We are Fam-i-ly

That was then...

This is now

We had a get together on Monday night at my brother and sister-in-law's house. Everyone insisted we get the siblings together for a photo.

Thanks for a fun evening, Garry and Debbie.
(And sending a shout out to my nephew, Ben, who insisted in getting in the photo as well)

Insulted!

I ran in to ROSS after work to pick something up and as the clerk handed me my receipt, he said, "your discount is included." When I asked what discount, he told me I got the senior discount. (OUCH!) When I asked how old a person has to be to get the senior discount, he said 55. (OUCH again!) I thanked him for the discount and told him that I'm not a senior and just for that, I deserve a 50% discount.



Is this what a senior looks like?

Here we go again...

They say that the only thing constant is change. I was telling Jeff that I'm not really good at change and he said, "gee mom, you'd think you'd be used to it by now!" You would think so. Here's the latest--

Because of organizational changes at the college, my position as program coordinator for the Early College program was moved to another division and I was eliminated. Luckily, my manager (who is the vice president of student affairs) thinks I do a good job and kept me on in another position. I'm not exactly sure what the position is...she told me to come up with a title. I'm doing a lot of administrative work--more meetings, more reports, bigger office, more money. I'm sure as time goes on, I'll have some good stories to tell.

I got to choose paint colors for the office, get some new equipment, etc. I decided I wanted to bring in a few things to decorate and to reflect me...after all, I spend more time there during the day than I do at home. Check out this lamp: I have had this lamp sitting in a closet for several years and I found a basic lamp shade at the thrift store for $1.50. I went to the fabric store looking for some inexpensive fabric that I could cover it with. I also wanted something feathery around the bottom edge but it was $10.00-12.00 a yard. I ended up finding some wispy yarn that I glued to the bottom (only $4.00 for an entire skein) and here is what I came up with:

I'll post pics of the office when I have it finished. I can't believe how many people have stopped by and commented on this crazy lamp. Go figure!

This, that, and the other thing...

Just a few random thoughts on a Monday night.

• I have a new favorite snack for when friends are over. S'MORES. I have done this twice...a s'more bar. This is what you need: graham crackers, shortbread cookies (the ones with chocolate on one side), Reeces peanut butter cups, Hersheys chocolate, white chocolate, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, toasted coconut, and of course... marshmallows. The possibilities are endless! It makes for a fun evening when you put a fire in the fire pit and just sit around and visit.
• Had a great weekend with Michael. We bundled him up and took him outside and he LOVED it. He likes cool weather much more than warm weather. I was afraid it would be too cold for him but he really enjoyed it so we kept him outside for an hour and enjoyed our river walk (Provo river walk is right behind the facility he's in. It is the perfect walk).
• I love the four seasons. Going back and forth to Utah has let me experience them this year. I loved the brisk air this weekend and as I was driving to the airport last night, it started snowing. So fun! I have to admit, though, that I am becoming an Arizona girl. It was good to come home to temperatures in the 60's.
• Have any of you been in New York and Company lately? That store used to be Lerners, a store I loved when I was in college (the first time around). They have some cute, reasonably priced clothes this season. Check it out!
• Michael has a great friend, Sean. As many of his friends have (understandably) moved on with their lives, Sean continues to come 1-2 times a week. He always shares notes from church meetings he's attended, watches the BYU football games with him, works him out, and brings a group of friends on Sunday to play/sing music, share a spiritual thought, and bring him the sacrament. How do I thank someone like that?
• There is a man who is always on the same Sunday night flight that I am on...last flight of the evening. I asked him last night what his story is. He lives in Utah, works in Arizona. He travels back and forth every week. We shared stories of flying Southwest and their awful track record for leaving on time.

That's all.

Cupcake Snob

A few weeks ago when I was in Utah with Mike, a friend brought me and Lisa a big, delicious, gourmet cupcake. Really delicious. In fact, it was so delicious, we went back later in the day for a second one.

The next time I was in Provo, someone told us about another cupcake shop so I went over to check it out. I didn't mess around this time; I bought six so we could try several of their flavors. I'm not going to lie...I was a little disappointed. These just tasted like a Duncan Hinze cake mix with a lot of frosting on them (although it was very good frosting).

