Gardner Life

Please don't let me forget...

2010-04-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

There are a few stories or experiences that I have been thinking about recently that I don't ever want to forget. It breaks my heart when I think back on times in my life or the lives of my children and have blank pages where a story used to lie. I am hoping to fill in some of those blanks and leave the newer pages vibrant and full.

I have a favorite memory which pops up every Easter from when we lived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Our dear neighbors, the Winters , who lived across the street had a young son named Nicholas. Even though he was three years older then Britton, they played together almost daily and were dear friends. Nicholas attended a christian pre-school and had come home from school on the Friday before Easter and informed his mom that he had learned about Jesus and the ressurection. Nicholas was usually a very kind and sweet little boy, but that day while Nicholas and Britton were playing, he hit Britton with a stick, which was really out of character for him. His mom though she would bring in some of his new-found christian teaching to understand it wasn't a good idea to hit, so she said to Nicholas, "Nicholas, how do you think it makes Jesus feel when you do that?" Nicholas responded, "He doesn't feel anything, mom, He's dead. He doesn't rise again for three more days."

Yesterday, I was driving with my kids to my mom's house, and Britton was telling Emily that they needed to get to bed as soon as possible so either the Easter Bunny, or the mom's and dad's had plenty of time to hide the Easter eggs. I said, "Britton, mom's and dad's? Don't you believe in the Easter Bunny?" He said, "Mom, I'm just saying it is a possibility, I mean every time you talk to parents about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, they get all weird." "We do?" I said. (In an animated, high pitched voice.) "What do you mean?" He said, "I mean your voices get all high and you start moving your eyebrows up and down a lot." He is absolutely right. I am a terrible liar. I do start to talk high and move my eyebrows up and down a lot. I am afraid I am caught.

One last thing I have been thinking about lately that I don't want to forget...
When I put Brock down for a nap or for bed, we have a very set routine. I enjoy this time because it is really the only quiet one-on-one time I have with him. The routine is, he picks a story, I read . He then asks me to sing a song which usually directly relates to the story, so I am often making up songs such as "The truck on the road song" or "The extremely weird animal song" or "the daddy song" if nothing really sparks his attention in the story, he relies on the old stand-by, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". After songs, he lays down and I help him say a prayer which usually goes something like this: "Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my blessings. Please help daddy have a good day/night at work. Please help me have a good night's sleep so I can be healthy and happy and kind. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." (Brock's ability to be healthy, happy, and kind is directly tied to how much sleep he gets.)
Then comes my favorite part. I ask Brock what kind of hug and kiss he would like. He started out asking for just a hug and kiss (which is now known as "the regular"), an eskimo kiss, or a butterfly kiss, but now he has become more creative with his requests. Sometimes it is a snake hug and kiss, or an alligator hug and kiss or a spider hug and kiss. Tonight, he asked for a "bop" hug and kiss. Whatever it is, I usually figure something out and he usually laughs. Finally, as I am walking out the door, He says, "Wait, mom, I need to ask you a question. Can I leave the light on for just one more minute?" I say "Yes, Brock. I love you. Sweet dreams." He says back, "Sweet dreams to you too, mom." and I close the door.

My children are all young enough that they all still let me read them stories and sing to them and give them hugs and kisses, but I know it will not always be this way. Each stage of parenting brings with it new joys and new challenges, but I never want to forget the tender moments that make each day as a mother worth it.

Disneyland!

2010-01-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

We took our kids to Disneyland in October. It was our first big family vacation and our first time visiting Disneyland as a family. I knew the kids would have fun, but I had no idea how much I would love it. It truly is a magical place. We spent three days in the park and were there from sun-up to sun-down. We couldn't get enough of it! I thought I would spend a lot of time waiting with Brock while the big kids rode the big rides, but Brock was tall enough (by a hair!) to ride nearly every ride, so he did Space Mountain, the Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain Railroad (his favorite), Splash Mountain, and even the Tower of Terror without batting an eye! He is one brave little boy!

Britton, Emily and Brock in the Magic Kingdom!

The kids and Kennedy! (side note: one of the biggest changes of the last few months is that our niece, Kennedy came to live with us! We initiated her into the family by taking a trip to Disneyland a few days after she came to live with us. We couldn't have done it without her! We love having her fun-loving personality in our home. She is in 8th grade and is doing well. We are doing our best to be parents to a teenager with an active social life and a busy schedule!)

Check out those muscles!

Catch-up, part two

2010-01-23T21:23:00.001-08:00

Fall is our favorite time of year. This is a Sunday afternoon drive to Cedar mountain with the family.
Pie Fest 2009! I love pie and I love to make pie, so every year, we invite our family, friends, and neighbors over the weekend before Thanksgiving to eat pie! I love this event! I really loved hosting it in our new home. We had about 70 people at our house and we had room and pie for everyone!
Here is a picture from Expedition St. George. Jeff, Betty, Betty's sister-in-law and friend and I ran this fun race in St. George in December. It took us from downtown St. George, through Snow Canyon, down to the Arizona state line and back to the St. George tabernacle. This is a great race and I can't wait to do it again next year!
The beautiful ballerina! This is Emily's first ballet recital. Emily started taking ballet from our new neighbor in the fall and has turned into a graceful dancer!

Six months between blog posts is way too long!

2010-01-23T20:32:00.000-08:00

Once again, here I am playing catch-up so I don't forget the big events that have happened in the past six months. I know my pictures are not facing the right way and they came through in the wrong order, but imagine I am good at this and hopefully I will do better next time. So... in opposite order, here are a few highlights from August, and September...
My old friend and roomate, Kelly Southwick Small miraculously got tickets to Oprah last September and had an extra! I was lucky enough to get to tag along! I haven't ever taken a "girl trip" and had such a great time. The show was probably my least favorite of the season, but it was fun to be in the actual studio and see Oprah in real life. We ate great food, saw beautiful architecture, strolled along Michigan Avenue and Navy Pier, took a riverboat tour of Chicago and just had a great time!
This is Brock's third birthday. My baby is no longer a baby! He requested a snake cake and I am pretty impressed with what I came up with. I love this little boy! He is so full of life and passionate about all he does. Our home wouldn't be the same without him!
This is the Bryce Canyon Rim run. Jeff and I ran the five mile race and Britton and Emily ran the one mile kids race. It was a beautiful loop along the canyon rim and through the ponderosa forests of Bryce Canyon. The biggest shocker was that I won my age division! I am usually happy to finish in the top half, but this summer I started to feel like a real runner.
Jeff and I traveled to Dallas Texas in September to watch BYU beat Oklahoma in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. It was a quick trip, but we had a blast. We went to six flags all day before the game and rode roller coaster after roller coaster (we realized we might be getting too old for this stuff...), and walked over to the stadium early to buy tickets from scalpers. We were there for an hour before we found a person selling tickets, and we bought them without looking very closely at what we were getting. One of the tickets was in the stadium and one was in the box seats, which could have been a disaster, but we used that one box seat ticket to find Jeff's parents in their box seats, and they snuck us in, so we watched the game in leather seats with a buffet behind us a drinks in our hand. It was the most exciting football game I have ever been to! The stadium was incredible, and the game was even better! I didn't ever think I would ever really enjoy football, but the more I learn, the more I love it. I think I am an official fan.
This is our new home! We are so happy to be in and settled! Although the process of building was much more time and labor intensive then I had anticipated, I love being in a home that functions the way I want it to function and feels the way I want it to feel. We love being so close to the canyon and so close to Jeff's work. We love feeling like we can start to settle in to the community and start putting some roots down. I feel like I'm home.

