A long night in the ER

Yesterday, i made pasta/chicken for dinner and Geoff came home famished from work (which is not a new thing... I seriously think there is a fat kid living inside of his normal size body! haha) and all of the sudden Geoff disappeared and when I went to check on him he said something was wrong. He knew that a piece of chicken did not go down right and he was experiencing extreme discomfort. He tried self induced vomiting, sipping on water (only to have it come right back up because his throat was blocked) and everything else we could read online. He was breathing fine but he just could not eat or drink and felt a lot of pressure in his esophagus. He decided he would go to bed and not worry about it. I kept urging him to go to the ER but since he is beginning his new job in a couple of weeks he is currently without insurance til then and didn't want the medical expenses. Around 1:30am I put my foot down and we drove to the ER. They tried giving him muscle relaxers to help ease the food down, but that didn't work so they had to call in the on-call doctors to come in and perform surgery on Geoff. It was only supposed to be a 20 min procedure so when an hour passed I went and asked the nurse what was going on. She said the chicken was so large and now dry that they were having a hard time getting it out. 2 hours later, they finally did. I am happy to say he is doing fine and well and just resting today. We feel very blessed it was nothing serious and he can eat again! (He is on a soft food diet so of course he had ice-cream for breakfast). Thanks for all the love and concern from those who knew was going on. I sure do love this man and was worried sick about all of this. Thank goodness he is fine-- from now on I will just mash up all his food and make him take VERY small bites.

Fantastic Day

Yesterday, my little sister Becky's boyfriend, Houston (Yes, thats his name) was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been a wonderful thing for Geoff and I to watch both him and Becky radically change their lives the past couple of months. Our family has been praying for this type of thing to happen and yesterday was not only a day to celebrate Houston and his decision to become baptized, but also to see Becky's conversion. I couldn't have been prouder of Becky as she gave a talk on baptism and bore a really sweet testimony. Geoff also gave a really really amazing talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost. My Dad was able to perform the actual baptism and Houston will be confirmed next Sunday.

Houston actually just moved into Geoff and I's new ward and we were amazed at the support from the ward at his baptism. It was packed to the max and we ran out of chairs for people to sit on. It was a day I will never forget. It was so great to see my parents so proud, happy and at peace. I am so grateful for these experiences and so grateful that I am a part of such an amazing family,

Hair

So I am loving the website Groupon.com... I got a steal of a deal to get my hair done today. I paid a small fraction to get the most fabulous cut and color. This salon was in a really trendy part of downtown Houston and it was something from a movie. They offered me champagne (don't fret, I turned it down) and had all kinds of Hors d'œuvres. It was fun to pretend I could actually afford to get my hair done at a salon like this! The cut and color are perfect and she actually knew how to style my hair! It's so fun getting pampered. I highly recommend getting on groupon.com and find you some sweet deals!

Mr. Michael Buble'

So I am sure most of you know I got tickets to see Michael Buble' for Valentines Day this year... and I had to wait til JULY 17th to actually see him but MAN! It was So amazing and SO worth the wait and every penny.

The show in Houston sold out in a matter of minutes so we went to the concert in San Antonio and made a weekend of it. It was a fun, random weekend including eating dinner with a homeless woman, meeting up with one of Geoff's best friends for Sunday brunch and helping my sister's boyfriend move... but Michael was the highlight of it all! Geoff says next time we will get even better seats (yes there WILL be a next time!) It was an amazing weekend and I am so glad I have such a great husband that went with me and actually enjoyed it as well!

Some great advise/insight

I just wanted to give some insight on something that I personally never thought about until I myself had to struggle with infertility. There was a talk in the Ensign a few months ago about how to handle a loved one who is struggling with this trial and I loved everything about it. I know people don't mean to offend or hurt my feelings and maybe I am just extra sensitive when it comes to this stuff because everyone around me is either pregnant or having babies and we have been trying for almost 3 years now and it gets harder and harder every single month... Anyway, this article really said everything I feel. Love to you all (:

Here are just a few pointers the article suggested:

• Remember that the circumstances in which infertility occurs vary greatly from couple to couple. Infertility may result from a health condition on the part of either or both spouses. Sometimes couples become infertile after they already have a child or children. Some have married later or waited to try to have children, and some have not. Regardless, all deserve compassion and freedom from stereotypes.

• For some sensitive situations, such as baby showers, it might be wise to ask first whether a person wants to be invited. You don’t have to handle infertile people with kid gloves; just ask how they feel and if they are up to certain events. But be sure to include them in Church and family activities.

• Try not to second-guess a couple’s medical treatments or other actions. They have most likely been careful and prayerful in making difficult decisions. Trust that they have learned what is best for their family. Remember that decisions about building a family are between a husband and wife and the Lord.

