November 27, 2010: A Belated Birthday

For John's birthday, I wasn't able to get him what I had wanted--and what I thought HE wanted. So a few weeks later, my favorite spa had a special, so I was finally able to get John what he had always wanted: a massage! But even better, it was buy one, get one free, so I got one too! I also scheduled pedicures.

It was the day before the big surprise and he said to me, "I'm okay with whatever it might be, as long as it's not a massage." What??? The whole time we've been married, he has always said that he wanted one. And now, when I finally have this great surprise ready, he said he doesn't want one? I assured him that he would love it and that there was also going to be a pedicure, hoping that would lessen the anxiety.

He was relieved to find that we were in the same room, and that since it was only 30 minutes, they would only work back and shoulders. It was no gen-teel massage. In fact, both of us were pretty sore for a few days. Next was the pedicure, which he really enjoyed. In fact, I think if there's another BOGO on them, we'll go back.

After our spa day, I took him to one of my favorite restaurants: Spark. It was a great way to spend the day.

November 25, 2010: Thanksgiving!

A few days before Thanksgiving, we watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" on TV. As I was sitting there making my list of what to make and the timeline, I thought to myself, "Maybe this year we'll just do a Charlie Brown-style Thanksgiving: toast, popcorn, jelly beans, and pretzels. John can set the table just like Snoopy did, by shuffling the plates and throwing them all out."

With Griffin still quite sick, we declined all other offers by family to join them and decided to just do it at our house. I had said that we were going to do something simple, each person's favorite or what they can't do without for Thanksgiving. We still ended up with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Parker House rolls, corn, salad, cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, and egg nog. Our simple dinner still took nearly 8 hours of cooking--and was devoured in 20 minutes. Well, not devoured. We still had leftovers for a couple of days, which is the BEST part of the holiday!

We took a few pictures to send to Ian, not meaning for him to become homesick, but to compare what his Thanksgiving looked like.




Ian's Thanksgiving consisted of pizza and a kilo of ice cream. He said they don't have turkey there and if they found it, they couldn't afford it. Well, he looks happy enough to me!

November 21, 2010: It's Going to Be a LONG Night

We try so hard to keep Griffin healthy, because inevitably, it will trigger his asthma. But there was a wicked virus going around the school, which led to it becoming part of our family for a while, the whole Thanksgiving break plus a few days.

We had a lot of rough nights, and a friend who was able to lend us her pulse oximeter so we could stay on top of things. We had a couple visits to the doctor where he digressed from just asthma to bronchitis bordering on pneumonia. Fortunately, we made it through without any trips to the hospital.

When I posted an ongoing update of his status on Facebook, his preschool teacher, Miss Cathy (Petersen) commented back, "May the force be with him!" He is so well known and loved.

November 20, 2010: The Death of Two Giants

The world lost two great people today. The first one lived a very short life. The second, substantially longer. But both of these individuals had great impact upon the lives of those with whom they came in contact.

The first was a young boy by the name of Rex Stuart. Rex was only two years old when he was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). In essence, it is a rare, terminal cancer of the brain stem. He is the son of a woman who grew up in the Lakeridge 8th Ward. My first encounter with Rex was when I was helping the Kuesters with the donations that poured in after their house burnt. A truck load of household goods was going to be delivered to MarChele Oldham's house (the PTA president at the time). He was one of those who came to help unload. It was shortly after this that he was diagnosed.

The community rallied their support for the family. A 5K was organized. A group designed a tree for him during the Festival of Trees. Stephanie (his mom) was pregnant through most of this. She was fortunate to deliver his little sister just a few weeks before he passed away. And when word spread that he had passed, everything was a little darker that day. People moved a little slower. And we hugged our kids a little longer and tighter.



The second individual was the mother of my brother-in-law, Bruce. Her name was Jolene Roden. When John and I first got married, she was like a second mother to us. They included us in all of their family activities. I remember crystal clear sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, hugely pregnant with Ian, barely able to scoot my chair in. I could hardly eat because I was so big! At student housing at the U, we lived in the same courtyard as their oldest son, Lynn, and his family. They were always kind and thoughtful and inclusive as well. Ten years later, we moved to Draper (where they lived) and were part of their ward. It was great to have a friendly face in the crowd. About 18 months ago, she was diagnosed with cancer.

At her funeral, we were able to reconnect with Lynn and his family, as well as the others. I listened as her kids told stories about her and the great mother that she was. How loved she was by so many. I was impressed by what I heard, and how far-reaching her effect had been. She was a great woman. Her children attest to her greatness.

November 19, 2010: Sunsets and NERF Guns

Tonight was an amazing sunset! I had to share the pictures. It looked kind of "end of the world" to me.






Also, John and I hosted two couples so he could teach them about the new Family Search program. Ellie and Griffin had to entertain themselves, so they prepared for battle. Nerf battle.

November 16, 2010: Quotes from Griffin

November 2, 2010:
This morning, I asked Griffin, "What's the one thing you will do to be a good dad?" His response: "Make sure my wife is happy." Good boy, Griffin. Good boy.

November 9, 2010:
Griffin: Mom, when were the 80s?
Mom: Um, in the 80s.

November 16,2 010:
Today I was told to "hold that thought." I'm sure I stood there with a quizzical look on my face.

November 14, 2010: Our VERY LAST Primary Program

The last diaper. The last time potty training. The last one in nursery. The last baptism. The last pack meeting. And the last Primary program.

I'm in the process of finding the actual text of his talk and will include it here when I find it, but he did such a good job. For so many years, we were crossing fingers and holding our breath that he would just get through whatever he had to do. And then, this young man came to the podium, and without clearing his voice or tapping the microphone, he gave his talk. He returned to his seat. He didn't wave. He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to. That was left for another of the young boys in the ward.

The baton has been passed.