What we have been doing this summer...

2009-07-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

As you can see from my previous posts, out summer has been consumed with the process of building a house, but between the work, there has been a little play. Here are some of the fun things we have been up to...
My dear friend Betty and I at the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. We finished in 1:52! It was a great race! Jeff ran too, he is just faster than us. (He ran a lightning fast 1:43!)

Here are Jeff and I with our Wasatch Back team. We ran 191 miles over three mountain ranges from Logan to Park City through blistering heat, freezing rain, and a dark night. We finished in about 30 hours. Lots of fun!

Utah State reunion with dear old friends Sheree, Kelly, Kelly, and Amie. It has been 15 years since I lived with these girls and I still love them just as much as I did then! I am so lucky to have wonderful life-long friends.

We love camping and this was our first big trip of the year to the Little Sahara Sand Dunes near Delta. Brock's hair was so long we had to put it in pony tails to keep it out of his face. Pretty cute! Since this trip, we have also camped at the Cedar campground, and Cedar Breaks during wildflower festival.

Here is Emily with one of many caterpillars she caught with her cousins at Zion.

Here is Britton with his undefeated soccer team "The Gators". He loves soccer and had a great season!

Our summer has had some other fun adventures. It kicked off with a Rowley family reunion in Parowan. I loved seeing cousins I haven't seen for years and especially enjoyed the talent show. I have some amazingly talented cousins!

In June, we took an anniversary trip to Las Vegas where we played in the lazy river at Mandalay Bay, saw the Lion King, and visited the shark reef. We had a good time, but next year, we are celebrating our anniversary without kids!

We also had a great time at the Mikkelson family reunion with all of Jeff's family. We spent the day in Beaver where the kids rode four wheelers and played on the water slide all day as the adults visited and ate great food.

I was in charge of my fifteen year highschool reunion and was able to catch up with dear old friends!

My nephew stayed with us for two weeks while he and Britton participated in a Shakespeare camp for kids where they learned monologues and scenes from The Comedy of Errors and Henry V along with learning sword fighting, vocal training, and lots of other fun things. They really enjoyed it!

We are just two weeks away from moving and I can't wait to live in a home I know I will be in for a long time! We have plenty of room for visitors, so if you would like to come partake of the best hiking and theater around, we would love to have you!

What a difference a month makes...

2009-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a difference a month makes! As of today we are officially two months out from the day we broke ground ground on our house and we are more than half way finished. Jeff's cousin, Jamon is our contractor and he has really moved things along! The exterior is ready for stucco and stone, the roof is half way finished, the upstairs drywall is hung and the downstairs will be finished on Monday. It is so exciting to walk through and see the rooms I have drawn and debated over for the last year actually take shape, and I like them even better in real life! This week, we are getting our block walls in the yard, the exterior will be scratch coated for the stucco and stone, and the taping and texturing of the walls will begin. I have all my paint and stain colors chosen, the lighting and plumbing chosen, the stone, stucco, soffit and facia, and shingles are ready. The only major decisions I have left to make are the carpet, door and cabinet hardware, and trim styles. I feel like we are in the home stretch! We are going to make it! Now I just need to get ready to move...

Britton's Baptism

2009-05-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 2nd, Britton was baptized. It was a really great day. Fawn and I started it off early by running the Hurricane half marathon. It was Fawn's first half marathon and I was really excited to be able to experience it with her. We were finished and home by 10:00 and able to focus on the rest of the day. Our family kind of ended up running the show at the baptism - my mom read her wonderful baptism book to the children being baptized as the talk, my mom, Fawn and I sang, Britton played cello, and Jeff accompanied a musical number, and my dad said the closing prayer. Jeff baptized and confirmed Britton, and we headed back to our house for a barbecue with our family. I was so grateful to be surrounded by our loved ones on this special day, and so proud of Britton and the choices he has made that make him an exceptional young man and a wonderful son. Congratulations Britton!

Britton's birthday party

2009-05-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

Britton turned eight on April 27th. Britton kept saying things like, "I have been waiting for this birthday for like eleven months!", and spent the last last few months before the actual big day scheming all sorts of things we could do to make this big birthday special. We settled on a "mad scientist" birthday party, where we dressed the kids up like scientists complete with Albert Einstein hair, and performed several science experiments. We made volcanoes (note for future reference: do not let the kids put the lids back on their volcano bottles after the baking soda has been added unless you want to turn the experiment into a rocket experiment), made slime, and had a crazy cupcake decorating contest with many unique frosting color combinations and various gummy animals to mix in. I think the kids had a blast. I must admit, it was pretty fun, even for the party thrower.

Emily "Graduates" From Preschool

2009-05-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

Emily has been attending preschool the the SUU preschool. Her teacher has been Miss Emily (of course, she thought that was pretty cool). She has had a great year and is very prepared for kindergarten. She finished her year at the end of April. She recieved an award for the most "positive attitude". Some of the other awards given out were "most rambunctous" and "most likely to come to school dressed like "Indiana Jones", so positive attitude may sound a little bland or generic, but could be much worse. At the end of the graduation, all 50 preschoolers sang a song together (well, kind of), and you couldn't help but notice Emily, front and center and a solid three inches taller then the next tallest child. I sure hope she likes volleyball...

Progress on the house...

2009-05-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

We are one month in to our building process and look how far we have come! The first week, the basement was excavated, week two, the foundation was poured (see bottom picture), week three, the basement was framed and the floor trusses were laid, week four, the main level is framed the the roof trusses go up on Monday! We can now walk through the house and get a feel for the size and layout of things. I love the windows, I feel good about the room sizes, and the kids are starting to get excited now that they can stand in their own rooms, closets and bathrooms. As stressful as this process is, I am enjoying it. It is fun to see something you have drawn and created come to life.

Santa delivers... a few months late

2009-04-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Santa brought the kids a certificate for a new trampoline at Christmas. We thought we would be in our new house, but decided it was worth it to set it up since we are still going to be here for the summer. Jeff spent a solid ten hours putting the thing together, (you are so handy, honey!), but it has already been worth his time (according to me!). The kids have been out there for hours every day - rain or shine. Brock jumps in circles yelling "This is fun!" Britton and Emily have a blast together, and I think Jeff has even enjoyed it. Unfortunately I am a few kegal muscles short of being able to jump without peeing my pants. Darn the post-childbirth bladder!

HOLY HOLE!

2009-04-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

The process has bugun! We have a hole! I was so excited to go see some progress being made on our house after all the months of preparation. You can see some of the view we will have from our back windows. It is just beautiful! The plan for this next week is to do the underground plumbing and start pouring the foundation.

