Raisins

So this is what happened at breakfast today. ... But is anyone really surprised?


I just want to say "sanks" to my awesome family. Not only do they humor me and give me quarters...


They decide to upgrade my "loose change" jar to a tip jar. And not even the kind where they give me bad advice. ;)


Ahh the joys of a poor college student. :)

Be safe and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Much Love!!

Sometimes Hann and I lay in my bed for 2 hours in the morning and laugh about pretty much nothing. (Oh yeah. And I forgot to mention how the day before we may have... possibly stayed in my bed all day playing a Nancy Drew computer game)
Sometimes my family and I Skype from across the room and send the emotions back and forth and crack up... even when it probably isn't that funny.
And sometimes I feel like I am going to miss them so much! Ok... All the time.

Dear family [and select friends],

I will miss you guys so much! Thanks for making my off track such a blast! It will be quite tragic to leave the company of folks who still think "your mom" jokes are funny and use them on a daily basis. Thanks for laughing with me through the orange juice explosion and that one bathroom surgery experience. I couldn't ask for better people in my life. :) You guys are the bee's knees.

Marc

On a side note: In preparation for college life, I stayed out past 1 O clock in the morning last night deer tipping, having a cap gun draw battles in the middle of the road, and playing a very... lazy version of truth or dare (where everyone says 'truth' [because they don't feel like licking people's feet] and the questions involve which animated characters you have a crush on...) Success. I think I am better prepared to live "The College Dream" again. :) (Thanks Wilsons and Armitsteads! You guys are a blast and I completely appreciate your competence at movie quoting. :)

When speaking about life and the wonderful, everyday moments, I still think that Woolbur says it best: "Isn't it great!?"

Much Love!!

All I want for Christmas is a man that will whisper macabre nothings into my epidermis... Ok. Not really. I wanted a cheese grater. :)


Thanks Hannah!

Merry Christmas! Enjoy this Mad Libs!


My "Dream Man" should, first of all be very juicy and melancholy. He should have a physique like Angelina Jolie, a profile like Justin Beiber, and the intelligence of an exotic parrot. He must be polite and must always remember to sled my lightning, to tip his cookie and to take my axillary pouch when crossing the street. He should move swimmingly, have a peppery voice, and should always dress luckily. I would also like him to be a bumpy dancer, and when we are alone he should whisper macabre nothings into my epidermis and hold my squirelly heart. I know a play dough is hard to find. In fact the only one I can think of is Dad.

In case you didn't know, your axillary pouch is your armpit. :)



I hope your Christmas was as fantastic as ours!

Much Love!!

Remember those awesome commercials where someone does something nice for someone and just starts a chain reaction of nice things?

Today Malena and I decided to go get delicious paninis at Starbucks to use up some of my massive gift card. The order was not cheap. We got up to the window and the guy tells us that the lady in front of us told him to tell us, "Merry Christmas!" She paid for the whole thing! What a nice lady! And to top it off, they were even super delicious!

I think she understands the spirit of Christmas. She taught me a lesson to be sure. I'd better be quick to pass on the love!

And... I just can't resist posting this again. I want to be this lady when I grow up.

http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/95-Crosswalk

Much Love!!

So remember that one time that my place of employment is/was at a Catholic school? These came with my Christmas bonus...


That's right. A scratch card, and chocolate with booze in it.
Hahaha After I finished laughing, I gladly handed them over to Malena. What are friends for anyways?

I don't know if anyone who doesn't drink coffee has ever had so many Starbucks gift cards in the history of the world... And these would be great to have on hand in the-land-of-ice-and-snow known as Rexburg, but unfortunately there are none in SE Idaho...


Sometimes you love your little sisters so much that you will even drive a car of screaming girls around in a minivan with your left foot. And sometimes they love you so much that they write embarrassing notes about you...? But you still love them you guess. :)

Dear victim of the note, I repeat what I wrote about you when I first met you: You are a champ. :) And I appreciate that.


All 3 of the boys were over today. :) We had a blast!! Liam loved the "bee smasher" and would not let go of it for anything.


This is him waiting to jump out and scare Aunt Hannah. And yes sir, he has the "bee smasher" with him.


What a joy. :)
Despite the spitting, kicking, hitting, tantrums, screaming, spit up, etc, I am a sucker for these adorable little boys. All the... not so fun stuff just makes the hugs, kisses, laughter, and smiles that much sweeter! (Note to teenage girls: The above sentences should NOT apply to your boyfriend. ;) Helpful hint. Haha



Much Love!!

WARNING: You may have worked a 14 hour day if the following occurs on your drive home.


You make race car noises to stay alert.

The moon appears to be a celestial bowl of macaroni and cheese in the sky.

You take a right turn and the smell of the food in your passenger seat hits you and [almost] convinces you to pull over and eat it only 2 blocks away from your house.

