that nobody really understands how much pain I'm in, when that isn't true at all. The Savior knows exactly what I'm feeling & knows exactly how to succor me. When I'm not feeling well, I am more humble, more honest with my feelings, & more aware of others' trials. I learn things from this trial that I couldn't learn any other way. Even though I forget it way too often, I am so, so thankful that I know where to look. He is constant, He is perfect, He is all-knowing. I know that He is real and that He loves me.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone has a great Easter. I'm excited to go to church tomorrow & to remember why I'm a member and who I should stand for. I'm thankful that the Savior's life & resurrection can bring so much hope & peace to us. I love Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

Crazy Day

Yesterday was a crazy day. Our day started with our old next-door neighbors paying us a visit. I've been really anti-social lately & I hadn't realized how much I miss the Moaks until they came over yesterday. I used to go over to their house when I was lonely or not feeling well & Brandon & Christa would play games with me. I didn't realize how therapeutic that was until I didn't have it anymore. Plus, I always felt comfortable there & never had to explain myself to them...I miss them.
Lincoln & Savannah are good friends. We had so much fun hanging out with them! Thank you for stopping by Christa!

Duke spent the day at the vet yesterday. He hasn't eaten since Monday and was still throwing up everything he was drinking yesterday. We found out that he has parvo. We figure his chances of living are about 80%. He has been so lethargic...it is so sad. I'm not sure what I would do without him. I think I would actually miss him hovering over my dinner plate, begging for food. :) (See ugly random pic of me above). We have to give him an iv treatment 3 times a day with shots. Daisy probably has parvo or will get it, so luckily we can start her treatment now before it gets bad. I've said lots of little prayers for Duke, and today he seems more like himself so I think that is a great sign!

Yesterday my mom called to tell me that my grandma is in the hospital. She has been sick for quite awhile & the family has been taking care of her. I'm not sure what will happen to her during these next few days, but that wasn't great news to get.

Last night Lincoln & I went to CVS to get some Easter candy. I'm not sure what happened but my stomach started hurting REALLY BAD while we were there. I was doubled over in the store, hardly able to walk. It kept happening over & over. When I got home, I laid down and the pain just kept coming. It takes a lot of pain for me to be doubled over like that. It was really weird. I was really close to having to go to the emergency room, but luckily the medication I take at night kicked in & I was able to fall asleep. This morning I haven't had any bad pain yet, so I'm grateful for that.

Today is our anniversary! We are going out to eat tonight to celebrate & will also celebrate a little bit tomorrow. I'm excited. We are in need of some serious celebration! :)

Sick Dog

Duke is sick today. Yes, I know that sounds weird...he threw up on the floor in my bedroom at 2am (that was a lot of fun to wake up to) and only got out of his kennel once today. This happened to Daisy a couple months ago & she got over it in a day or two. Anyway, because of that, Daisy & I have spent more time together today. I was bored enough to actually get her to take a picture with me to post on the blog. I had a dentist appointment today, which is probably the only reason why I am out of my pajamas & have makeup on . Today is my 2nd day without pain medication. I wanted to see how long I could go without it. I only lasted a day...and when I called my GI Specialist today he said I would have to get it from a pain specialist. Um...ok, we must have misunderstood what he said at my last appointment. He wants me to double the medication I take at night & see if that helps. Ugh, I feel like I just got used to the medication & I'm afraid that doubling it will make me sleep all day like it did when I first started it. Oh well...there's not much else I can do. My tests are on Monday so that is good.

Daisy doesn't know what to do with herself since Duke doesn't feel good enough to play with her. Duke & Lincoln have been sleeping all afternoon (he worked last night), so it's just her & I. She looks so bored in this picture. :) I kind of feel the same way. I was just starting to get my house clean & feel like I was catching up on things. Now I'm just hurting. At least Daisy & I have each other to hang out with. :)

Night

I LOVE staying up late. I am such a night person. I love the QUIET. I love thinking that the whole world is sleeping while I'm awake. I'm happier, calmer, and can think more clearly at night. I love being on the computer or reading or working on a project until my eyes just won't stay open any longer. I realize things about myself & ponder life's lessons late at night. I just love staying up late.

Now that I'm taking this new medication, I am almost always asleep before midnight. I know...that is still really late for some people, but not for me! I kind of miss being up at 3am sometimes. I know that sounds crazy! I realize that "early to bed & early to rise" will make me "healthy, wealthy & wise", but sometimes that is so hard to do! Wow, maybe that really is my problem, because I don't think I am currently any of those 3 things! :) I do have to say that I feel better getting a good amount of rest each night. I wasn't getting nearly as much sleep as I should have been getting, before starting on this medication.

Tonight I wanted to see how late I could stay up, for old times' sake. I lasted until 12:20am. I'm ready for bed. It was fun while it lasted. Goodnight!

Discovery

I finally discovered a ChapStick that I'm not allergic to! Yes, I am allergic to chapstick & most lipsticks, lip gloss, etc. When I use something that I'm allergic to, my lips get really sore & really swollen. My lips are already big (which I never noticed until college when one of my friends told me so), so when they swell they are HUGE! I first discovered this allergy when I went camping as a teenager with my extended family. I put a bunch of chapstick & Blistex on my lips & the next morning when I woke up, my lips hurt. My cousins were laughing at me & told me to look in a mirror. I did...& my lips were SO big. I had to spend the rest of the campout with swollen lips and my family making fun of me. Another time, I was getting ready for a musical theater performance & getting all of my makeup put on. Before we went on stage, my lips started tingling & beginning to swell. I was frantically trying to rub all of my lipstick off before my lips could get bigger! Good memories. :)

Have I mentioned....

...that I LOVE my puppies? No? I'm sure most of you had no idea that we have dogs! :) I was just thinking today about how Lincoln & I SWORE to each other that we would NEVER have an inside pet. NEVER! We were so relieved that the other one didn't want animals in the house. I have no idea what happened to us. Now we have two of them & we love it! How do you like Duke's hair? I think I might like Daisy's 5-hair mohawk even better. :)