The Joys of Digital Cameras

  A while back, the switch on my digital camera that makes it so you can see the picture you just took broke off.  I thought, no big deal, so I can't see the pictures right away.  It'll be like an old school camera again.  Boy, was wrong.  Yes, the camera can still take pictures, but I can't upload any to the computer without that switch being engaged.  I tried for almost an hour last night to make it work, eventually even sticking a safety pin in the hole where the switch was to push down the activator.  The only problem with that is that if it moves AT ALL, the uploading software won't detect the camera anymore. I don't know about you, but there is no way I can hold THAT still.  At least, not while I have to type at the same time. What am I, a statue?  At any rate, I'm going to have to figure out a different way of updating photos on my computer.  (And I thought having a digital camera was going to make my life easier...:) Does anybody know a good camera repair man?:)

I am such a slacker...

You know, I was looking at my posts the other day, and I realized that I haven't even put up Christmas pictures or Savannah's birthday yet, and they were a month and a half ago!  I guess I need to pay more attention...  There will be pictures coming soon, I promise!:)

My Own Christmas Miracle

  Last week I had some additional swelling in my left leg, so I had another ultrasound to see what the cause was.  Realize that although it was a little tender, the pain and swelling were nothing like last time.  So I was very surprised to hear the radioligist tell me that blood clots had returned in both of my legs.  My left leg was worse than my right, hence the small amount of pain and swelling.  Of course I was frustrated as I thought I was done with all of this stuff, and it was very close to Christmas.  But, Heavenly Father gave me the faith and strength to know that I could go through another hospital stay and time away from my family if that's what needed to be done.  The doctor told me to go home and get things in order so I could return the next morning prepared to be in the hospital for a few days at least, possibly up to a week.
  Now, last time this happened, I felt really unprepared.  I mean, I went from being in pain and going to the doctor to being admitted in ICU within a few hours.  My husband and I spent lots of time in the waiting room at the hospital making tear-filled phone calls.  This time was different.  The Spirit kept reassuring me that everything would be okay.  I just had to trust in the Lord.  It was also quite nice that I got to go home and prepare my children for what would be taking place over the coming days.  They trusted that things were going to be all right and that I could call them from the hospital, and I would be coming home soon.  I was able to pack a bag to prepare for a long hospital stay, and I was even able to do my hair and makeup before going in the next morning.  (Jason was teasing me for even worrying about that, but honestly, I wasn't sure when I'd be able to again.:)
  I went through the same blood work and testing that was set up before the procedure, and was taken to the operating room.  I was expecting to see my husband in my room in ICU soon, but Heavenly Father had something else in mind.  I was just getting sleepy from the anasthetic when my doctor tapped my on the shoulder.  He had a puzzled expression and said, "Um, we can't do the procedure.  We don't need to."  I was sure the medicine had me hearing things, but he continued to explain.  Apparently, the clots in my legs were "old", meaning they had been there for over a month.  (That means they would have had to develop just after the others disappeared.)  The veins they were in had completely closed themselves off from the rest of my body, and new veins had been created to allow blood flow.  My body registered the fact that there was a block to the circulation in my legs, and it had been taken care of.  There was no chance of the clot breaking off and becoming a life threatening thing because the veins they were contained in are shut off from everything else.  The doctor explained that, eventually, the veins will die off and the blood thinners I'm taking will dissolve the clots.  His next words shocked me even more.  When I asked what that meant for my hospital stay he said, "You can go home."
  What an amazing boost of faith this has been for me.  Heavenly Father was trying me to see if I was willing to accept what he had in store for me, if I would match my will to His.  And when I was able to, He eliminated the problem all together. I was witness to my own miracle for the second time in just a month or so.  John 3:16 says,"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  This Christmas season, this scripture takes on new meaning for me.  I am so very blessed to be able to be with my family for Christmas, and I will forever be grateful to my Father in Heaven for this great gift, that I may be able to truly celebrate the greatest gift of all, the life of our Savior.   

A Promise Kept

   A while ago I posted a picture of Savannah's extra-poofy hair.  (See January 2010.)  I made a promise then that I would post a picture of what it looked like before I took it out, if I ever did that to her hair again.  Well, here are the pictures:

  Savannah absoutely loves this flower hairdo, but her mom does not.  (It takes FOREVER to put in.)  Hopefully I'll get the determination up to do it again sometime soon...:)

My Sweet Savannah

  I found another picture on my memory card that I can't believe never made it to the blog.  We recently spent some time up in Idaho at a family cabin, which we do frequently.  The kids are constantly running and playing, and can quite easily get worn out.  So, a few trips ago, when everyone decided to calm down for a minute and watch a movie, I was all for it.  I guess Savannah was a little more tired than the others, because here's what happened:



