It's a Tagamet Day

Back in the day in Nevada, I had a nervous stomach (thanks, Grandma and probably a certain Uncle who has had stomach issues). It would pop up whenever my stress was OVER and the happy thoughts began. Nice stomach cramps...since my stress was gone and couldn't keep them from starting. As directed by a doctor many years ago, I take this wonderful drug, Tagamet, which is now available over the counter. I needed it yesterday. And today.

See, here's the things that caused it, in order:

• Dad's doing great and should be out of the hospital Tuesday. He looks great now and is talking well and is up and around.
• I've got a job that I think I will really like in the town I most like in the world
• We have a plan of attack for how to approach moving and where to live.
• We found a house in the interwebs that's in the perfect neighborhood, good price and great garden/backyard area - if only they will take a contingent sale.
• My pastor and friends at church looked way mournful when I said we were moving. It must be really crappy to have people be sad you will be going away.

This, obviously, must be enough to cause stomach cramps. Reesh.

If you haven't already figured out I'm neurotic, you have now. And no, it's not just the maternal genetics that cause this, because the paternal genetics have big control freak genes. And you all that share these genes know it, whether you admit it or not.

Have a good week.

Live Blog: Notes from the Hospital

Thought I'd blog from time to time in between working to keep me busy while Dad's in surgery.

11:05 - got here about 10:20, Dad was in surgery at 9 so I came up after getting Little Bit off to school. So far the OR has been in touch twice and everything is going well - haven't had an update in over an hour though so we're hoping they pop out soon. It's raining here today - finally in the last week we've had rain after over I'd say 3 months of none. The Huntsman Cancer Center, where he's being treated, is really a world class facility and is up on the hills in SLC. The view from here is quite pretty.

I am down to being one of the two finalists for The Job - hoping, hoping, hoping I will hear something today. Yes, I'd like to get it so we could go home, but I did find out yesterday that a person I have a great deal of respect for has been selected to replace Sibyl, so things are looking up here at any rate.

More later when we get an update.

2:15

Well, after freaking out because we hadn't heard anything forever, we finally got a call from the OR at 12:30. Everything was going quite well (I guess they lost track of time since the time between calls was WAY more than an hour) and they were plugging on. So, Pattie and I went to lunch a little later. Just got back and no calls while at lunch, so I guess they forgot again. He should be done in the next hour or so. Man there's a lot to this surgery, even if it ended up being much less invasive than they originally thought. I hope he bounces back fast.


3:05

Still nothing - should be getting done but man, these chairs are not comfortable. I have gotten some work done today but my booty is starting to get tired of sitting and the laptop does not follow me around magically floating in the air. Where are the doctors and what have they done with my father?

5:05

Home now - they called from the ER shortly after 4 and said they were closing, it would be a couple more hours at most (well, could be a little more). Little Bit has a baseball game tonight, so came home to get him ready for that and then I'll probably head back in. The nurse said he was coming through with flying colors.
Thank goodness, Little Bit actually DID ALL HIS WORK IN CLASS TODAY. No homework. Feels like a Friday from that standpoint!

I'll let you know how it went when I actually see Dad. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers.

HALLELUJAH

THE LIQUOR STORE IS OPEN. YEAH.




Updated with photo - IT WAS REALLY BUSY, TOO. Hee hee hee.

The wrong element was out in droves here in Southern Salt Lake County. I was going to take a picture of the crowded parking lot, but people were looking at me funny and I realized they might think I was taking pictures to send to their bishops. Ha.

A typical Sunday

Here are some pictures from a fairly typical Sunday at Chez lostinutah...

1) Generally speaking, if in town, we go to church. Um, well, I go to church, and Big Bit if he's here and Little Bit goes to Sunday School and The Husband tolerates our aberrant behavior. It's kind of fun going to church in a movie theatre, particularly a church where I can go do fun things outside after lunch on Sunday and not be told I'll burn in hell for not locking myself and my family in the basement. Um, not like that happens here to those of certain other faiths. Heh. (And, if you don't go to church, no skin off my nose, I like you anyway, obviously. Live and let live and all that).

Here's a view from on the way to church. I'm always inspired by the view of these mountains - as stated before, one of the things I like about Utah.



2) Next, after lunch and a few errands, we monkey around doing chores or hanging out in the backyard. The Bits will eventually end up on the trampoline:






Margarita is waiting for someone to pet her, and dreading that someone might bathe her:



Bucky is waiting to be waited on. Spoiled Rotten Siamese.



"Hey Mom, at least I'm keeping the Voles away!"

3) Then it's time for grilling some dinner, having a glass or two of wine and dreading (I mean, getting ready) for the week to come. Oh, must stop one last time to smell the flowers before moving on...




Have a great week, everyone!

Blessed is the Mom, or the lostinutah, who has her own

I have decided to count my blessings. They are many, I know, but most days I don't get that far in counting them because I am too busy being a selfish only child. So here goes:

• My parents and stepparent love me, and they show it. I got a Mother's Day card from my DAD (it was Pattie's idea of course but he signed it), a gift card and an e-card from my Mom (thanks Mom for having me, I'm sure it hasn't always been the "Best Week Ever" being my parent). Plus they all are taking Little Bit for a week when he starts track break so The Husband and I can realize we like each other, as needs to happen periodically.


