Baby Blessing, Christmas, and the Demise of 2023

We celebrated Christmas a week ago and now we are about to celebrate a new year. Where did the time go?

Cheryl's family once again came to Utah to celebrate Christmas with us and the Stronk's.  On December 23rd, baby Lainey was given a name and a blessing by her father, Parker, in our home. The Bishop of our ward, Bishop Von Porter presided. 

This picture of the priesthood members who participated in the circle was taken shortly after the blessing ended. (Parker Stronk, Ryan Stronk (behind Parker & Lainey), Bishop Porter, Alan, and Lainey's great-grandfather Richard Larsen. Bruce Stronk is out of the picture.)

Parker gave a beautiful blessing, just as he's done for all three of their children. Lainey was so cute in her little white dress.

Bishop Porter was asked to take a group picture of everyone in attendance, which he was happy to do. The only problem was that Alan and I were cut out of the picture, so a picture of us with Lainey was taken the next day.

I was sick the day of the blessing and stayed in my room prior to the blessing and afterwards during the luncheon. I had a stomach bug and couldn't eat much for a few days. I wore a mask during the blessing so as not to pass my illness on to anyone else.

We decided to have our main Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and we invited Alan's brother, Galen, to join us and Ryan was there as well. Eric's family held their own dinner that night, but came over for a little visit later that evening. We had a nice dinner with ham, scalloped potatoes, fruit salad, rolls, and string beans,  with pumpkin squares and chocolate pie for dessert.

The next day, obviously, was Christmas day. Having little children around helps make Christmas seem a little bit more magical. Kessler excitedly left out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve. He was excited on Christmas morning to see that they were gone from the plate.

This year, Wesley was big enough to open and enjoy playing with gifts. I can't believe she will be two years old in less than three weeks. She is at such a cute age.

 Here are some pictures from Christmas morning. Sadly, I didn't take many pictures on Christmas day.

 Ryan spent the night on Christmas Eve so he was here for Christmas morning. Jared almost joined us, but instead went to Colombia to spend the holiday with his girlfriend, Catherine. Kyle and his kids were in Arizona. Eric's family came over later in the day.

I'm really hoping that 2024 turns out to be a better year than 2023 has been. For me, 2023 was a painful year due to two knee surgeries that have been very difficult to recover from. I want 2024 to be a surgery-free year! I guess that's my hope and my resolution for the new year. NO MORE SURGERIES!

We will be spending New Years Eve at the Airds, along with the Bleaks. It should be a fun evening with dinner then games. I doubt, however, that we will stay up until midnight to usher in the new year, but we will see.

Olivia - One Talented Granddaughter!

 It was such a pleasure to attend two recitals for my granddaughter, Olivia, last weekend. The first recital was for music. She began taking voice and guitar lessons this year and she's really progressing well.

Her first number was a solo. I would have been so nervous, but she did great.

Her second number was singing while playing the guitar. Another great performance.

 I kind of wish I would have been able to take guitar lessons when I was younger. I love playing the guitar, but I'm self-taught so I'm not that great at it.

That evening, we were able to go to a local Junior High auditorium for Olivia's dance recital. I love watching her dance as much as I loved watching Ella dance over so many years. Olivia was involved in many of the performances because she takes so many classes. I always enjoy the many costumes she gets to wear. Here are a few pics to enjoy:

I'm so glad that we live close enough to some of our grandchildren that we can attend recitals and other performances on a regular basis. We enjoy them so much.

Thansgiving 2023

 Its holiday season again and we recently celebrated Thanksgiving. This was different than any other Thanksgiving for me because I had a first - I lost weight instead of gained weight. That's hard to do...unless you have stomach problems and can't eat much of the delicious food that was prepared. I ended up losing 4 lbs. over 3 days due to an inability to stomach any food. That's ok. I don't need all of those calories anyway.

