Blessings amid this year's Tour de Cure

It has been a very long time between posts. I have been doing most of my communicating on Facebook, but this story is too long for a quick post so I thought I would return to the blog. The last several weeks have been pure chaos to say the least. Over Memorial Day weekend I was in a car accident in the Walmart parking lot of all places! I have insurance and it is all going to be fine, but it has added a bit of stress to my life. The week after that, I was awakened in the middle of the night to a lovely flood in the hallways and kitchen of my apartment. The source of this flood was my upstairs neighbors' washing machine. They have been very apologetic and had taken care of the clean up, but again, added stress. This stress is just on top of my everyday work, church (I am the primary pres in my ward), and life in general stress. This past Saturday was my 4th year of riding in the Tour de Cure for Diabetes. It is a fundraising event that raises money for diabetes support, education and research. It went very well. But I was a little bit worried going in. With my car accident and flooded apartment and all the chaos in my life recently, I hadn't been able to train the last two weeks. I had been feeling pretty alone in life as well. I mean I have wonderful neighbors and friends, and they had all been so supportive and kind to me, but when you are on your own, bottom line all the decisions are on you. No one can take them away from you or even truly share the burden, it's all on you. So I was really feeling that last week. Then Friday night I find out that for various reasons I was going to be the only "red rider" (diabetic riders) riding the 25 mile ride. I totally understood the reasoning for this, but honestly, being the only "red rider" on our team doing the 25 miler, was feeling like a very lonely place to be. I had a very frustrated conversation with my Father in Heaven Friday night. I was actually quite belligerent and I acknowledged that, but I just couldn't seem to help how I felt. I simply said at the end of it that it was going to be fine. I'll do this alone no worries, I will NOT be beaten and if this is how it needs to be, FINE!! I got this ALL BY MYSELF! Just watch me!! So I got ready that night. I spent the night at my mom's house so I wouldn't have to get up so early. I went to bed relatively early…for me anyway. But I was going to be plenty rested and ready to go. Then at about 4 or 4:30 in the morning I had a massive insulin reaction. It was pretty bad! I swear I honestly think that stress and emotions cause these sometimes! I thought, UNBELIEVABLE!! I was not as rested as I wanted to be, but oh well. Later that morning I got up, got ready to go. Cindy, my sister met us at my mom's and she asked me who I was going to ride with. I said I didn't know yet. She said that she had not been able to train much this year and so she was going to be taking it easy and she would ride with me. This is a pretty big deal, not because, Cindy isn't kindhearted or anything, but because Cindy is commonly referred to in my family as the gazelle. She just tends to take off and is usually miles ahead of us slow pokes. I thanked her and was feeling a bit better about things. I had someone who was going to ride with me and keep me company during the 25 miles. So we got there, I got my "red rider" jersey, and was told at that tent that the majority of the money raised on Saturday was earmarked for research projects at the University of Utah. That made me very proud and happy as I know of a couple of those projects and they are very exciting! Anyway we began our ride. First Cindy and I were riding together. Then my brother Dan and his wife Laura caught up to us and joined out little group. A few minutes later, my brother Shawn, his wife Ivette and son, Trey caught up to us. So we had quite the group. I felt very supported. On one of our rest stops, Laura was reading the writing on the sleeves of my jersey. I hadn't really paid much attention to what it said until that time. On my right sleeve it read "I ride to thrive." And on my left it read, "I am not alone." Talk about a lightning bolt from heaven. All of a sudden, I realized how incredibly true that was. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to my family, my friends, and especially to my Father in Heaven. I knew this was a message He was sending directly from Him, as I had not told anyone how I had been feeling. It was one of those times when I truly felt the love. It was an amazing experience! I am truly grateful to my entire family. They all were very supportive. To those that raised funds and rode and those that cheered us all on at the finish line. And to the friends and coworkers who donated and who cheered me on all year while training. To all of you, please know your love and support was felt and truly appreciated! I don't have the words to express how grateful I am to you all. But I feel I need to give a special shout out to Cindy, Dan, Laura, Shawn, Ivette and Trey. I don't think they even know how much it meant to me to have them show their support and ride by me on Saturday. And even now I can't seem to find the words to truly express my love and gratitude for them. All I can say is THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart!!

