In like a lion, out like a

well......LION!!! What happened to the lamb part? Well, I think it was counted in a few random days of warm spring weather we had dispersed throughout the month. There were actual times that I left the house in tee shirt and jeans, perfectly comfortable. Today it is snowing, blizzard looking at times even. It is cold.

Working as a reading aide at Tanners' elementary school, I work with 2nd graders and kindergartners. The second graders come to us in the reading room where they are grouped with others at the same level. I do that with 2 different groups for 1/2 hour each. It is nice and toasty warm in that room. Almost too warm for the way we are dressed for the day, where, even though there are windows, you can forget the blizzard and cold outside while focusing on the kids. Then I work with the kindergartners for an hour, which means we go to their rooms. It is cold there. We wear sweaters or jackets and are too warm in the reading room for this very reason. Then we go back to the warm reading room for a 45 minute break, then kindergarten for another hour. I think this has contributed to our, the reading aides, colds throughout the year.

Today I was fine, until that last hour of kindergarten. In the first 1/2 hour I started getting really cold. I looked outside and noticed it was darker and really snowing. I figured that was why I was getting really cold. We moved rooms and were in the last 1/2 hour of the day. I was teaching the lesson when all of a sudden I felt very sick. I thought I was going to have to run for the bathroom. I told the kids I wasn't feeling well and needed them to really pay attention and focus. They were so good about it and I made it the last 10 minutes okay. I went to the reading room, got the kindergarten stuff switched for the next day (it takes only 2 minutes because I have it pulled a week in advance) and left for home. Though I'm not feeling quite as nauseous, I decided maybe I just needed to eat lunch, I am still freezing. My bones feel like ice. I am starting to get queasy again and I think I am going to go downstairs, curl up in a nice warm blanket or quilt with a heating pad, and watch something mindless on tv or the dvr. I really don't feel well.

I think I am going to blame it on the disappointment of March leaving like a lion instead of a lamb. I was really looking forward to the lamb. I guess I'll be grateful for the water this summer. But for now, I'm going downstairs.

The Trials of Aging

My mother-in-law, Elaine Jenkins, hasn't been feeling well for quite awhile. Wynn's sisters would take her to the doctor and mostly be told that since she was in her 80's it was mostly because she was getting older. Then they found out that, where most people, like me, need to avoid salt, Elaine needs to take a salt pill! That helped a little. Then a couple of week ago, Dean (my father-in-law) told them they needed to take Elaine to the doctor because she just hadn't been feeling well at all and was getting worse. The day they took her, she said she didn't know why she had to go to the doctor because she was feeling pretty good that day.

The doctor checked her out and ran some tests, then he scheduled for her to go to a bunch of specialists last Tuesday, March 17th, her birthday! Here is an email from Wynn's sister Maridene sent Wednesday March 18th. It can explain what they found out that day much better than I could.

Hi,
I didn't know if Sirena called or emailed either of you about mom's doctor appointments yesterday so I wanted to update you on the latest.We took mom to doctors all day yesterday and this is what we found out:
First of all, she is getting a pacemaker on Tuesday. Her heart rate was as low as 36 bpm during part of her test. She will stay in the hospital overnight but it doesn't seem like a big deal. She will be awake during the procedure.
Next, they are sending us to a dermatologist to remove cancer cells from her neck where she had a 'fingernail' growing out of it. Only 10 percent are cancerous and she was one of the lucky ones.
She has polymyalgia rheumatica which is a muscle disease. It is treated with prednisone which has a number of side affects. She will have to be on it for about a year and a half. They will do blood work often to keep an eye on everything that is going on. I am just glad they found out what has been causing her so much pain for so long. I wonder how long she has really had it.
The kidney specialist gave us a paper that says she has 'chronic kidney disease, stage 1V' (severe). He said her kidneys are only functioning at 25 percent. She is having an ultra-sound on Friday and also blood work.We will try to keep you informed on what is happening.
We will try to keep you informed on everything that we find out. She seems to be doing much better since they started her on the medication.I am just glad they found out what has been causing her so much pain for so long. I just wonder how long she has had it. I wish Trudy could be so lucky.
Maridene

So Elaine gets a pacemaker today. We pray for all to go well.

Did you not get the memo?

In light of the many doctor, dentist, Xray, etc visits we have been having lately, on my facebook this week I put a 'piece of flair' (one of those buttons you wear on your shirt) that says....'Attention, no crisis allowed this week, my schedule is full'. Apparently not everyone got the message! (We have been to the doctor more since Christmas than the last 4-5 years combined!)

Drew is a hair stylist. She is very good at what she does, but there is a hazard to her job, they tend to nick their fingers with their scissors all the time. It's no big deal, they get a band-aid and go on. The client doesn't even ususally know what's going on, their is no blood on them, etc. Well, she was working last night until 7:30pm. Along about 7:30 I got a text from her....'I just cut my finger. I'm coming over to see if you think it needs stitches'. I said,' K.' I thought, 'Well of course it does, it means an ER visit and your dad's not home, he's at school!' I deal well with things if I am the one there and so I have to. Then I just get queasy later. If their dad is home I let him deal with looking at these things.

She got here and came downstairs to the family room. So I told her we'd go upstairs where I could see better. Best decision I ever made! As we walked up the stairs to the landing, I could see her dad's car out front. He had come home early from school!!! Now he could look at it. He had her take the band-aid off and the blood, oh the blood. So we put a pack of gauze on it and headed to the ER. This is when we got the story: It was her last client of the day, she had finished cutting her hair and was using her thinning shears to finish up and doesn't know how it happened. She grabbed a towel, put 2 band-aids on, finished the client and texted me. She never got a drop of blood on her client. Amazing once you see what she did. The thinning shears are not what would normally cut you when using them.But here is the results:

Oh the blood!

Oh the pain!

Oh the agony!

Cleaning it out.

The stitching

Four stitches later! They had to sew it to her fingernail on the corner!

(nice picture, huh?)

She had to take today off since she can't hold the hair to cut it with that monstrosity of a bandage!

Birthday on St. Patricks Day

Today is my mother-in-laws (Elaine Jenkins) birthday. It is also St. Patricks Day. She was born in Los Angeles, California and lived there until she was married. Then she moved to Freedom, Wyoming (Star Valley). They lived in a little tiny house that was used for the boys to stay in when taking care of the dry farm. They didn't have running water, a bathroom or any of the necessities. They built on to that house, raised 6 kids and had numerous grandkids in that house. They are now in Layton, Utah, where they have lived for the last 2 years. It wasn't an easy life, especially coming from the big city, but she did it. Happy Birthday Mom Jenkins!

Dean and Elaine Jenkins at Gary's Eagle court of honor, August 18, 2008.

Tannerisms #4

When Andy got his Mission Call, Tanner had just turned 4 years old, so he doesn't remember it. So this last 2 weeks we've been talking about Gary waiting for his Mission Call and when it should come. Tanner knew it should have been coming Wednesday, 2 days ago, like it did, or next Wednesday at the latest. I had never thought about how it must sound to just say anything along 'getting a mission call/his mission call/your mission call' to someone who doesn't really understand what a 'mission call' actually is. So we would just talk about Gary getting his mission call and Tanner would just listen. The other day, Sunday or Monday, Tanner finally asked........."So, what time are they going to call him?" Now how cute is that?

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission!

Gary texted me, since he was at work, while I was still at work, 12:38pm in fact. I told him that I get off at 1:15pm and I would check the mail and text him. I hurried as soon as I was done with my last reading group, back to the reading room, didn't even get things ready for tomorrow, and came straight home. I knew as soon as I left the school that it would be there. I could feel it. I got home, opened the mailbox and pulled out a big white envelope from Salt Lake City!

I immediately texted him that it was here!

Then we had to wait, knowing that it was right there. Just setting there on the table in that big white envelope. But Drew is on her Mexican cruise from last Saturday to this coming Saturday. She was very upset that she would probably be gone when his call came, so they arranged that he would open it at 6:30pm our time. (Today just 'happens' to be the day they are on land in Puerto Vallarta until 10:30pm so that she could call. Coincidence? I think not.) That way everyone would be home from work and she could call so she could 'be here'. Anybody that has been through this knows how agonizing that wait is!