This Thanksgiving was different in another way, also. Never before had we had a visitor from Colombia, nor a friend of Evie's at our Thanksgiving table before. Jared and his girlfriend, Catherine, who is from Colombia flew up from AZ to join in the festivities. They don't celebrate Thanksgiving there, so it was fun for her to witness a traditional Thanksgiving meal here in America. Jared and Catherine have been dating about 9 months (I think). She has been visiting Jared in AZ for about 2 months and will fly back to Colombia in two days. I know they will really miss each other and will look forward to seeing each other again a few months from now.

Evie's friend, Wolfram, was fun to have in the home. Very friendly, good personality, and fun to have around. Evidently, Wolfram's family doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving so it was a nice treat for him to join us.

Besides our local family members in attendance, Kyle, Milo, and Clara flew up from AZ to join us. It was fun. It's been a while since we had sat at a Thanksgiving table with them. 

We had 14 people in attendance, which necessitated setting up two separate tables. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food. Eric & Nicole contributed a lot to the meal - mashed potatoes, gravy, two different kinds of rolls, and pumpkin squares.  Everyone helped before and after the meal.

After eating the meal, we played "Deal or No Deal". This is a game that our family loves to play. I think this is the 3rd or 4th  time we've played it. They like it because they have a chance to win money ranging from $.05 to $50. Boy did they win money this year! They broke the bank! Ryan and Kyle teamed up and won $50! That's the first time that's happened before. I can't exactly remember for sure all the winnings, but I believe that Ethan and Wolfram won $30; Milo & Clara won $5; Ella & Olivia won $20; and Eric & Nicole won $17. We are going to have to restrict how often we play that game if they are going to keep winning like that. 

One highlight of the day was when family members shared their musical talents with us. Kyle and Olivia sang a duet, which was amazing. Each of them also sang solos with their guitars. Ella even sang an original song on the ukulele. What an amazing family we have!

It snowed in Riverton this Thanksgiving so it was fun for family members who don't normally get to play in the snow be able to do so. Milo and Clara built a snowman in our front yard and they also went down the street to the park to slide down the hill. Kyle also took them up to Woodward to do some tubing there before they went home on Sunday.

Another person really enjoyed playing in the snow - Catherine. They don't get snow in Colombia so she made sure Jared took her places to play in the snow. They built a snowman at the park. They also went to Park City to experience a ski area without skiing.

All in all, it was a great Thanksgiving. It's always so nice to be able to spend time with family. We were only missing Cheryl's family this year. With three very small children, it's difficult to do much traveling, but Christmas is just around the corner and we are excited that they will be coming here to celebrate with us. 

Feeling Warm

 Ever since my knee replacement surgery, I have had a difficult time regulating my body temperature,  maybe because I have to ice my knee most of the day and all night. You can find me sitting on the couch wearing a sweater and with a blanket over me for most of the day. I have 3 blankets on my bed and I still get chills at night.

My Sister-in-law, Susan gave me a gift the other night during our Stott Brother's Get-together at our house. She does a lot of crocheting and knitting and she made me this beautiful hot water bottle cover. The gift included a water bottle as well.

She says that she has a hard time staying warm in bed during the winters around here and uses one every night. 

The interesting thing is that she wasn't even aware that I have been having trouble regulating my body heat since my surgery - but God knew, and he inspired Susan to gift one to me. She uses a special yarn (wool and alpaca) that helps retain the heat of the hot water. I started using it the night it was given to me. The next morning, the water bottle was still warm. That simply amazes me.

Thank you, Susan for this gift of the heart. Best gift ever!!!

On The Bright Side

 I felt like a lamb going to the slaughter as I headed to St. Mark's Hospital on the morning of October 19th. This was a day I looked forward to and a day I dreaded all wrapped up together. I knew I needed the knee replacement surgery, but I sure didn't want to go forward with it.