First Eclipse Trailer

I am getting really bad at not posting, but I had to share this one! So exciting!!! WAHOO!! Cannot wait for June 30!

I know, I know....long time not post....its a long story that I won't bore you with right now, but I saw the below video on the Ellen Degeneres show and HAD to share the video with you all! Enjoy!

Warshing Clothes Recipe....

My friend forwarded this email to me today. Boy am I thankful for the modern conviences in my life!

Never thought of a "washer" in this light before...what a blessing to have the ones we do! A "Warshing Clothes Recipe" - imagine having a recipe for this!

Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe (this is an exact copy, as written and found in an old scrapbook - spelling errors and all.)

WARSHING CLOTHES
BUILD FIRE IN BACKYARD TO HEAT KETTLE OF RAIN WATER. SET TUBS SO SMOKE WONT BLOW IN EYES IF WIND IS PERT. SHAVE ONE HOLE CAKE OF LIE SOAP IN BOILIN WATER.
SORT THINGS, MAKE 3 PILES
1 PILE WHITE,
1 PILE COLORED,
1 PILE WORK BRITCHES AND RAGS.
TO MAKE STARCH, STIR FLOUR IN COOL WATER TO SMOOTH, THEN THIN DOWN WITH BOILING WATER. TAKE WHITE THINGS, RUB DIRTY SPOTS ON BOARD, SCRUB HARD, AND BOIL, THEN RUB COLORED DON'T BOIL JUST WRENCH AND STARCH.
TAKE THINGS OUT OF KETTLE WITH BROOM STICK HANDLE, THEN WRENCH, AND STARCH.
HANG OLD RAGS ON FENCE.
SPREAD TEA TOWELS ON GRASS
PORE WRENCH WATER IN FLOWER BED. SCRUB
PORCH WITH HOT SOAPY WATER.
TURN TUBS UPSIDE DOWN.
GO PUT ON CLEAN DRESS, SMOOTH HAIR WITH HAIR COMBS.. BREW CUP OF TEA, SIT AND ROCK A SPELL AND COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.
___________________________________________

Paste this over your washer and dryer. Next time when you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give Thanks.. First thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer!
(For you non-Southerners, wrench means rinse!)
Never thought of a "washer" in this light before...what a blessing to have the ones we do! A "Warshing Clothes Recipe" - imagine having a recipe for this!

Latest Project Finished

I FINALLY finished Madden's baby blanket! Here are some pics of the finished product and Madden.....sooo cute!

Birthday Weekend

So I am a little behind on getting these pics downloaded, but here are some family pics of our get together over Pioneer Day Weekend. :)

Bailey saying cheese! :)

Cousins telling secrets....could be trouble. (Peyton & Maya)

Goofin with Uncle Kent

Just hangin' at Meemaw's

This is Bailey's rockin' Tina Turner Hairdo after her nap! SWEET!!!

Boy she is going to be a TALKER!

My friend emailed the below video to me. I totally cracked me up and I HAD to share it with everyone! The subject line of the email stated, "Are all women born this way?" TOO FUNNY!

More Twilight Humor

Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Edward Cullen

A friend of mine has a boyfriend who is constantly giving her a hard time over her Twilight obsession. Last week he sent her the below video with the caption, "I'd consider watching this version of Twilight". While I am NOT fond of the ending, this was pretty dang funny so I thought I would post it for all of your viewing pleasures! Enjoy!

(because my videos always seem to be cut off here is the link to see the fun screen version. http://e.blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip.tv/rss/flash/2274024&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf&feedurl=http://rebelliouspixels.blip.tv/rss/flash&brandname=blip.tv&brandlink=http://blip.tv/%3Futm_source%3Dbrandlink&enablejs=true)

Love Story Meets Viva La Vida

A friend of mine on facebook posted this video and I just LOVED it! It is a mix of two of my favorite songs and the little story of Jon Schmidt's daughter who inspired this arrangement is just adorable! Enjoy!! ;)

Who else does this stuff happen to???