And last but not least:

You start modifying a Cheap Trick song and singing it to the cars behind you.

"I want you to pass me. I need you to pass me. I'd love for you to pass me. I'm begging you to pass meeee!!!!"

(What? Their lights were really bright and I was having trouble seeing the road.)

Don't say I didn't warn you. And... I just lost my thought... Haha Comatose. Goodnight.

Much Love!!

So apparently I have missed my calling in life as an event planner.


......


Ok. Just kidding.

Guess who can't plan a simple caroling extravaganza? Me.

I guess I am more of a last minute type of person. To each his/her own, right? Might as well quit losing sleep over it.

However:

Amidst the messy, first grade crafts, the crazy, rude parent at work, the broken washing machine (not to mention the pile of dirty clothes and the empty closet)...
Christmas is still coming! My family still rocks! Wendy's still makes frostys and their yummy sea salt fries!

Die Sonne scheint! Alles gut!

AKA Life is good. :)

Sometimes I just need to write a little reminder to myself. (In 2 languages, just to be sure. ;)

I hope you all are having a merry Christmas-Week-Eve! And I hope we can all remember the reason for the season and not be 'caught up in the thick of thin things.'
Tis the season to count the raisins amongst the bran and share them with every woman, child, and man!
(You don't need to tell me how bad that one was... I already know. ;)

Much Love!!

My mother informed me that it was time for me to blog again.

So...

Merry Christmastime!!!!



Shop Meem N' Marc's.


I love singing with my family. Don't worry, we are planning an AMAZING caroling trip this year. The Wilsons & CO. are joining us and it will be a blast!

I have decided that along with being just-plain- awesome, "Better Days" by Goo Goo Dolls is a great Christmas song. The logistics may be a little off... But hey, it's encouraging, it's uplifting, I am a fan. :)

This is my last week at work. And the way it has been going, I am sure headed out with a bang... But in the end, I am grateful for wonderful co-workers, my sweet firsties, and the many many tender mercies that have been sent my way. It's been a blast! (I am going to miss my kids especially.) I'll try to get a good picture this week... We'll see.

Off to new adventures and new trials! Good thing we always have the luxury of 'finding joy in the journey!'

Much Love!!

Today is the day. The day we have all been waiting for.

Pajama day.

Child: "Ms. Clark!!! I LOVE FIRST GRADE SO MUCH!!!!"

Me: "Me too! That's why I decided to come back."

At this point, little Ross cocked his head to the side in confusion.

Oh yeah. I forgot about that whole teachers-not-having-lives-thing. Haha

I still maintain the opinion that if we could bottle a first grader's energy and happiness, we could do ANYTHING.
Illness? Gone. Trip to Saturn? Cake. Depression? What's that?

What a blessing! :)

Matthew 18:3-4

When I grow up, I want to be a first grader. ... Mostly. :)

Much Love!!

I have a confession.

I am 20 years old and I still make sure my mom tucks me in every single night.

And I am not ashamed.

Thanks, Mom. You are awesome. :)

And no, I won't make you tuck me in after I am married. What are husbands for anyways? Geeze.

:)


P.S. I got the pictures off of my old phone today and I thought I would share this little pearl with you. Bahaha. Love your face, Meem. :) Shop Meem N' Marc's.

Much Love!!

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. :) You guys make me feel awful special. Someone had better run and tell the Black Eyed Peas that we found 'the love.' ...

Here's a few pics from the day.

Mom was creative and had me blow out a candle in a Reese's cup.


Me singing Happy Birthday to myself... Haha


Laughing at the off-tune harmonization going on...


The big 2-oh!


This was such a typical Michelle face. I had to include it. Thank you so much for my gifts, Family! It's been a good 20 years with you little rascals.


One of the sweetest (Pun intended) things I got today.


Dear Tyler, Thanks for a very fun night. Thanks for planning a great Birthday without even knowing me! You helped make it a great one. You're a champ. :)

Theme song of this year: Birthday by the Beatles. You just can't go wrong with guitar that sweet.

Maybe next year I will remember my Birthday... But either way, life always has a way of turning out great! :)

Much Love!!

Something fantastic and wonderful happened today.

And I am not talking about when a first grader had a major meltdown because of a stray pen mark on their math homework...

I got my stitches taken out and yes. I ditched the crutches.
Hence the title. :)


I was trying to do the whole one footed thing... But I fell. It's my first day back on my feet. Give me a break! Haha


As much fun as our Black Friday excursion was in a wheel chair... (It really was, see?)



I am so happy to be able to walk again, however tentatively. I cannot contain my joy. I can hold doors open for people! I could make my sister lunch today! (The poor, sick child.) I am so so so very grateful to be walking again. I am grateful that I have the chance to heal, because not everyone is so fortunate in their ailments and injuries.

