Dresses for the doctor

It was time for another weight and hematocrit check.

Eve is at 8-7
Savannah gained ground over Eve at 8-8.

Eve's hemoglobin isn't up - so they weren't too happy about that. It's around 9.6.

Romping in rompers

Worn out from romping...

Keep the day job

I've never been much of a photographer, but this next photo should make it clear that I need to "keep the day job". This is the best of about a dozen photos I took with my IPAD. Steve's mom and Lynda had come for Sunday dinner. Alda put on a grocery bag to protect her hair (as it had just started raining) for the walk to the car. We decided we needed to preserve the memory. [There were some REALLY laugh out loud funny ones, but Steve said I couldn't post them.]

It's a jungle out there

Eve is enjoying the jungle play yard.

Savannah is enjoying the bright morning sun.

Savannah in the jungle.

Eve and the toys. What a cute idea to attach them to the wrists!

I can't believe how much they have changed since I was with them last. They are MUCH better eaters. Savannah is now to 90 ml per feeding. They are such good babies. This morning Eve woke at 4:30 to eat. It had been four hours, but they have been known to do six at night. As Savannah was still snoozing, I laid Eve across my stomach, while I patted her back. In that position, she waited a full hour for Savannah to be ready for the feast. If they were any more patient, we wouldn't know we have twins!

It looks so easy

I got home from the family reunion in time to get my last visiting teaching visit in.

Helen Henderson is absolutely amazing. She has more hobbies that I can even name - embroidery, vintage costume design and manufacturing, needlepoint, shooting, doll making, cake decorating, carving, gardening, reading - and she teaches special education full time. She doesn't just dabble in various crafts; she is a skilled professional.

Her husband recently retired from Thiokol - a rocket scientist. During the summer, they compete in shoots together, in vintage clothing Helen has made. They sell clothing and bullets that they have made. They set up a huge ten stocked from their (new) huge trailer (with FOUR QUEEN BEDS). She takes her sewing machine, so she can do alternations on the spot.

She is very creative. He's an engineer. Yet they seem so perfectly matched. She doesn't speak of him without her eyes sparkling. He supports her non-stop crafting without complaint. They are inseparable, in their time off.

I asked her what was the secret to such an amazing relationship. I asked, "You make it look so easy, but has it always been such?"

She said, "Well, when we had young kids, Syd used to criticize the way I disciplined the kids. He's very laid back. I've got a German temper. I've never heard Syd's parents raise their voice to each other. I've seen my Mom throw things at my Dad. My Mom and I laughed at Billy Graham's wife, Ruth Bell Graham's comments. She was one asked if she ever considered divorce and responded 'Divorce? No. Murder? Yes, many times.'"

She continued, "But when Syd got his hearing aids, that changed everything. He couldn't hear what precipitated my actions. Once he could hear the bickering, his complaints dissipated.

"For ten years, I fought with depression. I would have 10-15 anxiety attacks each day. That's pretty debilitating. I would have loved to stay home and sleep, but what do you do? I had no extended family that could come to my aid. I had four little kids and a daycare to run. When I discovered costuming (as a student at USU), I learned that finding a creative outlet is key for my sanity. Finally, I got help. Prozac changed everything for me. I've been on it 22 years. Syd supported me through that very rough ten years. He couldn't understand what I was going through, but he knew how to support me.

"When we discovered shooting, that was a great boost to our marriage. If I were to give advice to couples, I'd say, "Find something you like to do together." (The Happiness Project suggests one inside activity and one outside.)

"If each person in the marriage isn't giving 110%, it isn't going to work. You need to be giving, but you also need to help the other person to figure out how to support you. They are not going to be able to read your mind. You need to tell them what you need - help around the house, sharing of childcare, a moratorium on criticism, bagging of self-centered attitude, doing things to make you happy. They can't read your mind. It can't be all you doing the giving. Tell them what you need.

"When I got married, my mother sat me down and explained that marriage was hard. She said the best preparation for marriage was having roommates. If you could get along with six crazy roommates, you can make a go of it with one off-centered man, and they are ALL off-center.

Helen and Syd! My hat is off to you. What a lesson for me. I tend to think others have it easy - but you never know what the "life of ease" has taken to master.

A Hurst First

While we have had lots of family get togethers, this is the first time we've had a family reunion (other than for weddings) since Mom and Dad passed away. Mom and Dad were always the draw. The kids would gather to see the folks, and see each other as a by-product - but do we really like each other well enough to get together just to see each other? Thankfully, we do!