When going through something traumatic like surgery, it is easy to think negatively - i.e: Why me? I've already had three major surgeries since moving to Utah, so why again? Haven't I had my share of trials? Life isn't fair! I deserve a break from trials.

In reality, when going through traumatic situations, it is important to think more positively. This allows for better emotional, physical, and spiritual growth. I've been contemplating making this post for days as I have waivered back and forth between pity for my situation and gratitude for the blessings along the way.

I have entitled this post "On The Bright Side" because as I list some of the negative things that occurred, I want to counter-act the negative with positive blessings that occurred, or in other words, look on the bright side of things.

According to schedule, I was released from the hospital just a few hours after my surgery to go home for the recovery process. [I got to take this cool "ice therapy machine" home with me. It has worked out great with the swelling and pain management.]

My knee is pretty swollen post surgery

I was really hoping that I wouldn't have any complications this time around. I had blood clots in my lungs after my 2nd hip replacement surgery and I had a "bleed" in my knee after my arthroscopic meniscus repair surgery last March. I was ready to go home and have a normal recovery period. Unfortunately, that didn't happen!!!

Negative Experience #1 - Two days after this surgery, I started having some of the same symptoms I had with my 2nd hip replacement - low oxygen levels and an extreme amount of pain. Even though I was taking my pain medication on schedule, I could not stay on top of the pain. It was more than I could bear, and my oxygen levels were in the dangerous zone (roughly averaging 71% - 83%). If your O2 levels drop below 90%, it is a concern. I was fearful that I had blood clots in my lungs again even though I was taking Eloquis to prevent them.

Although I did not feel strong enough to even get in the car for the trip to the ER, with Alan's help, I forced myself to do so. I'm so glad I did.

After many tests, it was determined that I did not have blood clots this time around, for which I was very grateful, but they did need to admit me into the hospital in order to keep an eye on my oxygen levels, which remained unstable.

On the bright side - although I really wanted to be home in my own bed being taken care of by my husband, I knew I was in good hands with the doctors and nurses at the hospital. I was grateful for their care and concern for me.

Negative Experience #2 - One morning while undergoing physical therapy at the hospital, I had a horrible experience. The physical therapist seemed brutal and uncaring for the amount of pain he was inflicting upon me. I have been treated by many different physical therapists. Most have been gentle and caring, but this one didn't care how much pain I was in and pushed me beyond my limit and I could not hold back the "ugly cry" - big gasping sobs - that took over my body as crocodile tears ran down my face. It was very embarrassing, but was beyond my control. On the bright side, I know that he had my best interests in mind. He realizes how important it is to get maximum movement in the knee. If I don't get movement in my knee, my surgeon will need to put me under to force my knee to bend and break up the scar tissue in what is called a "manipulation". I sure hope it doesn't come to that.

After two nights in the hospital, it was determined that I still needed skilled nursing services, so I was admitted into Draper Rehabilitation & Care Center. I was transported there in a van, not an ambulance. The wheelchair I left the hospital in was safely secured inside the van. Getting into and out of the van was very uncomfortable for me because I couldn't bend my knee very well and the guy transporting me wasn't being very careful to ensure a pain-free ride. 

Negative Experience #3 - After the short drive from Lone Peak Hospital to the Rehab Center, I was wheeled into my assigned room. A nurse came to check me in and have me sign a few papers. The nurse told me that she was going to go get me some water and would return shortly. That didn't happen! I was abandoned and left sitting in my wheelchair next to my bed for about 45 minutes. My knee was throbbing and all I wanted to do was climb into the bed and try to find a comfortable position. I felt so alone and didn't know what to do. I knew that there was no way that I could get myself into the bed, so I waited and waited. Finally, growing tired of waiting, I pushed the button to summon the nurse. Eventually, someone came and I asked for help getting into my bed.

Shortly after that, Alan arrived with some personal items from home that I would need during my stay at the center. I mentioned my abandonment to him and how uncomfortable it was for me.  After complaining to a staff member and threatening to leave, we were swarmed by staff willing to bend over backwards to help us out. On the bright side - this was proof that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I was well taken care of from that point on. I'm grateful that we spoke up.

