the happenings of life...

hi there! so, my pampered chef party was a dud... but i got lots of orders and that made it a huge success! i am so excited about all of the free stuff i am getting!

and... i started working out again! wahoo! i know it has been a long time, but i am so ready for it! i am using the biggest loser workouts! love them! i have the cardio max and the power sculpting! watch out world! here i come... the new and improved me...!


things are good here... i am finally getting back to normal with all of my craziness with my friend, jami. let me do a quick recap of what is going on...


last friday i went down to the huntsman institute to visit her for awhile. she looked amazing! so much better than she had just 4 days earlier! amazing what the hope to live can do for a person! she was alert and back to her quick-witted self! i brought her a couple of cards that i made and had friends from sam's club sign. she really liked them and kept thanking me for them...


i had been there for about 45 minutes when tons of family came to visit her. it was fun to see jami and jeff interact with their family... the jokes, the laughter and especially the hope... what a great sight! jami's mom came over and talked to me for a bit and i thought it was very nice. she wanted to make me feel comfortable... again... this family amazes me!


after her family visited for a bit, a friend of the family came too... he used to be jami's boss. it was fun to meet him and her family too... they all told funny stories and the evening was filled with so much laughter! i loved it!


i was able to have a little bit of time with her... just she and i... before i left. i wanted her to know what an impact she has made on me in such a short amount of time. i told her that i had been very sad when i found out that she might not make it. for several reasons... but one of them because i hadn't gotten the chance to know her very well. when we first me last fall, i felt a connection to her. and i wanted the chance to explore that relationship! i told her that i loved her and that i was very grateful for the opportunity to be there for her and be her friend. true blue... that is what i was for her! she said that she was excited to become better friends too!


when i left that night i felt a little sad... not sure why... maybe it wasn't sadness... maybe it was overall gratitude for the miracle that had occurred for this girl and her family. as i walked out of her room a little solemn... i was hoping that jeff would walk me out... i wanted to hug him and tell him all that i had learned this week. he didn't... but his dad followed me out and chatted with me a minute... jeff came out a few minutes later and so i had the chance to hug him. i think it was more for me than for him this time...


i headed to my wonderful friend's (kris) home. she was so great to let me stay at her home, very last minute, instead of going all the way back to logan that night. i am so blessed to have kris's friendship! the next day (saturday) i went to pick up my mom bright and early! we had a fun drive and a great visit with my brother! he looked great and we stayed for a few hours! i love him and i love every chance i have to see him!


we got back into slc about 6:30, so i headed back to the hospital after dropping my mommy off. this time jeff was on his way out when i got there... at first i felt a little awkward being there without him, but jami made me feel very welcome. after he left his mom and sister wanted to go get something to eat too... jami's aunt, who is also a massage therapist arrived to give jami her daily massage. we offered to stay with her while her mom and sister went to eat.


i was pretty excited to have the chance to bond with jami a bit more. during her massage we all chatted and laughed. it was so much fun! i felt like i was making a difference to her and that was awesome! her new nurse for the night came in and introduced herself and when she left the room jami looked at me and said that she was a little worried... the nurse wasn't very friendly. i kinda chuckled and shared a story about when i was in the hospital a few years ago, i had a terrible nurse too... i understand her frustration and nervousness...


ok... so in my 2 days of visiting with her i found there were some definite pro's and con's as to what was going on with her...


pro: she was getting better!
con: she had lots of restrictions!


pro: friday she could drink water (and a couple of sips of sunkist... shhhhh! )
con: saturday she could only have ice chips


pro: her tumor was shrinking... very visibly!
con: she was still in lots of pain

ok... now with these pros and cons was the no drinking rule! that is really hard for jami! she is a coca cola girl! loves the stuff! she wanted it so bad, but couldn't have it! she was joking with us saturday night as to how much she wanted a coke... she didn't dare ask her aunt for one because she knew that it would be hard for her to say no! lol! she asked me what i would do and i told her that i would NOT get her one... i wanted her to get better fast! :)


so we started practicing saying no! NO! NO! we will not get you a coke! lol! jami said we were gonna be "tough b****** (broads)"! lol! i told her i was going to buy black bandannas cuz we were so tough!

oh... and her nurse came in and told her that she was not supposed to eat the ice chips... just suck on them until they melted and then spit the water out! man oh man!!! you should have seen her face! she was not a happy girl! the good part was that her nurse did turn out to be pretty nice! lol! while the nurse was changing one of the bandages jami looked a little uncomfortable, so i went and held her hand. she thanked me again, but i was just happy to help. it felt good to be needed.

overall, it was a really wonderful night! i felt so much closer to jami and that is what i really wanted! i can't wait for her to come home so i can take her to lunch and buy her a coke!

she is doing much better now... they have moved her to a rehabilitation center where she will be for a few weeks... i can't wait to see her again!

i know that i have talked about the life lessons that i have learned through this whole ordeal, but let me share them again...

