My Skater

I don't have any my pictures of Mike skating a vert ramp on my computer, they are all "real" pictures that I need to scan. Here are a few picture of him skating over the last few years though. He sticks to parks and bowls more now. But he is still pretty incredible, if you ask me.


Here is one of him on one of his skate trips to CA. We have this one blown up and hanging up, I love it!


This on is at the Carbondale, CO skatepark. We stopped there on our way home from Denver one trip.


This is a park in OR (McMinville, I think) from one of his skate trips to OR.

Skateboarding

I forgot to post about the Dew Tour a couple weeks ago. The Dew Tour is a big event with skateboarding and BMX competitions. I was able to go with Mike for a couple hours and watch the vert semifinals. It seems like forever since I have been to a skateboarding competition like that and I realized how much I missed it. It was fun seeing the pros like Shaun White get huge air on the big vert ramp, but I missed watching Mike get some air on a vert ramp. I remember when we were dating and I would ride with him to Ogden and watch him and his friends skate for hours. My mom always thought I was crazy. She thought it must be so boring to sit there while they have fun. She changed her mind after the first time she watched Mike skate a vert ramp. After we were first married Mike competed each year at the Vans Warped Tour and even won a couple times. It was a lot of fun to go to CA with him for the big Warped Tour finals. I miss the time with Mike and being able to just watch in awe as he goes bigger or finally lands a new trick. The look of determination and satisfaction on his face is inspiring. The more I am thinking about it the more I miss it. I guess I will just have to be grateful for the great memories...


Here is Shaun White:

Funerals bring Faith and Family

Yesterday was the funeral for my sister in law, Gayle. It was a nice service, I learned some new things about my sweet, quiet sister in law. I felt the spirit so strong. It's kind of strange that funerals tend to strengthen my faith and testimony of my Savior. I guess they make you think on more of an eternal level and ponder more spiritual aspects of life. They also bring family close (physically and emotionally). It was great to spend time with everyone who came from CA that we don't see often enough: my sister in law, Cheryl; my niece, Jacque and her husband and baby; my niece, Ashley and her husband and dog; Aunt Steve and Uncle Susie; and cousins. There are also a lot who live here in Utah who we don't see enough either. It's nice to get updated on everyone's busy lives and to feel their love and support. Though I may "enjoy" funerals, I am hoping to not attend any for quite a while.

Here is a picture of Jenna with Lucy, Ashley and Brett's baby. Jenna LOVES Lucy! and loves when she comes to visit from CA.

Here is Jenna with Maggie, Jacque and Mike's cute little girl. The kids all swarm around her when she visits. She is so sweet and so happy! (even with too much attention)

Here is Rylee with Heidi, Kevin & Gayle's older of 2 girls.

Cancer Sucks!!!

7 months ago my sweet sister--in-law, Gayle, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She fought, but that damn cancer won this fight. She passed away early yesterday morning. I saw her about a week before, she was in the hospital and had met with hospice people that day, but she was looking pretty good. So when my mother in law told me on Monday that it would only be a couple days, I didn't believe her. Then I went on Tuesday to see her and hit hard with bad memories. She looked so similar to how Brandon looked the last few time I saw him (hours before he died). I had to leave her hospital room and couldn't hold back my emotions. Cancer Sucks!!!

I went home and told the kids that Aunt Gayle was not going to get better. Jenna wanted to make her a get well card, she thought that might work. The boys were worried about how you get cancer. Then Noah asked why I would want to be a nurse if people die. I told him about Gayle's nurse that day that had been helping her die in peace without pain. I don't know if I am ready to do that yet...Then Cole said the prayer that night and blessed Aunt Gayle and he asked that Kevin, Heidi, and Melissa would be ok after Gayle was gone. I almost started crying again.

I didn't find out she had passed until I was gone for the day and so the kids didn't know until after school. I was dropping the boys off at home so I could run to Rylee's game and Noah ran back out and asked if he could use my phone real quick. I asked him what for and he said he wanted to call Uncle Kevin to tell him he was sorry about Aunt Gayle. Wow...again tears started to flow.

I don't remember losing anyone real close to me or important in my life while I was young. My kids have lost 4 family members in their short lives, 2 of those were to cancer. Cancer Sucks!!!

