Emilie's blog

http://www.tootoughforyou.blogspot.com/?zx=23553912eb13dbcb

I thought it would be fun to see Em's blog too.

Next week I go back to the hospital to get more tests. Wires all over my head. Tues. Wed. and Thurs. Wish me luck! I hope they finally find out what is causing these seizures. I had one at church and I hated it. I was embarrassed. It will be nice to not have to worry about this all the time.

Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season. The boys were in the parade last night. It is so fun! Conrad plays the drums. I love the drums in a parade!! Ben was on the evening news. He hates having any attention on him, so it was funny. Ben plays the bass clarinet. it is almost bigger than him!

Merry Christmas!

Go to Cassia's blog. http://dreamerdancer.blogspot.com/ She has made it into the dance major!
We are very happy for her. She is now going to be dancing her butt off, even more!

Day off

Hi all!
Yesterday, Reed had the day off. So we spent it shopping for Christmas stuff. It was so much fun. We spent the whole day at the mall. I am excited for fall. Then Christmas. I found some great sales. Cassia and Joey are going to love their stuff. They won't be able to come home so I wanted to get them some things to put under their tree. :) heehee I am so excited for the holidays!

SICK SICK SICK

We are all so very sick. Conrad started with a little cough, not a big deal. Then Ali got it. Ben and I now have it. It hurts so bad! All of us are still coughing and feverish. My Dr. said because I have FM it is going to feel worse for me. And it does hurt. My chest feels like someone is sitting on it. blah. ok enough of me.

I just read Dani's blog. I want to be able to run like that! How amazing! I think it is so cool how she and Brent are trying to be more healthy. Running like that. whew! I am in awe! I love that Brent is so sweet and supportive. Not that expect anything other than that from him. :) Way to go Dani!!!

Oops, I forgot the picture of the honey. It looks like a giant button! hahahaha

Oh Ali

Ali had a rough day yesterday. In the morning she made oatmeal for breakfast, then made her lunch for school. The honey had crystallized so I told her to put it in the microwave for a sec. Her brain was still on breakfast and put it in for 2 min.! Yikes! Burnt honey does not smell good. It was so funny. She was scared I would get mad, and I was worried she would get hurt. Lovely way to start the day. THEN, after school she was doing her cross country workout (running forever!) and she tripped and fell. Poor thing is all beat up. What a crappy day. Luckily, she didn't break anything this time or need stitches. We were able to laugh about it later in the night while we put bandages on her cuts. And she is so sweet- "I'm sorry Mom" SO SWEET!!!

Today is Conrad's birthday. He is 17. He is such an amazing guy! He is always there to help out whenever needed. He and Reed have gotten very close. It is so fun watching them laugh and joke together. Watching him grow into a young man has been such a pleasure. I love how willing he is to serve. He doesn't hesitate when he sees something that needs to be done. He is such a blessing to our family. Happy Birthday Conrad! I love you!

Back to school

I love this picture! 3 generations. Love it!!!

First of all, here are some pictures of the wedding.


All the kids are back at school this week. Emilie went back to BYU on Thurs. I miss her already. We spent a lot of time together this summer. Everyone is so busy now. Conrad has band and soccer. Ali has choir and cross country. Ben has band and basketball and track. Reed is working a lot. Cassia and Joey are in marital bliss. Emilie has a full schedule with 16 credits. I am trying to figure out what fibromyalgia is and how to live with it. Having a name to it eases some of the tension. I now know there are medicines and exercises I can do to alleviate the pain.

I love getting on Facebook. I don't feel like I have enough to say for a blog. So a one liner once in a while is great. Plus, ALL of you have gotten on it! Now I can see how you are doing. So many of my friends that I've lost touch with, in the CG, have found me. Before fb,moving around so much has made it hard to find each other. :)

This is a quick blog I will post more later in the week.

. . . . or not.

I can't figure out how to do a slideshow.

Cassia and Joey are back from their honeymoon and back to real life i.e. school and work.
Emilie goes back to school in a couple weeks.
School starts for all the others that week too.
Summer just slipped by so fast!

Pictures coming soon!

