Things I've Learned...

I've been thinking of some "attributes" that I have recently acquired. Well, things that I don't think I had before, but I feel like I have had to learn in the last few months. I must say, I am rather proud of myself. Or at least I'm grateful in some way that the Lord has forced me into submission.

#1- Remember how I said that I have never known content? Well, I'm living and breathing content these days. I'm grateful for my home, my car, my job, etc. Even though I want to move, want a new car, want to work only by choice, etc. Having your hubby lose his jobs makes you incredibly grateful for what you DO have, not what you DON'T.

#2- Balls. Yep, I said it. I have had to do and say a lot of things I wouldn't have wanted to in the last few months. I am generally an honest person, but only when asked for my opinion. But as of late I haven't had a choice in the matter. Honesty has been a necessity.

And that's all I can really think of for the moment. But the two of those things have been taking up an awful lot of my time and energy as of late. Here's to hoping I've learned enough on these two subjects for the time being. All I can say, is that thanks to the three people you see in the pictures throughout this post, I would not be as sane as I am at the moment. If you can call it sane... HA! HA! ;)

Today....

Today I am in the need to find some things I am grateful for. This is the list I have come up with, and please take this in all sincerity, as it is honestly what I am grateful for today.

#1: Holiday Gas Station

There is nothing I love quite like a beautiful, perfect, fountain soda with crushed ice. I'm sure all of you can attest to the fact that people can seriously mess up a fountain soda. Too much soda OR too much flavoring and you have yourself a disgusting mess. But, Holiday Gas Stations ALWAYS have perfect soda. AND they have fabulous ice! I love the little crushed ice. Plus, the lovely ladies at the Holiday off of 5300 S. of I-15 are so fun! Seriously, I can't start a day without a stop at the Holiday.

I will say the only thing that is keeping me from being an official soda-holic is the fact that I do not have crazy acrylic nails, and I do not own my own cup. I re-use my cups 3 or 4 times and then by a new one, just to save all of you GREEN conscious people from having a heart attack.

#2: Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies

This was my breakfast. It was between this and a donut. I was torn so I went with the one that was a 4th of the points (calories and fat) of the other. Yes, this was honestly my breakfast.

#3: Cheeseburgers

I went to the Metropolitan for lunch today. My mom puts on a health seminar bi-annually and today was one of those. My work uses her as our health insurance agent now, so I get to attend. I must say, this cheeseburger is in the top 3 burgers I have ever eaten list. Honestly and truly! And lastly, #4: Intermountain Medical Center

I has my fabulous yearly appointment today. And though I hated every minute of it, I am grateful for my doctor and all he does for me. He even had a medical student shadowing him today, so I got to have two people poking around and talking about me like I wasn't there. Anyway, I really am grateful. Without him I wouldn't have had two years of almost pain-free ovaries. He has been blessed with an amazing gift and I am grateful that he uses it.

So there you have it. I am trying to be positive today, and I think making this list really helped. I do find it oddly apparent that food is the thing I am most grateful for... #1, #2, and #3... :)

Sell! Sell! Sell!

Quenten and I have officially listed our place. I put our condo up on ksl about 3 weeks ago, but after being bombarded by realtors and no prospective buyers, I decided the job should go to a realtor. I knew the chances of selling on my own were slim to none, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway.

We are using an agent names Josh Johnson who is with Elite Real Estate. He comes with rave reviews, and at least 10 people have recommended him to me. After meeting with him on Saturday Q and I both agreed he was the man for the job.

I told myself that if the Lord wanted us to move then it would sell, and if he didn't then it wouldn't. Here's hoping he and I are on the same page... I have been ready to move for 2 years now, and I've been trying to be as patient as possible. For those of you who know me well, you know that patience and contentment are two things I lack, so it has been a struggle for me to stay in one place.

I do love my condo for many reasons, and if we could have a dog there I would stay for another 3 or 4 years I'd bet. But that isn't the case, so sell we must.

