~Ahhhh...THE WEEKEND~

I needed to get away this weekend. Just needed a little time to clear my head. So, what better place to end up than at the cabin with my grandchildren. (Minus Gage and Ali, but I got to see them last weekend so, I feel somewhat okay about that). I didn't even get dressed, I spent the weekend in scrubs and flip/flops. I finished a book that I had been reading and reading and reading...and basically just relaxed. LOVED IT! I took some very cute pictures of the kids of course. I can't believe how fast Bella is growing. Maddie is hard to catch but the picture of her in her cowgirl boots is priceless! I don't think that Abbie or Cole can take a bad picture. They are both so photogenic. It was a great weekend and I guess I am ready to attempt circulating 101 again tomorrow. One day, when I can actually stand to think about it, I will explain what it is that I now do. It is difficult to even describe because it is so involved and the jury is still out as to whether or not I even LIKE it. It might be a little while still. I don't even know what I do yet! YIKES! I do know that I have been complaining a lot lately and, I will try not to do that so much. I have TONZ of blessings in my life that I can lean on to get me through the rough spots.

~ODE to OLD~

Head is spinning

Hair is thinning

Heart is racing

May need pacing

Knees are aching
Back is breaking

Body's lagging

Time is dragging

Hearing's aided
Memory's faded

Skin is sagging
Joints keep nagging

Mirrors are lying
Must be dying

The face I see
Can't be me

For in my mind
I'm far from blind

I look just like
I did the night

You told me I was beautiful!

Liar!

~LIFE IN THE OR~

OR 2
Plastics 101 Week One, Day 1
(Official training begins in plastic surgery).

Let's just say that the OR can be full of surprises! Some good, some not so good. Today we had a little of both. The not so good came when our patient decided to nearly bleed out on a routine surgery that was supposed to take and hour and a half and ended up taking three! It never ceases to amaze me how calm the doctors and nurses are when all ---- breaks loose. You would think that everyone should be in a state of panic. (Me being the new kid on the block, WAS!). They however, quietly go about their business asking for this or that and as quickly as the problem arose it is under control and things are back to "OR normal" again. Me, I'm standing in the corner looking like a deer in the head lights! I'm still not sure I am ever going to get used to some of the smells back there and the lights, those big overhead saucers, they were starting to feel just a bit too warm...After coaxing me from my safe haven, (the corner), with the assurance that nothing crazy or out of the ordinary was going to happen again, (because after all I am in training...I can only handle "ordinary" at this point in time), my wonderful OR team sat me on a chair and tried to make me laugh by telling me stories about even worse things that had happened in all the years that they have been doing this. Now you tell me, how does that make me feel any better about my decision to become a circulator? I know that some of you who read this are going to wonder if you should EVER have surgery...I promise, none of them told me about anyone dying...they were all just funny stories about nurses that had difficult times and sometime rather embarrassing moments adjusting to the operating room...I am sure they thought they would make me feel better. NOPE!

The good thing that happened today was that the nurse that came in to "break" me for lunch actually was "late" which meant ( I caught on the this part really fast), that he was the last one out for the day. That meant that I got to GO HOME!!! Today, I needed to go home. Tomorrow I hope to do better. I have an 8 hour surgery so maybe, just maybe, by the time that 8 hours is over I will have learned a little more. Even if it is just how to hang in there, for I fear this job is not going to go away...Heaven help me :()

~PARK CITY with the VERNALITES~

I love spending time with my grand kids! I don't get to see Gage and Ali very often because they live in Vernal. Now, Vernal isn't that far away but, with every ones work schedules it is hard to coordinate time to get together. Often it is just a spur of the moment decision like today when I suggest to Stephanie that she put the kids in the car and meet me in Park City!

What a great day! Stephanie had some school shopping that she wanted to do for the kids so of coarse we hit the outlet mall. While we were there Cambria and Skyler met us and brought a sandwich for the kids. That was manna from heaven because Gage and Ali were "SO" hungry! Thank you Cam and Sky for stopping on your way to Oakly. Gage and Ali loved seeing you! By the time we were finished at the outlets Stephanie and I were famished and the only place that sounded good to us was Bajio's for shrimp tacos! Oh how we LOVE shrimp tacos! At lunch we decided to take the kids to Park City Mountain Resort and let them go down the Alpine slide...after all it's the end of summer, we needed to do something to celebrate right? Oh man, it was HOT! I thought that we were going to melt for sure. The kids loved it so, the sweat rolling down the back of my neck was worth it!

