The Notebook-ish (Long-Update)

This post is depressing.....

On Tuesday August 24th I was working like a normal crazy work day. I got a text from my sister telling me that my grandma Shirley was in the hospital with kidney failure. I left work, met up with my sisters and headed to Vernal. We got to the ER, where they had my grandma on dopamine to keep her alive until everyone could get there. She was actually making a lot more sense than she does usually. She had been fighting an infection for the last six months, which was making her more crazy than normal. That may sound rude, but she was always getting things mixed up and this got much worse with the infection. They kept her on the dopamine until my uncle Steve got there and we were all able to say goodbye. This was about 1 pm. The doctor told us that it shouldn't take long, maybe a few hours. We waited there until 9:30 with no change. She would stop breathing for quite a while and all of the levels would drop, then all of the sudden she would take a deep breath and start going again. My Grandpa sat next to her the entire day, not getting up to eat or go to the bathroom.

The next morning nothing had changed, so they moved her to a hospital room. Her blood pressure and everything actually went up. On Friday things were still about the same, so they decided to move her to the hospice room at the Villa. I had worked a little bit on Friday and was on my way to see her when I got a text from my sister telling me that my grandpa "Poppie" was in the hospital with pnemonia. This is really scary because his lungs are horrible and the doctors have told us that it will most likely be pnemonia that kills him. I visited both of them and stayed at the Villa the rest of the day so my grandpa could rest.

Saturday Kit and I ran to Layton to do some of my work. When we got back I went to Visit my grandma "Nana". When I got there I told her that I felt like I needed to go see her. She said, "Why? I'm not going to die". I was able to help a little around the house and visit with her for a little while. I then went back to the Villa for a while. That night Kit and I went to Vernal with Michelle, Wes, Austin and Kade to Don Pedros. We definitely needed the night away.

The next day we went to church. After church I was set apart in my new calling. My parents were able to come. We left straight from there and went to the Villa. Things were about the same, but my grandmas eyes were open. This is really disturbing. My grandpa was sitting in the chair next to her, sleeping and holding her hand. This was pretty much his post the entire time. I had been there about ten minutes and was standing with my sisters and mom around the bed, just visiting. I was watching my grandma when her eyes focused on something, then shifted from one corner for the room to another. I told everyone what had happened. My mom woke my grandpa up. She took a few more breaths, then she was gone.

I later found out how long my grandparents had actually been together. When my grandpa was in 6th grade they started bussing my grandma to his school. He was lined up with some friends watching the kids get off the bus. He saw my grandma get off her bus and thought to himself that someday he would marry her. A few years later he did. And by a few I mean about 3.

The next day I needed to work for a little while. Around 10:30 I went to the hospital to visit my grandpa. I could tell that he was a lot worse than he had been the last time I had seen him. I was really worried about it, but had to go back to work. Later he was put in ICU. They were thinking about life flighting him, but Nana, who was doing pretty well at home, said to wait for 24 hours and call Dr. Staker. I was at the hospital when Dr. Staker came in and told us that he thought things would turn around in the next 24 hours. At this time Traci was getting checked in so she could get started with her baby. At seven I had to leave to go back to work.

On Tuesday my mom let me know that now Nana was in the hospital with pnemonia. I thought I would at least go to staff meeting. I was there for about an hour when my mom told me I needed to get to the hospital. My grandma was in ICU, and they were just moving her bed next to my grandpa's. He was out of it, but they tried to wake him up. We knew that it was the end for my grandma, but weren't quite sure about my grandpa. The crazy thing is that my grandma had more strength than he did.

So here they are in their hospital beds, holding hands and trying to say goodbye. This is the part that reminds me of the Notebook.

Meanwhile, in the OB, Traci's labor was progressing nicely. We were going back and forth between the rooms. Her room was much more pleasant to be in.

They then moved my grandma to a regular room. A lot of family came. They thought maybe she would make it until my Aunt Maggie got there, but probably not long enough for Heston to get there. He made it. My grandpa came to enough that he knew what was going on. He tried to get up so that he could get to her. They wheeled my grandma back in with him until they realized that he was too upset. They had to sedate him. They moved her back into her own room.

At around 12:30 Traci had little Preslee Jo. She was so alert and beautiful. I was able to take a picture of her to my grandma to see. She really wasn't alert, but smiled and laughed when I showed her the picture. About two hours after Preslee was born Traci was able to be wheeled down to say goodbye to Nana. At about 4 the Doctor came in and did an assessment. He decided that it would be best to take off the oxygen. At about 4:30 she died. This one really did not sink in for a while. I watched her die. I knew she was dead, but I couldn't make myself believe it.

They had to keep my grandpa sedated for a few days so that he could get better. They didn't tell him that she had passed away for a few days. He got out of the hospital on Labor day.

So this is my crazy life. It's hard to believe that this all really happened, but it did. Everyone seems to be doing okay, it's just hard. I'm so thankful for such a great family. We are able to laugh with each other and be supportive of one another. It's always easier to be around people who know what you're going through and how to help you deal with it.