We're movin' on up!

2009-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is the next chapter in the Gardner housing saga, and my excuse for infrequent blogging these last few months. Despite my apprehensions toward building a house (see former posts), we have decided to take the plunge. After things went sour with our short-sale, we cried a little, moped a little, then got up, brushed ourselves off, and started the house hunt once again. My list of must-haves is not long, (a neighborhood with kids, a three car garage, an open kitchen/great room area, a mud room, and room for a grand piano), but there wasn't anything out there to match our list, so we are building. The closer we get the more excited I am. It is fun to be able to put together a home I really love. It may not be my dream home if money were not an issue, but it is my dream home for real life and real living. I am so excited to see it through from start to finish and look forward to being "settled" for the first time since I left home a mere fifteen years ago. I will post pictures of the progress as it occurs! Wish us good luck!

EMILY!!

2009-03-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Sweet Emily! Emily just celebrated her fifth birthday. I am so excited to be able to tell people that she is five. People would just roll their eyes and mutter a "ya, right" when I would tell them she was four. You just don't run across too many 4 foot tall four year olds. Especially with a vocabulary like Emily's. These are just a few moments from the week before her birthday that I actually wrote down (Yeah, me!):

While reading a valentine from a class mate aloud she said: "To: Emily From: Elsa - hey! that's alliteration!"

"This ring pop has an exquisite taste!"

(Jeff had just told Emily to clean up the living room and they could play a game she had just invented called Karate Ping Pong afterward. Emily went to clean, then came back and said:

"Dad, God just told me that we are supposed to play games THEN pick up." Jeff said: "No, he didn't." Emily answered, "Yes, he did, you just can't hear Him because he talks to my mind."

and finally - "If I were cheese, I would eat myself."

How can you not be entertained with a child like this in the house. I love you, Emily!

Addendum to the previous post...

2009-01-10T13:29:00.001-08:00

Just a little FYI, the home shown in the previous post does not belong to us and will not be the home we raise our family in for the next thirty years. We learned a lot about addendums this past week. We learned that if your realtor does not hand one in on time and the other realtor doesn't like your realtor and wants to "teach him a lesson", he will promptly submit another offer, even if it happens to be 7:30 on New Years Eve, and you will wake up to the new year, thinking you are moving in a few days, but wrong, oh so wrong. Oh well, renting isn't such a bad idea in this economy, right?...

Pie Fest, Thanksgiving, "Sh$@", and moving at Christmastime

2008-12-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have been blogging for a year, and still haven't figured everything out. These pictures posted in opposite order of the order in which they occurred, but you will have to bear with me... I guess this way, you get the biggest news first... WE ARE BUYING A HOUSE!! The picture below is of the soon-to-be Gardner residence! We thought we would be buying this summer, but a home became available on a short sale in an area that we really liked that was just too good a deal to pass up. I had kind of set my heart on building a home, but when Jeff and I started having conversations like this one... Jeff: "Honey, why do we need a bathroom in the basement?" Chelsea: "Because all our children's bedrooms will be there." Jeff: "They only bathe in our bathroom now, I don't see why they need their own." started occurring, I knew it may not be a good idea for our marriage. This home has has two bathrooms for the kids and I don't have to fight Jeff to justify it! My favorite part of the home is the kitchen. It has a bar that seats seven as well as an open area for a kitchen table and a dining room, so I can seat 21 people for dinner without bringing in in an extra chair! It also has a great range with six burners, two grills, and two ovens. the floor plan is very open and functions well for our family. My second favorite part of the home is its location. Our lot backs up to a neighborhood park with a big grassy space and a playground. We have golf course in front of us and a beautiful red canyon a within walking distance. Jeff can ride his bike to work in five minutes or drive in three. Yes, I think we may have found a place to settle after three states, five homes, four jobs, and three children. This picture is of my dad and Brock playing at the Dixie Narrows during Thanksgiving week. Brock has a new favorite word - the "S" word. He is often known to enter a room or approach perfect strangers by running, jumping, throwing his arms in the air, and yelling "S*$&!" Let me tell you how fun that is to explain to people. There is a reason for our foul-mouthed two year old. Before Thanksgiving, we went to Salt Lake to stay with Jeff's family since we wouldn't see them during the holiday. One evening while we were there, I was sitting and chatting with our teen-age nieces and Brock was playing nearby when Emily came by and said in her most obnoxious four year old baby voice, "mommy, I want to sit on you." Unfortunately "sit" sounded more like "S*@%" and no one could keep from laughing. The more she said it, the more we laughed and Brock caught on to the fact that this was a pretty funny word. I could explain to Emily that what she was saying sounded like a naughty word and she shouldn't say it again, however, that logic went right over Brock's head and he now had a way to get every ones attention really fast. I must say, the pronouncement did come in handy on one occasion. During the Thanksgiving holiday, my mom's house was buzzing with grandchildren of every age and size and somehow, Sunny, my mom's bird received a little too much love. When we discovered this, the adults and older kids were standing and mourning Sunny when Brock entered the room, took one look at the not-so-alive bird, and yelled "s@*#!!!" In this case it was appropriate. Love you Brock. You do always have a way of keeping me from taking life too seriously.

During our week of Thanksgiving festivities, in addition to our trip to the Washington County swimming pool, Dixie Narrows, movie day, Thanksgiving dinner, and a girls trip to Las Vegas to see Phantom of the Opera, we had a Thanksgiving party for the grand kids. My mom is so good at making the grand kids feel extra special. She knows just what kids will like and does her best to make sure everyone feels as though they are her favorite. The party consisted of a "turkey hunt" which was an obstacle course through the basement that ended with the kids being able to "shoot" the turkeys/dads with water guns. We also had a pie making contest and ended the evening with some robust square dancing. (pilgrims square danced, right?) The kids loved it.

We kicked off the holiday season with Pie Fest '08. This is a tradition we started when we lived in Saginaw where we would gather before Thanksgiving and eat pie when we weren't too full to enjoy it. We didn't do it last year and I really missed it, so this year, pie fest made a triumphant return. I baked 14 pies over the space of three days, my mom made four more, and we invited our friends and neighbors over to partake. We ended up having about 100 people come by and it was a blast! I am already looking forward to Pie Fest '09 in our new house where we can fit twice the crowd!

Things may get a little crazy between now and the end of the year and I don't know if blogging is going to make it on to my "to do" list, so if not, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and feel grateful for the many people who grace my life with their Christ-like examples. Thank you to all of you. Happy Christmas!!

I AM...