Gage could not get enough of this "Digger" machine...he actually liked this more than anything else there! Weird.

Grandchildren really are the best thing about growing older...

~TOUR DE MERJO~

I can't even begin to tell you how much time Merrilee and I used to spend on our bikes. Everyday we would ride somewhere, usually up Maple Canyon on the dirt! Our goal was to not get off our bikes for any of the difficult rocky climbs or the steep up hill climb out of the bottom that could really only be done if it had recently rained and the dirt wasn't too loose.

We have trekked the White Rim Trail too many times to count and the Kokopelli Trail one too many times! We don't believe in ski lifts to take our bikes to the top, preferring instead to ride to the top. Moab has been one of our favorite "girls trips" for years, and we have spent more time on the back side of Timp and Park City than the front. The reason I'm telling you this is because Merrilee and I got on our road bikes for the first, FIRST time this year today! I can't believe that we haven't had time ( or taken the time) until now to go for a ride. Now you have to understand that with Merr it isn't just a little bike ride around town...after our hiatus we went about 25 miles in just under 2 hours in the Spanish Fork winds!!! We did stop long enough to snap a couple of pictures to document our great accomplishment and to say hello to my cute little grand kids in Spanish Fork but that was it. Honestly, I can't think of a better way to spend a couple of hours. Merr has been one of my best friends for over 20 years. We have spent so much time together that we sometimes speak a foreign language that only the two of us seem to understand...it's called gibberish! This skinny tire thing is not our first choice for bike ridding but, I think that we can get used to it. Still, there is nothing like the "water melon bust" in the mountains as the maples change to various shades of red, and a single track during the months of September and October that keep us returning again and again to our trusty mountain bikes.

Ride on!

~OIL~

( This picture is for you Nancy, Blackeyed Susan's)!

I spent such an enjoyable evening with my sisters that "double" (hehe) as my cousins. We rode to Preston ID to visit family because one of our other cousins, Karen, lost her battle with cancer over the weekend. Karen has always been our "older" sis. She was our mom's older sisters daughter. 10 years older than Nancy, 12 years older than me and 13 years older than Chris so, she had the fortunate/ unfortunate responsibility of keeping track of all of us...and she did! There were more than Nancy, me and Chris...Along with the three of us came Matt, Bruce, Deb, Mitzi and Shane. I don't think I ever heard her complain. Not even in the middle of her battle with cancer did she ever let on that she was having a difficult time coping. I know that we were all taught to be tough. Our mothers were tough. We were taught to seldom complain. We didn't whine. But dang, don't you think we could let each other know that just maybe we are feeling sick enough to die??!

We learn to live with the "if onlys", the "what ifs" and the "we should haves", and tell ourselves that the next time something happens we are absolutely going to do better. Then, life happens and we find ourselves completely wrapped up with our day to day agendas and extra time becomes almost non-existent. My days seem to just melt into each other until the weekend hits and, it's hurry and catch up with all the stuff that you couldn't get done during the week so that you can start the next week which, is pretty much going to be no different than the last. DEPRESSING! SO, I have decided to do something different this week or, I have decided to try and MAKE a difference this week. I am not quite sure how or what I am doing yet but, after spending time with my favorite people last night I realize that I have a lot of things I still need to DO before my time runs out! I know that you don't have to do big things in fact, it's the little things that add up. The important thing is to DO the little things. My attempt at making a difference will hopefully keep me from falling into that trap that I see set in my path, you know the one, it's the "apathy", "I'm just too tired", "don't bother me" trap that tends to get us all at some point. When I really think about it, my problem is called "oil". I've been running a bit low lately, maybe even below the line, in danger of doing some irreversible damage. The red light hasn't come on yet but, if I don't start adding some of that precious fluid...Well you get the picture.

