Happy Thanksgiving!

Even in these trying times, we all have so much to be grateful for.

Three Years of Non-Stop Joy

Here are just a few thoughts about my love in honor of our third anniversary:

R is for riotous. He makes me laugh every day.

O is for outspoken. If you want to know what he thinks or how he feels about something, just ask him. He'll tell you without pulling any punches.

W is for well-versed in all things related to international relations. Ask him about any conflict in the last 30 years, and he can give you detailed information and analysis.

D is for devoted dad and husband. He loves his kids and does the best he can to stay connected to them. He's my hero, support and cheerleader as well.

Y is for youthful. But don't confuse that with naivete or ignorance. He may look like a kid (so much so that the neighbor kids come over to ask if he can play), and he plays like a kid, but he's a grown man.

Self-Portrait Tuesday/My New Haircut

My long hair had gotten on my last nerve. I needed something new, more professional, and easier-to-care-for. So, I visited my hairdresser, Morgan, today.

For those of you who have known me since way back when, this is not a new cut. It's my med school cut, the one I got when I was sick of cadaver spooge getting in my hair (which happened pretty quickly).

Not only did I get a new style, I colored my hair darker, just because. I'm kind of plus/minus about that part, but I like the cut. Unfortunately, Rowdy's and my paths will not cross until later tonight, so he hasn't seen it yet. (I'm not much of a self-portraitist. I think it looks better in person.)



The funniest thing is that, when I returned to work after the hairdresser's, one of the vascular surgeons--an old, crusty sort--said, "What happened to you? Were you on "What Not To Wear?".

Boot Camp--It's No Joke

Whenever he'd have me do something new and difficult, Raul, my NYC trainer, would say, "It's no joke!"

I started a boot camp workout class last Tuesday. For six weeks, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6:15 am, ex-Marine Jeanette will be whipping me into shape.

Now, I'm no stranger to working out and working out hard. Crossfit, having a personal trainer, I've done it. This is totally kicking my butt, though! Good thing there are four days to recover.

100 Things

Copy and paste it into your blog and then just bold the things you've done!



1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (does jr. high marching band count?)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Major Weight Loss

The weight of the world, actually. I passed the Certificate of Added Qualifications exam! Interventional, neuro and pediatric radiology all have an extra oral examination in addition to the diagnostic radiology boards. This demonstrates particular proficiency in a subspecialty.

Now I feel like I can move forward professionally.

How to Make Rowdy Laugh Really Hard

About the last thing I ever thought would crack Rowdy up so hard that he would be reduced to tears is http://icanhascheezburger.com. But it actually does that. He and Jordan spent one afternoon IMing each other and sharing posts back and forth. Now he's gotten me hooked on it. Not like there's anything wrong with that.

Here's one that made me laugh the other day:


more animals

The Bluest Skies I've Ever Seen Are In Seattle

Well, not the weekend I was there, but Seattle still is beautiful. The rainy weather and beautiful landscape were balm to this Pacific Northwest girl's soul.

I was there for an interventional radiology conference put on by the good people at UW. I learned alot, met some good people, and had an overall good time.

One of the real perks of being in Seattle was being able to go Trick-or-Treating with Shark Boy and Peacock Girl. Peacock Girl is definitely paparazzi-shy. I tried to take a picture of her, and she screamed and stuck her arm out as if to say, "No pictures, PLEASE!!" Here's a little video of them from last year. They're a little bit larger this year, but the costumes still fit. They also can walk and talk.



The last month, I've had the delight of being able to visit so many old friends who I don't get to see often. It's a joy to be able to see how their lives have gone forward, and how I and so many of them are enjoying blessings we once just dreamed about and thought might never be fulfilled.

The Benefit of My Experience

My friend, Cindy Halibut, and I were once talking about how we were looking forward to working with the Young Women someday. We had so much to tell them! We wanted them to benefit from our years of experience!

Cindy's first calling after she was married was in the YW. One day she called me and said, "They don't want to listen to anything I have to say!"

So, fast forward to a few weeks ago. Our ward's fantastic YW president, Shiny Penny, asked me to give a short talk at Evening of Excellence about how my experience in YW influenced me in my educational pursuits. Which elicited from me an, "Uh...er...uhhhh".

The thing is, what I remember about YW is being the world's biggest ugly duckling, and a major weirdo for acutally having educational goals. So, I decided to ask some of my friends about their experiences in YW. Here are a couple of responses:

Super Mom--"I learned how to cook and sew."
Community Activist Mom--"I learned how to make a quilted cover for my Personal Progress book."

I think that YW is better about strengthening the girls spiritually these days.

Anyway, I had two or three weeks to think about what I was going to say, but unfortunately, I had a lot of things going on around the same time. One thing I knew that I needed to say was that the girls needed to know that they really are daughters of God, he really knows them and cares about them. That's something that I didn't really internalize until I was much, much older, and knowing it and living like I knew it would have changed some of the path of my life.

My role models when it comes to giving a talk are Susan Tanner, Shari Dew, Sharon Larsen and Jennifer Carter. (You may not know Jennifer Carter. She was in the Manhattan First Ward, and totally rocked talks.) I felt like my little Eve of Ex talk fell short of that. There was so much that I wanted to say, but couldn't really put together in the way in which I had hoped. It was also a little distracting to give my talk in the middle of a dinner, but the other speaker, Magnificent Melody, gave a terrific talk that seemed to go over perfectly.

And then the Primary Program--I have to say that it went fine, because I have really wonderful Primary children and board. For the first time in three years, all of my children did their lines gladly. Even my Sunbeams spoke! I think they could've sung a little louder and done the unison parts better, but overall, it was successful. I hope that I don't have to do another one for a long time.

The Retiring Sort

My mom finally retired as of October 31. She worked for Guaranty Federal for ages, rising to the rank of Assistant Vice President. She has always been an example to me of how to work hard and do your best at whatever you do. Mama is tenacious and feisty. If you tell her she can't do something, then she'll find a way to stuff those words down your throat and rip your heart out and show it to you when she's done doing whatever it is you told her she wasn't going to be able to do. And she makes a mean cinnamon roll.

Now she and Dad are going to have a lot more time to enjoy each other's company and all of the fun things that Austin has to offer.

I love you, Mama!

So Much to Blog About!

From my mom finally retiring on Friday, to my Seattle trip, to the Primary program to my talk for the Young Women, to LOLcats and their impact on my family, I have a lot of material to blog about. Hopefully, I'll be able to sit down and write something about each of those subjects once I get home this afternoon.