We had a great time. Craig and Jill were AMAZING hosts. The food was outstanding. Floating down the river was the best! Craig went around in his kayak offering sugar sustenance. Halle, for one, thought it was great. She'd clamor, "Where is HIM?" She is a candy addict like Great Grandma Hurst.

It was great to see Cherri/Steve, Brandon/Steph/Bridger, and Lisa/Ben/Sarah/Abby/Griffin/Molly. What good babies and super-moms!

It was fun to have Brandon/Trisha/Halle/Zach, Greg, Kram/Lori/Brooke/Drew with us. The kids loved the loft, and luckily no one was injured (even though Zach did try jumping from the ladder to the beds below). Each night was filled with "earned" hot-tubbing and games until the wee hours.

Gary and Lori were great! I appreciate the IPAD and Garmin lessons!

We definitely need a do-over to get all the rest of the family together.

My love affair has had a serious setback

I have loved my Chase reward card. I get $50 every month or so just for buying groceries (and everything else I can think of) with my credit card. Online billing facilities make it easy to check purchases. I pay off my balance three or four times a month, so credit card spending doesn't get out of control.

When we were in the Netherlands and didn't realize the country doesn't accept credit cards, Chase came to my aid and gave me a pin (over the phone, mind you) so I could get blessed cash from the machine. The cash advance cost me next to nothing, as I repaid the loan from checking the next day.

Before leaving for Rome, Chase got me an updated pin for my card in the nick of time.

They have been awesome. That is until Monday when I get a letter from them indicating I am owed money for an uncashed reward check that they have had for THREE AND A HALF YEARS! They would have sent it to me about the time Mom passed away, and Kimberly was separated. I guess it's no surprise I missed the check. Since that time, I've spend a ton on money using the credit card and redeemed a score of reward checks. So why didn't they just send me the uncashed reward check? Knowing my address is valid and active, why did they insist I get the form notarized in order to give me the money they owe me?

Slimeballs. And I was such a devoted fan.

Bolting Cilantro

Who knew Cilantro would bolt (flower and go to seed)? Evidently you are supposed to plant it in cool areas, pinch it back, and replant it every six weeks. Mine is definitely in bolt stage.

The good news is my tomatoes are stretching out the top of three foot tall cages. My beans are a mound of blossoms, but no beans (as of yet). My parsley, sage, and chives are going gang-busters. The raspberries are getting to their peak as well. Even the squash and cucumbers are starting to produce. After such a late start, I didn't think anything would grow.

I'm sure glad nothing else likes to bolt.

Begging is our only wisdom

Halfway down the canyon, I realized we hadn't brought our swimming suits with us for Island Park. Since my suits are at least five years old , some with visible holes, I figured we may as well just buy new ones. In the mens department, sizes were easy to find and the selection was good. Steve tried on five in ten minutes and found one he liked. In the womens department, finding the sizes was a joke. Instead of having all size X together, the suits were on a dozen racks based on style, with no divders between sizes. You read the tag (no size), unclipped the tops so you could find an inner tag (sometimes a size), and finally held it up to guess at the size. YUCK! Dillards is a huge store with zero people shopping, and still no one came to my aid. How do they expect to sell anything when even finding your size is a major hurdle?

However, the worst was yet to come. I don't know why trying on suits is so painful. Either you look like a shapeless blob or they highlight every bulge you THOUGHT you were hiding. You discover bulges where you shouldn't have bulges and nothing where you thought you did have a shapely bulge. Plus, instead of shoulder straps, the "in" style is a tie behind the neck. It's a little scary, given that with a flick of the wrist, you would be nude from the waist up. (It could be a worry for a young gal, but I figured people would be constantly checking the security of my tie and helping me to monitor it - as they had seen too much already. :-) )

I had decided to opt for a T-shirt and shorts, when I decided to try Penney's. They had suits on half price sale, with an extra $15 off. I found TWO that actually fit. They were even well made. I count that as a huge success.

However, my good luck was soon to come to an end. I walked in the house to a voice message that the teacher for Relief Society was too ill to teach. Thus, it falls to me to teach. I had been listening to a BYUI devotional - Becoming a Saint - so I just copied from it.

It did point me to a quote I wasn't family with.