Here is a picture of Gayle with her girls, Heidi and Melissa, at Christmas a couple years ago. She was always quiet, but always sweet and always made you feel like she cared about you. We love you Gayle and we will miss you.

3 More Months

It feels so good to say in 3 months I will be all done with nursing school! I cannot believe it! It has been tough but I have a feeling the next 3 months will be as hard as the last 21 months combined. I was looking at my calendar and realized that each week for the next 3 months is different, no consistency.
This week: work 12 hours today (Sunday), work 12 hours Monday, Test (on the respiratory system and it is suppose to be the hardest test ever!), 5 hours of class on Wed, a couple hours of time with my group working on our group presentation, watch Rylee cheer, 5 hours of clinicals in the NICU Wednesday evening, drop Ry at her orthodontist appointment Thursday morning on my way to my 8 hour clinicals at the Bountiful Instacare, work 12 hours on Friday, "Run" a 10K in mud with obstacles with my friends and our hubbies on Saturday. And that doesn't include study time for myself as well as helping the kiddos with their homework, or exercise time, or mom duty (meal prep, laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring, etc), or hubby time, or time to visit my sister-in-law who is now on hospice, etc, etc, etc!
I just keep telling myself take it one day at a time! I can do it! I can do it! Only 3 more months! I have help and support from so many! I am so blessed! It will be worth it!

ONLY 3 MORE MONTHS!!!

Poor Moe

Lastnight after dinner Mike noticed that Moe had cut his leg on something. His fur was hanging off and it looked pretty bad. Luckily it wasn't bleeding much. I called the vet around the corner thinking they were open 24 hours. They were closed but I missed the phone number for the emergency vet on their message so called right back and the vet answered. He said I could take him to the emergency vet in SLC or wait and bring him first thing today to his office. We decided to wait. Then my friend (who is married to a great Dr.) came by and I asked her if he ever stitched up animals. He came over later and was ready to give it a shot, but Moe was not having it. He is too strong and almost bit Ben (the Dr.) when all he was doing was trying to irrigate the wound. We decided he needed to be sedated so waited for this morning. He spent the day at the vets having "surgery" and this is what he looks like now. (I forgot to take pictures before he was fixed up).

We are not sure what he was cut on. Mike looked around outside but didn't really find anything. It looks like they actually cut it bigger before they stitched him up.




So now he is on pain meds and antibiotics and I am praying it doesn't get infected. He is so sweet and I am glad he is ok.

Happy Birthday Mike

I knew Mike's birthday was coming and I wanted to do something fun, but low key as well. I have a friend who I recently found out makes cakes. I asked her if she could do a cake for Mike and told her that he loved The Simpsons, so I was thinking...Homer! She came up with this fun idea and created this amazing cake:

It's all homemade and all edible. It looked AWESOME and tasted YUMMY!!!
Mike was so excited when he saw it! Who wouldn't be excited about this?!?

First Game

Rylee cheered at her first game the other day. It was fun to watch her and the squad enjoying cheering on their volleyball team and getting the crowd involved. I was so glad I was able to go support her.

Nice Ry!

Not the greatest picture, hopefully at some point this year I can get some
good cheer action photos.

I know many people say Cheerleading is not a sport, but I disagree. The girls work SO hard. Practice everyday at 6:15 a.m. and they are not just dancing and prancing around. Rylee was cheering and tumbling and I loved this picture of her quenching her thirst! I think it shows how hard she was working.

Cheer Pictures

A month or so ago Rylee had her cheer pictures taken. It was a fun experience, a bit stressful, but fun! They did her hair and make up and she got to wear a few different outfits, she had a blast! The pictures turned out SO cute! Here are a few of my favorite:

Love her beautiful, contagious smile!

The day before pictures she was saying she wished she had a cute hat to wear. At the studio they had some hats and this pink one matched perfectly with her outfit and this ended up being my favorite picture of the whole shoot. She looks so grown up though...

Here is shot in one of her other outfits. She is so photogenic.

My Beautiful Kids

A couple weeks ago the kids had pictures taken by an amazing photographer, our friend Kelly, (gallerphotography.com) and I love them! Here are a few of my favorites! I will post more soon.