2010: the good and the bad....

So I am in a blah mood today. I decided to make a list of the good and the bad of 2010 in hopes that I'll snap out of this...

The GOOD:
1. I'm healthy (generally, other than these darned ovaries that yell at me sometimes)
2. I have a good job
3. I own a home (well condo, but it feels like home, so I call it that)
4. I have Quenten, Chels, and Jesse in my life
5. I got to meet the BARENAKED LADIES!!!!
6. Timmy introduced Chels & I to baby white tigers (YES THAT IS A TRUE STORY)
7. I have three cats in my life (Sushi, Kansas, and Woody)
8. We are financially stable
9. I met some new friends along the way
10. Quenten graduated from the University of Utah!

The BAD:
1. Chels' meds aren't working anymore, so we've been looking for new ones to help her
2. I didn't get the tattoo I've been dreaming of for 11 years
3. I didn't get the puppy I have been holding out for
4. I didn't get to sell our condo (dang that Quenten for not being on my side)
5. I still have these 20 pounds on that shouldn't be there

BUT, here are the things I am looking forward to in 2011:
1. Working out (see #1 in the "The GOOD" column and #5 in "The BAD")
2. Cosmetology School (here's hoping I get my year end bonus at work so this can happen)
3. A puppy... almost 7 years and counting... who is putting money on 2011?
4. DISNEYLAND WITH CHELS LYN!
5. Selling our condo
6. Paying off Quenten's Jeep
7. Finishing what I start (good luck to me on that one)
8. Being optimistic again
9. Seeing my Grams every month
10. Seeing the green grass on my side...

I really do have A LOT to be thankful for, and I need to do a better job of seeing that.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace... Or something to that effect....

See this peaceful little beauty? Well, this is nothing like the night we had last night! I buy cat food in bulk, there are several reasons for this. One, it's cheaper. Two, it's kind of like food storage just in case an emergency arises. And three, that's it. :) I have a lovely close-able container that keeps it fresh, and free from kitties prying into it.

Each morning and night Sushi and Kansas each get a 1/4 cup scoop of their food (there will be no free feeding in my house, no sir). When I start to see the bottom of the bin I usually get a new bag. But last week was Thanksgiving, and in the hussle and bussle I forgot. Sushi has to eat a specific prescription food, so this makes obtaining it even harder. This is the first and last time I will make that mistake.

Quenten informed me last night that he had given the last scoop of food to them that morning. To make matters worse, Sushi had just come out of one of her irritable bowel syndrome bouts, and is now in a "I must eat everything" stage to make up for the two days of boycotting food altogether.

I have posted before about the fact that Sushi LOVES to talk, but when she is upset it is multiplied by about 10. No joke. So from 10pm to about 2 am we got to listen to a howling cat. Quenten had had enough, and against my wishes, he split a can of tuna between the two of them. That quieted the house for about an hour, until Sue realized she needed to eat more, and she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Needless to say, it was a very, VERY long and sleepless night. I bought them food promptly at 9am this morning when Petco opened. And, I found a fabulous (although soaking wet) 5 dollar bill right as I stepped out of my car to head inside the store. With no one around, I decided to keep it. So, in the end, it might have been worth it to lose out on a night of sleep.... Well, maybe not....

Happy Birthday My LittleQuentony!

So it is my husband's birthday today. I have never been one of those wives that thinks about writing on their anniversary or anything, but I decided to change that this year. Here are a few things that I love about my little Quentony (that's what I used to call him in high school):

1. He is a hard worker

2. His laugh

3. The fact that he puts up with me

4. When he acts like a kid

5. His eyes

6. His smile

7. When he wears cologne :)

8. That he serves the Lord to his fullest capability

9. His loyalty

10. That he loves our kitties (I don't have a picture of Kansas uploaded, so you get Sushi and Sam)

11. That he is my husband!

I know that was kind of cheesy, but I just had to put in writing a few things that I love about him. And what better day then his birthday?! Happy birthday babe! Love you!