Ok, so those of you who have known me a while know that I am no stranger to bizarre happenings. I don't know why, but my life just seems to be truly filled with them, but none that compare with this morning.

I have been having some issues with my toilet. The lever or floater or whatever its called does not seem to drop when I flush so the tank doesn't fill with water. Of late this seems to be happening a lot. I have been meaning to investigate the problem, but just haven't gotten to it.

Well it happened again this morning, but this time once I got the water running it wouldn't stop. So I lift up the lid and see what the problem is. My little toilet bowl disc had floated over and stopped the stopper thingy (that would be a technical term) from allowing the tank to fill with water. I moved it and reached over to the sink to wash some black stuff off my hand before I put the lid back down, when the lid slipped and fell into the tank, breaking it and causing a flood all over my bathroom floor. Then I couldn't get the water to stop....I couldn't get the water valve to turn off. I finally find a lotion bottle close by that is the right size to put under the floater to at least temporarily stop the water flow.

Not a great start to the morning for sure. I called the landlord who informed me that this would be my responsibility as it was not caused by "normal wear and tear". Well this point is debatable, but it is what it is I guess. A plumber was called. He called me to let me know when I could expect him. He also informed me that it might be necessary to replace the toilet if he didn't have a tank that would fit my current toilet....I was freaking! HELLO I can't afford a freaking new toilet!!! The plumber was very nice and let me know that he would do his best to make this as inexpensive as possible.

Well when the plumber shows up, he takes a look at my tank and says, "wow I've never seen a tank break like that." Of course you haven't! Typical of my life. But on initial inspection, it looks as though the tank in his truck will fit. (hurray, a hint of some good news) He has to take the tank out in 2 pieces. As he is working to get the second piece out I hear, "Oh no!" Not what you want to hear from your plumber as he is working on your toilet. He comes out and asks if I have any gauze or anything as he has cut himself on the broken piece. Looks like he will need stitches....it is a pretty bad and deep cut. He asks if I'm queasy, I say no to which he replies, good cuz I am. Visions of my plumber passing out on my bathroom floor fly through my head. CRAZY!

We get him temporarily bandaged up, he says he thinks he can finish the job before he goes to get stitches. I say, if you need to go, I can wait. He decides to finish the job. The tank fits! Hallelujah!!!! I'm soooo relieved!! He is able to finish the job, it works great! And my water filling issues are also fixed as he replaces all the hardware inside the tank as well....HURRAY.

Then he comes to me and says he wants to try something, but needs my help. Would I be willing to help him superglue his injury? Really? Are you kidding me??? I figure it is his arm, so I will give it my best shot. So he goes and gets superglue from his truck and we proceed to superglue his cut arm in my bathroom.

So today, I broke my toilet, called a plumber, injured a plumber had injured plumber fix my toilet and performed superglue surgery in my bathroom....all this before noon! Can you believe it??

And the obsession continues!!!

So my friend sent me the below video today! It is pictures on the set of New Moon in Italy! SO COOL! I'M SOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just cannot wait! Come, obsess with me! :)

The Man Cold

So my sister showed this video to me the other day. It totally cracked me up!!! Seriously, it is sooo true! Enjoy!

A little Sound of Music pick me up

Taking the Ride of My Life! :)

As many of you know, this year I have joined with several members of my family in riding the Tour de Cure for Diabetes! Our team name is the Blood Sugar Daddies. Catchy right? :) We are choosing to go on the 25 mile ride! This is quite the goal for me as I have never done anything like this before, but am very excited to do it this year! All of you support both financial and emotional is greatly appreciated. I am dedicating this ride this year, personally to my friend Dawn as she is the one who coaxed, encouraged, harrassed....however you classify it (all of the above, actually)...to do this for myself as well as all of those in my family and around the world who suffer from this disease. Dawn and I had planned to train and ride together and while she will not be there with my physcially, she will be there with me in spirit!!