Negative Experience #4 - Besides being abandoned and not feeling welcome at the Rehab Center, the place had the feel of a bad hotel - quite out of date and a bit dreary. I couldn't even reach the light switch above my bed, so a nurse attached a couple of trash bags to the end of the pull string so I could turn the light on and off by myself. On the bright side - things could have been much worse. I was able to have a room of my own, which is a huge plus. It is difficult to sleep with several interruptions during the night, but that problem would have been compounded if I had needed to share my room with another patient. I was very grateful to have a room of my own.

The picture below was taken as we were leaving the facility so the bed isn't made, but it gives you an idea of what the room looked like. 

Negative Experience #5 - My room was FREEZING cold most of the time, but On the bright side - I was given an extra blanket to curl up with to help stay warm. I was so grateful for that!

 

Negative Experience #6 - I ended up staying at the facility for four nights. This was way longer than I anticipated. I felt ready to go home a day earlier, but couldn't get my release papers done in time to leave that day. On the bright side, because of the continued skilled nursing help that I received, I was able to finally get in and out of bed myself, use the restroom on my own, maintain proper oxygen levels, and feel well enough to go home and feel confident in my ability to take proper care of myself (with help from Alan, of course).

Negative Experience #7 - Not once during my 6-day stay at the hospital or the Rehab Center was I offered even a spit bath, let alone a shower by a staff member. With Alan's help, I was able to wash up at the bathroom sink on day 4, but that's definitely not as good as a full-body shower. By the time I returned home, I was so anxious to be able to shower and finally wash my hair. I know I looked really bad. On the bright side, I felt like a new woman once I got home and was able to shower and do my hair. It's amazing how good it feels to get cleaned up. I have always taken daily showers for granted. Now I cherish them and feel grateful to be able to take a shower whenever I want to.

While I was in the rehab center, Alan spent one day shopping for and installing a hand-held shower system for me so I could sit and comfortably shower myself. The shelves are adjustable so when I no longer need to sit to shower, the shelves can be raised to a proper, comfortable level.

Although much of my post-surgery experience seemed very negative, thankfully I was able to stop and look on the bright side of things. Things don't always go our way. I think God allows that to happen so that we will turn our thoughts to Him - He who is watching and waiting for us to exercise our faith in him. He can make much more out of us that we can make out of ourselves. We grow much stronger physically and spiritually as we lean on Him for help and turn our lives over to him. 

My Facebook friend, Diana Fletcher, posted this picture on her wall today. It really made me think about how I sometimes do want to write my own story. I want things to turn out a certain way or I want my prayers answered a certain way. That's not how the Lord operates. He, and only he, knows what's best for me and how to help me to become my best self. I really need to trust the author of my story. Letting go and letting God make of me what he will is hard, but I must have full faith and trust in him that all will be well and when he's done sculpting me, I will be much better off for it.

Recovery from this surgery will be a long process. It has been just over two weeks since my surgery. I'm not pain free, I'm not getting as much movement in my knee as I would like, and I'm still struggling to get around, but I am now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was told, and it's true, that the first two weeks are the hardest. It has been much harder than I ever thought it would be, but this current race for better health is a marathon - not a sprint. It will take months to recover. I must take things slowly. Slow and steady wins the race.

Boo-tiful Jack-O-Lantern

 Jared and his Colombian girlfriend, Catherine, flew from Arizona to Utah to spend four days with us. We had never met Catherine before, so it was a treat to be able to meet her and to have them in our home for those days.

Besides eating out and having a joint meal with Eric's family and Ryan, we weren't able to do much with them because of inclement weather the first two days, but one fun thing we did inside our home was to carve a  pumpkin. 