C.S. Lewis: The price of Christ is something, in a way, much easier than moral effort – it is to want Him. It is true that the wanting itself would be beyond our power but for one fact. The world is so built that, to help us desert our own satisfactions, they desert us. War and trouble and finally old age take from us one by one all those things that the natural Self hoped for at its setting out. Begging is our only wisdom, and want in the end makes it easier for us to be beggars. Even on those terms the Mercy will receive us.”

I am constantly "recalculating" (as my GPS would say) to figure out what this life is all about. I thought Lewis' insight was profound.

Gnat attack

We came up to the condo last night - as we needed to grab life jackets for the big Hurst Family reunion. We decided to put our hamburger patties in the fridge and go to Cafe Sabor for dinner. During the off season, they are only open a few days a week, but now they are open seven days a week. It was quite busy! I'm glad to see their success as Bear Lake has few decent restaurants. However, if you wanted to sit inside, there was a twenty minute wait. We're used to pretty much having our choice of seating, so having to wait to even get in the door was a major surprise.

Unfortunately, we opted to sit outside. Others were doing it. It wasn't all that hot in the shade. As soon as they brought us chips, the gnats started in. I'd have ten on me at a time. They were "dancing in the air". They must have liked the live Mexican music. They crawled over me. They bit too, but I don't see any residual affects today. Steve, on the other hand, was unaffected. Of course, with all on them in my face, I guess there just weren't enough to go around.

I won't make that mistake again. Eating outside at Bear Lake - a definite NO WAY!

We went on a PERFECT bike ride this morning. Just a bit of a nip in the air when your moving. It was great. I forget how much I like to bike ride.

I'm trying to talk Steve into a wee raft ride. I sure miss walking on the beach. Maybe next year.

Little fatties

We just got back from a weight check on the girls. All that coaxing of the last ten ml of a feeding has paid off.

Eve (birthweight 3 pounds 13 ounces) weighed 6# 9oz last Tuesday, and is 7# 4 oz today (nine days later). They are 8 weeks old now, or at their full term date.

Savannah (birthweight 4 pounds 3 ounces), weighed 6 # 11 oz last Tuesday, and is 7# 3 oz today.

Yup. Eve has surpassed her younger sister. They are eating the same amount at each feeding, but since Eve wasn't gaining too well in the hospital, she is on higher caloric intake. However, even the increase in calories doesn't totally explain the weight gain.

Eve needed to have her hemoglobin checked as well. She had gone from 8.7 to 9.7 in nine days. I didn't realize it could increase that quickly. Looks like its getting into the normal range.


Eve (left) and Savannah

Toodle-oo

Savannah's "wave" looks so authentic, Halle waved back! Pretty cute.

Pass the Pigs

We had a good friend (Spencer Woolley) who was such a classic personality. He introduced us to "Pass the Pigs". It's a game of chance where you roll pigs and score based on how they land. You can keep tossing the pigs until you decide to quit or until a pig out. The goal is to get the most points, but if you are too greedy, you lose all your points (with a pig out).

It is a fun, quick game for the condo.

Scoring is as follows:

Single Pig
The pig is lying on its side - 0 Points
Razorback - The pig is lying on its back - 5 Points
Trotter - The pig is standing upright - 5 Points
Snouter - The pig is leaning on its snout - 10 Points
Leaning Jowler - The pig is resting on its snout and ear - 15 Points
Both Pigs
Sider - The pigs are on their sides, either both with the spot facing upward or both with the spot facing downward - 1 Point
Double Razorback - The pigs are both lying on their backs - 20 Points
Double Trotter - The pigs are both standing upright - 20 Points
Double Snouter - The pigs are both leaning on their snouts - 40 Points
Double Leaning Jowler - The pigs are both resting between snouts and ears - 60 Points
Mixed Combo - A combination not mentioned above is the sum of the single pigs score
Pig Out - If both pigs are lying on their sides, one with the spot facing upwards and one with the spot facing downwards the score for that turn is reset to 0 and the turn changes to the next player.

As I see Savannah and Eve "tossed on the blanket" - identical as two little piglets, I keep wanting to score their positions.




Double Leaning Jowler

Double Razorback

Picnic Time

I have a friend (Jane Minor) who's never married. When her nephew used to stay with her, instead of having lunch at the table, she would put a blanket on the floor and have a picnic. It was easier and less mess. So, when we lay the girls on the floor, we say we are having a picnic.

Here's some pictures of the picnic in grandma's room.

Eve seems to just love touch. After seven weeks in the hospital, what a joy to be able to her the gift of touch.

Eve, in her best glamor shot.

Savannah, loving her leg power.

