Wonderful time of the year!

As much as I dislike the month of December this year was a very enjoyable Christmas. Being finished with Christmas shopping early played a big part in being able to enjoy the rest of the month, I will have to remember this! Christmas day was very fun with my little ones. It is my hope that I will never have to put together another doll house ever again. All the kiddos got stuff that they would enjoy and they all seem very happy about what they got so far. One of the greatest blessings is that we did not go into debt for Christmas gifts and I love that, no bill hanging over my head for the next year. I am so grateful that Julie and I are able to have our needs met without using a credit card. We didn't have an outrageous Christmas, far from it, but we had a great time watching Eli helping everyone unwrapping their gifts, and the children's excitement for something new.

Anyways, all is well, we are all very happy with life right now, can't ask for much more that that!!

Can't believe it's November already

Life is still crazy, I don't think this will change for a while. Yet I have to give many thanks to my sweet wife who is always looking up, and trying to keep me thinking positive. She is so awesome, supportive, and someone for who I am extremely thankful to have in my life. Julie sensed that I am kinda giving up with school, and honestly I have to admit that in some ways I am. It seems no matter how much I study my grades are still not up to par. for those who knew my study habits in high school, well they where non existent, so I am learning how to study now. The Salt Lake Community College has said that you have to pass with a 78% of greater, which is a C+. My grades are in the C range 75-77, just on the bubble, so frustrating. I am pretty sure I will need to take pathophysiology again, had a test on friday that was one where my mind decided to turn off when I looked at the computer screen, so that grade was pretty bad.

It's now November, time to really start thinking about Christmas and how are we going to get our children gifts on such a tight budget. We have been getting things here and there and when it comes down too it we are almost done. The tricky part is what to get Julie, got her some really nice ear rings last year just to have a child put them down a drain, took it apart but still couldn't find them. I know she wants clothes, but whatever I picked out I am sure would be a mistake. Do I get a gift card? Those seem so cheesy and impersonal... ugg maybe I'll just surprise her, get a babysitter and take her along. Good thing she doesn't read this unless I let her know that I have updated the blog. Doesn't really matter if she knows, I will discuss this dilemma with her soon anyways.

This fall we have all been fairly healthy, just a few bumps, but other then those things are going very well for us, laters.

P.S. Just to responds to one of Ruth's comments, all we can do is laugh at all that happens. I know I make these posts seem too serious doom/gloom, I am trying to not do that as much. Yet my humor is a bit off anyways =)

My life in a simple image

Got to mow my lawn

Things have been going better this week, I am no longer working in Ogden, I am back to Salt Lake. Need to get my hours and it wasn't happening in Ogden, Salt Lake has plenty of work for me. I will miss how laid back it is at McKay-Dee, but I gotta quit draining my PTO. Last week was my last clinical day for the semester, YAY, but I had a nasty Pharmacology test. I studied my tail off, did okay on it, came home and did some yard-work since I had the rest of the day off. Well I got an email from one of my teachers the next day asking why I missed a test. Holy crap I missed a freakin test!!!! Sigh, just when things start turning around something like this happens. I feel so retarded for missing something like this. Now all my test days and times are on our main calender in our house, thank you Julie! I just hope and pray that the rest of the tests I take will be really good grades. Going to hopefully take this test today, but will be marked off 10 points per day. There is a saying the God will only challenge you to a point that you can handle. I am soon to call BS on that theory and say that we are challenged at times beyond what we can handle, something about achieving self-actualization and your own potential. Just need to make it 'til tomorrow! I keep telling myself that, seems to be working ;)

Weekly tests and going bald...