What a great, crazy month. Cassia is married! Oh wow! I will post pictures this week.
Mom & Dad made the wedding so beautiful! It was perfect. I love you. You are AMAZING!!!!!!!
I loved having family around. My children have all decided we need to move back to California. They are constantly letting Reed know where his job needs to take him next. :)
More later. . . . . .

What is going on?

Ali has a dance performance on Sat. night. I am still putting all the sparkles on her costumes. She is in 2 numbers. She has been spending her days in the sun, so she will not wash out on stage. She tans so nicely!

Emilie is now my personal trainer. I am hoping to have enough energy for the wedding. :) Em took a weight class last semester and is now teaching me how to do it. It helps me with my goal of getting up by 8am!

Cassia will be home in a little less than 2 weeks! We are all very excited to have her home again. We will spend the time catching up and enjoying being a family. :) (cheesy, but true)

My finches are all hatched! 9 survived- so far. I am hand feeding 2 right now. 4 more next week. I have to wait until they are big enough to hold and not squish. They are so ugly! I like to see the transformation from a gross hairless little bug into a beautiful little bird.

Summer is here. The kids are out of school. Luckily, we have a neighbor that has a pool! Their grandkids are visiting and they are Ben's age. So he is busy outside all day! Yea!

I am excited for the wedding. It will be so fun seeing everyone. San Diego will always be home for us. Cassia and Joey are going to have some great pictures!!

I have a Dr. Seuss garden. Red corn, orange watermelon, yellow tomato, lots of peppers and lettuce too. It looks good so far. If we can just keep the dogs from snacking on it it will be great.

Addresses

Hello All.
I need your addresses for invites. I have some of them but not all. Mom, if you have all your families, I would love to have them. Thanks!

Cassia's dress is so beautiful! She is SO beautiful! We had so much fun getting all the things we need for the wedding. We found her dress, temple clothes, reception decorations, cake ideas, invites. We pretty much figured out all the details we needed too. We even got to get some things for the apartment. Their apartment is so tiny, but perfect for starting out! They have brand new carpet and tile. Yay! I love Utah. It is so pretty. It snowed a little while I was there. It was so much fun. I really miss the snow. The mountains are so pretty. I got to spend some time with Kristi and the kids. They are so awesome! I wish I could live closer to them. They are so funny! Avery is getting to be a big girl so fast. McKenna is still a little girl and funny as ever. She reminds me of Em as a little girl. Oh the good ole days. :) Shaun is such a cutie! I just want to hug and kiss him all the time. He has the biggest smile and his dimples are adorable! I think his smile is permanent.

I am glad to be home. I missed the rest of the family. It will be good in June when Cassia comes home and we are all together. I love having Emilie home. She laughs with the other kids all the time. It's fun to hear them.

Did I tell you about my latest hobby? I am raising finches. They make me laugh. Reed built me a huge aviary for them. It is gorgeous! He is so talented! What a great guy!!! He keeps me entertained. :) Doesn't it look great? Yes, I have 9 birds. Does anyone want one? Cassia and Joey get one for a wedding gift. :D hahahaha They breed WELL!

Homecomings

In one week I will be in Utah! Shopping and spending time with my oldest daughters. I am so excited! I can't wait to see them. We talk on the phone all the time, but that just isn't the same as getting to hug them. :)

Cassia's wedding is getting closer all the time. She met her in laws at Easter. They showered her with gifts. I'm glad they are nice people.

Emilie will be coming home with me and Cassia will take the spring semester then come home for a couple weeks until the wedding. Mom and Dad answered our prayers by suggesting she come home instead of going straight to San Diego. Thanks! We all feel so much better. Now Cassia gets to spend time with her siblings. They really miss her! Actually, we are all really happy about having the whole family together again. One last big vacation before she gets married! It will be so fun! Road trip!! :)

Life is good.

Many Feelings

This will be a bit long. I apologize now.
I am not a really religious person. I have my beliefs and I live my life the way I have been taught. I love the gospel, don't get me wrong. I just don't go yelling it from the rooftops. I prefer to let my actions speak for me.