The first stroller ride

We took the kids on a stroller ride tonight.

Chelle and Ben have the nicest neighbors. We met several of them on the walk. One couple (Michelle and Zach) have twins of their own and an almost three year old. Michelle (the neighbor) was so sweet. She said, "After I had Macie, people would say, "Isn't this the best?" It was HARD. I felt so inadequate. I didn't know if I was doing things right. I wondered what was wrong with me that I didn't think it was wonderful. Finally, someone said, "It is pretty tough to lose your identity and be unable to move without worrying about a little one. They are so dependent on you, and there is no manual." I thought, "Thank you! I needed to know that motherhood is tough for others too."

We met the next door neighbor (Ben Wright) leaving the house. He came over to introduce himself and share wisdom on the "pond" between their yards (that needs to be fixed by the developer).

When I went outside on the fourth to empty trash, the neighbors were congregated across the culdasac to light fireworks. Someone hollered, "Come over and watch the show". I went over and met five or six families in the neighborhood. They were so sweet - offering to bring in dinner, introducing me to their kids. Patrice (35 weeks pregnant herself) asked if I was the Mom of the twins. I said, "I bet you were thinking 'that is the oldest Mom I've seen'. She denied it.

I'll bet I spent twenty minutes just visiting. They wanted to know what Ben did ("Oh, another lawyer") and what Chelle did (an esthetician?) . When I told them she wasn't sure if she was going back to work (as she holds the insurance for the family), they were a wealth of suggestions offered. A lady a block south has an incredible daycare. The U has daycare which is fantastic. There is a neighborhood newsletter where you can ask if anyone wants to tend ('three called me after I said I was looking for someone'). There is an online site for finding a full time nanny ('My sister is an opera singer and decided a nanny is much simpler.')

They were absolutely delightful.

It has been so confusing for the neighbors to figure out what is going on - first Trisha and Brandon (and kids) were at the house off and on for several weeks, then the signs announcing the birth went up, but no one ever saw the babies. A few had met Chelle and had figured out the story. The others were still trying to catch up.

The aunts and uncles

Everybody pitched it to help Ben and Chelle get ready for the babies. Trisha and Brandon (who were part time boarders at the Miskin house, waiting for their home to close) did the lion's share of the work. Trisha loaned them her crib, so they wouldn't have to buy two.

Brandon painted the nursery and set up cribs. Trisha ordered cute baskets for the changing table. Trisha and Brandon found a vintage dresser on ksl.com and refinished it (including new hardware) as a thank you for letting them stay at the house.

Lori made a list of all the things they would need and started buying the essentials. Kim bought bath items. Greg brought back matching summer dresses from his travels.

Greg often took work to the hospital, and both he and Chelle would work on their laptops throughout the morning. Brandon often visited Chelle during his lunch breaks, and ate excess food she couldn't consume. What an adorable brother and brother-in-law.

What wonderful support Ben and Michelle have had.

Meeting the cousins

Eve came home on Sunday morning - just in time for the Allan family dinner (to celebrate my 60th). We tried to keep them a bit separate, but the cousins were fascinated. They met us on the doorstep. The first thing out of Brooke's mouth was, "I want to see them." As we uncovered them in their carseats, Brooke asked, "Are they real?" They must have looked like dolls, so still and tiny. Halle was everywhere. The girls were lying on the floor. Halle wanted to cover them with layers and layers of blankets. When we asked her to "go around", she used Grandma as an obstacle course to "go around" rather than going around the blanket. When Zach saw them in their drowsy state, he commented, "one eye sleeping". To distract Halle and Brooke, we told them they could put their stuffed animals in the car seats. They loved the covers for the car seats a creation of Aunt Trisha (copying Cara's cute creation), and would try to rock the animals in the carseats. It was a pretty wild ride.

Drew was excited to show the babies the pictures he had created for them. They are proudly displayed on the walls of their room. Zach and Halle colored posters announcing the birth. They are hung over the cribs.

On their way home, Brooke and family dropped by on Monday to see Chelle and Ben's house. Again, Brooke was fascinated with the twins. She said, "I wish I could stay. We have to go home. We've got pow-wow in the next few days."

Coming home - grinning from ear to ear

Eve (on the right) looks so excited to finally be home.

A memorable birthday

Kram took some fun family pictures after the family dinner at Trisha's.

The grandkids were having too much fun with Kayla to join us.