Last weekend when I arrived in Provo, Lisa had ventured out to a third cupcake shop she had seen driving home one night. She picked up a few more and of course we had to sample them. Although it had delectable frosting, it was a pretty regular cupcake.

So now that I am a cupcake connoisseur, any of you who live in or around Provo or visit there on occasion, the votes are in: The Cocoa Bean on University Parkway is the place you want to go for a cupcake. You will not be disappointed.

Candy Shoppe

Even nasty candy looks better in a cute apothecary jar!

I put these in my office. You'd be surprised at how many students drop by for a visit now. Go figure!

The nose knows

I have heard that the sense of smell brings back memories better than any other sense. I think I would agree. Last weekend we were walking in the park and someone was using a charcoal grill for a barbecue. I was immediately taken back to my childhood with thoughts of visits to my grandparents. We visited them every summer and one night of our visit always included a backyard barbecue of hamburgers and ended with homemade ice cream. I was amazed at how quickly the entire scene came back to me.

The same thing happens when I pass a bakery. My grandfather was a baker by profession and I have such fond memories of spending time with him in his bakery. My favorite memory was of getting one of his jelly filled donuts and taking it back to the jelly machine and giving it a few extra squirts of jelly until it practically exploded when I bit in to it. When I am in a bakery, the memories come flooding back.

Are there smells that bring back memories for you?

Has it really been that long?

March 2010...I was in Utah after "the accident." It was snowing and cold.


We went through spring and summer (sorry, no pictures)



And now it is Fall.

this is a view from a walking path right behind the hospital


Living in Arizona...and California before that, I have really missed out on experiencing fall. This weekend in Utah was delightful with cool, crisp weather and changing leaves. It reminded me of my college days.



With the weather so nice, we loaded Mike up in his wheelchair and took him for a walk. I know you're dying to see pictures, so here goes...



I think this was the end of the walk when he was tired out.
He hardly looks like a guy who has been laying in bed for 7 months, does he? You can tell he's not wasting away.

On Sunday, I told him he needed to work on facial expressions and that I wanted to see a smile. He reached his hand up to his face and moved his lips into a smile then moved his hand. It just cracked me up...he really knew what I was talking about.

It's a slow process but he is moving forward and we are so, so grateful.

Check this out...

Last fall I did a little bathroom update. One of the things I did was remove an oversized drawer that was too heavy to open. I removed all of the hardware and painted inside, then added a basket full of towels. I love the way it looks (notice the mis-matched knobs...I love that!)

Anyway, that is not the purpose of this post. Once I removed the drawer, I found other things it could be used for. For instance, the drawer itself is a huge, sturdy wooden box that currently is in my garage full of camping gear, but trust me, it will be made in to something cool one day.

But the front of the drawer is a great piece of routed wood that I didn't want to get rid of. I painted it, sanded it, stained it, sanded it, re painted it (are you seeing a pattern here?) Suffice it to say that I kept working on it until it had the weathered look I wanted.

Then I had a friend print vinyl letters for me of one of my favorite scriptures. Here is the finished product.

It's nice to have a project completed; it's been a while.

PS, I'm laughing at how many opinions you all posted regarding nylons. I have two things to say about that. 1. They're only itchy if you don't shave your legs. 2. It didn't change my mind...even when Katie told me they're SO outdated.

Stockings, Hose, Nylons

Whatever you call them, they are becoming a thing of the past. It used to be a right of passage for a girl to begin wearing nylons. For me, it was age 12--I couldn't wait to start wearing them because it meant that I was finally growing up.

Somewhere in the past 10 years, nylons have become passe'. In fact, you can hardly find them in the stores anymore. I think I am one of only a few women who still consider them to be an essential part of her wardrobe. I just think they polish an outfit (I know, I'm old fashioned).

But another reason I wear them is because they disguise unsightly varicose veins.

So what does everyone else think about this topic? I'd like to hear your opinion....to hose or not to hose; that is the question.

More Random thoughts

Do you ever think about how many people you know now that you didn't know last year?
Today I realized that I know:

• at least 100 new people from where I work,
• lots of new doctors and nurses who are and have been caring for my son,
• 175 new students
• families of people I have met at the hospital

Skype-ing makes me happy. We have finally found a good time to skype (it is difficult with a 3 hour time change and a grandma who works). Katie's kids aren't telephone talkers but put them in front of a camera and they can entertain for hours. They bring out every toy from their rooms and show me every trick they know. I know it's time to hang up when they start putting underwear on their head or some other crazy antic.