#1

never take things for granted... friends, family, relationships, laughter, rice crispies (another of jami's fav's!), coke... the list goes on!

#2

if you have a "prompting" to do something... do it! you may never know the difference it made by doing it, but you will probably notice when you don't...

#3

live with no regrets... live each moment to the fullest and make sure that you have done good things with those moments...

#4

tell your loved ones that you love them. if they, or you, were taken suddenly make sure that you know where each other stands...

#5

laugh every day! you never know what will happen. enjoy each day as it comes and make the most of it!

honestly, 2 weeks ago i had no idea what an impact this would have on me... i am grateful for the experience and the insight i have gained... but most of all, i am grateful for jami. her strength, her health, her life and her smile. it somehow makes everything fall into place...

pampered chef!

hi there! i am having a pampered chef show! do you need anything?

let me know by friday 2/29, what you would like...

check out the catalog here...

more..

jami is doing well. she is back on her meds and strict diet and routine. yesterday she was able to get up and for for a short walk and get her hair washed! she feels like a new woman!

i am going down to see her tonight. i am bringing cards that everyone signed from work. last night 3 of my managers were able to go and see her too! i think it was very nice. they said she looked good.

on another note! i am going to visit my brother tomorrow and i am very excited about that!

have a good weekend and i will update when i get back!

an update...

ok... so many of you were asking about my friend, jami. she has gardners syndrome. it actually is a genetic thing that was passed on to her and her siblings. because of this syndrome she developed a desmoid tumor. a desmoid tumor is a benign growth that typically occurs in the belly. the problem with this tumor is that it can grow rapidly and when cut into can increase its growth 3 times as fast. the key is to shrink it and then remove it...

jami found out in october that this is what she was experiencing. she was treated by some of the best doctors in the state and given medication to reduce her tumor. her health slowly was deteriorating, but her spirits were high! she was told that if her tumor could not be reduced it would crush her organs.

all was going well until last friday (2/15). she was having a hard time breathing and her family took her to the emergency room. quickly they realized that they couldn't do anything to help so the life flighted her to university of utah hospital in slc. she was in icu for about 20 hours and then saturday night they told her that she may not make it through the night.

jeff, jami's brother, and i are really good friends. he had been texting me the whole time telling me what was going on. when he told me that she may not make it i immediately called him. we talked for quite awhile and my heart was breaking for him. he and jami are very close.

sunday morning i text him to see how things were going and he said that she was stable. what a relief. we text all day and again i was hurting for him. they took her off of her meds and were just waiting for her to die. they were told that nothing else really could be done.

sunday afternoon i fly home. i was at a layover in phoenix and it was delayed about 3 hours. during my layover we text back and forth. i left phoenix at midnight and arrived in slc about 1:30am. got to my friends house in centerville about 2:15, showered and went to bed. my alarm went off about an hour later (4:30am) and i left for layton at 5:30... crazy night/day!

anyway the inventory in layton went well and afterwards my team (ann and colleen) and i went to lunch. i had told jeff that i wanted to come and see jami after we were done, so he told me how to get to the hospital. she is beautiful! her eyes have a light that is so inviting! we visited for a bit and then her massage therapist came in. i was able to finally give jeff a hug and visit with him too.

my heart goes out to all of them, but jeff especially. he is so strong and being there for everyone. i want to be there for him! he is like a little brother to me, and i just want to go and hold his hand and help him get through it all.

jami has just been getting more and more tired since she is no longer on her meds. so, last night her main doctor from the huntsman cancer institute came and talked to her (he had been out of town over the weekend and hadn't seen her since she was admitted into the hospital). he said that her ex-rays looked better than they did 2 weeks ago when he saw her!

her tumor had been shrinking! the other doctors that had worked with her just weren't familiar with the situation. her main doctor told her that she isn't out of the woods, but if she wanted they could push forward and fight it. he told her that it wasn't a sure thing, but there was a bit of hope! who knows... in 2 months she might be right back where she was on friday... but then again, she could be on her way to recovery too!