Sparklers

Greg and Kayla brought sparklers for the kids. We didn't want to wait for nightfall. As you can see, the kids were pretty excited.

A wee setback

It doesn't look like Eve is coming home today. She hasn't gained any weight the last two days, which was a requirement for coming home. They are going to do another hematocrit to see if it is improving. They are also concerned that maybe her heart is working a bit too hard, because of her heart murmur.

Hopping to the doctor's office

Dressed in her bunny "going to the doctor's outfit", we hopped on over to Dr. Fruin's office. [Thanks, Jill, for the recommendation. She is great.]

They seemed surprised that we needed an appointment days after being released, but that is what the NICU wanted. Weighed with her clothes on, she was 6-14, but I'm guessing that is a half pound too high.

Everything was great!

A little healthy competition...

We've been telling Eve she really needs to get home soon. Savannah has already placed dibs on the newer crib. She's worn some of the cutest outfits. She sucked on all of the nipples.

Eve has taken it to heart. She had had her feeding tube removed, and if all goes well, she will be home on Saturday.

Last night Eve had (supposedly) gained 3 ounces (from the loss of the previous day). It sounds like a scale problem to me. They have her at six pounds three ounces.

Hiccups at 3 a.m.

I think Grandmas and grandbabies are a perfect match. Grandmas don't sleep well and grandbabies get hiccups in the middle of the night. It's a perfect match.

Preschool at the hospital

Just when I thought Michelle should check out preschool at the hospital, Savannah is (cross your fingers) coming home! She weighs 6 pounds 3.5 ounces, but she still looks and acts so tiny. If she keeps eating, and passes her carseat test (to make sure she can tolerate it for the length of a ride home), she will come home tomorrow.

Michelle and Ben wish both of the girls were coming home, but I'm thinking it will be nice to get up to speed with one before we have two here.

Eve is also growing, but she has been slacking on her bottle feeding - so she may be a few more days. Both girls have been anemic, but Jill says that's just part of being preemie.

Steve and I were just getting ready to leave to visit the girls when Michelle called with the news, so I hurriedly packed my things and we took off. We saw the girls, and went to Trisha's for a gourmet dinner. Now, I'm just waiting around at their home for the big day to arrive.

Here she is on Tuesday in her coming home outfit.

No thinking allowed

The entrance to our parking lot is closed for a month due to the new Ag building construction. To get us to our parking lot, they have re-routed traffic in front of the student center (by the alumni house). They've doused the cement walkways with sand in an effort to protect them and slowed traffic to five miles per hour. The road is narrow and fences on each side (to keep out pedestrians) make traffic extremely tedious. It is quite the entrance. Just before you get to the parking lot is a stop sign at the entrance to the T. However, with the road closure, there is only a "road closed" sign to the left, so the stop sign is rendered useless. The fellow in front of me, seeing the fruitlessness of a stop sign, rolled through it. I was just thinking, "Yeah, it makes no sense to stop here anymore" but stopped anyway - when police lights started flashing. I absolutely could not believe it. They pulled the guy over for rolling through a stop sign that served no purpose. AND to think the police officer thought sitting across the parking lot was a good use of his time.

ARGG!!! No thinking allowed. A stop sign is a stop sign.

Be careful what you wish for

We bought our condo in 1998 when the lake was nearly at high water mark. I have never seen it that high since, that is until this year. While it still has a few feet to reach high water mark, there is absolutely no beach. There is no way to get out to a boat, unless you love tromping through marshy, buggy weeds for thirty yards followed by another thirty yards of rock bottomed, reed filled water.

It could be a rough year at Bear Lake. One of my favorite things to do is walk along the absolutely stupendous beach.

Not this year.

In the past we have wished for more water, but now I'm beginning to think we made a mistake. It reminds me of the stories of my youth where someone was granted three magic wishes and then squandered them away.

I thought I understood frugality...

I just finished a book called, Little Heathens, written by a woman very close to my parent's ages. The language was a bit crude in parts (and a few F words that you can easily avoid as they are well announced), but I found it to be a trip down the memory lane of my parents' early life: outhouses, no refrigeration, horses, chickens, milking cows, canning, and lots of Yankee ingenuity.

Here is a quote from the book:

“We were taught that if you bought something it should last forever—or as close to
forever as we could contrive. I think one of the cleverest tricks was how we extended the lives of socks. When the socks of the biggest child developed holes in the toes, Grandma, using her dressmaker’s shears, would cut off the end, sew it closed on the sewing machine, and pass the socks down to the child next in size. When the socks developed holes again, she would repeat this until the sock had been passed down to the child with the smallest foot. You think that was the end of those socks? “Not on your tintype!” as she would have put it. She cut the ribbed tops off of those socks and they did duty sewn into the ends of sleeves of fall and winter jackets and coats to keep out the bitter cold.

