The Week's Reflection

This week:
My sinus journey continued to march forward with vigor. I believe it's due to the asthma medication (that also is supposed to help with allergies): Singulair. I will say it has helped a lot with the asthma symptoms, but the sinuses continue as stuffed up as always! I will visit the doctor YET AGAIN this coming week with hopes that we can discover a solution to the sinus issue.

I was happy to make it through April Fools day unscathed - I'm not so keen on April Fools Day jokes because they can be so cruel.

It was a sad week in regards to Hser Nay Moo, who was 7-years old that was kidnapped. Her family lives about 4 blocks away from us. The night before the Amber Alert was activated, we received a call from South Salt Lake Police asking to check the yard and hiding places for her - it was an automated message. I was so disappointed when it was announced that her body had been found in a neighbor's apartment (the only one not cleared by police earlier due to no answer at the door). So many people were hoping that she'd be found alive, that perhaps she'd got lost. We watched the news conference that night and I was so impressed the Chief of Police: Chris Snyder. I think he handled himself and the situation and the press so well. We hope and pray for her family.

General Conference is this weekend. Of course, we will tune in for the sustaining of the new president: Thomas S. Monson.

We are excited that Collin with be our little guest in our home this weekend. We are planning on video games galore.

I thought I would add some pictures for me and Sandy - because - DANG! we were cute kids!

These are our kindergarten pictures. So cute!

And what about when we all grew up? Still cute! All of us! (I know how conceited that sounds, but it's the truth: We are still cute!)

We always have so much fun when we all get together. This was taken about seven years ago when Collin was about a year old. (he's clearly NOT in this picture, but that's the time frame)

And now it's time for me to share my family - we had a fun winter with all the snow. Rumor has it that the snow packs are nice and high and water levels are rising - Hurray! We found that our dogs loved chasing snow balls. I captured one such afternoon of fun about a month ago. The video is shot from my camera, so my thumb accidentally found its way over the speaker. About half way through, the sound goes. I still like it - it makes my smile.

This Week's Inspiration

I was home from work again today (Friday). I went to the doctor last week and found I have a sinus infection. I've been on antibiotics and new asthma medicine. I woke up this morning with my sinuses pounding behind my forehead and eyes - especially the left side. I thought, at first it would subside and I'd be able to go to work. I took an ibuprofen with a glass of milk and started pushing myself through my morning routine. Not 5 minutes after taking the ibuprofen, it decided to leave it's comfy home in my belly. I hate throwing up! Hate it! I get all weepy and it freaks my dogs out. I went back to bed. Eric brought me the phone and left the dogs with me in the bedroom. I called in and left a message for my boss then fell asleep. I slept until noon, got up, let the dogs out, was still really dizzy and my head was still really pounding, so back to bed we all went. I got out of bed around 4:00 and crashed on the couch in the livining room. Head still pounding! I couldn't believe it. I lay there all evening and then at 7:45, it was gone - just like that! I looked at the clock because I was so surprised. 7:45 on the dot! Good as new.

That all said, I wanted to share a couple of videos. One, I've had in my training video arsinal for a while (the basketball one). The other, Derek showed to us at work this week.
This week we, at work were talking about people who move you to be better without that being their intention. I thought I would share the couple of videos we used to illustrate the point. The first is the video of Paul Potts from Brittain's Got Talent. The video has been circulating for a while now, but I like it. I love the way the judges see the unconfident man - they look at eachother waiting for the confirmation that this person should not be on stage. I find that I, too, am blown away by the emotion of his voice.


This video has also circulated around the internet, but I love it. I like the lesson it teaches about underestimating people and what they can do.

Hello? Is Someone There?

I’ve been having the CRAZIEST nightmares again. I used to have them in high school and early 20’s but I they’ve subsided in recent years only to return last year. So Monday, March 17 – St Patrick’s Day – I was home sick. I took Eric to work because I wanted to have the car just in case I needed to go to the doctor.

When I got home, I lay down on the living room couch for about an hour and then decided to go let the dogs out from the basement. As I walked through my kitchen toward the back stairs, I had an eerie feeling and double checked that the back door was locked.

As I headed down the stairs, I saw immediately that Casey’s kennel was not in its rightful place (on top of Tamika’s kennel). As I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw his kennel at the other side of the room facing the back wall, on its side. My first thought was that as he was getting in or out of the kennel, it wobbled and fell off with him still in it and perhaps he moved it in a panic to get out. It seemed rather far from its correct location, but it seemed a stretch to feasibility.

Then I noticed that one of the doors to a room was opened. It’s the room that houses our computers and other office supplies. It wasn’t opened wide enough for any of the dogs to get into, but I know we shut it when we left.

I decided to call Eric and discuss this – to be sure we really did check the door. I was kind of creaped out as I stood in front of the fallen kennel (which was near the opened door). Eric answered the phone and I began to tell him of Casey’s kennel when the phone made a digital-like beep and then died. I looked at the phone, thinking the battery must be dead, but it was full charged and for the first time, the eeriness turned to fear.

I called Eric right back and as he answered, the curtain that hides the closet-sized room with the hot water heater and the furnace began to wave back and forth. At the same time my heart sank with that movement, Eric asked me if I had checked the locks and rooms for anybody.

I sank back against the wall as my imagination walked away with all rational thoughts and left me in a panic. A gazillion scenarios ran through my head. INTRUDER! But the dogs were fairly calm – shaken, no doubt about it, but calm. I opened all the doors in the basement in a fury to check that all was right. It’s odd what you see after this kind of fear. Little things seemed out of place – a book that I was sure was on my desk was now on the chair. The remote controls that are usually left in their pocket on the couch are left carelessly on the table. Little things.

Ultimately, I double checked the locks and decided upstairs was a safer bet, surrounded by my dogs. You have to get past them to get to me, right? So what I’d hoped as a restful recovery from my sinuses was a jumpy jittery day aware of ALL sounds in the neighborhood.
This was my daily shot: