Thanksgiving/6th Anniversary in Pictures

This, and pumpkin pie, was our Thanksgiving dinner.  Those were the best rolls I've ever made.  I found the recipe on, you guessed it, PINTEREST!

Rowdy took me here for dinner on our anniversary.  This is where we had our wedding reception.  Delicious!  And then we went on a romantic walk around the restaurant grounds.

 

He took me to lunch on Saturday at a little Italian cafe in Hillcrest.  We had gelato for dessert.  

And then we saw this movie.  It was really good.  Go see it.

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving for this place to do a little snowboarding.  We're also going to visit Jamie, Amy and their kiddies.

The Inaugural Bricco Family Thanksgiving 5K

Rowdy and Keiler looked so good, women were throwing their bras at them.  Not buying it?  Okay.  How about, "Amber, who has been known to absent-mindedly wear more than one bra at a time, decides to cast off her surplus bra"?  Or maybe there was just a random bra in someone's front yard along the course, and Rowdy placed it in the middle of the sidewalk so Amber and I would see it.  Someone obviously had a raucous Thanksgiving Eve on Brunswick St.

After the run.

Amber was so awesome to come join us!  We had a great time running, talking and laughing.  She's a doll, and I just love her to bits.

Modified showgirl pose.  I need to not straighten my arm so much and drop my right shoulder more.  I guess I'm out of practice.

Your 2011 Bricco Family Thanksgiving 5K winner:  Rowdy in 22 minutes.  Followed by Keiler with a time of 29 minutes, and Amber and Diane in 31 minutes.  Not even a bonk on the head or two ferociously leaking fistulas can keep that Rowdy down.  I am going to have to get a big lead in the swim part of the triathlon next week, or he'll have to break an arm snowboarding or something for me to be able to beat him in the tri.

Heavenly Donuts...ahhhhhhggggggllllllllhhhhhh.

What was left over.  I got my apple-filled bearclaw, and that's all that mattered to me.  These went with R and K to the Elder's Quorum touch football game later in the morning.

Another Lovely Southern California Day

Thankful for:

An early day at work.
A not-very-busy mall.
Our upcoming 6th anniversary, a great reason to go to said not-very-busy mall.
New foundation undergarments.  It makes an incredible difference, trust me.
My aesthetician, Theresa.  She is nearly-painless, and so fun to talk to.
Finally having the time and an uncrowded pool so that I can reach my goal of swimming 100 pool lengths (2500 yds).
Smashburger for dinner with my two guys.
Desensitization...Rowdy and I have been through this surgery thing so many times in the last year that I'm not particularly freaked out by his upcoming date with Dr. T on December 16th.  I may change my tune as the time gets closer.
Tickets to see the NYCB's Nutcracker in the theater on December 13th.  It's my all-time favorite.  I was actually thinking of buying a ticket to New York just to see the ballet, I missed it so much.

Being Grateful, Even When It's Difficult

Rowdy had a procedure today.  We were hoping this would close his fistula, but it didn't.  At least they were able to obtain some important information, to wit:  he does not have any active Crohn's disease.  The fistula is coming from the spot where the bowel was sewn together during last December's surgery.  So, there will need to be another surgery, but it doesn't mean that they need to take out too much small intestine.

So:

1)  I am grateful that Rowdy wasn't left any worse than they found him.
2)  I am grateful that the Humira is working, and there's no active Crohn's.
3)  I am grateful that there is the possibility of a small resection, one that won't leave Rowdy with short gut.
4)  I am grateful especially that I was reminded in my mind and in my heart that Christ knows exactly how I am feeling right now--sad, discouraged, wavering.  Knowing that He's already been through it and knows what it's like, I know I can lean on Him for comfort and encouragement.
5)  I'm grateful to know that when things don't work out the way that I would like them to, it's not the end of the world.  There are still a lot of things to be happy about and grateful for, and things have a way of being fine anyway.

“In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings warmth to the giver and the receiver alike,” Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said.

“Gratitude, expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have, brings a calming peace,” he said, “a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don’t have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future.”

Elder Hales stressed that we should never forget to thank Heavenly Father for the blessings, gifts, and talents He has given to us. He also taught: “We [should] express thankfulness for what happens, not only for the good things in life but also for the opposition and challenges of life that add to our experience and faith. We put our lives in His hands, realizing that all that transpires will be for our experience.”

Jordan's Bridal Shower--With a Slide Show You Can Actually View Now

There was only a little bit of hazing involved. Jo was a good sport, though.

Smashy-smashy

The medical director of my hospital is really into breaking world records.  He seems to equate it with quality care--don't get me started.  But anyway, a few weeks ago, we were going to break the record for the most mammograms performed in a day.  The mammo techs recruited people from the department, and as I am in that kind of grey area as far as when it is appropriate to get a mam, I agreed to participate.