“Of course, there were times when the socks developed holes in the heels. This repair called for painstaking darning, always done by females and nearly always done during their so called leisure time. But there was a limit to how often socks could be darned, and when they had been “all darned out” we were resourceful to the end. We cut them into small squares and tossed them into the shoe-shine box to be used for buffing cloths. Or we cut them lengthwise into two-inch widths and clamped them into the reusable mop handle designed for this purpose.

*****

She talks about using her finger to remove all the residual egg white from an egg. I have seen some frugal behavior in my time, but I've never seen anyone do that. I've been wanting to try it to see if it would even yield much, but I can't ever remember to try it.

After breakfast, my Grandmother Hurst used to dump all of the half finished glasses of orange juice back into the pitcher saying "These have hardly been touched." My Dad was frugal (saving every screw, remnant of wood, and piece of rope that crossed his path), but we weren't so frugal we recycled orange juice.

They rarely got store-bought food, but when they did, they even enjoyed the packaging. They wrapped their sandwiches for school lunch in wax paper they took from the inner sack of a cereal box. Each day they would fold it up for reuse the next day.

In the book, she talks about treating a cut by wrapping it with a spiderweb, using ear wax to sooth a bee sting, using a drying egg white to extract a sliver. She gives lots of recipes too. I found myself remembering so many things I have been told about life in the 1930's and things I saw at the old homestead.

Is this monopoly money?

The last time I was to the dermatologist for wart removal, I asked about a few small milia that I typically dig out. They were (of course) appalled that I would dig them and and suggested I should have microderm abrasion. Well, its been six months, and the milia are back. I called to see if there was something I could do to remove the milia that would not be considered strictly cosmetic (and immune to health insurance coverage). They said, "No", but that I should come in for a free cosmetic analysis.

While the tech said my skin was good, if I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, she would suggest:

1. Botox, around my eyes and eyebrow $150-$400, lasts up to six months
2. Filler, around my nasolabial folds (between nose and corners of mouth), $550, lasts up to 12 months
3. Chemical Peels, package of 6 treatments, for $750. Expect a few days of "down time"
4. HydraFacial - package of 6 treatments for $600

She also recommended some good serums to rebuild skin
a. Kinerase Advanced Repair Serum .5 fluid oz - $132
b. Skinmedica, TNS Essential Serum, 1 oz - $250
c. TNS Illuminating Eye Cream (to thicken skin under eyes), .5 oz $80

She also recommended some sunscreen that is a tinted powder, so it can go over your makeup. .21 oz, $50

I did find the serums and sunscreen online at somewhat cheaper.

So is this monopoly money? Do people really pay that much to hide a wrinkle or two? A permanent solution or one paid for by my insurance may get a second glance, but this is major money for something I doubt anyone but me would notice.

There was a residual effect, however. I decided I could afford some high end over the counter moisturizer with 30 SPF.

Vanity at 94

Steve's sisters indicated they were having such stress trying to carry on a phone conversation with his Mom, that they asked us to see what helps were available.

After numerous emails and phone calls, I found a state funded center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Taylorsville. They consented to come and bring various assistive technology. After we got the visit arranged, I started asking Alda why she didn't use her hearing aids. I really hadn't realized how little she uses her hearing aids. It appears it is less than ten times a year. I asked her why she didn't wear them. She said they really didn't help much, and she didn't like the feeling of something stuffed in her ears. She said, "At church, I still can't hear the speakers." I reminded her that she wasn't going to church these days, so how something worked at church wasn't a huge issue.

I asked her why she didn't use the T.V. ears she had been given for her birthday. She said they really helped, but then she couldn't hear the telephone ring as well. I reminded her that she had flashers on the telephone. Of course, since she naps a lot during the day, she won't see the flashing with her eyes closed. I also doubt she hears the telephone very well with the volume on the TV turned up to jet engine level.

Then, I started to worry that I was having a woman travel from Taylorsville to give us suggestions when Alda wasn't even wearing hearing aids.