New Calling

On August 18 my Bishop and his 2nd Counselor came to my house. I thought there was no way I would be getting a new calling because I had just barely been called to be the first counselor in Young Womens, even though I had not yet been set apart. So I'm sitting there completely calm while the Bishop is talking to Kit, then he turns to me and says that they are actually there to talk to me. He asked me if I would be the new Young Women's president. Instantly my mouth went dry and I wanted to cry. I have been a leader in Young Womens for most of my married life and I love it! I love the girls and being able to learn and grow from them, but Young Women's president? I mean, I've only been out of Young Women's for 6 years and let's be honest, I wasn't the best girl in the group. How can I lead these girls to become their best selves when I'm not at my best? But in all honesty, I guess I knew this was coming, just not this soon. The Lord makes things known to us so we can prepare. I only wish I would have prepared more.

The next day I accepted the calling and started thinking about who to call as my counselors. There are some great women in our ward, and I think we will have a good presidency. I've been on the verge of tears since the night the Bishop showed up at my house. It is overwhelming and humbling. I've pretty much been in Young Women's since I was 8 because my mom was the president and I went to activities and camp with her. I have had really good examples of how to be a good Young Women's president from my mom and the two presidents I have served under. I'm really nervous. I have big shoes to fill, but know that the Lord will help me make it through.

2 WHOLE YEARS!

On the 28th Kit and I celebrated our second anniversary. We have had some really good times and some really bad times and all of those experiences have made us stronger as a couple. Kit is my best friend.

Our anniversary fell on a Monday. Kit sent me beautiful flowers at work. I got him a new bat for softball. After work we went to dinner and then to Toy Story. It wasn't anything too romantic, but it was fun. We were saving up the excitement for the weekend.

Friday I spent all day helping my mom move. Kit got home and we drove out to Provo and stayed the night. Saturday morning we got up and drove to St. George where we went to lunch with Kit's aunt and his two cousins. After that we drove down to Las Vegas. We got there about 2 PM Vegas time and got checked into our hotel room. We stayed at the Mirage.
We walked over to the Venetian and picked up our tickets for Phantom that night. Then we just walked around the north end of the strip until it was time to go to the show. Phantom was good. It is the only big production play I have ever been to. I have to admit that I like the movie quite a bit more. After that we went to Treasure Island and watched to pirate show. We waited around forever to watch it and it was pretty lame.

On Sunday morning we got up and started walking down to the south end of the strip. We went to the botanical garden at the Bellagio, told a few people that we did not want to sit through their spill on time shares, and walked through the mall at City Center that has some awesome architecture. We were walking through New York, New York because I think it is pretty awesome when we found a deal on the Bodies exhibit, the shark reef, and the dolphin and tigers at the Mirage, so we got that. Bodies was crazy! It was really cool to be able to see everything (it would have been way helpful in some of my college classes), but it kinda freaked me out all at the same time. Some of the bodies still had arm hair and toe nails. The part that freaked me out the most was the skin. It reminded me too much of Silence of the Lambs.

The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay was really cool. I've never enjoyed an aquarium so much in my entire life. My favorite was the lion fish. They also had a really cool shark that I think is called a saw fish, but I'm not sure. We stayed there for a long time. None of my pictures turned out very well.

I've decided that if you want to stay away from all the porn dealers you have to stay on the West and North sides of the strip. The Southeast end is horrible. I felt so bad for all the little kids walking around with their parents that had to see all that crap.

We spent a lot of time at the MGM looking at the lions. Kit was mesmerized by them. It was pretty cool to see them interact with the trainers and to learn about their lifestyle. We saw the cutest little lions that reminded us of Koda because of how playful they were.

We then went back to the Mirage and changed into our swim suits and went to the dolphins and tigers. The dolphins were fun to watch. I thought the tigers were boring, but again, Kit was mesmerized. After that we went swimming for a little while, then got ready and went and ate. After we ate we walked down to a spot I had picked out earlier to watch the fire works. We got there about 40 minutes before the fire works started and got a really good spot. It got really crowded, but we were able to kind of be away from everyone. The only bad part was that there were some pesky cockroaches near me. Kit had to keep killing them. The fireworks were awesome. I have never seen anything like it before. Sorry Longhorn Days, Vegas did a way better job. After the fire works a crazy black guy came up to Kit and just started talking to him. We were trying to get away, but he just kept singing some song about being in the green berets and how Afghanistan is not secure. As we were walking away he said that he was sorry for scaring me. I told him I was not scared (I really was) and he said, "That's okay, it's what I do for a living". We walked away pretty fast.I probably did not take as many pictures on this trip as most people would have, but I have decided that I don't like to see my vacation through a camera lens. I want to see it with my eyes. We had a lot of fun on this trip and it was nice to get away for a long weekend.

Busy, busy, busy...

We have done a lot of things in the last month and a half, so I have a lot to blog about. At the beginning of June I went to Young Women's camp. Koda was not happy that I was leaving. The night before I left while I was packing she was freaking out. She does this whenever we pack. She had been following me all over all night. I sat my backpack that I was taking on the kitchen floor. She did not want me to pack her so this is what she did.