Thank you Nancy and Chris for always "being there" for me. I LOVE you two and, as long as you are here my oil will never completely run out :)

~LIFE IN THE OR~

Some of you know that I am starting a new job...well, I'm learning a new job at my old job. Does that make any sense at all? Anyway, I was told that I wouldn't really be starting on my own until September, that I wouldn't be put on the rotation until September and that as far as "lates" well that just wasn't going to happen until I was up to speed on where everything was located and understood how all the machines worked and could figure out how things needed to be fixed on my own. Let's just say I still have A LOT to learn. Guess what! I am on the schedule MONDAY in OR 5, on my own, LATE! Poor, poor Dr. Chamberlain. It is a dang good thing that he likes me ( I think) because he is going to have to be very patient whilst I muddle through my very 1st day of circulating on my own. It's an easy room so I should be fine but man, WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? I'm old, don't they know that I need time to gather my thoughts let alone implement a plan and then put it into action! Oh boy, this could really be interesting or hilarious...see Joey, see Joey run!

~BEST FRIENDS & 18 HOLES~

What a beautiful Thursday afternoon. 18 holes of golf on one of Utah's most beautiful golf courses with my own private instruction on each and every hole! Come on, does life get any better than this? I have heard it said that "even a BAD day of golf is better than a GOOD day at work". I would have to agree.

My girlfriend, and golf extraordinaire, Dee, went out with me today and taught me so many things about what I was doing WRONG!!! It helped me immensely. THANK YOU DEE!! She is usually so busy with team play that she can't spend a lot of time golfing with me, a mere beginner but, today we had the whole day. It was awesome...at least for me. Dee is so good. It would be nice to someday be able to play competitively with her. Practice, practice, practice. I wish I had more time to put in right now but, my job is eating up all the extra time I have it seems. Oh well, someday things will be different and I will be a good golfer...I will!!! I remember saying back when I couldn't ski that I would love to be able to ski like my friends. I may not ski LIKE them but I can ski with them and sometimes I am even in front! All things are possible if you are willing to put in the time to learn. Thanks Dee for giving me pointers today. I will hit the driving range after work tomorrow and practice what you taught me today so that I don't forget! So much to think about...I wonder if it ever becomes routine :)

WOW! Such concentration...I think this one actually went where it was supposed to! Now if I could just get that 3 wood to work.

~SATURDAY MORNING WAFFLES~

It is very possible that this could be the reason for the few pounds that I have noticed the last little while...Oh how I LOVE this Saturday morning breakfast! It is more like a Saturday morning ritual! I start looking forward to it about Thursday...sick, I know but honestly these waffles are to 'DIE' for! I know everyone is going to want the recipe so I am just going to go ahead and add it to this post. You will all thank me or hate me...I will also add the recipe for the very best buttermilk syrup EVER. This will add only a few more pounds to your weekend. No worries however. I have found that if you just increase your mileage by 4 you will have burned off what you ate and not have to feel guilty all weekend! Okay maybe by 6. Here are the recipes:

OVERNIGHT WAFFLES

2 C. Flour

1Tbsp. Sugar

2 C. Milk

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 tsp Yeast

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Stick Melted Butter

Mix and cover; let sit 8 hours at room temperature. ( over night) Add 2 egg yolks, then add 2 whipped egg whites. ( You will want to double the recipe if you want to make waffles for more than 4 people. I can not even begin to tell you how good these waffles are...).

BUTTERMILK SYRUP

1 Stick Butter

1C. Buttermilk

2 . Sugar

Bring the above ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. soda and 1 tsp. vanilla.

DON'T FORGET THE BLUEBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, BANANAS, AND OF COURSE THE WHIPPED CREAM!!! (perhaps 10 miles...).

~THE VIEW FROM MY BACKYARD~

Sometimes I get so busy doing stuff that I tend to miss the beautiful things around me everyday. Tonight was no exception. I walked outside to check on some water I had set to run and nearly missed this breath taking moon rise!! My camera skills lack the necessary experience needed to really do these shots justice but if you can just sort of see what I was looking at then I accomplished my goal.

Sometimes I really need to stop and turn around. I need to look at where I've been as apposed to always looking at where I am going. Life gets so crazy when I don't take the time to enjoy my past experiences and only look ahead to what's next. If I never have another notable experience in my life, I have enough to look back on and savor. It is in the looking back that I realize how truly blessed I am.

Sometimes I need to notice the moon rising instead of the sun setting, knowing that the day is only really over when I decide it is.