We contacted USU and made an appointment to have her hearing aids checked. The intern said that hearing aids have changed so much in ten years that it was like comparing a Model T to a Jaguar. Alda had significant wax blockage (which they removed) and significant hearing loss, but they were quite sure hearing aids would make a huge difference. The question is, "Would she wear them?" They said she could try the $3000 hearing aids for a month, and would only pay for the $200 fitting charges if she decided to return them.

I tried to get her to commit to wearing them. She said things like, "I do pretty well without anything." ARGG!! Anyway, after three hours of testing and talking, we ordered them. They should be in sometime this week.

We went ahead with the appointment with the assistive technology person. We ordered a "free" phone that was adjustable to 50 decibels. In addition, the woman had something called a pocket talker or a mino personal amplifier that we could try for a month or two before buying one. I was amazed at how well Alda could hear with it.

During the two hour appointment, we said such things as, "Which would you rather have, the amplifier or the volume on the TV turned up loud?" and got definitive answers such as "I don't know". We tried to show her that she could both hear the phone and the doorbell better with the amplifier. The woman explained that hearing is NOT going to be like it was at twenty; you have to expect differences. I explained that turning the volume way up wasn't an option if she had other people around and that you couldn't turn the volume up on dinner conversation. The woman explained that its "Use it or Lose it! Communication occurs in the brain. When we lose our ability to hear, the ear stops sending needed information to the brain, effecting the ability to understand what is being said." We gave it our best sales pitch, but by Friday she had given up on the personal amplifier saying, "It messes up my hair" or "I don't like the cord that connects the headphones to the amplifier."

Other than her weekly dinner with Norm/Deb and a trip to our house for Sunday dinner, she rarely leaves the house - yet having her hair unsullied is paramount.

I guess we'll hope the hearing aids turns out better.

Ragnar - I don't get it

The kids ran Ragnar this weekend. I seriously don't get it. The website says, "Think of it as a 188-mile party with 12 best friends. Teams of 12 will rock out to live bands, enjoy the wacky participant costumes, and make life-long friends with teammates and competitors."

They pay $90 each for the privilege of running through the night - three legs each, sleeping on gymnasium floors (for at least 60 minutes), eating in the minivan crammed with five other runners. They left at 4:30 on Friday morning and returned almost forty hours later.

Yet they all said they'd do it again. I can't even imagine it being fun.

The Queen is Angry at You

While Greg, Kram, Brandon, and Trisha ran in Ragnar, Steve, Lori and I took care of the four kids. Here is a conversation I overheard between the boys.

Drew: Let’s play kingdom. [They begin to drag out all the blankets and afghans that they can find. They particularly love the green and white afghans as they serve so many purposes. The white one is Drew’s favorite, but Zach prefers the green one.]

Zach: The green ones are better.

Drew: The white one is magical.

Zach: The green one is magical-er. It can make you disappear.

Drew: The white one can make you melt into the ground!

Zach: The green ones make you totally disappear. The white ones don’t. People still know you are in there.

Drew: Look at me. [Covered with the white one.]

Zach: I still know you’re under there. With the green ones, you disappear. With the white ones, you don’t.

Drew: I’ve melted into the ground.

Zach: No, no, no, no. I’m trying to tell you something. The green one is magical-est. Want to see me disappear? [He puts the green afghan over himself.]

Drew: We need to get the rocking chair. I need to sit.

Drew: [After placing the child’s rocking chair in the TV room and arranging the white afghan over him] SILENCE!!! You have to bow to me.

Zach: Get down. It’s going to be done in five minutes.

Drew: Pretend someone took the baby. [Sitting in the chair.] I’m covered in my long dress [the afghan]. Can you grab a pillow for me?

Zach: [singing] It is going to be hot tomorrow.

Zach: Hey, Let’s go see if Brooke is awake. [They are covered in blankets, walking around like creatures from the black lagoon, peeking through the weave of the afghan.]

Drew: SILENCE

Zach: All right. SILENCE to you.

Drew: No, I say silence.

Zach: I say silence.

Drew: Okay. We both say silence. To other people. The Queen is angry at you.

Gross Food

Brooke has been so interested in the twins. She sent them pictures to color while they were in the hospital, as that is how she spent her time when visiting Drew in the hospital. She has wanted to see them, but since kids aren't allowed in the ICU, they haven't made the trip. She has been concerned that they are not eating well enough to come home. Today she had a suggestion. Brooke said, "The reason the girls won't eat is because the food looks gross. Michelle needs to give them something that looks better." I thought it was adorable.

