More 2012 Highlights

Favorite TV Shows:

• Revolution
• The Amazing Race
• The Mentalist
• Psych
• NCIS
• NCIS-Los Angeles
• Person of Interest

Favorite Movies:

• Les Miserables
• Skyfall
• Knight and Day (know it's not a new one but my family watches it repeatedly.  It is hilarious and we quote way too many lines)

Favorite Songs:

• It's Time by Imagine Dragons
• Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
• It's Always a Good Time by Owl City
• The A Team by Ed Sheeran

Favoite Plays:

• Alec and I saw Wicked (me for the 3rd time)
• Zorro - The Musical

2012 Highlights

It's time to start wrapping up the past year.

Sports Highlights:

• McKayla setting the school record in the mile
• Chandler's soccer team winning a gold medal in the Glory Tournament of Champions
• Brakston making the UVU soccer team
• the BYU women's soccer team enjoying unprecedented success
• the UVU distance running coach telling us he is very interested in McKayla
• Chandler running his first 5K and taking 2nd in his age group and 6th overall
• Chandler running his first 4 mile and winning it!

Church Highlights:

• Shanley called to serve on the Stake Youth Committee
• Mitt Romney running for president and the LDS church getting lots of publicity
• the "Mormon Moment"
• lowering the age for missionaries (this was big news on its own but on a personal note, we thought it would be 7 years until we'd have another missionary.  Now we think we'll have one in 2 years.  I'm pretty sure McKayla will serve a mission but I am also pretty sure she never would have lasted until age 21.  She will turn 19 only 5 months after she graduates high school.)

Family Highlights:

• McKayla and Shanley swimming with dolphins
• family cruise to the Bahamas
• family reunion in July
• lots of wonderful days at Seven Peaks waterparks
• spring break trip to Sandhollow Reservoir for 4-wheeling and waverunning
• trip to Winter Quarters

School Highlights:

• McKayla's first 4.0 as a high school student
• Kevin going back to "school" at UVU
• Whitney graduated from BYU-I

25/20

No.  That's not the result of my vision screening.  I could only wish my vision were that good.

That is 25 years of marriage for Kevin and I and 20 years since Alec was born.

Kevin and I celebrated being married for a quarter of a century on Tuesday.  Well, I use that term "celebrated" loosely.  I had a root canal and then got extremely sick from the pain meds.  Not a lot of celebrating going on.  Hopefully this weekend when we plan to go out for Mexican food and attend a Peter Breinhold concert.

Still, I love Kevin and am so glad I married him.  We met almost 26 years ago in an economics class at Ricks College.  We sat next to each other and talked during class.  Dawnette came for a visit late in the semester and met my boyfriend.  When I asked her what she thought of him she said "he's fine but I like Kevin."  I had to ask her who Kevin was.  She went home and told everyone that she'd met the man I should marry.  Kevin and I started studying together.  My boyfriend and I broke up.  My roommates decided I should ask Kevin to Girls' Pref and they called and told him he was being asked and told him where to meet for the ask.  THEN, they told me.  My option was to ask him or call him back and tell him it was a joke.  I asked.  Smartest decision of my life!  That was March 1987 and I've loved him every since.  We've had our ups and downs but far more ups and there's no one I'd rather go through the downs with than him.

Wednesday was Alec's 20th birthday.  I still remember the quick labor, easy delivery, the immediate falling in love with this beautiful baby, and then the at-the-time devasting news that he had Down syndrome.  What joy he has brought to my life and what a blessing he is to our family.  I learn so much from him.  Life is never dull with him around and I could fill a book with "Alec stories".

A recent Alec story - he loves to get the mail and deliver it to us.  A package arrived last week that he tried to give to me but McKayla was expecting her new iPod and was sure it was for her.  She told Alec to give her the package.  Alec said "It's for mom."  McKayla said she didn't care whose name was on it.  It was for her.  Kevin jumped into it and told Alec to give it to McKayla.  He was upset since it had my name on it.  I asked McKayla who it was from and when she said "Amazon", I She informed her that it was for me.  She handed it over but had to hear a "haha" from Alec.  I think he was thrilled to have been RIGHT!

I sure love these men and am grateful for my 25/20 week!

the dental nightmare

Please let me wake up tomorrow and have it be all over!

I had a bad root canal done about 4 years ago.  I immediately knew it was bad and started having trouble but no pain.  My dentist insisted it was fine.  I switched dentists and he said the constant infection had eaten away all the bone in the back of my jaw - not a good thing.  Before I could get back in, I started having major pain (most likely the cleaning opened the infection).  My dentist sent me to an endodontist but he couldn't get me in for a few days so I experienced quite a bit of pain.

Tuesday the endodontist started re-doing the bad root canal.  Opening and draining the infection just caused more pain but he'd given me a prescription for Lortab.  I took it and got really, really nauseous. 

Wednesday I was back to my dentist for what was supposed to be a routine filling and a possible extraction.  The extraction possibility turned into reality.  Unfortunately, one of the three roots refused to leave its place of existence.  After 3 hours, several bent instruments, and one chipped tooth the dentist gave up sending me home with sincere apologies, lots of gauze to soak up the blood, and an appointment with an oral surgeon for the next day.  Oh yeah - and more pain!  This time on the opposite side of my mouth.  Both sides are competing for the title of "most painful".

In a couple of hours I will see an oral surgeon to have that last root tip removed.

The nightmare doesn't really end there, though.  I still need to keep hoping the antibiotics clear up the infection, still have to have the root canal finished next week, still need a couple of cavities filled, and still have to have a dental implant done.

