One Year

So much can change in a year!  This is what I was doing a year ago.  Nasty surgery.  Fourth surgery within 7 months.  Strangest combination of calmness and terror ever.  I decided in January that I would keep track of my healthy days to help me realize how much healthier and pain free my days are than I imagine them.  Alas, it was a good idea which backfired.  My body doesn't do pain-free.  Most days are mostly decent.  That's good enough I suppose.  I've had it bad enough long enough that I can be grateful for manageable pain levels and understandable medical issues.

In the last 12 months since the major surgery I've only had one anesthetized procedure (an upper digestive scope) and just a few visits to the ER (post-op issues, severe upper digestive pain still not diagnosed).  For me this is a good record!  I have had the physical strength and energy to do what I needed to be able to do this last year (what with the move and all that).  I'm finally starting to lose some of this stubborn weight.  If I could get some of my meds balanced out again I may even have the motivation to get other things (like dishes and laundry) accomplished!

One thing that made life easier through the medical issues is that my husband and daughters were quite healthy.  This year was less cool that way.  I would rather have had another hospital stay than have Lizzie in the hospital for a day with pneumonia.  I decided a few years ago that I'd be fine with continuing to take the brunt of the medical misfortune as long as it meant the others were healthy.  I wish that was something I could get an assurance on.  Unfortunately I've had to learn to be the one who wants to fix something but cannot.  I hate feeling helpless though.  Especially to my children.

One year without surgeries.  Let's see if we can make it two!

Goals: Update 10

1- Sew at least one new item of clothing for me. -- I've mostly finished one.  I'm not quite happy with it yet, though.  Needs some color.  I hope to figure it out this week so I can wear the dress next Sunday.

2- Make great room (and/or family room) curtains.-- Perhaps I'll just change the rest of the family room curtains into roman blinds?  

3- Go one mile (run/walk) in 12 minutes or less -- No.  But I've done some good work on a stationary bike and I've been brilliant and doing the lawn mowing.

4- Clean out and sort jewelry boxes

5- Catch up one year of scrapbooks-- Oh my.

6- Read the entire Book of Mormon
 
7- Get a new family picture taken
 
8- Clean out my bedroom closet

9- Sort my craft type items (including sewing) -- I'm making progress!  Getting things sorted slowly back into useable place.  Phew!

10- Make a new temple dress (does not fulfill goal #1) -- I'd better get to finishing the one I found in my sewing things!

11- Be involved in at least one PTA project at the elementary school --  PTA meeting this week.  If Sabrina is doing better I might even make it there!


12- Get last year's blog book printed and bound 
 
13- Make some nice hair pretties for MY daughters
 
14- Read some classic literature -- In the last several weeks I've been reading some great things through the Reveal Reader (free app on my droid phone).  I use the reader to do my scripture / Ensign / Conference Report reading.  Recently I've also used it to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Scarlet Letter, and currently about 1/3 of the way through The Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Great stuff!
   
15- Plant something and keep it alive -- We've been enjoying the harvest of our tomato plants and the yard is still pretty green and nicely trimmed.  Yay!
 
16- Improve dysphonia to be able to sing again with less pain 

17- Learn two new hymns on the piano -- 
 
18- Plan and enjoy a family vacation (even if it has to be in Utah County) -- For this year, we'll have to count our day at Snowbird as our "vacation".  And along with that, all our evenings toasting marshmallows in the backyard.  We've had some wonderful family together, we just didn't get to do anything anyone else would probably call a "vacation".
 
19- Back up all digital photos on new DVDs (or other storage device) and store safely  -- I found my external drive... and now it's lost again.  *sigh*.  Hopefully it will show back up when I finish with the craft organization.

20- Participate in fruit and vegetable co-op when possible and learn new ways to enjoy produce -- We haven't done the co-op as often as I would have liked, but I think we're doing pretty well anyway.  We've enjoyed more fresh produce this year, even though it has been store-bought.  This last week, though, I did get to pick some pears from a friend's tree.  I've made some killer fruit leather!
 
21- Create a 7 generation pedigree chart

22- Finish quilts for the girls' beds -- 

23- Take a class through the community programs -- Slight variation on this one: I am playing with the American Fork City Symphony.  I was convinced to join them again after 10 years of not playing.  Yikes!  It has required a lot of practice, but I am enjoying it.  The biggest problem is that the overuse injuries from my high school years came back immediately.  If I don't use a neck strap (ridiculous with the oboe!) I have severe pain in my arm all the way from my shoulder to my fingers.  You can bet I'm being good about the neck strap!
 
24- Follow FlyLady principles to get/keep the house in a happy state.  -- Getting back into the swing of things now that we're into the more structured life of the school year.

25- Read a book by a church leader -- Read "The Coming of the Lord" by Gerald Lund.  Fabulous book about the last days and the Second Coming of the Lord.  I highly recommend it!
 
26- Spend $1,000 to improve financial outlook (pay off debt faster, put in savings, etc.) 

27- Look at the stars more -- I've really added the joy of taking an evening walk around out yard with Michael.  Just tonight we took a little wander around.  We checked which parts need more weeding, where there may be a blocked sprinkler, where there are a new batch of flowers popping up, and how many more cherry tomatoes will be ready to pick tomorrow.  Very restful.
 
28- Clean the Sharpie "artwork" off the playroom walls 

29- Update our family's emergency preparedness --  

30- Learn to use the lenses and settings on my camera -- Still been working on this.  I have loved everything I've been learning!  

31- Return and report progress on my goals -- Better late than never, right?  I only have 2 months to go until my birthday!!!!!  I've gotta get crackin' on the rest of these!

August in a Flash

August was Amazing.

Amazing movie night:
The Jarbh family got together for a special movie night.  The little girls worked as ticket takers and concessions workers.  Everybody got their own ticket and a voucher for popcorn and a soda (fancy ones in a bottle!)  We watched the movie "Despicable Me".  Best theater in Utah County!

School Registration.  Amazing!
How did I end up with a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and kindergartner all of a sudden?!  The girls were thrilled to go find out about their teachers and get back inside the school building.  I love that they all enjoy school!

An Amazing Game of Quidditch.
Oh yes, we did.  It was fabulous.  The teams were Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw.  Kids of all ages had fun, from the dads down to the young'uns.  A couple of games were for more limited age ranges and every single one was a blast to watch.

The Amazing Harry Potter Party.
One of my nephews turned 11 while on vacation here from Nebraska.  He woke up to a letter inviting him to Hogwarts.  The game of quidditch was a preamble to a celebratory party at Grandma's house.  Through "connections" they were able to borrow a set of very well done decorations.  We all enjoyed a grand feast indeed including Cornish Pasties.  Various goodies were arranged around the house.  Everything from cockroach clusters (Macadamia nut clusters) to licorice wands (red and black fines).  My sister in law even made chocolate frogs for each of the kids complete with chocolate frog cards (made from pictures of each of the cousins).  It was ended up with a birthday trifle.  Magical!

More of the amazing party.
Do you see the wand?  My brother made it.  Holly, 11", pheonix feather core.  Harry Potter's wand!  It's absolutely beautiful!  Everybody chose a character and wore a name tag at the party.  Celebrities from Rita Skeeter to Lee Jordan were there!  I wore a plaid shirt and my plaid sketchers and came as Minerva McGonagall in muggle disguise.

I admit, there is one more huzzah from August, but it is going to get its own post.  Yes, it is picture heavy.  That's just how it works here.

I hope you all had an Amazing August too!