We had a crazy rainstorm last night that came out of no where. My pool was a mess and my yard was a mess, but I loved every minute of it. I opened my back door and soaked in the cool weather.

Apparently 2200 songs on my ipod are not enough. That's right, I have 5 1/2 days of music uploaded to my ipod but since I listen to it all day, every day when I work, it doesn't take long to go through it all and I'm tired of it. I need some new tunes.

I'm itching for a new project(s). Anyone have any new ideas for Christmas?

I can tell Fall is here when I can hear Mountain View High School marching band practicing in the mornings. I love it! ( actually I can hear them beginning in September but I have my windows open in October so that's when I begin hearing their morning practices).

Time on my Hands

We had a power outage on campus today at about noon. My office has no windows so I brought my book out to the tutoring center and started reading and waiting for the lights to come back on. After about 15 minutes, there was a campus-wide text saying that it would be out until 1:30. I decided to go get a pedicure while I was waiting. While at the salon, I got another campus-wide text that said it would be out until 6:00 p.m. I finished my pedicure and headed back to campus to gather my stuff as well as a little bit of work that I needed to bring home only to find that the campus had been locked down.

So I got home about 1:30 this afternoon and I'm just giddy trying to figure out what to do with my free time.

I'm sure I can think of something.

A Night on the Town

It's so nice when your kids grow up and start treating YOU. Jeff took me out to dinner the other night. He always knows the Posh spots in town.

This restaurant in downtown Phoenix was an old department store named Hannys, that was built in the 1940's. The store closed down in the late 80's and was later purchased and renovated and re-made to a restaurant. It had such charm and real cool architectural features. It's menu was very upscale but the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. Pork Calabrese sandwich with Gorgonzola and pistachio slaw. Then Jeff insisted we have the donuts with the strawberry dipping sauce for dessert.

I'll bet he takes all of his dates here. Thanks Jeff!!

Something else to check off my "to do" list...

After I got my Masters degree, I wanted to be able to say I've taught a college class. I was asked yesterday if I could teach a class this semester. YIPPEE!

OK, here's the disclaimer...it's only a 1 credit course and it's a course every incoming student has to take and there are only 14 students in the class. But still!

The course is Creating College Success. Talk about easy. It's basically about setting goals, journaling, making good choices, emotional intelligence, etc.

It starts in 2 weeks...YIKES!

Facebook Friends

Since I have no life, I spend time seeing what interesting things other people do by reading Facebook. Here's some of the randomness posted by my FB friends recently.

• I'm off to return Redbox movies
• I'm hungry but I don't know what to eat
• I'm bored
• I'm off to find pretty rocks
• Nice day to clean
• Is anything awesome going on?
• Off to Kohls
• I'm so relaxed
• I can't sleep

Apparently most of my friends have no life either. Come on people...I need some entertainment!

Here are some of my favorites...all by the same person.

• Sometimes I need more people like me around me
• Every time I wear something and (husband) makes one of his smart alec comments, I never wear it again...the Prince purple rain jacket, the where's Waldo shirt, the Karate Kid sweater, Pity the Fool necklace...
• My hairdryer broke and I'm dying using the cheap spare. Did you know a good dryer can make a big difference in your hair? I miss mine.
• What's the point of being efficient if you have to wait for slackers anyway?
• Heels are a must for my height. I'm feeling very short in flat shoes today. Isn't 5'3" average?
• The insanity continues at Walmart

Now that's what I'm talking about.

sew what!

If you had seen this fabric in the store would you have thought "that would make a cute skirt"?



Me either. But fortunately I had seen and tried on the skirt below earlier in the day. It was too short for me and it didn't fit anyway. But it gave me the inspiration I needed. (I know it looks nothing alike but it still gave me inspiration to think outside the box of a solid color skirt).

Anyway, I picked up the fabric for a fraction of the price of the skirt I had tried on and made it this weekend. Not only that, it fit better than the other one and is fully lined.


I paired it with a lime green sweater and teal jewelry. Voila!