Been a few since I have posted anything, heaven forbid neglecting the blog. Life has been crazy busy with not much to show for it. Work has been okay, been hard getting my hours on this schedule. I got the flu three weeks ago, had all signs and symptoms of H1N1 but the instacare no longer tests for it, but they prescibed me Tamiflu. Not sure what to think about this stuff except very expensive and didn't really do anything for me, supposedly it's suppose to make the flu not last as long, but I still missed a week of work. Pretty sure I got it from school, jerks, what are people thinking coming to school and taking tests when sick. Honestly I don't blame whoever it was they threaten you with your life if a test is missed for any reason. My grades in my three classes are very poor, I haven't done well on any test, need to find a way to overcome this. I haven't never before studied or prayed so much in my life, just wish it would pay off with better grades. Tests have been occurring every week, which is a pain, I haven't done any yard work that is very much needed to be done and other household stuff. Tomorrow is my last clinical day, been kinda boring at the long term care center I have been going to. And care plans are the absolute worse time sucker out there. Although I am doing well writing them, they just take a long time to do, so much stinkin info is required with these. With all the stress of everything going on I have yet to go bald, I am very surprised about this.... knock on wood!

Stressed!?!?!?!

Four weeks of school done, three tests, and every minute accounted for, life has been crazy busy. The tests I have taken are rather annoying computer generated tests that try to trick you instead testing your knowledge. My frustration is at a toxic point because I don't test well doing these types of tests, yet if I want to pass I better get use to it. Really I do enjoy nursing school, I have learned a ton so far, and I like what I am learning, I just hate despise loathe abhor the tests and how busy life is since I am also working full time. It seemed to come to a breaking point this week, on Thursday afternoon I had two tests to take and I had studied a ton for both of them, took the test, felt confident in my answers, and I get my grade at the end of the test.... wasn't very good. This was so frustrating to feel like I did well and then see my score being poor was like hitting a brick wall running full speed. My wonderful wife has helped a ton calming me down and helping me realize that it is still the beginning of the semester, that I will accomplish my goals, and that she is there for me. I really don't deserve to have someone that amazing in my life, she is awesome. Besides that life is pretty good, it was Julies birthday this past week, so I made dinner of her choosing and tried to make it a special day for her. My failure was huge since we are so poor this time of year and she usually doesn't get much for her birthday. I hope to fix this issue soon, sorry Julie!
Laters

Temple dedication

Yesterday was a day that church was cancelled for all of Utah. Kinda weird huh! Well instead we were able to attend the Oquirrh Mountain temple dedication in our local building via satellite. This temple is located on the southwest side of the Salt Lake valley and is the fourth temple built in Salt Lake County. Julie and I had the kids watched at Grandpas house and off we went. To be honest I really just wanted to stay home and skip this, after all church was cancelled why do something churchy(I know not a word, but I like it). Well this turned out to be one of the most spiritual experiences I have had in a very long time. These experiences are very difficult to put into words, in fact as I write this I am unsure as to how I could even come close to explaining how I felt in a somewhat decent manner. We got to the church a bit late so we where in the overflow in the gym on metal chairs that are not very comfortable. As Julie and I rotated butt cheeks we listen to the speakers talking about the importance of temples and what they mean for us in today's time. The dedicatory prayer was given, and hymns where sung. This is when I felt overwhelmed and everything just came together for me. The hymn The Spirit of God has always been a favorite. As this song was being sung I felt as if I was being cleansed, all my sins being washed away. I felt proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I felt like this was where I was suppose to be. I felt many more things, all indescribable with my limited intelligence. It was something I desperately needed to experience and will remember for a long time. Life is interesting, it amazes me that we have these opportunities at times when we least expect. This also a time for personal thought and wondering why am I sharing such a personal experience on a blog, honestly I don't know.