I also have a goal to raise $500 to go toward research to find a cure! I am currently 34% there! So I have a ways to go!!! Below is the link to my personal webpage where you can click on the link to sponsor me in this endeavor....any amount no matter how small will help me in reaching my goal! You are also welcome to join our team, or to simply come up and cheer us on! June 13th is the date and there is a link with details on the below page to where the festivities will be! Come on up!! I could use the encouragement for sure!!! :) Please show your support in any way you can! Thanks so much!!!

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC530148030?px=4653405&pg=personal&fr_id=5629&et=ipW56pajIYjdykDaOamPiA..&s_tafId=219408

I Miss You My Sweet Friend

This week has been a very difficult one. My sweet friend Dawn Shelton was found dead in her apartment on April 1st. This was devastating news for me. Dawn and I have been really close buddies...we went to church together, we encouraged one another through difficult times, we just really fit well with one another. She was truly a kindred spirit to me and I miss her dearly. We only knew one another for just over a year, but it felt like we had known one another forever. I do know that she is safe and happy where she is now, but I cannot help but wish she didn't have to go so soon. I just feel like I still need her, but I guess others must need her more.

Sadly I only have one picture of her. It was taken on the opening night of the Twilight movie. A bunch of us all went out for dinner and a movie that evening and I wanted to mark the evening with some pictures. I will be forever grateful I did.

Here are the group pictures. One of many fun and happy memories I will treasure with my sweet friend Dawn! I truly love you and miss you with my whole heart and soul!

My date with Twilight

As many of you know, Emily, my friend, and I threw a Twilight DVD release party! It was soooo much fun! We had all kinds of silly fun! Had a pot luck dinner full of Twilight cuisine as seen below:

The menu consisted of:
Marble White Ice Cream
Vegetarian Pizza
Cooked Flesh (fried chicken)
Harry Clearwater's fish fry (w/catfish)
Venison Fajita's with red "Bella" Red Peppers
Vampire Blood Punch
And lovely fondue - 1 Strawberry, 1 Chocolate!

We did a fabulous job of decorating Emily's living room...true twilight style! :)

Due to Emily's genius, we created a photo booth to take photos...some of our own apple pics as seen below.

These are just a sampling, but I thought that the hostesses of the party should be featured here. :)

Then we did some lovely pictures with Edward. :)

Not my best side, but oh well! Again this is just a sampling, but Natalie was the lovely friend that introduced me to the love world of Twilight...so I think it fitting that she get a feature in this blog as well! Thanks Natalie!!!

There were, of course, a few out of control moments! I just love my fellow Twilighters!!!

And finally, here is the group shot of us all! Thanks ladies for a completely fantabulous night!!!! Y'all are all da bomb! :) Can't wait for part II in New Moon!!!

Buffy and Edward FOREVER!!

My friend at work have been counting down to the Twilight DVD release. The last couple of days she has been sending me these Twilight emails, with movie trailers and lines and todaythe below picture! Isn't it sooo awesome!!!

Twilight Humor

A friend of mine sent me this cartoon and I just cracked up! I totally loved it and thought it needed sharing!!! :)

Happy Songs

So I have been reminded over the past few days the power of music in my life. I have had a bad couple of weeks. I had surgery on my wrist and while it went pretty well, it has been pretty painful especially since it was my right wrist and I am severly right handed so I have been pretty dang disabled. Well I have become pretty impatient and depressed throughout this healing process. and to take a phrase from my nephew Jacob, "I am done with this injury! SO DONE!!

Now keep in mind that this statement could be applied to a mutitude of other issues over the last little while as well, but we won't get into all of that. Today as I have been working and listening to my itunes one of my favorite Michael Buble' songs came on and suddenly my mood improved. Now this doesn't always work, but for whatever reason it worked today! So I thought I would share today's happy song with you all. Here is a nice live performace of "Everything" by Michael Buble! THANK HEAVENS FOR HAPPY SONGS!!! Enjoy!