What fun! ('tis the season to be jolly)

Insane

It has been insane but today I get to breathe - just breathe. Here's the past 2 weeks:

• I've been up every morning by 4 am making candy and dipping chocolates.
• I've subbed 6 out of 9 school days.
• I've had 5 Christmas parties.
• I've baked 4 batches (different kinds) of cookies for teachers at the high school.
• I've attended 2 PTA meetings.
• I've taken a friend to lunch.
• I've had a horrible tooth infection and been in severe pain (hopefully remedied today)
• I've had chairs dropped on my toe (bruising them and making them very tender)
• I've had a severe sore throat.
• I've finished making a few Christmas presents.
• I've finished all Christmas shopping.
• I've been to a Collin Raye concert.
• I've been to special needs mutual.

What I have not done: lost my mind, lost weight, or slept.

Resolution check-up :

Home Improvement
1) Build shutters for the windows in the front of my house - Done!
2) Paint the shutters, outside trim, and outside doors - Outside trim - done. Outside doors - done. Shutters - done. Done!
3) Plant lavender in front of the house - Done!
4) Do window treatments for family room, dining room, kitchen, Shanley's room, and the master bedroom - I bought the material for the dining room (and have the pattern) but currently I have ornaments hanging in my window so the curtains won't go up until the new year.
5) Paint/stain the back deck - Finished!
6) Paint the master bathroom - The paint is picked out but again, no money to purchase it.

Family
1) Plan a special date with Kevin once a month - did
2) Spend one-on-one time with each child every month (away from the home) - Did it!!

Social
1) Have 2 game parties for adults this year - done
 2) Host 2 special FHEs with other families this year - done

Physical
1) Lose 20 pounds - I've now given up for the year and will start again after Christmas. The holidays are killer for me.
2) Climb Mount Timpanogos - DID IT!
3) Run a marathon and a half marathon - done

Mental
 1) Make sure 1/3 of what I read is uplifting (spiritual, classical, best-book type stuff) - have done this 2) Write a book - Wrote more this month but not sure how many words.

Spiritual
1) Spend 1 day a month in the temple - Did it!
2) Go to 3 new temples - no new progress (still 2 of the 3). I tried. I planned to go to the brand new Calgary Temple but while in Canada I lost a contact and decided I needed to drive as little as possible. I am blind without contacts so I decided that going straight to the airport was safer than trying to navigate with one eye.
 3) Read the New Era and the Ensign every month - did this.
4) At the end of every day, record the hand of God in my life for that day - Did

Overall - mostly accomplished

"first" sub gig

Substituting is a perfect job (other than the pay is not great) because I love teens, I love teaching, and I love the flexibility of being a sub. It is so great to "just say no" when I have something I'd rather do. I have been substituting seminary classes for over 6 years now but tomorrow marks my first official non-seminary substitute job. I am pretty excited and couldn't have asked for a better job. I will be teaching the special needs class at Copper Hills High School which means I will have 3 aides that will know what is going on and actually run the class. I love teaching seminary because I love the gospel and really want to help in bringing people to Christ so I thought long and hard before applying to sub regular education. However, the facts of the matter are these: 1) Some days I want to teach and don't get asked. I am hoping that being able to go online and see available classes will provide me even more scheduling flexibility. As a seminary substitute, I must wait to be called. 2) Potentially I can make more. Regular education pays about $16 more per day. It doesn't always work out more per hour though. Regular pays by the hour while seminary pays 1/2 or 1 day. I have had the opportunity to sub only early morning (1 hour) and get paid 1/2 day. That's a great gig when it happens. 3) I believe I will have less stress subbing in a regular classroom. I won't have to spend time preparing a lesson and I won't have to be concerned with teaching by the Spirit. I'll see how it all works out.

Silverrush

Riverton High has an awesome tradition of raising money for a chosen charity during the month of December. The SBOs (student body officers) carefully select a charity, unveil its identity in a kickoff assembly, and plan lots of activities to raise funds. Some of the activities include an ugly sweater stomp, a charity concert, goat kissing, send someone to jail (pay to send them and they pay to get out), the game Gotcha (you pay and get a pin with someone's face on it, you find them and take their pin while trying to keep the person with your face getting your pin), etc Every club/organization at the school gets into the act. Some offer face painting, hoodies/t-shirts are for sale, they sell hot chocolate, and on and on. This year they are doing a movie night, a CD featuring students (they had to audition for it), and a special Silverrush donut. The community gets into the act too. Arctic Circle has created a Silverrush shake which is only available in December and the proceeds go to Silverrush. Little children will save their money all year and give it all. Students organize and go out into the community every day after school knocking on doors and offering to do odd jobs for money. People hire them to shovel snow, hang lights, clean, read to children, whatever. Last year Riverton High raised an amazing almost $108,000! Our nearest neighboring high school (in a richer area, I might add) raised a little over $40,000. I was subbing at Riverton High seminary today so was able to attend the kickoff assembly. The charity they chose this year is the Haley Bell Blessed Chair Foundation. It was established about a month ago by Collin Raye in honor of his late granddaughter. It was named after a line in his song, "She's With Me". The foundation is intended to provide wheelchairs for children whose parents cannot afford them. The assembly was quite touching and I'll admit to shedding a tear or two. They had a couple of students talk about siblings who are in wheelchairs and what those chairs make possible for their families. One of the girls talked about was Coco. She is in my special needs seminary class and has a smile that always makes my day! So excited for the spirit of this giving that draws all the Riverton High students together. The atmosphere around the school is wonderful!