At 6:30 the phone rang. He let it ring a couple of times to make sure it wouldn't disconnect. He answered, Lexie put it on speaker phone, and he ripped it open.

And he is going to:

WHERE'S A MAP!

He enters the Provo, Utah MTC (Missionary Training Center) May 27, 2009. Just 4 days after his 19th birthday.

And yes, for those who know, my parents live in Tyrone, NM on the western border of New Mexico. The western border of his mission, if you can't tell from the picture, goes to just east of Alamagordo,NM. Just a few short hours from Tyrone. No, they can't go see him and there is no way to know where he'll serve, but he'll be oh so close. And his cousin, Brad Eldredge, and his family live just a couple hours south of the southern border in Houston, TX. Hmmmmm.

He is very excited that he is going to the BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD! HIS!

I guess he'll be coming home with a Texas drawl instead of the Wyoming one he has now!!!

Lexie update

Dr. Isaacson said that if Lexie's wrist still hurt in a week to take her back in for more xrays. I took her back in this morning. We decided to just have her continue wearing the brace we got Thursday for another week. He also told her to not fall for any reason. So the note I sent her for PE still stands. Also extra careful navigation of the new foot of snow we have is a must. He gave her a referral for Saturday. That way if it still hurts on Saturday, we can go in for xrays then call him at home so he can get online to view them and the results. Then if there is a visible break, he will cast it. I hate it when things don't show on the xray. It could be just ligament damage that will heal, but an MRI is kind of an expensive way to find out something that would be treated just the way we're treating it. So we'll just wait the week and see what it feels like come Saturday.

On a good note for Morgan...We had Stake Conference this weekend. When President Jensen saw Lexie yesterday, he asked her what happened. She told him, and when he got to Morgan, she told him as well. He looked at her and told her, with a little grin, that she was forgiven. She already knew this, but I think it helped her to hear it from him.

I'm trying to remember that 'This too shall pass'

I commented on this on facebook, but now realize I didn't blog about it! Sunday was one of those 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye' (or breaks an arm) kind of night.

In our house, if you get a chance to really scare someone, you take it. Lexie and Morgans rooms are next to each other, and when Lexie was leaving her room she heard Morgan leaving hers, so she waited and scared the daylights out of Morgan. Well, Morgan was not in the mood for it, so she pushed Lexie. Of course Lexie fell and hurt her wrist. (at least it was her left wrist) Needless to say, Morgan feels HORRIBLE about it and never meant for her to fall. She has been doing all of Lexie's chores for her without being told, all week. She isn't like that, so she is devastated!

It was still hurting Monday morning, so I got a sub and took Lexie to see Dr Isaacson. Naturally we were sent for xrays, just as I knew we would. Naturally the radioligist didn' t see anything on them, just as I figured he wouldn't. We have been wrapping it since then and she is taking ibuprofen and icing it. The pain is getting worse instead of better. Drew went in to see him yesterday for a sore throat and told him this for me. He had us call him at home. So we went and got a splint for it today. Naturally if it is still hurting come Monday, we get to go in for more xrays, just as I knew he would say. I have been through this enough times with my kids, none of this surprises me. (the broken part, not the pushing part)I'm pretty sure we'll be back in for more xrays come Monday. In fact I'll be surprised if we're not. We have been to the doctor more since Christmas than we have in the last 3-4 years or more!

And of course soccer starts in a matter of just a few weeks! This too shall pass, right?

IN LIKE A LION, BABY!

It has been nice weather the last few days, the sun shining, the temperature warm, etc. And I am soooooo ready for spring to be here. I love Spring. But now it is supposed to start snowing tomorrow, and last for a few days. I say bring it on. I am so excited that March is coming in like a lion. That means it will go out like a lamb. Is that always the case....no. But usually. And I'm holding on to that. So--- let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The March lamb is on it's way. WOOHOO!