so, she is going to be moved to the huntsman cancer institute within the next few days. it is going to be a long, hard road... but she is strong and i know that she will do well!

it has been a very emotional week, somewhat of a rollar coaster ride... but i have learned the importance of friendship and i am determined to be a better friend. i have been so sad this week wishing that i had had more time to get to know her, wishing that we could have explored the connection that i felt to her.... now i have that chance, and i am going to do everything that i can to do it!

i love her... i love her brother... and i am grateful for the things that they have taught me this week.

the good, the bad and the sad...

i am finally home after a long and eventful weekend.

i went to orange county, california for my first scrapbook show of the year and it was great! we were so incredibly busy! that is a good and bad thing... our bodies weren't too happy with us.

while i was there i learned that a good friend of mine was hospitalized and not expected to live much longer. this news was very upsetting and kinda shook me to my core. this girl is 25! i am very good friends with her brother and have become even more close to him this last weekend with all of our phone calls and texts. today i was able to go down to the hospital in slc to see her.

i have to say that i was surprised to see her look so good and bad... you know... hard to explain. she is a very funny gal! always has a witty comment. even today...

she may not make it through the week. i am so grateful that i was able to see her. if i have learned anything from her it is to value each day as it comes, tell those that you love and care for that you love them, make life the best it can be, and laugh as much as you can...

jami! i love you! i will miss you!

bring on...

the new episodes!

the writer's strike is over! wahoo!

bring on the new episodes of:

moonlight

ghost whisperer

how i met your mother

without a trace

cold case

can't wait!

quote of the day...

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

recipe bug...

every now and again i get the urge to "cook". i love to cook, just never really am in the mood to do so! well, lately i have been a cooking fool! my new favorite website is allrecipes.com. they have amazing stuff!

my new favorite thing to do is type in whatever i have... such as ... ham or chicken... and it will generate a million recipes with that ingredient. i love it!

last night for dinner i made: (mine didn't look like this... but it was still good!)

Tater Tot Casserole III

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
10 3/4 fluid ounces skim milk
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can French style green beans
1/2 (32 ounce) package tater tots

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef and drain fat. Stir in condensed cream of mushroom soup, skim milk, garlic salt and green beans. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish and layer with the tater tots.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until tater tots are browned and crispy.

i needed to use my leftover ham, so i added it instead of ground beef. i wanted a cheesy flavor, but i was out of cheese, so i added a cheese chip dip... very yummy!

then today i needed to use some whipped topping i had in my fridge before it went bad and found this delicious recipe!

Citrus Mousse

INGREDIENTS
2 (12 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup grapefruit juice

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, beat together whipped topping and condensed milk. Gradually beat in lemon and grapefruit juices, until evenly blended.

i didn't have grapefruit juice, so i added pineapple juice instead! oh .... my .... gosh.....!!! so yummy! it tastes like a key lime pie without the crust! so good!

ok... there you have it! dinner and dessert ideas for tonight!

enjoy!

one of the best days...

ok... i want to tell you a great story! i have been waiting all week to tell you!

last saturday while i was taking down my christmas stuff (yes, i did finally take it down) i got a phone call from some very dear friends of mine... danny and kristy smith!

ok.. let me tell you a little bit about them! i met them on my mission. danny was not a member of the church and my companion and i asked him if we could share a video on families. he said that lots of missionaries had come to his home to "share a message", but he never had let them in. i told him that we were different and he would let us in... and he did...

i have to tell you... i went on my mission for lots of reasons, really good reasons... but the minute i met the smith family my life changed forever! i know now that the reason i served my mission was to meet danny and his family.

i met danny the end of august 1995 and he was baptized march 1996... it was a long hard road for all of us! lol! he challenged me at every turn, allowed me to learn just as much as he did. he forced me to be a better missionary, to learn to rely on my Savior every day for answers and guidance and taught me that patience is one of the greatest virtues of all...

ok... back to my story... in this phone call i was told that danny was being called to the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. wow... i was amazed! i always knew this man was meant for great things... and i was feeling grateful for the small role i have played in his life.

i, of course, wanted to be there. so i drove 150 miles the next day to see them! what a wonderful day! i was able to spend quality time with kristy and her parents... get to know their 2 (very handsome) sons better and visit with danny about life and what comes next... i have to say, it was one of the best days in my life.

i have had many life altering days in my life... sunday... was one of them...

i know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. i know that i feel peace when i pray to Him. i know that He is mindful of me and the things i go through. and, i am grateful for it all.

smith family! i love you all!