Berry Quickie

Went to the Berry (Strawberry Reservoir) for a couple of hours this morning, decided to hit Chicken Creek West, had my 5 year old son and brother in law with me. So I ask my neighbor to use his float tube since he has offered, so he hands me this box. Holy crap it's never been used before..... and I get to break it in. Friday night I put it all together, pump everything up, ahhh the smell of fresh virgin rubber. Went to bed late, woke up late left the house at 745 am. Met my bro in law in Heber, grabbed some crawlers and got to THE spot around 915 am. So I have never float tubed before, had no waiters, just some flippers, swim shorts, and two shirts. Holy crap that water is cold, instant shrinkage, and me second guessing what the crap I was doing in very cold water. Well I get totally loaded up and head out, I didn't go too far, wanted to keep an eye on my boy, but Cliff my bro in law had things handled. Across the way I notice the DWR (Department of Wildlife Resources) is here checkin licenses.... I remember Cliff saying he forgot his license on the way up from Heber.... this may get interesting. I decided to slowly make my way in to see if I need to be there for my son in case Cliff is put into handcuffs. I was bouncing a worm tipped with Power Bait along the bottom when WHAM! Mr. Bendo decided to visit. "Oh crap I have 4# test line on, I gotta baby this" I couldn't reel this beast in at all, and this fish feels alive, gotta be a rainbow trout. Fifteen minutes later and made it to shore as Cliff is sweet talking the DWR Officer, I finally see the beast.... it is HUGE. Turns out the 'bow was 25 1/4 inches long and more than 4 lbs. Yeah Baby! The DWR Officer was impressed mentioning that's the biggest bow she has seen in a while. After the excitement wore off I noticed I was wet up to my chest and realized my legs where a bit numb. Cliff was asked to go to the DWR truck and work things out so I was able to warm up hanging with my son on the shore. Twenty minutes later and just a warning (lucky) Cliff comes back rather pleased that my son told the CO that he is fishing with his teeth today, thus putting her in a good mood, and letting him off with a warning. Fished for another hour, no more fish. Got to my truck and was very happy to change into dry clothes. My legs finally defrosted when we got into Salt Lake. A very fun trip, lessons learned for me, son, and bro in law. Enjoy!Sorry no pics, they are on Cliff's phone, trying to get a copy, will post as soon as I get them!

Camping

We went camping Aug 13-15, and had a crazy time. As activity's chairs, Julie and I where in charge of our ward(church) camp out. We arrived around 2pm at the camp site, being the first ones there we got to pick the best camping spot, right under a group of small trees. This was great because we saw rain every day that we camped. After night one Julie was in tremendous pain since her ribs are still broken, she had a horrible night. We drove home, precooked as much as we could for the breakfast that we where preparing for everyone the next day. The kids and I returned to the campsite early afternoon, leaving Julie and Eli home to recover. It was a blast to watch Jake ride his bike up and down the dirt hill, he had so much fun. Julie surprised us by coming up with her sister Sheri and she helped me make foil dinners. They where yummy, foil dinners are so good to eat while camping and easy to cook. The 2 kids and I had a good night of sleep, I awoke early to get breakfast going. I made a yummy dutch oven dish that was very simple, sausage, hash browns, eggs, and cheese, it was a hit. Shortly after breakfast was served the heavens opened hail and a heavy downpour quickly got us wet. Luckily the tent and most supplies where put away.

Yesterday, the day after getting home from camping was miserable. Emily and I where so freakin sick with a nasty stomach bug. I will blame stress of the camp out on getting so sick, it sure whipped me. No it was not food poisoning, because another person who was camping with us got the same bug, but didn't stay for breakfast that I made. I feel so much better today.

So this has been our first year trying out cooking with dutch ovens, so far I am impressed. They are fairly easy to use, simple as using hot coals, cleanup is way easy, and the taste these ovens gives is phenomenal. A new hobby found!

Family Pics

We got our copy of the family pics that where taken on August 2nd, I hope you enjoy, because I do.

Been a long time

I really have no excuse to not be updating this blog, it's kinda like keeping a journal for me, I am really great at it for a short time, but then gets greatly neglected. Well life is never boring for us. We have had about 3k in car repair bills, stupid stuff really, drained our savings which is the most disappointing part of repair bills. Julie got Broken ribs from a roller coaster at Lagoon on the anniversary that Emily broke her collar bone. And I am just preparing for nursing school this fall, lame I am 30 and still don't have a degree. Got this laptop for school, I love it, and hopefully I will be able to update this a bit more because of wi-fi at work.