One more time

After dinner, we took the grandkids for ice cream and to see grandma great. At the dugway, Lori saw an accident so she and the kids stayed behind to testify to what they had seen. Thus, Zach, Halle, Steve and I had lots of time at Aggie Ice Cream waiting for them to come. Halle's only requirement for ice cream was that it be yellow. While lemon was the yellowest, we opted for vanilla to be safe. She was more interested in playing outside on the cement wall along the stairway than she was on eating ice cream. She would walk down the stairs, get a lift from Grandma to the top of the cement wall, and then walk up holding onto the railing with both hands. At the top, she would hold onto Grandpa and jump down. Each time she would hold her pointer finger up to her face and say, "One more time". Other kids were attempting the same thing and would say, "Mom, watch me". Halle would mimic, "Mom, watch me!" - even though her mother was still running Ragnar.

As we visited Grandma Great, Halle was everywhere - discovering things I never knew were there - the pastry brushes hanging inside the cupboard, the dish towels drying on the racks in the closet, the package of Chex Mix stowed in a lower cupboard. She would pull something out of the bag, name it, and then run to ask Grandma Great if she could eat it. Pretty cute!

Man is that he MIGHT have joy

I have a friend who is a pathological pessimist. You have heard the saying, “The optimist sees the glass as half full. The pessimist sees the glass as half full.” She takes it to a whole new level. She sees the missing tablespoon from the glass. If the glass is clear full, she complains that it will become empty ,or someone wanted it to be empty, or she doesn’t like the glass itself.

I have been pondering how to help her. She is difficult to be around, but she is making herself sick.

I have tried patiently listening. I have tried agreeing with her complaints, but pointing out the positive. I have tried disagreeing. Nothing seems to work. She seems hardwired to find the negative in every situation.


I pulled these gems from Susanne Gaddis, So how can one curb a pessimistic attitude? Again, the first step is to recognize that you that you have one. The next step is to train your brain to accept a more positive outlook. This is achieved by taking inventory of your internal dialogue or self-talk. Begin to notice the 1000 to 3000 words per minute you speak to yourself. When your thoughts are not of use or of benefit to you, tell yourself, “CANCEL.” When you start this process you may need to say “Cancel,” a lot. Because your brain will continue to dialogue with itself, the next step is to substitute positive, affirming messages. In time, by stopping negative self-talk and by substituting with positive thoughts, you can develop a better outlook, leading to better relationships which will yield you a better life.



How do you help someone to see the positive? John Maxwell said, ‘Life is ten percent of what happens to me and ninety percent of how I react to it” Similarly, someone said, “Ninety percent of me is good and ten percent of me is bad. If you choose to focus on the 90%, we will be happy. If you choose to focus on the ten percent, you will be miserable.”


Joseph Smith, “Man is that he might have joy.” MIGHT. It is a choice.

You know you're an engineer if...

You know you're an engineer if... the provost and both deans say you are switching colleges.

We fought being merged with Electrical and Computer Engineering and they have allowed us to stay as a separate department, if we make the follow concessions:

1. Our department head go on sabbatical for a year starting July 1.
2. We do a national search for a new department head.
3. We move to the college of engineering
4. We give up a faculty position (for someone that had already decided to leave the university).

Lots of changes.

I can taste the love

Working in Relief Society, I see a lot of service being given one to another. One thing I've noticed is that some people are a lot easier to do things for than others. When service is spontaneous, rather than assigned, I see some people getting all kinds of things done for them and others the bare minimum - even though the needs of the two families are similar. I think it has to do with feeling their gratitude. While I do believe that most people don't serve to be recognized or to get thanks, when there is no thanks and no appreciation, the joy of service seems to be seriously squashed. We take in a lot of meals, but I don't believe the meals are about taking care of one's physical needs. Most people in our neighborhood can afford to pick up Papa Murphys or Rumbis. Taking in food is about showing love - pure and simple.

Merlene Ivie has got to be one of the neatest people to serve. She and Boyd have had a ton of health problems this past year or two. EVERYBODY wants to do things for them because they are so wonderful to give thanks. The last time I took bread over to them, Merlene called immediately and said, "We sure appreciate the bread Steve brought over. The thing that is so special about your bread is the love you put in it." I laughed and told her that she was a special woman who could taste the love. I think that is the secret - being able to recognize the love. What you're given may not be exactly what you wanted, may be too much for your needs, may not be your favorite recipe, and may be a duplicate of what someone else brought - but if you can recognize the love, you are truly grateful.