A week or so later, a colleague pulled me aside to tell me that he had compared my films to a prior examination from a couple of years ago and found several new calcifications in both breasts.  He thought they were probably benign, but recommended I get more views to confirm that thought.

So, today I had my diagnostic mammogram, which involved 10 different, magnified views of the left and four or six (I lost count) magnified views of the right breast.  It was quite uncomfortable, but I am grateful for the conscientiousness and perserverance of my colleagues, Emily and Marc, and our tech, Janet.  They were able to determine conclusively that everything is benign.  I am grateful to say that I do not have breast cancer, just a slightly-sore left boob.  I am also grateful that Rowdstar was working just up the street from the breast center and was able to entertain me as I waited for the verdict.

Eight is Great

My dad said once that it was interesting to him to see how much a woman's demeanor changed after going to the hairdresser.  We are always so happy after a trip to the salon.

Because of scheduling conflicts, I was a month overdue for my hair appointment.  That didn't used to be a big deal when I wasn't worried about grey coverage.  Finally, I had a date and a time, and I had the perfect work schedule...darn.  Of course this morning didn't flow was well as I had hoped, but I did finally get to Morgan's on time.  She did a great job on my hair, as usual, and it was nice to catch up with her. 

So, point being, I am grateful for good hair and a hairdresser who is talented at maintaining it.


For the last few weeks, I have been getting the prompting that I really needed to visit a friend of mine.  She has a four-year-old, a two-year-old and a four-month-old, and it just takes her awhile to adjust each time a new person is added to her family.  She needs to think through things and she can process just so much at a time, so I haven't seen her around in the last four months while she was getting things together.  She and I have different viewpoints about things, but she always gets me to think about things in a new way, and I really like that.  I think we both feel refreshed whenever we are together.

I am really for the very mixed bag of people who are my friends.  I learn so much from all of them.  I am also grateful for prompting that I had to go see this particular friend and her little daughters, and that we could work out a time to be together.

Steph, Lin, Cris, Jenny and Carrie

These five women were my roommates for the first two years of college at Felt Hall.  In some iteration, I think that I lived with at least one of them for my entire six year run at BYU.  Over the years, we've laughed and cried together.  We've lost touch and reconnected.  They have always felt close to me in my heart, no matter how much we actually talk or get together.  Now we have children getting married and going on missions. 

Today is Cristy's birthday, and yesterday I was able to IM with Linda for a good chat.  It didn't take those things to remind me how grateful I am to have my "Felt Sisters" in my life, but it does seem appropriate to have them be the subject of my Gratitude Post of the Day.  They have always been a refining influence in my life, and I love them dearly.

Grateful for...

...a day to rest.  This was a tiring week.

While the Boys Are Away

Rowdy is away on a MTB trip and Keiler is working.  I went for a run, took a nap, cleaned house a little, went to the mall and then thought better of it, and then did a little home-spa action.

pedicure

sage steam

home-made facial scrub

cooling eye mask

manicure stuff--I love Mary Kay's Satin Hands.

My hands and face are so smooth and soft!  I hope I don't wake up all broken out.

11/4

Today was a rainy, blustery day.  I'm grateful for a nice, warm bowl of pho for lunch, a cozy home and a beautiful view right now of the sunset.

11/3

This is a list I will add to during the day:

I am grateful for:

1)  Friends who initiate traditions such as blogging gratitude all the month of November.
2)  Repentance--there are so many things that I need to do better.  I've chosen a few to work on at a time.
3)  Slightly chilly days.  I do miss Fall, so it's nice when there is a slight nip in the air.  (In case you were wondering, that equals somewhere around 65 degrees in my book.)
4)  Great ideas from Rowdstar for the Jo-Jo's shower and wedding presents.

Gratitude All Month Long

1)  Yesterday afternoon, I came home from working all the day before, all night and all morning, plus I had cramps.  So it was so lovely to walk into a clean, tidy, peaceful home.  I'm grateful for Rowdy and Keiler and the work they put into making that happen.

2)  I'm grateful that Rowdy is getting Nukes work again, and that both Max and Keiler now have jobs.

3)  Sometimes, I work in the office next to our resident super-right-wingnut, so I get to hear how the country is going to hell in a handbasket.  The Primary song, "Follow the Prophet", has been going through my mind all morning because of it.  I'm grateful that, if I follow the living Prophet, I won't go astray and I will have peace in my life, no matter what happens. 

4)  I'm grateful that I could run and do a circuit workout yesterday after my nap.  It felt wonderful.  Then I had a nice shower, followed by a delicious dinner made by my sweet Rowdstar.  I'm grateful for him for so many reasons.