I have so many thoughts and feelings going through me!
I have to tell you the funniest story!! I had to be in my wheelchair for the weekend. yuck. LOOONG week. anyways, Reed and I were coming back from lunch and I was telling him I wanted to get Kenneth Cope's autograph for the kids, on his CD, as we were entering the doors. Reed says "Let's go through this one so we don't run into anyone. . . . " as we run over Kenneth Cope! Poor guy winds up in my lap! I am laughing so hard. I know, it isn't funny. But, it is. Reed tells him "We were just looking for you she wants your autograph." He is the sweetest guy ever. Then he poses for a picture. He will have a bruise for sure!

It was such a great weekend. Listening to these speakers was so nice to hear their stories and it lifted me up. One thing about being sick for a long time is you start to feel down. Pretty much all the time. I was definitely there. Then we went to time out. It was exactly what I needed. Sheri Dew is amazing. Do you think she is always like that? Life is crazy, but she never shows how hard life can be. I am still, a week later, pondering all that she said. Each talk was so comforting. I enjoyed all the speakers and music groups. Like a reassurance that we will be ok. Yes, life is hard, but that is what we are here for. To grow and learn then return home to our Father in Heaven. Why do we forget that?? I am trying to hang on to that thought. The ultimate goal.

I want to hug my children more. Make sure I tell them how much I love them and be a better person all around. It was such a great weekend. I am so thankful I was able to go. I will treasure it for along time.

Time Out!

I am going to Time Out this weekend. Reed is taking me to Houston for the weekend. Conrad and Ben will be home and Ali is going to a friends. I am so excited! Sheri Dew will be speaking Fri. night she is one of my favorite speakers ever!!! Then Sat.S. Michael Wilcox, Jericho Road, Kennith Cope, and a ton of others I can't remember right now will be speaking. I am so excited!!! It is exactly what I need. It has been too long since I've had some uplifting thoughts and music. Sheri Dew is giving us her new book free. :D! This is as great as conference. My kids are just as excited. Conrad is being super sweet about it. He offered to watch the littles for us. He knows I still can't drive so he volunteered. It was so cool. I love that kid! Then Ali asked if she could go to a friends. She would have more fun, so- Yes.

The doctor said my MRI was fine. There is nothing to worry about. I will be trying out this book Mom told me about on chronic pain. I will let you know how it goes. I just got it today. I will probably start doing the exercises next week. Time to start taking matters into my own hands. I was looking at it and I bet I will lose some weight too. Won't that be nice!
I'll let you know how my Time Out is! :D
Love Ya!

This Week

This week was a little crazy. Cassia wound up in the ER. She has the flu and she got dehydrated. Joey took very good care of her. He earned big kudos! She was given some meds. to help with the nausea and is doing much better. It is very hard for me to be so far away. But, Joey was there and he was great. :) Thanks Joey.
Conrad became a member of the German National Honor Society on Thursday night. We are very proud of him. It is the National Honor Society through his German class. It was fun. They spoke in German for the whole meeting. Way to go Conrad!!
Ben is in the play "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". It is through the community. Being a community production it isn't very good, but Ben has had a lot of fun. He got to hang out with his friends until 10:00pm every night. It goes until the weekend of the 22nd of March. LONNNG time. He is so cute. :) He will hate that I said that. hahaha!
Ali is a typical teenager. She spends a lot of time on the phone and at the mall. She is there now. She is NOT typical because she is so sweet still.
Emilie is doing really good at school. She just started a weight training class that she loves. She found an apartment for next year. She, Cassia, and Ashley get together once a month for dinner. With all their schedules being so busy it is their time to catch up. I love that they make the time to do that. I wonder if Kyara will want to do it when she gets there.
Reed and I are doing good. He is working hard all the time. He still gets to fly 2 or 3 times a week. Thankfully! :) He really missed that when we moved here. He flies out to oil rigs and inspects them. It is still a scary job. Those platforms are so tiny!!
I go see the Dr. Tues. I'll let you know what he says.

Memories

So I've been going through my pictures and scrapbooks lately. These are some that I found. I thought you all might enjoy them too. This was just before Shelli left on her mission.
Enjoy!

What's new?