2008-11-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, Okay, This is the I am... tag from MaryEllen. Here goes...
I am.....a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a musician.
I think.....about what my mission in life is and whether or not I am staying true to it.
I want....to have an eternal family.
I have....all that I need and most things I want.
I miss....my dear friends and mentors in Michigan and Indiana, as well as those that left with me.
I feel.....a zest and passion for life.
I hear....David Letterman explaining a urine filtration test.
I smell....Thanksgiving pies and rolls.
I crave.....baked goods of all sorts.
I cry.....I cried today when my mom's bird died and my son made her a head stone which read "Sunny, a very kind bird." I am crying again as I write this because once I start to cry, I can't stop.
I search.....for a house to call a home for many years to come.
I wonder....Why my life is so blessed when there are so many who struggle.
I regret.....not keeping a journal
I wish....I had more answers for the many questions my family asks. (Jeff is the worst).
I love.....anything that makes me feel alive
I care.....for my children more than anything.
I always.....want to stay healthy
I worry.....that I am learning life's lessons well enough that the lessons don't have to be repeated.
I am not....tightly wound.
I remember....less and less...
I believe....my Heavenly Father loves me and guides my life.
I sing....all the time!
I don't always....take a shower when I should.
I argue....hardly ever, because I already know I am right.
I write.....more than I used to!
I lose....socks, sunglasses, binkies (I am sure I have purchased at least a hundred in Brock's two short years).
I listen.....to my children and wonder if I will remember what they sound like at these tender ages.
I can usually be found....in my exercise clothes.
I need....to be adored.
I forget....the things I don't want to remember.
I am happy....when my life is in balance.
I tag.....Tami and Kelly

Snow Canyon Half Marathon

2008-11-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

These are faces of joy! Our training is over and our race went great! Jeff and I ran the Snow Canyon half marathon two weekends ago and despite our pre-race dinner being corn bread, chili, and Halloween treats, (it was the day after Halloween), we both shaved several minutes off our previous personal bests! Jeff finished in a lightning fast 1:45, and I finished in a not-so-lightning-fast, but fast for a slow girl time of 1:57. We had been following a training program from a book published by runners world called "Run less, run faster." I am always skeptical that I can improve my times, just because I know I am on the low end of the natural ability scale, but I am now a believer.
The race course was beautiful! The first eight miles took us on roads and trails through Snow Canyon State Park, then we exited the park and ran through the Entrada development in Santa Clara. The race finished at Snow Canyon High School. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the mid fifties. Jeff and I both felt pretty good afterward, and rewarded ourselves with a trip to In & Out Burger and Bajio. Food never tastes quite so good as it does after a long race.
I have to post these events because they are things I never thought I could do. I watched my friends and family compete in athletics throughout High School and knew I didn't have the ability, discipline, or will to ever join them. I remember running/walking the mandatory mile and a half in P.E. my senior year and thinking to my self "I will never be a runner". I feels great to be in better shape at 32 with three kids then I was in High School. I finally feel like I am in control of my body instead of my body controlling me. I am no super model, or super athlete, but I am healthy and it feels good.

2008-11-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by JoAnn!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Living and working in the desert near Capital Reef National Park
2.Working my first Aspen youth group as the senior staff member
3.Praying every night that no one would shank me in my sleep
4. Not dating
5. Buying my first car

5 things on my to do list
1. Make 12 pies
2. Run
3. Clean bathrooms
4. Go to the grocery store to get the things I forgot when I was there yesterday
5. Spend one on one time with each of my kids

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay for my whole family to travel
2. Donate to charities providing education, clean water, and health care to poor countries
3. Buy a great violin for me and a great piano for Jeff
4. Pay for a maid and a chef
5. Pay off debt

5 places I have lived:
1. Cedar City, UT
2. Logan, UT
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. Fort Wayne, IN
5. Saginaw, MI

5 places I have worked:
1. The Center for Change
2. University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute
3. Hartvigsen School
4. Aspen Youth Alternatives
5. The Hub at Utah State

Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names. *I don't know if five people read my blog, let alone five people who would like to do this survey, so if you feel like it, go ahead, if not, no worries!

Halloween

2008-11-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Emily loves Halloween. She loves to dress up, she loves to trick or treat, she loves any sort of party or gathering, and like my mom says, was "made for Halloween". Emily's favorite Halloween activity this year was attending a party hosted by my mom. The grand kids came dressed up and did several activities, each with a theme of "ghost", "cat", "witch", and "pumpkin". The evening ended with my personal favorite activity, "glow-in-the-dark dance party". when I was in college, my mom made a mix tape that has been a Halloween favorite ever since. Unfortunately, when we were moving, Brock got a hold of it ruined it. My mom and sister lost theirs the same year, so my mom recreated it this year. I was so excited. What is Halloween without a good boogie to "Ghostbusters", "Thriller", and the "Purple People Eater"? We turned it on for the kids and supplied them with glow bracelets and necklaces and let them get down. I must say, I couldn't help but to join in.

As much as Emily loves Halloween, I think Brock took the prize for being the most excited this year. He bounded up to each door with a "Helloooo!", "trick treat!" and a very grateful "tanks!" If the house looked especially inviting, he walked right in to join the party. He squealed and oohed and aahed at all the "spooks" we passed on the street and was the only one that didn't complain about all the walking.

Britton would like to write his own narrative on how Halloween went so here goes Britton's first official blog entry...

I liked halloween also I was a vampire. I was a great dracula . I made a good scare. I saw some of my friends they did not recognize me.

Well, there you go. Halloween at the Gardner's house. We were thankful to have Aunt Lindsey, Uncle Kit, Carson, Olivia, and Grandma and Grandpa Thompson along with us for trick-or-treating and post Halloween chili and cornbread. By the way, to see a hilarious picture of Britton, Emily, and Olivia on Halloween, check out Lindsey's blog.http://www.thompsonlove.blogspot.com.

More summer pictures...

2008-11-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

Apparently, I can only put five pictures in each post, so here are some more summer pictures...
The kids at Hogle Zoo.

Jeff and I in Chicago.

Jeff and I kayaking on Lake Washington in Seattle before the exciting BYU vs. Washington football game. (GO BYU!!)

Brock checking out the flowers on one of our many family hikes.

Britton quoting Cyrano DeBergerac in Playmakers. (He learned Cyrano's whole fight scene and final speech!)

Playing Catch-up

2008-11-01T20:46:00.001-07:00

I know I have fallen off the blogging wagon. My excuses are futile (new computer, busy summer, blah, blah, blah). However in an attempt not to forget, I will post a few pictures from our very full summer. We have played at a frantic pace. I think it comes as a result from Jeff having so few days off through residency. Now the days off are plentiful, but we still seldom waste a precious day off at home. As a result, my house is not clean, my car is even worse, and the whole family is in need of haircuts, dental and doctor check-ups. But we were able to fill our summer with great family memories. We spent 20+ nights in our new-to-us pop-up trailer in campgrounds from Snow Canyon to the Uintahs. We learned how to make gourmet s'mores. We tested our families hiking limits (six miles is too much). We spent time with family and friends. Jeff and I traveled to Seattle and Chicago together and decided we still like each other. We raced - with and without our kids. We had a great time!!! Jeff and the kids at Cascade Falls.

Pioneer trek with the Mesa Hills ward.

Emily on the coolest swing ever at the Gardner family reunion.

Jeff canyoneering in Zion

Me and the kids at Cedar Breaks during the wildflower festival.

Funny stuff....