Camp was fun. I rode on the bus with the young women on Monday and left late Wednesday night. That was about all I could take. I was very tired. On Tuesday morning our ward camp directors woke us up at 4:45 so we could go on a hike up a mountain to watch the sun rise. It was a good experience, but I do not like to wake up that early and I had to go on another 4 mile hike later that day. Here is a view from the top.

After camp I worked one day and then went to the parade home in Utah Valley with my mom, my sister and my niece. It was a lot of fun and we saw some pretty amazing homes. My sister just got a new car. After we left Heber my mom spilled a whole bunch of water all over her. She thought her pants would dry out faster if she took them off, so she was in the back with no pants and I was holding them up to the heater trying to get them dried. My niece got a little car sick as we were getting into Provo and starting throwing up. My mom was in the back seat trying to help her, but she still had no pants on. It was pretty funny. These are some of the homes we went to.

On June 22nd my brother-in-law received a kidney from my mother-in-law. We were out with them for the surgeries. They are both doing pretty good. It is nice for him to have the kidney and not have to go to dialysis anymore.

That weekend Kit played in the all-nighter softball tournament in Vernal. That made for a really long weekend. I was not sad when they got beat out and we were able to come home.

June 28th was our two year anniversary. It's crazy that it has been that long. We have been through a lot together, good and bad. I know that we are much closer now than we were when we got married. I am going to do a separate post on how we celebrated.

July 8th was my sister's baby shower. We had it at my mom's new house. She has a good party house. My sister got lots of clothes for little Preslee, who is due at the end of August. Here are some pictures from the shower.

Friday my niece came over to play with me. We played with babies, a little doll house, drew pictures and watch Up and the Princess and the frog. I just love my little Cam.

We have also been working on the yard in our spare time. I hope that by the end of August we will have it all done. The date keeps getting pushed back. We need to stay home so that we can actually get it finished up. I can't wait to have a yard. Softball has kept up busy this summer too. I try to go to most of Kit's games and support him. I'm glad that we have been busy, but I am ready for things to calm down just a little.

1 and 4 years...

Memorial day is always a little emotional for my family. Not only do we remember those who have served in the armed forces and are no longer living, we remember loved ones who are gone. My wonderful aunt, Lily, passed away the day after Memorial Day four years ago. It's sometimes hard to believe it was that long ago, but sometimes it seems like much longer. We miss Lily's fun personality and "delish" food so much.

This little hero

(Corbin before transplant #2, looking pretty good)

passed away one year ago on the 28th. On Friday his family held a little memorial for him at his grave. They are still really struggling with his death and we try to be as supportive as possible. Corbin's story has touched many people. He was a fighter and a good example to the rest of us.

(Corbin with his broken leg and Will Smith at the hospital)

His mother, my beautiful aunt Thyrena, is one of my heroes. She is so strong in her testimony of temples and the atonement. She is such a great example to me.

(Thyrena and Corbin shortly before his death)

Andrea, Corbin's twelve year old sister wrote this poem for Corbin and they placed it where his headstone will eventually go.

PHEW!!!

While watching the season finale of this I decided that the whole episode was setting it up to be a series finale. The whole cast was in it and all of the problems were getting resolved, which is totally not normal for a One Tree Hill season finale. I had heard that OTH may not be coming back next year, so it made sense for all of these resolutions, until the very last scene when two cast members get shot! So I had to get online and find out if it is coming back......AND IT IS!! Thanks Mindi for getting me hooked on it years ago.

Also coming back is this little gem. If you haven't watched Life Unexpected, you probably should. They play reruns of the first season just about every day. It is about a girl who grew up in the foster care system, but then finds her bio parents at 16 and they are normal and can take care of her. This is completely unrealistic in most cases, but it is a fun show and things like this have happened before. I think you will love it from the start and you'll be rooting for certain characters right away. Me, I like Baze. He's quite the hottie and I'm still hoping that eventually he will get the girl.

Someone Had A Birthday...

And her name is Koda! It's crazy to think that we have had this little pup for a whole year. We have also been in our house for a year. We are finally getting started on the yard. We did actually do a lot to the yard last year, but no one would notice unless they had seen it when we moved in. We hauled out a few loads of rocks, dirt and garbage last year. This week we had a back porch and sidewalk put in. Kit and I have also been working on a retaining wall in the front yard. We have our bid back on our sprinkler system. The next step is to rent a trencher and get the trenches dug, then we will get the sprinkler system put in, and we need to order the sod we are putting in.

Kit has started playing softball again in Vernal. He is having fun, but his team is horrible this year. He is trying to get a team put together for Men's league in Roosevelt. It starts in a few months, so if any of your hubbies would want to play just let me know. I'm not playing this year because I usually play with my sisters and they are both pregnant, like everyone else.

Other than that, we really haven't done anything exciting. I have been crazy busy at work and Kit is starting to work more hours. My grandparents finally made it home, which is really great for our whole family. It has been a stressful year so far. Now if we can just get the other grandma taken care of we will be doing good.