She apparently found a comfy spot in between the couch and side table and promptly fell asleep.  (I love how her position looks like she's having a great time watching the movie, except for the fact that her eyes are closed.:)

  What a cutie!  She stayed like that for quite a while, too.  She only woke up when her arms finally gave out and her head bobbed up and down.  And at first she didn't even realize she'd been asleep.  I guess she was more worn out than she thought...:)

Just a Quick Update

  Hello there!  I just wanted to post a quick update about how everything is going.  I'm recovering quite well, thanks in huge part to all of the prayers offered on my behalf.  (Thank you all so much.)  The pain in my legs is mostly gone, although I still have to be careful not to overdo it.  (That can get kind-of complicated with three kids.:)  I'm working closely with my doctor to regulate the blood thinner I'm on, and it all seems to be going well.  It's a little screwy trying to get it all figured out, but I'm very grateful to have a doctor that redily helps me understand what's going on. 
  The funniest part about the whole thing is that I've had to stop wearing heels, at least for a little while.  I've always loved them and thought my foot wear would  never change.  Boy, was I wrong on that one.  (For those of you who don't know, I have an enormous collection of them just sitting in my closet until my legs can support themselves again.  As my husband says, I'm such a girl for even worrying about something like that.  Thanks, honey.:)
  Thanks once again to all of you for your thoughts and prayers and here's to continuing getting better.  I love you all! 

A Few Random Pictures...

   So, I was going through the memory card on my camera and discovered some pictures I thought I'd share.  (Since they're not of my family, they never really made it on the blog.:)  I don't claim to be a photographer, but sometimes things catch your eye.  Anyway, here you go:


This is a picture of the bed in a room at Little America.  Jason took me for my birthday this past year and had the hotel do a bed-and-breakfast package.  So pretty, huh?



This is one of the Payson Lakes where my family went fishing this summer.  Just seeing this picture makes me wish I was there again...:)

This gorgeous sunset was taken on one of our trips up to Idaho.  Can you believe I took this while driving down I-15 in my van?  (Jason was doing the actual driving, so I was being safe.:)

This is the fountain outside Abravenel Hall in downton Salt Lake City.  I love how the lights look underneath the water.

These are two ferocious dinosaurs displayed at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point.  I know one is a T-Rex, but I can't remember what the other was.



These are some of the lights in the recording studio from when I got to sing with Alex Boye.  (That was such an amazing day!:)

Here's the view from the top of the big ferris wheel at Lagoon.  I love how many trees there are.

  Thanks for letting me share and happy holidays!