2008-07-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

Lake Powell

2008-06-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here is Emily in her element. She loves sun, loves sand, loves to have her picture taken and loves her polka-dot "two piece" which I may regret buying for her, but I couldn't resist. We did have a few fun moments at Lake Powell this past weekend, but I must say Fawn and I will think twice before taking eight children ages 8,7,6,5,4,2,2 and 1 camping without our husbands. If we can forget the heat illness, sleepless nights, trailer getting stuck in the sand, broken trailer, broken boat, and middle of the night drive home, we can remember the sugar sand beaches, incredible stars, warm water and that in spite of it all, our kids had a blast.

Wasatch Back Photos

2008-06-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our team. Yeah, there's only 11--while everyone else was taking photos of each other, one of us was actually RUNNING.

Chelsea cheering Fawn up a tough section of Jordanelle

Chels' sexy feet...note how well the toenail polish complements the blisters.

One of our vans

2008-06-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Chelsea and Fawn at the top of Avon pass. They're smiling because they're not running...

12 friends, 181 miles, & a lot of fun

2008-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Chelsea's fallen off the blogging wagon, so I'm gonna fill in. We just finished the Wasatch Back this last weekend. I started our team off at 9:20 with an easy leg (just learned how to imbed links...impressed?) through Logan, Providence, and Millville. Nice cool weather, no real hills--good leg to start with. Passed the baton off to Chelsea for her first leg--the first real hill (little did we know what was coming...) of the race through Nibley and Hyrum. She powered through, getting a few kills (Ragnar term for passing someone) on the way and we got to rest for the afternoon, while our team worked their way over Avon Pass (thank you, Marc and Mary Ellen!). There, we passed the baton to the second van and headed to our next exchange at Snowbasin. My next leg had a killer first mile, followed by a long downhill run--right at sunset and a gorgeous run. I passed off to Chelsea for a quick 3 mile leg through Mountain Green in nice cool mountain air. The rest of our van took us through Morgan up into East Canyon reservoir in the middle of the night, where we passed off to the other van, and headed off to catch a few hours of sleep. My next leg climbed up from Rockport State Park into Oakley, at which point Chelsea took the baton through Kamas. Fawn had a tough climb up around Jordanelle reservoir, and Marc and Mary Ellen took us into Heber. Aaahhh--we were done and able to sit back and watch the other van trudge through the 96 degree heat. Guardsman pass is the toughest climb of the race and split into two legs--"You've got to be kidding me" and "Ragnar". Our runner, typically an 8-minute miler, was reduced to 14+ minute miles by Ragnar and the brutal heat; the other climber, an experienced marathoner, said she'd "rather run 10 marathons than do that leg again". Their last two runners then brought us down into Park City for the finish.

Sound fun? Well, we're all signed up to do it again next year--even the Guardsman runners. In Chelsea's words, "I can't imagine a funner race".

wasatch back

2008-05-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Okay folks! Here is the deal. Jeff and I have put together a team for the Wasatch Back relay. It is a 178 mile race that goes from Logan to Park City. You run three legs which are each between 4 and 8 miles long over the course of about 30 hours. Sound like so much fun? Well we have 11 team members and we need one more! The race is on June 20-21, so if you can run five miles today, you can easily train for it in time! I know someone is already planning a trip to Utah and needs a little challenge in their workout routine and you KNOW that if I can do it, you definitely can! You can find race details at www.ragnarrelay.com. Come on folks! We need you!!!!!

Brock

2008-04-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is Brock as we so often see him. I love this little boy with all my heart. He is passionate, and fun, and excited, and loves to play. He is in heaven in the outdoors. We try to hike as a family at least once a week and Brock can go miles before getting tired, provided he has a rock in each hand and a trail to follow. He is also stubborn, and loud, and easily frustrated, and often inconsolable. This is one of my greatest parenting challenges up to this point. I have never had a child that I could not console, that would be miserable for hours for no good reason. He is happy as a little lark wandering around the house playing with his cars and trains and with his brother and sister, but as soon as we attempt to add any structure to any event, he falls apart. You can only imagine the struggle this presents at church. Not only does he have to be quiet, but he is also confined, and then we take him to nursery where he is supposed to sit on a little chair or a little carpet and listen to this that or the other when there is a perfectly good slide right behind him. Brock literally starts to cry the moment we pull into the church parking lot, and if we are not armed with a barrage of fruit snacks, crackers, pretzels, drinks and other distractionary items, we are doomed. I do not remember the last time I left sacrament meeting when I was not sweating from the wrestling/chasing match Brock and I have just endured.

Another big frustration for both of us is that Brock is not really talking yet. I know that he knows what we are saying and he knows what he is saying, we just don't know what he is saying. However, he has found a way to get our attention in any situation and that is by letting out this high-pitched scream at roughly 280 decibels. It is working well for him because we are prompt to do what ever we can to stop that piercing noise!

With all the struggles, we did have a breakthrough this week which is what has inspired me to write. Brock sat on my lap and listened to a story for the first time. Yes, he is nineteen months old, and this is the first time this has ever occurred. He snuggled with me (that is a miracle in and of itself) in the rocking chair and pointed to the pictures and let me turn the pages and sat there until I was finished. I nearly cried when we were through. What is even better, is he has brought the same book to me a few times this week and we have done it again!(Yeah for "Who said Moo.) I have really longed for this kind of bonding with him and am so grateful that I can finally read my baby a story.

I would love to hear stories or ideas from all you fantastic moms out there about making it through with a difficult child. I am sure there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope the tunnel is short. I hope and pray that this milestone is a change in the road. In the meantime, I keep reminding myself that being strong-willed and curious and energetic and passionate are really good traits in an adult, and I don't want to squash them as long as I can continue with some sanity...

My tough husband!

2008-04-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Jeff and our good friend from residency, Marc Hyde completed a twelve hour adventure race last weekend in Moab. They mountain biked, ran, kayaked, and rappelled over sixty miles! When Jeff finished there was no "Yeah, that was awesome!" The comments were more like, "That is the stupidest thing I have ever done. Don't ever let me do anything like that again." Jeff is a man with great zest for life. That is one of the reasons I married him. I love him for trying hard things. I love him for his million interests and hobbies, and I love him for knowing he can find better way to do just about anything.

While the men were racing, I got to hang out all day with Marc's wife Tracie and her three adorable girls. (the little boys stayed home.) I am so grateful for the friendships I formed while in residency, and even more grateful that a few of our friends got to move west with us so we can see them on occasion. We spent the day swimming, hiking in Arches National Park, playing at a park in Moab, and cheering on the adventure racers from the comfort of our mini vans. The trip was great apart from a Brock's rota virus which he graciously passed on to me on the trip home. What is a family trip without a little sickness right?

Jeff and the kids in Canyonlands

2008-04-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Britton in south arch

2008-04-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

Three, Three, Three Weeks in One!

