Meant To Be

I wish I had a picture of the two amazing people we met in California last month, Terry and Sharon. Steve had to go to Costa Mesa for business and I was able to go with him for the week. The first night we were there on Saturday, we headed out for dinner in our rental car and the GPS system it had. Steve suggested going for steak but I wanted seafood being that we were in Cali (Schwab was paying for everything for Steve, so it was just me we had to pay for). So I chose 'seafood' on the GPS and about 15 restaurants came up. I scrolled over the list and finally just picked one because none of them were familiar to me, McCormick & Schmick's.

When we arrived the wait was about 40 minutes but they offered us bar seating right away, where we could watch the chef in action. We sat down choosing two seats out of three, closest to another couple and Steve had me sit closest to the couple (something he would never do, normally he would have left a seat between us and them). Anyway, they bring out this enormous menu and after looking it over I turn to the stranger next to me and ask if he had eaten there before. We talk for little while about the food and a little later get talking about being from the Phoenix area and what we are doing there. Gradually we introduce ourselves and we meet Terry and Sharon. Terri eventually asks what we do, Steve talks a little about computers and I mention that I am a nurse. We talk a little more and then Terry asks me if I am specialized in any type of nursing to which I give the very general response, that I am a cancer nurse. He responds by telling me that he had just been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia that very day. Needless to say the conversation took off from there as this is one of the types of cancer I deal with on a daily basis and am very familiar with.

We talked all the way through dinner about everything from how his family was taking the news to what he might expect over the next several months. My heart just went out to him and his wife and as we talked I felt almost as though we had been friends for a long time. We ended the night by exchanging phone numbers and decided to meet up for dinner later in the week after he had a follow-up appointment with his hematologist. We met Wednesday night at this amazing Cuban restaurant they introduced us to and we talked again for 3 hours, not just about cancer but our lives too. They even brought me a bag full of amazing skin care products from a line called Kinerase. On Easter Sunday, our last full day there (or at least I thought...see Greetings from LAX) we went and toured the hospital where he is receiving treatment.

It was the best part of my week and he and Sharon are quickly becoming our great friends. I am very happy to say that he is doing very well so far. We have been keeping in touch through email and calls, I always know it is him calling because when I pick up the phone he says, "Hi angel." It makes my day and makes me happy to be a hematology/oncology nurse.

Sometimes working in this area can be very emotionally challenging and it is at times hard to find the energy to give my patients what I feel they need, lots of encouragement and support. I can't truly describe what it feels like to not only take care of people with cancer but to love them through that journey, wherever it leads. All I know is that I can't help but love them. Each person I meet and get to know in this way encourages me and gives me amazing strength, it is a huge support to me to be their nurse even if only for a few hours.

We're On The Web!!

We're finally up and running on the adoption website!! Check it out!! I think this adequately portrays my feelings about adoption paperwork, interviews, and basically any part of preparing for adoption other than the thought that it might actually bring us a child. This is my neice Elizabeth with me, the girl who made me an aunt, and the girl I absolutely love to play and be silly with. She is extremely bright, quick to think of a funny thing to say, and always has a big hug to give me and Steve. I live for her hugs, she runs up the moment she sees us to give us a big hug just like when she was little. She loves chocolate, fishing, and pretty much anything her dad is doing. Isn't she great, I just can't get enough of the girl.

13 Years Ago...

13 years ago Steve and I had a very special weekend together. We were both attending Ricks College (now BYU Idaho) in Rexburg, ID. We were on Spring Break (which was only two days Thursday and Friday) and we went to visit his grandparents in Salt Lake City for the long weekend with his brother Chaz. The three of us rode down with our friend Ben in the back of his S-10 Blazer, all three in the back seat. We were pretty sure at this point that we wanted to be married and Steve wanted to go to the temple with his grandparents to pray and know for sure. He got up early Friday morning and went to the Bountiful temple with them while I slept in, he walked back into their apartment about 3 hours later. I looked at him while he walked through the door and he looked up at me with a huge grin and gave me a little nod. I was so happy and knew right then we would be married.