It would be ungrateful of me not to thank all of my friends and family and thank them again. You guys got me through it. Mom, thanks for being 'my life' lately. I'll try to work on getting one with my new-found freedom. ;) Thanks for the prayers, laughter, visits, notes, etc. You guys get heavenly brownie points.


I look forward to the day when I will walk without my foot hurting with every step. Today that day does not seem so far away.


In the words of Woolbur, "Isn't it GREAT!?"

Much Love!!

When I went into this, I really wanted a lot of pictures. I also wanted the reality of it, not just the cute pics. So my mother, who I am pretty sure has a secret degree is motherhood, photo journalism, and existentialism, (Ok. Maybe not the last one.) took lots of great pictures for me!
This is the good, the bad, and the ugly. :) Enjoy.

Before


My Pre-Op nurse, David, surrounded me in blankets fresh off the warmer. :)


The lovely hospital socks.


I didn't even pass out for the IV!


Surgery is all about fashion, really.



Ok. So can I count how many times that day that I had to tell people that I was old enough to sign the papers/ speak for myself/ whatever-it-is-they-were-asking? No. Too many times to count. Haha But the nurses and doctors in Pre-Op were fantastic. Lots of joking and warm blankets.


After

That great apple juice from a can that always reminds me of getting blood drawn.


Trying to stay awake after they shot some more stuff into my IV for nausea. Best picture of me ever? Yeah.



I slept for about an hour and a half after that.


Home sweet home.


I had lots of visitors that brought me all of my favorite things. Liam took good care of me and even kissed my hand better from the IV. He also explained that if I ate the candy he brought me, it would go into my hand and into my foot and be "all better!"


The day after and beyond.

I got lots of gifts! Mostly food. :) Thank you to everyone! I really appreciate it! (Yes, I am drugged in this picture. :)


And the thing that totally made my 'day-after' came in a green and yellow lined envelope! Thank you so much, Elder Rife! I loved your letter! :) Totally made my day.
It was like my best friend came to visit me. At the time he wrote the letter, he didn't know about the surgery, but it was just what I needed. He is doing great in Brazil!


I don't like medicine very much. And for a good reason. I get sick. Vicodin made me throw up... A lot. Percocet has been a little better. For the first couple of days, it was all I could do just to sit up, get towed to the bathroom about 10 feet from my bed, and come back without passing out or throwing up.


Funny story about my first trip to the bathroom....
So the missionaries came to visit my dad for some reason. They are both SUPER cute. And right about this time, I REALLY had to pee. But I didn't want to get up because putting my foot below my heart was extremely painful and I was nauseous too. So finally after lots of jokes about having the missionaries come up and carry me, we finally decided to go.
My mom held my foot up, I crutched to hold the rest of me, and Amelia was on support. We awkwardly got me in the bathroom (with lots of laughter that I am sure the missionaries heard) and were trying to put my foot on the side of the bath tub when my mom kind of stumbled. So I lost my balance and fell onto the open toilet. Then we all busted up laughing.

And there you have it. That is how I peed my pants... on the toilet.

Then my mom was laughing so hard that she had to run to the other bathroom so she wouldn't join me in the wet pants club. Amelia stood there trying not to lose it too, until mom came back. I thought my mom had gone downstairs to tell my dad while the missionaries were there! Haha But she didn't.
It was a great experience. Haha Really.
We're still laughing about it.

On Sunday I still couldn't sit up, but my dad got me to eat jalapeno poppers. Yum. And Malena came to visit. We watched a princess movie.


That evening, my brothers carried me downstairs so I could socialize with the fam.


The foot below the heart thing was starting to get to me in this picture. Haha


Where Liam promptly tackled me. :)


He takes good care of me though. He took about 50 pictures like this.


The medicine has given me super powers. I smashed a fruit fly in my hands. Gross... But sort of impressive.


The doctor's office

Percocet makes me really spacey and tired.


Getting ready to get the drain taken out of my foot.


The drain.



The stitches. Gross, I know, but it is already less swollen than it was before the surgery.


The doctor says everything looks great. I get my stitches out on the 30th. I am still waiting to hear back from pathology because they apparently haven't finished cutting up the nasty thing they took out of my foot to figure out what it was.

My mom is AMAZING. She has been by my side and helped me do everything. Thank you, Momma. Dad, thank you for the Chinese food. Who knew you could make such great fried rice? Thank you to all of my family and friends and doctors. You guys have been so great and have helped get me through this. Thanks for the well-wishing, prayers, food, acts of service. I really appreciate it. :)

P.S. It is really difficult to write a blog on drugs. Here's hoping for a more coherent mind very soon!

Much Love!!

No crips.

Surge bright and early tomorrow!

Much Love!!