I had my MRI last week. It was horrible. They had to give me an IV and I freak with needles. It was a huge one! yuck! It still have the bruises and puncture. My neurologist is in town Mondays & Tuesdays. It's hard to get an appointment because of that. So I go in on March 10. I have been feeling pretty good. Physical therapy has been great. I can walk now with little help! :) It's wonderful. I still get some pain now and then but, nothing like it was. Yay!

I love to read all your blogs! They make me laugh. It is great to "talk" about our lives and catch up this way. Especially with all of us spread across the US. I miss you! Family and friends have become so important to me. Life is nothing without you. I'm so grateful for all the friends we've made being in the Coast Guard. So many great people whom we never would of had the chance to know and love if Reed weren't in the CG. The adventures we have had! So fun! My children have had very interesting lives. They have experienced many different cultures. They got to live those cultures! My family is amazing. Mom is the most courageous and strong person I know! What an example she and Dad have been to all of their children AND grandchildren. Thank you. I love you. My sister's and brother's are awesome. We all have such different lives but we are still family and there is a lot of love between us. I love each one of you and miss you terribly. Thanks for being there for me.
I am so glad we are a forever family!

Reed and I have a joke about Charlie Brown.

Whack A Mole!

Do you ever feel like your life is like that game? You try to stand up but some giant hits you on the head with a giant hammer and you fall back down. Well, that's how my life has been.
Ali's leg is healing. She will have a scar about 4 inches long down her leg. But, we got all the staph infection out. She will be on antibiotics for a month. Her stitches come out on the 11th.

I go in next week for more MRI's. I am tired and depressed. So that's all I'm going to say about that.

Ben is 12. He is my baby. He was ordained a Deacon on Sunday. That is a big deal at church. Reed and Conrad were there with him.

Emilie is seriously thinking about a double major. Archeology and Geology. School is a lot better this semester. She has some good roommates. But, really her classes are just better.

Cassia is all about the wedding. We spend most of our time online looking at dresses, flowers, cakes, and all kinds of decorations. I am going out to see her in April so we can actually do some of this stuff in person! It is hard doing it all long distance. Did any of you ever do it like this?
Mom, your the wedding planner, your advice would be appreciated!!! ;)

I forgot to tell you I talked to Aunt Terry. She has had MS for a long time and when she heard about me she called. She said a lot of my symptoms are MS symptoms. I switched neurologists because the other one didn't seem to care. So now I'm waiting for the new one to review all my tests. I will call them again on Monday. Just to bug them. There is a strong possibility that it is MS. My family doctor thinks it is. That's why he started this kind of elctro-shock therapy. Yesterday was mostly pain free! :D Let's hope we have more of them.

I don't really know what to say.

I have been going to physical therapy. It helps quite a bit. I can walk out of the Dr.'s office. Then I am pain free for several hours after. :)

Cassia is getting married in San Diego. Joey only has his Mom in South Carolina. They will still have a reception there, his mom wants to show him off.
The wedding plans are just starting so it hasn't gotten crazy. . . . . yet. We all know how hectic it can get! It doesn't seem real yet.

Everyone is doing really well. They are busy and happy.

I love you all!

2 things

1. Cassia's ring, it was his Grandmother's! Joey is perfect for her. He is really sweet, a nerd, and adores Cassia. What else could we ask for?
2. My Dr. gave me a new drug :D Now I can walk, sit, stand, lay down without writhing in pain. AND he started PT!!!! Woohoo! My 1st appt. is on Thursday. Amazing how such a little thing can pick you up so far. Yep, this is going to be a great year!

Cassia is engaged!

So the holidays were so exciting for us! I couldn't get the video to turn right side up, just tilt your head. J was so cute ! He was so nervous and shaking. He had a bunch of passengers give her a rose as they walked by. Then he came down the stairs and asked her to marry him. The ring is beautiful!! It was so great having all the kids home! Nothing better. Hope your holidays were great too.
I am feeling a little better each day. It is going to take awhile. My Dr. is testing for MS. I will try to keep you up to date. I'm glad I have the wedding to think about it keeps me from getting down. Oh WOW! Cassia married!