Another thing that has kept me from updating this blog is because of Facebook. It is so much easier to write a sentence or two, than writing this, yes I am lazy at typing, I am really bad at it. Yet I have determined to resurrect the blog because as life seems so crazy and hectic now it is only going to get worse, and I might as well document it. Instead of writing all that has happened so far this year, I am going to start with what is current and go from there.

This past thursday we went to Lagoon with Julie's sister Sheri and her kids, and Eli was with grandpa Carling. We got there shortly after the park opened with excitement and nervousness. As an adult these "thrill" rides are a bit more daunting, hence the nervousness. Emily and Jake where very brave and challenged themselves to ride the "scary" rides. Jake was an inch too short for most of the rides, but Emily was able to go on all of them that she wanted. We had a ton of fun, the weather was great due to an incoming cold front so the wind kept us cooled off. My favorite rides with three being #1 due to thrill factor was Colossus, Wicked, and the Rocket. We where all able to fit on the same tube on Rattlesnake Rapids, which got us (except Julie) drenched to the core, no matter how hard we tried not too. Much to our delight Sheri offered to watch the kiddos while Julie and I went to ride some rides. I was looking forward to hear the shrills resonant from my sweet wife. We found the Jetstar, a smaller but fast rollercoaster. We went down the first descent and Julie looked back at me in pain, "oh Crap!" It turned out that Julie had her right arm next to her and at the bottom of the descent she got slammed to her right side and she felt and heard a pop, a rib broke. We soon left the park due to Julie's pain increasing, dropped the kids off at Grandpa's and went to Instacare. After some x-rays revealing that her lungs where not punctured we got the kids and headed home. This made for a very long day, full of emotions of excitement to one of great concern. I then called "sick" for work the next day, good thing I did, because I was able to help Julie out quite a bit, and changed 6 poopy diapers! Something positive to note my laptop arrived 3 days earlier than expected yesterday. Things are better today, I am at work, and my sweetheart has family to help out, which I am extremely greatful for.

Another Year!

Yes I know it's been a while since I have posted. Now that work is so busy I have found this hard to update and post new stuff. When work was slow I would just post in the morning waiting for work to call me in.

As I write about work I have to explain how in the past month more patients have died than any other month I have worked in 5 years. Yup I have been doing dialysis for 5 years now, supposedly that makes me a professional, blah whatever. In 5 years I have only had 2 patients die during dialysis, this past month alone there has been four deaths. Two where on the machine the other two where when I was nearby but helped with the code doing cpr, needle sticks, and whatever was needed. My black hand of death has all the nurses running from me... We have just been really busy and have seen some really sick people. People that die during dialysis or that are recieving dialysis regularly have other issues such as organ failure, ie lung, heart, liver failure. These happen to complicate the dialysis process with various tests, scans, operations, and not being able to tolerate any sort of dialysis. So if you have kidney failure keep me away!!!

A late update of our holiday season. To be honest the month of December is my least favorite of all the months. I have way too much past history that has occured in this month that I wish to forget, but can't because it has effected me to this day(positive effects, but effects nontheless). All in all it was fun to watch the Kids opening their gifts and seeing the excitement when those gifts where unwrapped. Eli being his first Christmas enjoyed the wrapping paper more than the new noise elevating toys. We where nominated by Julies family to have a paty for her family at our house. I had a great excuse to use my new charcoal bbq and bbq'd ribs, dogs, and some tenderloins. Since this is a new grill I overcooked everything, not yet use to the finesse way the charcoals work. I redeemed myself this past weekend though with the juiciest tenderloin ever, oooh so good. (wipes drool). Back to writing this... 2008 was a good year. It's amazing to me that every year that passes time goes so much faster. Time has seemed to have sped up over time, just plain crazy.

Our goals and plans for 2009 look even more exciting than previous years. We are planning a trip to Yellowstone in May, we are planning what to do with tax returns, more fishing, and more activities to do as a family. Jacob and Emily are getting bigger so some more options are available as we plan our upcoming year.

I am writing this from work, so when I get home I will update with pics taken yesterday.