2008-03-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy and eventful last few weeks, hence, no blogging. Two weekends ago, we went to Sandy to visit Jeff's parents. The next week, Glen, Jody, and Gardner came to stay for a few days, the next day, My sister, Fawn, her husband and five kids came to stay for a week. Add in St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring, and Easter, and you get a whole lot of fun, with not a lot of spare time. The highlights of the past few weeks have been: A visit from Jeff's parents, The Thompson family picnic where I got to catch up with cousins I haven't seen since I moved away from Utah, the kids Easter egg hunt and planting of magic jelly beans (courtesy of Aunt Lisa), a trip to the wildlife museum in St. George with Grandma, Grandpa, Fawn and Rob and kids, and Kit and Lindsey and kids followed by an afternoon in Red Cliffs where it was so warm, the kids played in the water in their skivvies, shopping in St. George with the girls while the boys took the kids home, a trip to with the nieces and nephews to feed baby lambs at the college farm, and last but not least, exciting news that Brett and Marissa had their second son, Vann (congrats guys!). Throw in a few P.T.A meetings, orchestra rehearsals, band practices, trips to the park, and race training days, and it makes for a full couple of weeks!

Easter Family Home Evening

2008-03-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

My dear, wonderful mother is a great teacher and always finds opportunities to teach the grandchildren. She put together an Easter FHE to present to all 11 grandkids on Easter evening. Unfortunately, the kids all had Britton's attitude about Easter Sunday which is (and I quote) "The Easter bunny comes on Saturday, so all we have to do on Sunday is think about Jesus". When he said this, it was not with enthusiasm. Anyway, the FHE lasted about ten minutes and that was probably nine minutes too long, but hey, you've got to try...

2008-03-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

2008-03-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

2008-03-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

2008-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

13.1 is a whole lot of fun!

2008-03-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I had a speedy overnighter in Moab this weekend to run the Canyonlands half marathon. It is a beautiful course which follows the Colorado river down a flat canyon to the city. My favorite part of the race was passing a group of about 15 women playing huge drums made out of wine barrels. You could hear the drums echoing up the canyon for a good mile before you could actually see them and it was just the shot in the arm I needed to finish the last three miles. (I happen to know that they are music therapists, which makes them even cooler!)

I have decided that half marathons are the way to go for me. You don't have to be an athlete to do them. (anyone that knows me very well knows that I am living proof of that.) You can train for them running three to four times a week and still have a reasonably good finishing time.( My idea of "good" is anything under ten minute miles.) They do not kill your body(I feel pretty good today, whereas after the marathons, I pretty much wanted to die!). People don't really understand the difference between a half and full marathon - 13 miles, 26 miles, it is all the same once you hit double didgets! (In reality, training for a full marathon is MUCH harder and takes WAY more time!) You usually get a really good shirt and good post-race treats! ( that is half the reason I like doing races - all the free stuff). So, it you are looking for a little physical challenge, the 13.1 is a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday Dear Emily!!!

2008-03-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

Emily finally turned four this week. I say finally because people have been asking if she was four well, since she was two. I no longer have to have the "Wow! I can't believe it! She is the tallest three year old I have ever seen!" conversation. She is tall, and she is smart, and she is thoughtful, and she is fun, and she is funny, and she is sensitive, and she is full of life! Emily had two birthday parties, one with friends and one with family. For both parties she was intricately involved of the planning of invitations, food, dec0rations, refreshments, games, and most importantly, party favors. Emily lives for celebrations. The day of her friend party, while we were finishing up the preparations, we had several conversations like these: "Um, mom, do you think we should call my friends and remind them that I really like presents?" "No, Emily. I am sure they already know that you like presents." So, mom, do you think I should call them and tell them that it is going to be a real party?" "Emily, we told them on the invitation that it would be a party." "Mom, do you think I should take a little taste of the cake?" "Nope, you will get to taste it in a little while." etc... Anyway, the parties were fun. The family party was a little less fun due to the lack of party games, but was redeemed with some jump roping courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Thompson. Emily has had fun playing with her new toys, and makes sure to give them all equal attention. She has also enjoyed her new bed. She and Britton have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor since we moved, so we gave Emily a bed with a trundle so Britton may still sleep in her room if he likes, and he does. So, it has been a fun week!

2008-03-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Brock Never wears a hat, but was tickled with his party hat, and wore it the whole party!

2008-03-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

Emily's New Bed!

All I Want for Christmas is my...

2008-02-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Britton's First Cello Recital

2008-02-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

This has been a Britton week. As the first child, Britton gets to accomplish many family firsts, the first step, the first word, the first to read, the first to go to school. Because he is the first, I tend to remember his milestones a little more clearly - which is why I have started to blog. Hopefully I will have a record of all of the firsts - even those of child number two and three. But this week was all Britton. He lost his third, but biggest tooth - finally. This one took some work. I must say, he is the cutest toothless first grader I have ever seen. Second, he had his first cello recital. He was first on the program, and a little nervous, but did a good job. I have looked forward to the time when my children would start to play an instrument since before I had children, and was tickled when Britton chose the cello. I always wished I had played the cello instead of the violin, so now, at least someone will carry on that secret wish. I must say, it takes years until listening doesn't hurt your ears and getting him to practice is a challenge, but I think he is starting to enjoy it. He does ask if there is ever going to be such a thing as "Cello Hero" so he could practice and play video games at the same time, but I have to tell him that I don't think it is going to happen any time soon. Britton also sat through his first full-length orchestra concert. There was a cello soloist playing with the Orchestra of Southern Utah and Britton really wanted to go. I was nervous that he would be done by intermission, but he enjoyed it and wanted to stay the whole time. Britton also wrote his first story today. It took him all of sacrament meeting, but at least it kept him occupied. It was about a good sherrif that had kept a town crime-free for many years, but he died. The town proceeded to hire several other sherrifs, but the crime just got worse and worse, so the finally hired 50 sherrifs to take the place of the one good sherrif and everyone was happy again. Every word was written out and it ended up being about ten first-grade handwriting pages long. there were quotes from the townspeople and narrator insights and lots of backwards "j"s, but I must say I was mighty impressed. I always tell Britton I am grateful for him because he made me a mother. I truely am. I love you Britton.

"Happy Valentimes Day"

2008-02-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Wow! It is amazing how quickly my memories pass if I don't write things down! It has only been two weeks, and my mind is nearly blank. Last weekend we traveled to Salt Lake City to visit Jeff's family. Even short visits are refreshing and I think our children actually remember their grandparents and cousins from visit to visit now! We took in an R.V. show, a trip to Cafe Rio, a little shopping, a quick visit with Brett and Marissa, Jeff's mom's Spanish food, sledding, and a visit with old friends JoAnn Stevenson and Kelly Small, and did it all in two days! My favorite event of the trip, however, was when Gardner, our seven year old nephew pulled his tooth out in sacrament meeting. Jeff's mom just happened to be speaking and mentioned it in her talk and Gardner was so embarrassed, he kept his head ducked under the pew for the rest of the meeting. Britton, on the other hand, must have been a bit envious of the public mention and spent the rest of church wiggling his loose tooth in hopes of gaining the same recognition. Alas, his attempt failed, and he is still a nearly seven year old with only two lost teeth.
This week has passed in a flurry, however, Valentines Day was great. If ever a child was made to enjoy holidays, it was Emily. She spent the days prior to Valentines day cutting out hearts, making cookies, planning a list of whom she would like to send valentines to and learning about the valentines colors, who cupid was, and why we celebrate love, then informing the rest of the family about her findings. The whole day, whomever she passed she would offer a cheerful "happy valentimes day" to. She was so excited about wearing pink ( her favorite color AND a valentines color), delivering valentines to her friends, and answering the door just in case someone was dropping off a little something for her. Jeff and I give the kids books for Valentines Day. Emily received a "Princess Primer" as her book and has loved reading about the various aspects of being a princess. Jeff gave me a very romantic gift of flowers in a blender. This may sound a little odd, but it is what he gave me on our first Valentines Day when we were dating. The flowers came in a blender because he didn't have a vase, this year, I actually needed a new blender, so it worked out well. I was impressed that he remembered. You know how husbands are about remembering that kind of stuff... I gave Jeff a tackle box to organize his fly tying supplies ( Jeff's new hobby). Jeff had to work that evening, so we were able to go on a date the next night. We went to St. George and hit the parade of homes ( I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance) and ate dinner at a Thai food restaurant called Benja. It was a fun day! I feel so grateful to be married to a man that I love AND like.