Random thought from a frequent flyer

I have made the round trip between Phoenix and SLC 16 times now. I'm becoming a pro at it. I've got a little bag like this:

It stays partially packed all of the time with my travel-size toiletries. All I have to do is add my make up and hair tools. I wear the same jeans all weekend long and throw in 2 tops and a church outfit (something that doesn't wrinkle) and I'm off. This is the perfect size bag because if there isn't overhead space, it will fit under the seat.

Since I fly Southwest, I have become proficient at getting good seats as well. I check in exactly 24 hours in advance so I get an A boarding pass, which guarantees me early boarding and a seat within the first 6 rows. With that, I can get off the plane and to the curb within 5 minutes of landing.

Beyond all of that, here are some observations about my fellow passengers

• There are many "slobs" on the plane. I've seen pajamas, slippers, tank tops and short shorts that are embarrassing, and the list could go on and on. Of course I don't dress up either but I remember as a little girl when we would pick up my Grandma at the San Francisco airport, she'd be in a suit and heals. Things have changed!
• Southwest has fun flight attendants. One early Saturday morning, one of them got on the speaker and began singing "I'm singing on the Plane..." to the tune of Singin' in the Rain. Another one was doing the spiel about life vests and oxygen and then said, "and for those of you who haven't been in a car in the past 40 years, this is how you put on the seat belt..."
• Since I always fly out the latest plane on Sunday evening (9:30), it is notoriously late. Usually at least 20 minutes. I am amazed that the pilot can make up most of that time and generally we still land within 5 minutes of posted time. Apparently there are no speed limits in the sky.
• Some people need parenting lessons. I've seen all kinds!
• No body talks to each other anymore. They put in their i-pod head phones or turn on their lap and stay in their own little world.
• A lot of children are traveling alone these days...to visit a non-custodial parent.

End of post!

How Do They Know?

No matter how "professional" I have tried to be at work, my co-workers have figured me out. The director of the tutoring center is a young guy who has an office across the hall from me and we have a clear view of one another when we're at out desks. He has been very nice to me the past few months but more recently, he has begun kidding around with me more and more. I told him to watch out because he didn't know who he was messing with. I kidded him that I could have a clear shot of him if I brought in a squirt gun.

Just to be prepared, today he came to work with a nerf dart gun and when I wasn't expecting it, shot it in to my office and I could feel the breeze as it whizzed right past my face. I told him that was it! The competition is on. So tonight I had to make a stop at the store on the way home to pick up this:
I'm going to work armed tomorrow. Let the games begin!!!!!

U*P*D*A*T*E

Lisa and I were talking recently about how people handle things so differently...some people tell every detail and others keep everything quiet. We've been pretty private about all that is happening for a lot of reasons. But since so many have been asking and since it's been a while since I've updated about Mike, I'll get you all up to speed.

I think I mentioned that Michael was moved to his third facility in May...he's in a nursing and rehab facility. That was a depressing and difficult move for me but it has turned out to be a blessing. He is being well cared and the staff really seems to like him. Not only that, but they get excited about every new thing he does. The physical therapist who works with him is fabulous and has mentioned several times how much progress he sees. He is very hopeful. Last weekend, he came in on a Saturday and spent 2 hours with Mike and his friends as he taught them some of the things they could do to help him. There were about 6 of them who have committed to coming in and working Michael in addition to what the PT does. He felt that an extra work out would really move Michael forward. I'm so grateful for his friends who have been so consistent with their visits and friendship.

Michael's eyes have been fully opened for about 5 weeks. The last few weeks he has been tracking with his eyes, following movement, and more recently, really focusing on specific things. I took some family photos in a few weeks ago and showed him each one and reminded him of what we were doing at the time. He really seemed to enjoy that and paid attention for a long time. Lisa suggested we get a hand mirror so he could look at himself and he spent a lot of time studying his image. We also got him some flash cards and showed him a set of 2 pictures at a time such as a lion and an umbrella over and over then held them up together and asked him to focus on just the lion. Repeatedly, he could correctly look at the right picture.

His legs move voluntarily but his hands and arms are still mostly reactive, not responsive although we are beginning to see some change in that regard.

He has a tracheotomy and is beginning to be weened from that so he can begin to use his voice. I will be very anxious to get that removed.

He is being tube fed.

