Anyone for BBQ Snake?

Josh's rattlesnake

Josh called me this evening to tell me he was bringing home dinner. My first reaction was, "how nice of him". I should have know better. He's a nut. He was at the Henderson Corrals and a rattlesnake was slithering across the corral. He, of course, had to play Jeff Corwin and catch it. I guess the guys who were there all yelled, "what are you doing?" and Josh replied, "I've watched Animal Planet - I know what to do". So he placed a pipe behind the snakes head, grabbed it with his hand and cut its head off. Seriously, who does stuff like that?

When he got home he had already skinned and gutted the stupid thing. So he put it in a Ziploc baggy, stuck it in the freezer, and is planning on BBQing it this weekend. I'm going to Sweet Tomatoes that night.

Time Out For Women Seminar

This is a picture I will always treasure. This is me with, Sheri Dew, a women I have always admired and wanted to emulate. She is as amazing as I imagined, and so real and caring. I have read all her books, listened to her tapes, and her words have strengthened and inspired me. I was able to talk to her a little bit on Friday at the Time Out For Women Seminar. It was such a good time, and the presenters were great. I think everyone in attendance left feeling uplifted and enlightened. It was a good time.

Abby and Savannah Turn One Year Old

Sweet Savannah
Animated Abby
Two perfect little girls

Tub hair - we all do it to our kids.
Are they ever going to get teeth?
Daddy recliner - I love how here little feet are crossed.
Funny Abby

The Insanity of Golf

GOLF! This has become my new challenge – as if respiratory therapy wasn’t enough of a challenge. I love this game. It is addicting, frustrating, maddening, exciting, and challenging,

The definition of golf is:

A game played on a large outdoor course with a series of 9 or 18 holes spaced far apart, the object being to propel a small, hard ball with the use of various clubs into each hole with as few strokes as possible.

How hard could that be? A little ball, hit with a club, into a hole. Well, let me tell you – golf can make a sane person, insane. Put a golf club into someone’s hand and ask them to hit the little white ball with a club into a hole, and see what happens to that person. It isn’t pretty – it’s downright ugly.

Don’t be fooled by the serene, peaceful, park-like setting with acres of grass, trees, sand and small bodies of water they call a golf course. It’s a trick. The trees, sand and water are actually put there to produce the insanity. I really think these objects randomly move just to annoy the golfer.

Today I hit about 4 million golf balls. I started with my lesson this morning. My trainer showed me what I was doing wrong – which was just about everything – and I tried to fix my mistakes. I stood like she told me, thinking about all the correct ways my body was supposed to move, not move, twist, turn, swing, don’t move my head etc., etc. Well, seriously how am I supposed to think about all that, and concentrate on hitting the stupid ball too? Who can do all that? Well, I’ll tell you who! The six year old who walked up next to me and started to hit the ball like a mini Tiger Woods.

Did I mention I love golf! See, insanity!

My Gift from Gracie

Yesterday the doorbell rang and it was UPS delivering a box addressed to me. I was a little confused because I hadn't ordered anything online. When I opened the box and saw the contents I was even more confused. I looked at the addressee again thinking it may have been delivered to me by mistake. Nope, it was addressed to me.
I started to pull the items out of the box

• Hannah Montana folder
• Hannah Montana spiral notebook
• Acne cream
• Snickers candy bars
• Top Ramen
• Blue nail polish
• Teeny bopper magazine
• Adam Sandler movie - Big Daddy
• Highlighters
• Pens
• Calculater
• Black eyeliner
• High School Musical Tee Shirt from the junior dept.
• Bootie Shorts (these I knew were not for me)
• Maxi-pads

So, you can see why I was totally confused. I asked myself, "is there a theme here"? I thought maybe it was a care package someone had mistakenly sent to me - my first thought was it should have gone to my niece, Gracie, who is attending BYU Idaho. On the bottom of the box was a card, and surprisingly it WAS for me, and it was FROM Gracie, and there WAS a theme.

I turned 50 this year as I mentioned in an earlier post. Well, this was my birthday present from Gracie. This is the most cleaver gift, and I loved it so much I had to share it.

Each gift came with an explanation. She first said:

"Happy Birthday Auntie!!! I wanted to get you some presents to match how you feel instead of your age!!! Explanation of Presents (because even though you feel like a teenager, you still might not understand!)

So for example:

• Snicker Bars - Because every women needs chocolate no matter what the age! Chocolate is the answer, no matter what the question!
• School Supplies (Pens, highlighter, calculator) - Every teenager needs the best school supplies to do the best in school.
• Make-up (Black eyeliner and Blue nail polish) - Well, duh! Teenagers need to have the blackest, thickest eyeliner. Top that off with some blue nail polish for some pizzazz and you will be rockin' in the classroom!
• Ramen -Since you are a college student, you are poor. So, here is some cheap, cheap semi-delicious food!!
• Maxi-pads - Because you are closer to puberty than to menopause. (she's got that one wrong)
• Movie (Adam Sandler's Big Daddy) - Every teenager needs to have a collection of Adam Sandler movies. He is the funniest man ever!
• Teeny Bopper Magazine -teenagers need to be up to date with the latest celebrity news!!
• Shirt and shorts - Every teenager needs a pair of skanky short shorts - "Who wears short shorts"

Those were a few of her explanations. I loved it. I was going to take of picture of myself in the "skanky short shorts" and post it also, but I thought better of it. There are just some things that should not be in print.

What a fun surprise this was. It made my day and to know she spent so much time putting that much thought into this - just for me. I loved it. I love Gracie.

Good Bye St. Rose

Today was my last day of my first clinicial rotation. I am sad to see it end. I loved every minute of it, and besides being a wife and mother it has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I never felt so close to God than I have these past few weeks.
I witnessed birth and death. I saw pain and joy. I laughed and I cried. I taught and I learned. I truly believe I have developed a greater love for my fellow man. I have realized how important it is to be kind and compassionate and without judgement. We are all sons and daughters of God with a divine heritage. We need to recognize our value as human beings and treat each other with respect and dignity despite our differences.
I will never forget these past six weeks. I will never forget my new friends, Terri, Justin, and Tony who helped me learn the skills I need to become a good Respiratory Therapist. I appreciate their patience, their humor and of course Justin's fun cheerful attitude. NOT! I will miss the patients in the green gowns, the $19,000 bowl of fruit (from the cafeteria), Justin's Pico De Gallo and all the laughter. It was so much fun. I definitely have chosen the right field for me.