2008-02-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

We took the kids sledding on Saturday and had a great time. We are all just happier when we are outside. Britton's first word was out! Emily kept saying "this is the best day ever", and "this is the most fun ever" and "I love sledding the most of all"! ( She has her mother's gift for exaggeration or optimism, which ever you prefer to call it.) However, I must say that Brock enjoyed the trip more than any of us. As soon as he gets a hint that anyone is leaving the house, he starts to wave "bye-bye" and heads for the door. He is easy to put on a lap, so got to sled down the hill with whoever was going, but if we weren't fast enough getting back up, he would sit down and attempt a bum slide. He had seen the older kids do it and figured he could too. Once again, I love living in Southern Utah where it can snow eight inches one day and be 45 degrees and sunny the next!

The power of an apology

2008-01-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

I recently treated two college freshman who had concocted this homemade brew of nutmeg and poppy seeds. The reason for the poppy seeds is fairly obvious, but the addition of the nutmeg puzzled me a little. Until I called Poison Control and found out that nutmeg has fairly potent anticholinergic properties--tachycardia, dry mouth, vomiting, hallucinations---aaahhh...that's it--hallucinations. Our two little scientists had come up with a brand new concoction that was totally legal and available at your local grocery store.

Well, since the safety of this brew hasn't been as well established as some of the more commonly used drugs we see all the time (crack, meth, marijuana, etc), we were obligated to give these guys charcoal, which they inevitably vomited all over the place (why didn't I put in an NG tube???) For non-medical folks, charcoal vomiting creates a mess that no commercial stain remover is designed to clean up. This mess then tied up not one, but both of our night nurses for a good hour. We then had to call the social worker to come see them in the middle of the night and arrange for their ICU admission.

The thing that makes this story unique (besides the novel use of nutmeg) is that towards the end of this, one of them tells me "I'm really sorry about all of this." Huh? You're sorry? I was speechless. Sure, patients have said this before, but it's usually the little old lady who's so sorry to be bugging everyone about this, but she's concerned about this tearing sensation in her chest that turns out to be an aortic dissection. It's never the people that really should be sorry.

But you know what? The two words "I'm sorry" made everything--the charcoal mess, the tired social worker, the ICU admission--a little better for everyone. I guess it's because we've all done really stupid things in our lives, things that create bigger problems than a little mess on the floor. Thank goodness for the words, "I'm sorry."

My hot cowgirl

2008-01-29T12:06:00.001-08:00

Yeeeeeee-haw!

One tired ballerina

2008-01-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

Before...

After...

Aren't little girls the best?

Tired

2008-01-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Just finishing a week of 12's--2 nights followed by three days. As any ER doctor knows, a 12-hour is really a 13-hour shift by the time things get all wrapped up. So, it's a 65-hour week. I used to pull those all the time in residency--I'm getting soft.

I'm not so much tired as I am annoyed. For me, annoyance with patients is my first sign of burnout, a sign that I need a break. I caught myself several times getting bored as the patient is talking to me, wondering in my head, "why in the world are they telling me this? Do they really think I care? Why on earth is this relevant?" Which is sort of dangerous, because on more than one occasion, a patient has volunteered a detail I never would have asked about that's been the key to their diagnosis. The problem is, for every one of those facts that saves your butt, you have to wade through 20 ramblings about a patient's tingling sensation in their left pinky.

It's flu season, which adds to the fatigue. Besides having to listen to the same constellation of symptoms over and over (and over...), I end up having to tell them that despite the fact that they're absolutely miserable, there's really nothing I can do that they can't do for themselves by a quick walk through the pharmacy. And even after my lengthy explanation that their illness is due to a virus, they inevitably ask, "Are you going to write me for something?" Yes, "something" means an antibiotic.

Did you hear a word of what I just said? YOU DON'T NEED AN ANTIBIOTIC. I don't care if your doctor gives you a Z-pack whenever you get this. You could take a pack of jelly beans and get better just as quickly. Here...I'll even put them in a pill bottle for you.

As you can tell, I'm not very good at the kind doctor comforting thing. It's actually much more tiring to me telling 20 people they're fine (without ticking them off) than treating 20 MI's. Wow...it's really a good thing I switched residencies.

Good news, I have a good week ahead. Only two shifts. I love 12's.

I am a cowgirl, yes I am!

2008-01-27T19:17:00.001-08:00

So, here's a funny little thing I've gotten myself into... A friendly fellow in our ward asked me if I would be interested in learning cowboy music. I thought it sounded interesting, it is a musical genre that is so specific to the region and culture I live in, so I said "sure". Next thing I know, I am singing lyrics like"and when your all steak and stewed together, I'll still be pounding leather, move on, you cattle move along", and "I'm a riding, roping, ranching kind of cowboy, I'm at home with a fence tool, a rope, or a medicine kit, and no other kind of life would suit me now boys, I'm a hackamore man who'll never the the bit" while wearing a black cowboy hat and a red bandanna with a group of 60 year old men. I am not sure how this happened, but I'll tell you, I felt like I was dressing up for Halloween last night as I was getting ready for our first "gig". And, by the way, did you know you can spend $170 on a cowboy hat! I bought the cheapest one I could find, and it was a mere $50! Dressing cowboy is expensive! So, this is my latest little adventure. I am now an official member of the "Red Hill Rangers"! I'm practicing up for our big gig at the Lion's Club meeting tomorrow. It should be a barrel of fun, a hoot and a holler, a nice li'l gatherin, ...

More pics...

2008-01-20T20:12:00.000-08:00

Isn't this picture of Britton and Emily as Mary and Joseph sweet? (plus Kennedy the sheep.)

Okay, so here is another try. Hopefully, this will be some more Christmas pictures and some pictures from our hiking excursion in Red Cliffs last weekend. We will see how this goes.

All right! It worked this time! So on to this week. I could have titled this post SICK. We have had a barrage of viruses running through our house. Both Britton and Emily threw up at some time or another, Brock has a fever of 101.4 tonight, I have a sore throat, and Emily told me this morning that her "nose didn't have any air in it and the boogers in her throat were making her voice sound funny." She was right, when she tried to blow her nose, no air, or boogers moved.