Steve's Granny and Gramps, Jean and Red Beam

It was also conference weekend in Salt Lake, so it was a little busy. My grandparents had driven up from Flagstaff with my Uncle Rick and Aunt Cathy to attend the conference. It was the first time we were to sustain Gordon B. Hinckley as our prophet and we wanted to attend that first session. Back then (I'm sounding old now) you had to stand in line to get a seat in the tabernacle and the line started to form early. Friday night we were walking around Temple Square and noticed the line had already started to form so we rushed back and grabbed our sleeping bags to sleep out on the sidewalk as well. Thankfully the sidewalks are heated from underneath so it wasn't too cold but everyone in line was still very bundled up and we had fun talking to everyone, I don't think we slept at all. Saturday morning they handed out tickets to the people in line and Chaz switched up places in line so that we could go back and shower. All three of us got in that morning for the Solemn Assembly and sat in the balcony towards the front as we watched and sustained President Hinckley. It was an incredible experience. We had met him personally just a few weeks before at church with Steve's grandparents, they were in the same ward there in Salt Lake.

In front of my apartment Heritage Manor #110

Later that day we walked down to see my grandparents and aunt and uncle at their hotel and fell asleep on the bed together (on top of the covers with my grandparents in the room). My Uncle Rick awoke us by telling Steve to get out of bed with his niece and that it was a bad first impression to find the two of us in bed together. We were so tired I think we barely noticed after we laughed a little. That night Steve went with all the men to the Priesthood session (both of our grandpas, Uncle Rick and Chaz).

It was a wonderful weekend and the time seems to have flown by as today we sustain our new prophet for the first time, Thomas S. Monson.

Waterski Crazy

These guys are great and this is probably my all time favorite youtube video. I watch it every few weeks just for inspiration and it always puts a huge smile on my face. If I have been telling you about it (I talk about it to almost everyone), here it is. Be sure to hit the pause button on my music (down on the right) so you can enjoy the music they intended; it fits the video so well.

NKOTB REUNITE!!!!

Finally, this day has come. I have been waiting for this day since the 7th grade. A chance to finally see my favorite group in concert, even better I am old enough to date them! Unfortunately, I am married and I am sure many of the them are as well. If you think I am kidding just ask any of my friends from the 7th grade: Ali, Shelly, Amy, or my brother Tommy. I am sure they will attest to my undying love for the group and my favorite NKOTB member, Jordan Knight (second from the right). Their song "Please Don't Go Girl" comes to mind as I think they will appreciate my devotion and that fact that I am still here!!!


BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- They may be pushing 40, but the New Kids are returning to the block.
NKOTB

New Kids on the Block sold millions of records in the late '80s and early '90s.

The boy band New Kids on the Block, which sold 70 million albums in the 1980s and early '90s, has reunited and plans to release a new album and go on tour. The reunion comes 20 years after the release of the group's multiplatinum album, "Hangin' Tough."

"The fan response to this has been incredible," band member Donnie Wahlberg told the Boston Herald.

Wahlberg said he was persuaded to get back together with his former bandmates -- Joey McIntyre, brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight and Danny Wood -- when they decided to record new music. Wahlberg said he wrote 80 percent of the new material with McIntyre and Jordan Knight.

"I had no interest going out on a nostalgia tour and singing the same material," said Wahlberg, 38.

But he added: "We absolutely will do the old songs for sure."

Producer Maurice Starr formed the group in Boston in the 1980s, hoping to recreate the success he had with another teen group from Boston, New Edition.

At the height of their popularity, New Kids sold out world tours, marketed millions of dollars in merchandise and spawned a Saturday morning cartoon.

The group disbanded in 1994. Wahlberg has acted on television and in movies, while Jordan Knight, McIntyre and Wood released solo albums. Jonathan Knight became a real estate developer.

Greetings From LAX

Funny how things work out sometimes. I am happy to say that currently at exactly 6:46pm on Monday evening I am still laughing at our current situation sitting here in LAX for the last 7 hours (approximately).

