Thoughts From a Frazzled Mind

I usually feel a great let down after the holidays when all the world reverts back to the same-old routine of daily living.  It seems that we have a grand whirlwind of friends, family, fun, and free time that screeches to a halt suddenly with the beginning of the new year.  This year was no exception, although I didn't seem to notice as much as I jumped back into the grind with a major exam looming over me. My employer strongly  encouraged all of the faculty to take the C.N.E. (Certified Nurse Educator) exam.  I scheduled my test the end of January.  I studied, and studied, and studied!  Every spare minute this month was spent in my office studying like crazy.  ~ Side note:  during the last few months I have been seriously considering continuing my education to obtain a doctorate degree.  When you are working in the collegiate world of education there is some pressure to obtain that degree.  I had even started the application process...

I was sitting at practice for Symphonic Choir last night and as I was listening to the men rehearse their parts I was struck with a thought.  It would have been so great if BJ were here to sing with the choir.  BJ loved to sing and he would have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the choir with me.  I remember one year he and I joined a patriotic choir for the July 4th celebration.  The accompanist and director were the same as for the Symphonic, Dave and Jana Willis.  We thoroughly enjoyed singing with such a good choir and accomplished leaders.  We didn't even mind getting up early, leaving our camping trip, so that we could perform at the morning celebration! One of my favorite memories of BJ is when he and I drove down to Salt Lake to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert.  BJ definitely shares my love of music, as do Shandra and Tasha. Once, BJ and I even sang a duet together for Sacrament Meeting. I was terrified, but so...

We decided to take some time off and head up to the Wolf Creek condo to celebrate BJ's birthday and also to rest and relax for a few days.  It was really hard that Tasha and Zane were not able to join us - the first time we haven't all been together for the birthday celebration.  However, we are so blessed to live in a time of great technology!  We were able to connect with them via Skype and the connection was wonderful!  It was almost as if they were in the same room with us - almost. We set them up on a chair and they played Disney Charades with us.  It was really fun!  Kalel even was able to give his Tia a big hug! We decided to watch some old home movies of when the kids were small and Tasha was even able to watch them with us - although she wasn't able to see them very clearly. We always celebrate BJ's birthday by playing games because that was his very favorite thing to do. Shandra and I both squeezed in a little time for homework while ...

Last day at condo, back to San Diego Our final day at the condo we just relaxed and enjoyed the condo.  We spent some more time swimming, playing volleyball in the water with a beach ball (no worries, none of us have aspirations of professional beach ball careers!)  To put it quite bluntly – we stunk!  But we laughed a lot and had a great time! We played a game of the Disney version of Apples to Apples.   Kalel couldn't read all of the words so we played by the pictures.  He is a quite the competitor!    Then we loaded up the car for our drive back to the San Diego.  Unfortunately, when we were ready to leave, Tasha got her finger shut in the car door!  Finally on our way back to San Diego and to the Hunzeker’s apartment.   Since Zane had an early, exciting day in the morning at his first day of work, we headed to bed early. Tasha and Zane’s apartment was very cute, but they were seriously lacking in the...

There is a castle on a cloud, I like to go there in my sleep, Aren't any floors for me to sweep, Not in my castle on a cloud. There is a room that's full of toys, There are a hundred boys and girls, Nobody shouts or talks too loud, Not in my castle on a cloud. There is a lady all in white, Holds me and sings a lullaby, She's nice to see and she's soft to touch, She says "Cosette, I love you very much." I know a place where no one's lost, I know a place where no one cries, Crying at all is not allowed, Not in my castle on a cloud. BJ's angelversary - one of my least favorite days of the year.  It is the one day when I thoughts of the trauma and tragedy seem to find their way into my head no matter how hard I try to shut them out.  It is always a day when I feel nostalgic and I quite often find myself buried in the memories of my scrapbooks. This year I decided I wanted to spend the evening in "controlled" tears, so Shandra and I grabbed Jo...

WOW!  I honestly can't believe that it has been 30 years since my son was born!  I remember it as if it were yesterday!  I was supposed to be the honored guest at a baby shower with about 30 friends and family members - but, they had the party without me as I spent the evening in the hospital "enjoying" intense contractions.  It was a long night, but worth ever bit of pain when BJ was placed in my arms!  He had the cutest cone head from coming posterior.  He had long, blonde hair that was almost silver.  And, he was perfect in my eyes!  He wasn't quite perfect physically, however.  He had a congenital hip, meaning that the hip socket hadn't fully formed, so he had to wear 4-5 diapers at a time to keep his hip in place.  He also had a hard time eating because he was tongue-tied, but once his tongue was clipped, he was good as new! Once BJ started walking and talking, he never stopped!  Keeping up with him was a full-time chore! ...

What fun! Shopping for a wedding dress for Tasha has been delightful! She tried on dress after dress - each one more beautiful than the next! She looked just like a princess! We were pleasantly surprised when the owner of Petals and Promises in Logan suggested that she try on one more dress of her choosing. The dress she chose was a totally different style than Tasha had previously tried -and it was PERFECT! As soon as Tasha saw herself in the mirror she became overwhelmed with emotion. We all knew that we had found her dress! And the best part? The price was within the budget! We celebrated BJ's birthday this year by a fun trip to Texas Roadhouse for ribs. BJ loves ribs! And, we were not disappointed, they were wonderful. The next day we had an afternoon and evening full of games and dancing to the Wii. Cynthia joined us for awhile, and then Mert and Christy (Zane's sister) came over for a game or two. We had great fun!