Physically, all of his injuries have healed and he looks good, really good. He has lost a lot of weight but still is in a range that works for his height...maybe he looks more like he did in high school rather than how he has looked the past 5 or 6 years.

So, there's a long, long way to go but we feel hopeful. He is really fighting to get back. We appreciate all of the love and concern from each of you and of course the many prayers that have been offered for him.

Falling in Love again...

Yeah, I knew that title would catch your attention.



This past weekend, I spent a few days with these cute guys:

Parker

Reid

Grayden
...and yes, I fell in love all over again.

It has been way too long since I've had a chance to visit the Smith family and a grandma should never be away from her grandchildren that long. Even though the trip was short, we packed a lot of fun in to a few days.

The day I got there was my birthday and the boys had been busy working on projects for me and were excited to give them to me; special things a grandma will treasure. They also helped me blow out all of my candles (thank goodness Katie was kind and we only had 2 to blow out.

The next day, we celebrated 4th of July...Benson style (now Smith style). It began with a red, white, and blue breakfast

...and ended with a picnic in the park and an awesome firework show.


There was some splishing and splashing....
...an outing to the movies (Toy Story 3, of course)

...some bike riding

...an Elvis sighting

...and of course it wouldn't be the Smith house if there wasn't some craziness thrown in! (as I was packing my bags to leave, the two oldest decided to find their mom and dad's clothes and have a fashion show, shoes and all)

I must say that Katie and Spencer are great parents. Their kiddos are smart, creative, and for the most part nice to each other. They read a lot of books to their kids, sing songs, dance, and take advantage of teaching moments. These are three lucky little boys to have the parents they have.

Ah! Life is GRAND!

AND AS A DISCLAIMER...MY HAIR DOES MUCH BETTER WITHOUT HUMIDITY!

Angels Among Us

Today I was on the plane flying up to Utah and sat by a woman and her husband who were flying home to Salt Lake from Phoenix. We began sharing stories about missionary sons, raising children, our grandchildren, etc. She asked me what was taking me to Utah. I told her about Michael and she kept saying, "oh, how horrible." "I can't imagine what that would even be like." Later in the conversation, it came up that I am a widow and again she expressed sympathy about what I am going through and have gone through.

Eventually, the conversations faded and I picked up my book and read but as we were getting ready to land, she asked for my e-mail address. She said she and her husband fly a lot and she has frequent flyer miles and she'd like to give me a ticket to help me out.

There really are angels amoung us!

Did I mention...

...that I also got a new dress while I was shopping on Saturday?

I tried on this one and one just like it that was white with a wide black belt. I really thought I liked the white one better but this one was half the price so it won out. I think it was the better choice...so bright and flashy. I got stopped by random people many times when I was out and about on campus today with people telling me how much they liked this dress. Several guys said, "wow...lady in red!"

That's all.

weekend update

In June, I started flying up to Utah every other weekend rather than every weekend. It was necessary but difficult. When I'm not there, I feel sad and guilty. I'm surprised at how easily the tears flow. I have found the only way I can handle it is to keep very busy.

So what did I do this weekend? A lot of things I've been neglecting the past 3 months.

• I cleaned the house (even washed a few windows...gasp!)
• went grocery shopping
• planted a few pots on my back patio
  

• began the long process of applying for disability benefits. Government bureaucracy is alive and well. It took a 30 minute phone call, 1 1/2 hours of on-line applications, and I will have a one hour follow-up phone call next Friday..."promptly at 9:05 so be near your phone."
• got out my 4th of July decorations
• 
  
  swam a few laps in my pool...doesn't my backyard look inviting? Yep, I also worked in the yard for several hours to clean up flower beds.
  
  

• went to lunch with a friend and on the same day, went to dinner with another friend.
• spent a few hours looking for a swim suit...an early birthday present to myself. Genn, since you posted your darling suit, I haven't been able to get it off my mind so I bought something similar. And for those of you who are wondering...I'm going to stitch it closed a little bit....it's too plunging of a neckine for me.
  
  

And I purchased this fabric. I intended to make throw pillows for my patio but only got as far as the fabric store. Hopefully it won't take 3 months to get them made. Cute fabric, don't you think?
I'm not used to being so productive anymore. I was exhausted when I went to bed last night.