Evidently, they don't have pumpkins in Colombia. Squash, yes, but no pumpkins. Because Catherine had never carved a pumpkin before, Jared decided to purchase one and let her give it a try. She did very well - especially for a first attempt.

Opening the top and the tactile feeling of gutting the innards is something Catherine won't soon forget.

The carving soon began after free-handing her design.

It all came together beautifully!

It is a nice addition to our front porch. Best carved pumpkin we have ever had.

Catherine is a sweet gal and seems very good for Jared. They make a cute couple. It was hard for me to communicate with  Catherine because of the language barrier - I don't know much Spanish and she doesn't know much English. Maybe I should study Spanish a little harder before our next meeting...assuming there will be another one.

Enduring to the End...Of A Home Remodel

 We learn about enduring to the end at church a lot. In that regard, among other things, it means staying on the covenant path, staying true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, keeping the commandments, honoring your covenants, and enduring any trials or hardships that come your way until you pass from this life. 

Enduring is all about patience. Over the past twelve weeks, I have experienced a different way of enduring to the end that has pushed my ability to be patient to the limit. I have written already about the fact that we have been remodeling our kitchen, half-bath, and laundry room. Little did we know that it would take 12 long weeks to complete the remodel. We were told that it would take 6-8 weeks. The wait has finally come to an end and we are thrilled with the results.

We wanted to go with a lighter/brighter kitchen. I believe we achieved that. Here are some before and after pics for comparison.

With a dark floor, dark cabinets, and dark countertops, the kitchen seemed dreary. It wasn't our style nor was it appealing to the eye. It was disappointing that we had no pantry.

Most of the island was white, but in the picture below, you can see that the cabinets and drawers on the other side were brown like the rest of the kitchen.

With lighter furniture, a lighter floor and white quartz cabinets (with beige and blue grey veins running through it), we have created a much lighter, brighter kitchen. It is much more pleasant to the eye and is updated to today's styles. We finally have a pantry on the far end of this picture!

The pictures above and below showcase the lighting we love.

Below is a close-up picture of what our quartz countertops looks like.

My favorite kitchen tile is this decorative tile we chose below the stove hood. It adds a geometric design, breaking up the subway backsplash tile. We are super pleased with the results. I haven't been a huge fan of subway tile in the past, but I'm now glad that we went with that for our backsplash. It coordinates well with everything else in the kitchen.

The old laundry room wasn't very functional at all, especially when it came to storage. Admittedly, I could have kept it a little more tidy, but there just wasn't a convenient place to put those items.

The new laundry room has plenty of storage, including the cabinet to house our mops, brooms, and my purses. There is a rod to hang shirts on when they come directly out of the dryer. 

The washer and dryer were placed inside an elevated shower pan with a drain in case of a burst hose.

The original bathroom was drab and the tile floor was not user friendly.

The new bathroom has the same floor, quartz countertop, and blue cabinet that the kitchen and laundry room have. It all coordinates well together.

We are thrilled with the results of our triple-room remodel. Although it took longer and cost more than we wanted, we are happy that we pulled the trigger and moved forward on it. This kitchen is more our style and I feel more at home now. I'm so glad that we no longer need to cook with solely electric appliances and eat in the basement.  We endured those 12 weeks well, although it was not easy. I'm so glad that that phase of our life is over for good. I love having a stove and oven again. You don't realize how important certain things are in your life until you have to live without them. My heart is full of gratitude that we had the means to obtain our dream kitchen. It truly is a dream come true!

UPDATE: Our contractor, Ramon Campbell, came to our home a few days ago to take pictures of our kitchen. He and his wife, Tammy, are doing the Home and Garden Show next Friday (October 13th) . Our kitchen, Tammy says,  has been one of their top kitchens they have ever done, so they want to enter it in a contest where people can vote which they feel is the best kitchen. There isn't a prize for the winner (that I know of), but we feel so honored to have our kitchen acknowledged and showcased at the Home & Garden Show. Life is good!