GRATEFUL!!!

So this is not a happy story, but one that I am entirely grateful for at this point. If you are not in the mood for something that isn't light-hearted and fun, don't read this.

It was Tuesday, October 12th, at about 4:40pm. I was still at work and had just gotten off of the a teleconference (how important does that make me sound?!). I called Chels to check in because she had written me an email telling me how bad her abdomen was hurting. She has been going through a hellish-bout of Krohn's for the last 6 months or so. Her meds are not keeping it under control anymore. This is something that happens with her disease commonly, but we were hoping that wouldn't be the case for her. Sadly, it is her lot, so Dr. Trowbridge is doing his darndest to get us answers and solutions (thanks in part to our friend Dr. Nelson who Chels and I have talked about countless times).

Now, back to the story. I was talking to Chels as she was leaving work. She had me on her bluetooth that overtakes her car speakers so she can be hands free (I love this about her new little car). She was telling me how she was contemplating going to my house, but then decided against it and was going to go home instead. Right then she yelled "OH NO!" And I heard a horrifying CRASH. I then heard her yell "OUCH! OUCH! I'M HURT!" I yelled back at her "WHERE ARE YOU?" And she replied "Between 53rd and State..." And then nothing.... her phone turned off.

As you can imagine, I grabbed my cell phone and my purse and ran out the door. I tried to follow all of the laws and rules of the road as I drove toward 5300 South. I was not crying or shaking at this point, just praying out loud that my Chels would be okay. I called Jesse right then and said "Chelsea just got hit! I don't know where she is but I am going to find her!" He said he would head my direction and that I needed to call him as soon as I found her.

I drove up and down 5300 south from State Street to about 500 West. I could not find her anywhere. I called Jesse in a panic again and told him I just couldn't find her. He told me to take a deep breath and say a prayer and then I would find her. And that's what I did. I took a deep breath, said a prayer that I would find her, and then continued on driving. At that precise moment there was an ambulance with its lights on heading on the on-ramp South bound of I-15. I knew at that moment that that ambulance was for her.

And so, I followed. Nervous at the scene I would find awaiting me. I saw the back of Chels' car and pulled over behind the ambulance that was behind it. I tried not to run, but I'm sure I did. The police officer walked towards me and said "Are you Chelsea's twin?" I breathlessly replied "Yes!" And she said "She is going to be okay. They are just getting her ready to go on the stretcher." (which didn't comfort me much at all but bless her heart for trying) I got to the passenger side of Chels' car and the paramedics were explaining what was going to happen. She wasn't allowed to move her body at all, so she looked as far over as she could without turning her head and said "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Now let me just say, that is who Chelsea is. She is being prepared to go on a backboard and stretcher, and she is concerned about ME. That's ridiculous, but I love it all at the same time. I didn't get to accompany her in the ambulance because the officer didn't want my car to be sitting on the side of the freeway unattended. At some point during the commotion I called Jesse and told him where we were. He got there remarkably fast (apparently he drove in the emergency land to get to her, and I love that he did).

I will cut this short now, and spare you the remainder of the details. The point is, that though she is beyond sore and in pain because of soft tissue damage, all in all my Chels Lyn is okay. I'm sure a long road of physical therapy is in our future, and many more painful days to come as well. But, I am so grateful to the Lord for keeping her as safe as he could in the accident. And I am grateful that he lead me to her. Having a twin is the greatest blessing I have been given in my life, and I am eternally grateful for it.

Thank you to the fabulous paramedics who took such loving care of her. And to the both of them for joking around with her to help her feel comfortable. Thank you to the police officer who kept Chels calm and was gentle and kind to her. And lastly, although not the nicest people I've met in the world, thank you to the doctor and his nurse who helped her in the E.R. I truly do appreciate the gifts that all of them have been given to help people in the scariest moments of their lives.