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...