Life can be a roller coaster of events and emotions. But I've figured out that the wheels are going to keep going either way, so I might as well throw up my hands and try to enjoy the ride.

(Yes. I am aware that this is a cliche metaphor. Haha)

Yesterday was my pre-op. Today a neuro-something pain specialist is kindly squeezing me in to evaluate me for a nerve... condition that my podiatrist is worried I have developed in my foot.

Freaky Purple, huh? You should see it in person! Haha


It is called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. My mom has fondly nick named it Crips. Haha If I have the condition, surgery is called off until we can treat this condition. If I don't, then surgery is still on for tomorrow.

I am grateful that my doctor is trying so hard to get me where I need to be. It really is a miracle that this pain guy was able to get me in so soon and I have a feeling she has something to do with it. I am so grateful for my mom. She has been with me every step of the way. She is my voice when I am so frustrated that I cannot answer the doctors questions due to tears. And she always accepts invitations to my almost-daily "parties at my house." I am grateful to so many people who open doors for me when I am stubbornly trying to do everything for myself. I am grateful to all of my friends and family for their prayers, their concerns, their texts, and their support. I flippin' love you guys!

But I am especially grateful to my Heavenly Father. I know, without a doubt, that He knows what I am going through. In fact, He is sitting next to me steering this roller coaster. I know that I CAN do this if I do it with my hand in His. In the words of Woobur the sheep, "Isn't it great!!??"

I will keep things updated on here as much as I can. :) Thank you for your love, you raisins you. I really hope that you are enjoying your 'ride!'

Much Love!!

It's that time of.... blog. The wonderful time that I bring up one of my oh-so-obscure (Not really) metaphors for life.

This epiphany of wonder is brought to you by the walk up my steep driveway with my 2 bosom/ arm friends, my crutches.

I've been spending a lot of time on crutches. I work full-time on crutches. And yes, I walk up steep driveways on crutches. One of the things I completely took for granted before this adventure was the ability to carry things and walk at the same time.

BUT through this trial, this test of physical hardship, I have learned a lot. I have had to change the way I see things and be able to think outside the box. I can carry very thin things in between my fingers and still crutch it. I can even carry a half-filled (never half-empty) glass of milk by pinching the lip in between my index and middle finger! I can open doors if no one is around. (Although I am learning that sometimes the best choice is simply to ask for help. Haha)

AND most impressively... I can elevate and make my lunch at the SAME TIME! Don't try this at home.



Plus. My arms are getting really toned and beefy. Before you know it, they are going to ask me to be the governator of California. (Too bad I'll have to turn them down because I am pretty sure the Lord has better plans for me. Ones especially uninvolved with politics. Yuck.)

So the metaphor. Life is an uphill battle. It only makes sense because that's where we want to go. UP. And sometimes life is an uphill battle on crutches and it's winter so you constantly have to dodge ice patches. (Not that I know from experience or anything... )

BUT lucky for us, these crutches were put here to strengthen us. Our arms grow larger and more capable by the day. Our minds are stretched as we search for better and more efficient ways to do things. We also learn that it's ok to ask for help. We learn and grow with every passing moment. And if we do it right, we also grow closer to our Savior which makes us 1000000 times stronger than we could be on our own.

Nifty, eh?

In the words of a pop star that I certainly DO NOT resemble, "Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side, it's the climb.

Not gonna lie, this song is inspired.

"I can do hard things." And guess what, if I can, so can you. To quote my wonderful Quinci, "I think Heavenly Father has big plans for us."

The sweet kids that I work with make it much easier to go to work every day. :) A cute kindie made this turkey for me today. :) Skilled, I know.




I always love it when they ask, "How do you spell your name?" And then expect you to be surprised when they bring you a card. Haha These kids are truly a blessing and an example to me.

P.S. Did you know that Elvis had side bangs? Because I didn't.

I am ever grateful to my family for helping me so much and praying for me, for crying when I cry and finding ways to make me laugh every day. Keep on keepin' on. :)

Much Love!!

Ok. I hope you all have been practicing your Crocodile hunter voices, because this post is to be read in your best imitation until further notice.

Ollriigghht. Whot you see he'ah is a mothuh in hare natrul habeetat! Crikey! She looks like a good un!



Further notice.

Thank you, Mom. And not just for scraping my windshield this morning. Thank you for being so attentive and helpful in this frustrating time in my life. I couldn't do it without you. All the kudos and heavenly brownie points you could ever want are piling up in Heaven for you. I know it. :)

Hardships come with tender mercies. Just another reminder that God's plan is perfect.

Good eye mite!

Much Love!!

My mom is awesome. I am now an official old lady. I crochet and have a knee roller. Woopie. :)


Oh yeah. And I wear librarian sweaters.... Too bad I am allergic to cats...

Look I can elevate and look like a complete weirdo all at once!!


Much Love!!