We have been enjoying ourselves in Costa Mesa, CA for the last 10 days. We have done many fun things and met many exciting people (seriously). We have visited California Adventure Park, Disneyland, Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza Mall, Fashion Island Mall and several delicious restaurants. We met Terry and Sharon...to be introduced in a later entry (truly great people who made my whole week) and three girls at church that if we were to ever move to Costa Mesa would be the girls I would hang with. However...currently we are enjoying the many exciting sites, smells, people, and lovely 60's Hollywood orchestra music of LAX.

Its my fault really, I am taking the blame with a sneeky but guilty smile. You see Steve is usually the very planned out, on time one and I am the laid back, stopping to smell the flowers one. Hence, we missed our 1pm flight back to Phoenix by 2 minutes, yes 2 MINUTES. They were literally shutting the door of the gate as we came running up. I must say in my defense that several things delayed us, not just my easy going attitude. We had to fill up the rental car with gas, there was an accident on the freeway, and some kind helpful worker here told us another security line would be faster when if fact it was only a line to have our ID's and tickets checked for a 2nd time not the line with all the medal detectors and x-ray machines we actually needed. So here we are.

UPDATE: I am now home, 9 hours after waiting for a flight we were able to get on a 10pm flight home! My laptop ran out of batteries so I was unable to finish my entry. I tried to plug it in but guess what, outlets don't actually work at LAX. They are just there to make you think it is a wonderful place to visit. So I took some pictures...sadly they are the only pictures from our entire trip. Jen, I know you will be very disappointed in me, but who feels like hauling around a camera to Disneyland and the beach when all I will end up with is more pictures of myself and my husband who absolutely HATES his picture to be taken.



Anyone up for some CPR? I have actually been trained several times on an AED machine but have never had the pleasure of trying one out in real life...ANY TAKERS?



The beautiful and exciting GATE 81 everyone!!! Note: I did reach what my sister calls "hysteria" shortly after my laptop died. Basic symptoms include: hysterical laughter at almost anything or anyone for any reason (sometimes I try to choke it back by looking away or trying to force my mouth to close which only causes what is called "bursting hysteria"), uncontrolled movement of the limbs (twitching or dancing to see if I can get any kids or adults to give me strange looks or laughing), and if left alone and especially if the thought, “I am never going to see these people again,” crosses my mind random shrieks, barks, or screams. Fortunately for those around me Steve was present and it didn’t take on its full force simply because after being patient for a while he becomes really annoyed and leaves. What fun is hysteria if there is no one there to enjoy it with.



The 5:55pm flight that we were not able to get on due to over booking by 17 people and everyone was able to get on because it was 45min. late taking off!! They even took the time to wash the windshield! I wonder if the windshield of the 1pm flight was clean? Oh well, we were still enjoying ourselves at that point.



The Route 66 Restaurant we ate lunch at after missing our first flight and as we were leaving Steve said to our waitress, “See you in a few hours for dinner.” I thought he was joking. I was a little annoyed by the fact that one entire wall of the place had a huge dinosaur painted on it with the words, “Greetings from the Grand Canyon. Dinosaur, AZ.” I hate it when people spread falsehoods or create false places and help people believe they are REAL. There is no Dinosaur, Arizona people.



Finally the blessed 10:10pm flight we made on time, in seats not together, but got us home in only 35min.! YEAH!!

In the Shadow of the Moon

If you have not seen this it is definitely worth the rental fee. I picked it up thinking it might be somewhat interesting (I've been doing a lot of reading about events that took place during the 60's). WOW is all I found myself saying several times as tears flowed watching this. We are sooo blessed with so much! The pictures and stories of these men that walked on the moon are remarkable. I thought I knew their story, but this documentary takes you into their thoughts and feelings as they were preparing, traveling to and walking on the moon and back to Earth. It gave me such a boost in my testimony of the creation, the Lord's plan for us, and ALL that He continually watches over. He truly does love us so much and enables us to achieve our worthy goals and desires in life. If you have ever wondered or even doubted if He knows us and is in charge of things this is worth watching. I highly recommend it to anyone.