To Answer a Few Questions

  Hello again to the world of blogging! I know it's been a few months since I've posted, but there has been so much going on recently that I haven't even had the chance. But after being bombarded with questions from any number of places, I thought it was time I let everybody know what was going on.
  So, a few weeks ago, I injured my back. I found out that I have a bulging disc, but it should correct itself and there's not much to it. No big deal, right? Well, a couple of days later my back was doing pretty well, but I couldn't shake this awful tightness in my thigh muscles. I wondered if maybe the disc was pinching a nerve or something, but who knows. After a few days, though, the tightness and pain had spread throughout both of my legs to the point that I could barely walk. Jason and I headed to my doctor again, and he immediately sent us to the hospital for some tests. His exact words were: "These are blood clots until proven otherwise." That's not exactly what I was expecting to hear... We had a bunch of blood work done at the hospital and some ultrasounds, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. Well, you know how the ultrasound technician isn't allowed to tell you anything directly? She told me to get dressed and she'd be right back. She was back in less than 5 minutes with the doctor. I thought, "Oh, this can't be good." It turns out that I had 2 massive clots, one in each leg, that extended from my knee caps up to about my navel. (Crazy, I know.) The doctor then proceeds to explain to me how I'm heading up to ICU and some procedures I'm going to have done. At this point all I could do was look at Jason and try very hard to not burst into tears. I had an out-of-body experience of sorts where I understood what the doctor was saying, but it was really hard to digest the fact that he was talking about ME.
  Well, I ended up spending almost 4 days in ICU, and underwent many different "clot-busting" procedures. I lost track of how many different things they were doing. (You kind-of get to a point were you just let the doctors do what they have to.) I don't remember much about the experience itself, other than the absolutely fantastic family and friends I have. My mom and mother-in-law basically raised my kids (thank you, thank you, thank you!) so that Jason could stay with me at the hospital. My family had countless meals from sisters in the ward, while others helped with carpool and just playing with them. I had so many visitors that totally brightened my days, as well as countless phone calls from all sorts of places. I never had to doubt that I was loved, and constantly felt the love and support from numerous prayers and fasts on my behalf. The doctors were concerened because some of the clots were older and not responding to the treatments, but after just a few days we were blessed with a miracle when a scan revealed that the clots were gone. Not just broken up, but GONE. I can't even explain to you what that feels like. It's so amazing to know that you were so close to being in serious trouble, but the Lord saw fit to let you stay here with your family. I'll never forget the look of amazement on the faces of my nurses and doctors when the change was so drastic. It truly was a miracle.
  After spending a few more days in recovery, I was blessed to be able to come home. I remember walking up the stairs to my room and feeling like it had somehow been a surreal dream, but I only had to try and move more than a few inches to be reminded of what had happened. I've spent the last couple of weeks at home recovering and resting, and crying an awful lot. I don't think I've ever had such an understanding of gratitude before. I'm constantly just hugging my kids and letting the tears flow. (Luckily they're pretty used to seeing me cry by now.:) I am just so grateful that I've been given this chance to stay with my family here and raise my children with my husband. This Thanksgiving is definately going to be a very poignant one for me.
  So, what happened? My doctor thinks it was actually a few different things. First of all, I have a genetic abnormality that I didn't know about before that causes me to be 5 times more likely to develop clots in the first place. Secondly, a few months back I was diagnosed with pelvic congestions syndrome, which basically means I have vericose veins next to my uterus, and that can interfere with blood flow. And lastly, because of the pelvic congestion, I was taking birth control pills for the hormones to try and conteract some of the swelling in my veins. The problem is that blood clots are one of the main side effects of some forms of birth control. All together, my body had a losing battle on its hands. (One of my nurses called it the "blood clot trifecta.":) I'm now on a blood thinner and some pain medication, and being closely monitored by my doctor to make sure everything stays okay. I'll be kind-of out of it for a few weeks, but I'm getting a little better every day, and I'm so grateful for every little bit more that I can do.
  I hope that answers a lot of questions and gives everybody a brief rundown of what's been going on. I wanted to post this as well to send out an enormous thank you. Thanks to the doctors and nurses who fought so valiantly to save my life. Thanks to my wondeful parents who were contanly visiting, taking care of my kids, orgainizing prayers and fasting, and just being there on my behalf. Thanks to my great in-laws who did so much for my family during these last few weeks. Thanks to my siblings who never stopped lending help and support. Thanks to my absolutely fabulous husband who was constantly by my side while still making sure everything was all right at home and never stopping letting me know how much I'm loved. Thanks to so many wonderful friends and neighbors who have given so much in service to see to it that my family was cared for when I couldn't be there. And a very special thank you to my sweet sister who is still watching over me, even after this life. (For those of you who don't know, my sister passed away a few years ago from a blood clot in her lungs, and that was the main reason that my doctor even thought to look for a genetic abnormality.) I love you, Jen. Thanks for knowing that I still need a big sister to look out for me. And thank you most of all, Father in Heaven, for being by my side and lifting me up, and blessing me with the opportunity of seing just how precious life really is. I will never forget this lesson, ever.

The Best Day EVER!

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be a part of the recording session for Alex Boye's upcoming Christmas album. Talk about an amazing experience! I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into the studio, but it was amazing. Alex is such a great guy, as well as being super talented, and our director was Emmy award winner Sam Cardon. After interacting with him, I can see why. He's very good at what he does. The whole thing was kind-of surreal. I mean, how often do you get a chance to be part of something like that? I feel very privileged, and came away with some great memories.

Our fabulous director

Alex explaining part of the music to the group

What an amazing experience! I'm so excited for the album to come out. It's set to be released by conference, and I can hardly wait! We listened to some raw tracks yesterday, and it's got a very Nat King Cole kind of vibe. It sounds very cool. So, now you all have a Christmas album to buy, right?:)

Fun at Lagoon

A few weeks ago we took our little family to Lagoon for the day. What a blast! I was worried that everyone was just going to be hot and tired, but they did great. The funniest thing was how much they loved the bigger rides. I mean, they had fun on the little kid ones and everything, but the favorites were those that I thought they might be scared of. For example, Savannah LOVED the haunted houses. She kept asking if we could go back again. Isaiah really liked the bumper cars and Rattlesnake Rapids. And little Mary's favorite is called Dinosaur Drop. (It's like The Rocket except smaller.) She didn't mind that she was being dropped two stories, in fact she giggled like crazy! I never expected that, but I will never underestimate my kids again. And hey, I can go on the bigger rides.:) I didn't get too many pictures, but what fun!

Look at those huge grins! Do you think they're excited at all?:)

Mary might only barely be big enough for this ride, but that smile never left her face!

I wasn't able to go to Lagoon a whole lot as a kid, but I'm sure glad Jason and I decided to make this a family tradition every year. I can hardly wait for next summer! (I wonder what rides they'll be big enough to go on then...:)