• Recognize positive contributions that are not related to childbearing or rearing. Everyone needs to feel valuable, and this is sometimes hard—particularly in Latter-day Saint culture—when one cannot become a parent.

• Realize that infertile people can be sensitive to the undertones of your comments, and try to be careful about what you say. For example, saying “You’ll get pregnant if you just relax” implies that you think infertility is the couple’s own fault, when in reality it is usually a medical condition not caused by stress. “You’ll get pregnant as soon as you adopt” implies that you see adoption as merely a path to having a biological child, when it is actually just as valid a path to parenthood as pregnancy. Even reassurances such as “It will happen in the Lord’s time” can be painful for people who are preparing themselves for the possibility that they will not have biological children during this lifetime.

• Express your support and love with simple, positive, nonintrusive comments such as “I love you” or “I have been praying for you.” Your genuine care and concern are needed by those experiencing the trial of infertility

On my mind

Today I am thinking a lot about one of my heroes.

His name is Brett Nelson.

Yes, that's my little brother.

Today he is in surgery for his back. About 4 years ago, he started having back problems. Severe back problems.

So he is really on my mind today.

Let me tell you why Brett is my hero.

Never once has he given up, even with all the adversity he has gone through. Back pain (so i have heard) is some of the worst pains you have to live with. And being over 6 foot 5 only intensifies that pain. Brett has not had an easy go in life all the time. He was an athlete in high school, the ONLY member of the church in his circle of friends and he never once let his standards fall. Often times, he would be home on a Friday night because his friends were doing things contrary to his standards. He is simply amazing in my eyes.

Brett is unlike any other guy I know. Besides my own husband, I know of no better guy than him. He literally has a heart the size and Texas. So many times, when I was living in Logan and he lived around the corner from me, I would go outside my door to find a note telling me he loves me and an ice cold diet coke (my favorite). Seriously, what brothers do that for their sisters?

At this very moment, Brett is in surgery. My heart is full of gratitude for Brett. I am praying that this surgery is a success so that he can be rid of some of the pain and heart break he has felt the last few years. His size in stature doesn't even compare to the size of his heart.

Today, more than anything, I am just so grateful I am HIS sister and that I am blessed to learn so much about overcoming adversity from this special guy.

More Photos

My good friend Tracey Ferrin of Ferrin Photography took our family pics and she did an amazing job. She is so cute and very talented! We love them. Check her out at www.ferrinphotography.com

Family

How cute is my family?

That's all (:

Insanity!!!

I am now on week three, day 16 of this crazy, amazing and insane (hence the name) workout program "INSANITY!".

I have done P90X and thought nothing could get tougher than that. Even running a half marathon does not compare to p90x. So when the women at my school I work at told me about "insanity" I thought it would be a cake walk.

Was I ever wrong.

The first day I did the workout, it looked like I had jumped in a swimming pool with my clothes on. And I walked like a duck because of sore muscles for about 3-4 days, even with taking protein supplements.

I am now on week 3. Do I still sweat like crazy? YES!! I haven't missed a day yet in this program (Except sundays, which you are supposed to take off anyways) and I can already tell a difference in my body. My muscles are tighter and I am getting stronger and my endurance is pretty awesome. It is a 60 day program and I plan on doing it a couple times through.

It's interval training-- has 13 dvds and they tell you which workouts to do on which days to maximize your results. Usually it starts off with what they call a "warm-up" which is usually about 12-13 minutes of pure hell, followed by a few minutes of crazy stretching, followed by the actual work out where my heart rate gets up to 190 for about 4 minutes, take a 30 second water break only to start another 4-5 min. interval training... this goes on for about another 20-25 minutes before a 3 minute cool down and stretching.

I am in L.O.V.E. with this program and highly recommend it. However, it is not something you should jump in and do-- you should have a pretty good work out routine going on prior to beginning this. I tell you what though, you will get hooked once you feel the endorphins kick in from such an incredible, totally exhausting work-out! There is a reason why it's called INSANITY-- its totally and complete Insane!

A day for the books!

Today has been one of those days you just sit back, sigh and admit that even though things can be totally crummy at times... that life is good and that there is a loving Heavenly Father. We took a day trip to Austin to see the sights and we took Abbi Lynn, our famous niece, with us and had such a blast. We went to the Capitol, The official Texas History Museum, 6th Street, South Congress Avenue. We had such a great time together and it was awesome to just get away.

Best news of the day is Geoff accepted a math/science teaching position in the school district he really wanted to work for! Yay! (: So life is really good.

Here are a few pics of our time in Austin.