Tonight, my mind is on house plans. As of today, Jeff has decided that for tax reasons, we should try to be into a new house a year from March. I know that is 14 months away, but I guess we have to start meeting with contractors and getting our plans together this week. I know lots of you have recently built homes. I would love to know what your favorite features are or things you wish you would have done differently. It scares me to think we will be building the house we may live in forever! Anyway, let the fun begin!

Some Old Pics

2008-01-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

I am new to blogging and even newer to downloading my pictures on to the computer, so here is my first attempt. This was Emily as Mary on Christmas Eve. I know it is sideways, but I haven't figured out how to flip it yet, so turn your head. She took this role very seriously even though all her teenage cousins weren't so serious. It was very precious.

The strike must end!

2008-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

My favorite shows:
1) The Office
2) (a very close second) Scrubs
3) 30 Rock
4) My Name is Earl
5) A bunch of others - Pushing Up Daisies and Big Bang Theory are recent finds that are pretty good.

Guilty pleasures - So You Think You Can Dance, Biggest Loser

Show that must die soon...
American Idol. How does this show get 4-5 hours every week?

The writers' strike needs to end. If I miss the final season of Scrubs, I'll be ticked.

Mitt wins Michigan...pandering

2008-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

So Mitt Romney won Michigan last night. I'm glad--I like Mitt and I think his abilities and accomplishments outshine anyone from either party. I also think he hasn't been treated very fairly by the media, and it's always nice to see them eat their words. It's funny--this victory was treated as a resuscitation to his campaign, despite the fact that he was leading in delegates going into Michigan.

BUT...he has this nasty habit of pandering. The media has picked up on this and run with it, and he hasn't done much to discourage it. Joining the NRA, claiming he's a lifelong hunter, reminiscing about watching his dad march with MLK, denying that he called McCain's immigration policy "amnesty", "changing [his] mind" on abortion...the list goes on and on. Now he's telling Michigan voters that he'll fight to get their auto manufacturing jobs back.

Uh...they're not coming back. And Mitt knows it. You can't pay a high school graduate 100K+ to bend a piece of sheet metal all day and expect to compete. So, exactly how is he going to fight for those jobs? Did he change his mind about unions too?

The irony is that he didn't really need to do any of this. He's smart, charismatic, well-spoken, and has a great record. Why open himself up like this? It'd be really nice if the Mormon candidate was the one known for being straightforward and honest, and not the guy that'll say or do anything for a vote.

Interesting quiz online to help you decide who to vote for: http://www.gotoquiz.com/candidates/2008-quiz.html

Chelsea's top candidate? Hillary Clinton.

Hehehe.

My first post...

2008-01-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

I recently finished a book by Patricia Grimes called "Just Trying to Save A Few Lives", or something like that (it's funny...I remember the author's name but not the title of the book--maybe she should have just titled it "Grimy stories"), and it gave me the idea that I need to start keeping track of these encounters for....something (posterity? book deal? sanity?). So, at risk of becoming the third wheel at Chelsea's female blogging club, I'm going to interject here and there.

But now that I'm typing, I'm sort of at a loss as to where to begin. I get the request for a story all the time when I tell someone what I do, and I seem to always be at this same loss. The problem is that nearly all of the stories that come to mind either are either really morbid/tragic or involve objects inserted into bodily orifices where they shouldn't (and you would often think--couldn't) fit.

Well, there's the Thanksgiving that I spent in the "thumb" of Michigan where I sent home a little girl who had a cold with her mom and older brother, only to see her come back by ambulance with her mother 45 minutes later, brother decapitated in a car accident, mother with a displaced elbow fracture and screaming "Where is my son? What happened to my son?" (do I tell her? or do I just sedate her so she doesn't permanently wreck her arm?) , and little girl trying to act brave through it all, and then having to contact the divorced father across the state to tell him his son is dead, all this with one nurse and six other patients wondering why I'm taking so long to get to them...

Sort of a conversation killer.

I don't want to have the reputation of "the weird doctor who works at night all the time and pssst...I think it's gotten to him." So, while I'm sure I'll hit the "slipped in the shower and happened to land right on this hairdryer" stories, I would like to record some of the everyday entertaining encounters that make me love my job.

But I really don't know where to begin. The story I really want to tell, the one that's timely and hilariously funny (as opposed to just funny), falls into that second category and will probably make everyone wonder just what kind of guy Chelsea is now stuck with forever. I'm sure I'll get around to it in a few weeks when everyone has learned to skip my posts, but it's really not a good icebreaker. So for now, it's a slow Tuesday morning shift (the kind I rarely get as the low guy on the totem pole) and maybe something will walk through the door and give me something to talk about.

Another Week!

2008-01-13T19:41:00.001-08:00

Well, this week was filled with - what our life is usually filled with. Britton goes to school, Jeff goes to work, and Brock, Emily and I stay home and try to manage ourselves. There are a few exciting things that happened.

First, Britton began cello group lessons. He has been taking private lessons since October, but got to start playing with a group this week. He did a solo for the other kids and was so proud of himself. It is wonderful to watch him make progress and feel the joy that comes from playing an instrument. I hope he continues.

Second, after a busy week, we were able to go hiking on Saturday. One of the absuloutely wonderful things about living in Southern Utah is that even in January, we can drive for half an hour and be in warm weather! We left six inches of snow and drove to Red Cliffs to hike and play. it was 55 degrees with blue skies and signs of spring everywhere! The scenery is breathtaking. The rich red cliffs are astounding, but even more so in contrast to the blue, snow-covered Pine Valley Mountains right behind them. The kids were able to hike and climb and run. Everyone was excited to be outside, but none more then Brock. He is a boy who loves to move, and he had no trouble keeping up with us on the trail with a rock in each hand, each pocket, and usually one in the mouth. He just kept squealing with delight and was filled with "oohs and aahs". We were able to hike in short sleeves and feel the sunshine. It was so rejuvinating. I couldn't help but to feel so happy - so at home. It was a great day.

Here Goes...

2008-01-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Well, Here we are in a new city with a new job, a new home, a new school and new life experiences that I know will pass away quickly and possibly unremembered, so I have finally committed myself to writing down what comes and goes. When I was sending out Christmas cards, I realized we had friends and family in a dozen states and twice as many cities. I also realized how much I enjoyed hearing a little slice of their lives, so here goes... a little slice of Gardner family life, if for no one else, for me, so I can recall the many experiences that make up my life story.

I will start with a funny little story that happened recently. Emily(3) recently came into my room heartbroken. Through her sobs, she finally explained that Britton(6) had told her that "There is no such thing as girls." Emily looks up to Britton and hangs on his every word as truth, so this statement was devastating. She could not be consoled until Britton recanted his statement. I love that she adores her big brother so much. I don't love as much how Britton revels in the power it gives him, but for the most part he adores her right back and mostly enjoys her too. In fact, Britton sleeps on Emily's floor every night because he enjoys her company. He has his own room, but prefers to share with his little sister. Pretty sweet!