• Little Bit, who not only spent over an hour, apparently, at JCPenney yesterday picking out a beautiful but very simple pendant that says "Mom" but for also proving someday the girls are going to be bowled over by statements such as "You don't need to wear jewelry, Mom, you are a beautiful jewel all by yourself". I AM NOT KIDDING, and yes, I KNOW THE KID WANTS SOMETHING. HE'S LIKELY TO GET IT!


• Big Bit, who, despite being 6 foot tall and 16 years old, snuggled up to watch a movie with his old mom last night. Aww....


• My entire family - you guys are awesome and I appreciate you lots, despite my inability to keep in touch outside of the blogosphere for the most part. Honest. I'm just glad to know you guys and share DNA with you and see, especially, what incredible Moms a couple of my cousins are. (well they're not the only incredible Moms or the only incredible cousins in my family but hopefully you get my drift).


• The Husband (not least or last) because he knows me at my worst and best and he still seems to like me and sometimes finds me cute after 14 years this June of knowing me.


• The fact I've received, in the last week, two graduation announcements - one from my cousin's BEAUTIFUL daughter and one from a girl who Big Bit used to race around our living room - she riding on her "horse" her eventual stepfather (a high school friend of The Husband) and Big Bit on his stepfather "the other horse"- they were so tiny and now she is too, really beautiful. I feel old, yet blessed, to see both of these young ladies who have grown and are ready to take on the world.


• The Jazz won today and we were there. Yes, Yes, Yes. A fan's sign said it all... "We Love Booz (Carlos Boozer) on Sunday even in Utah". HEATHENS UNITE.


• Oh and the State Liquor Store in our little burgh now has doors on the front, in fact, it's looking quite complete...I'm thinking we're opening in a couple of weeks. I'm threatening to send picture to the mayor of my parade in the parking lot.


• Lastly, I got to offer a prayer of thanksgiving today my grandmother is getting out of her rehab center (not exactly but close term) in a week to go home like she wants to! Would that I can ever be as tough as she is.


• I will withhold my happy Obama comment until after Mrs. Clinton backs out. Woo hoo. Oh wait, YES WE CAN. Sorry, I slipped.


• Lastly, my friends. You can't choose your family but you can your friends and I'm glad you chose me and I am glad I chose you.


• Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were in da house with us today, but their power could not overcome that of the D-Will. Jack Nicholson, take that!!! (Translation, Jazz not only won but won in OT over the overrated Lakers and Kobe Bryant's back).

Have a great week! Zac and Vanessa, come back to the HazMat Center Friday to see the next chapter of really being "lostinutah".

Go Jazz

We went to see the Jazz play the Rockets in Game 3 this week (first game in Utah). Great game...until the last two minutes. We lost. Bleah...and we were up until almost 1 a.m. on a school/work night to boot.

Benefits: I have a D-Will shirt (Deron Williams, above) and The Husband has a Carlos Boozer shirt. He bought this shirt, of course, so he can go happily off to work in Utah County with a shirt that says "Boozer" on the back and not get in trouble. Heh. Though I love Carlos, I could not buy the same shirt because then I'd be a copycat, thought about Korver but knew that I'd just be buying it because he's cute. I like the D-Will and he's probably the best player on the team, so thus my selection.

Go Jazz...I really want to be able to wear this shirt next week. Oh, and I found out Jerry Sloan, the coach, lives about a mile from us. Obviously in a MUCH better neighborhood.

To Be Fair

Okay, obviously I've found a lot of things about where I live wanting. There are a lot of reasons for this, but primarily I think the reason is that when I moved to Boise 14 years ago, things kind of fell into place for me. I met The Husband the first week I was there, we got married six months later, Big Bit was still small and all of the turmoil ahead with his situation was still far in the future, the summer was beautiful and for the first time as an adult, I felt "home". So I have been, and in some ways, continue to be desperately homesick.

However, it is true I am "lostinutah" for at least a while, and have been for two years next week. Man, time flies.

So, in honor of this anniversary, I have compiled things I actually do like about Utah. Don't fall off your seats!





Yes, I love the Utah Jazz. This started mid-season last year - we had gone to a game, didn't really get it, the boys were bored etc. Then we watched a few games on TV. I've never been able to get into pro basketball ever ever, but suddenly, maybe because of the media coverage here which portrays the players as real people, we got interested. Or maybe we just needed something to like. At any rate, we've been to several games this year and have our particular favorite players. Mine is Carlos Boozer. No jokes from the peanut gallery, here.


There is another player, however, who has really caught my interest. Kyle Korver. He looks like Ashton Kutcher, only better.









Next thing, the mountains. We've only been skiing a few times in two years - so much more expensive than Idaho to ski in and so many more people competing for the mountains but the view from our 2nd story windows in our house is really beautiful. Even with snow on the mountains (it's supposed to snow tonight..sigh). I'll put a better picture out, this one's not the best but you get the idea...




Lastly, some of the people we've met. I go to a really small start up Lutheran church in a movie theatre, very laid back, nice people, great pastor (who used to be an engineer on the Space Shuttle program, no kidding!), a few of our neighbors, who don't mind that we don't head up to their ward on Sundays (though we do go there for Scouts), a few people we know who moved here for the company we work for (including one couple we've known for a good 12 years), and lastly, The Husband's great boss (as opposed to mine, but that's another story).

So, to sum it up, all is not bad here, now if the "one true church" would quit telling me how to live my life, it might be bearable. Even with the drivers.