Our Warthog is 19! We love you, Kei!

He has developed a particular sense of style over the last year or so.  He was just playing around with this ensemble, but he can pull it off.  He has grown and changed a lot, particularly in the past year.  I'm so proud of him.

I hope they call him on a mission!  This is his new suit, complete with a vest.  He's going to be the best-looking non-groom at the wedding.  Well, Rowdy's going to look pretty dang sharp, too.  Big milestones for Keiler this year include:  graduating from high school, getting his first job (at a laser tag place), receiving the Melchizedek priesthood, and learning to play the violin.

The Best Part of Christmas So Far

When Rowdy was contemplating his recover after his surgery on December 16th, he fully expected not to be able to go anywhere or do anything for weeks. 

The best part of my Christmas day so far was having Rowdy next to me at church this morning, at least looking 100% (maybe feeling 60%), and watching him shed tears of joy at the thought of the Savior and all he has done for us.  It made me cry, too.

I don't count. I feel it--with the music--and I make it fit.

All day long, I've been thinking about the 1977 movie, The Turning Point, starring Shirley McLaine, Anne Bancroft, Lesley Browne and Mikhail Baryshnikov.



My favorite line is when Emillia, played by Leslie Browne, tells the choreographer, "I don't count.  I feel it--with the music--and I make it fit.

What prompted me to think about this movie wasn't anything about ballet, but an email from a colleague who was complaining about how many ultrasounds he had to read yesterday (because he had to cover me as I had called in sick to take care of Rowdy--yeah, I know, I'm a selfish b*****).  I thought, "Gee, I never count how many ultrasounds I have to read."  And then that quote came to mind.  I almost wrote that to him in reply, but I was sure he wouldn't have gotten the reference.

The Turning Point is now available to watch instantly on Netflix! I'm going to watch it tonight.

A Belly Story

Rowdy wanted me to photo document the latest surgery experience, but if you go here, you will pretty much get the story (except his hair isn't quite as short). 

He just got out of the OR and is feeling a little bit punk, but that is to be expected.  Marco the Surgeon says that all went quite well.  He only had to resect a very short section of bowel at the site of the leak.  That is an answer to many prayers, for sure.  Rowdy has a big midline wound that was closed by sutures, and a smaller wound to the right of that where which Marco left open.  M says that it is only 4 cm or so (about two inches), so that should be healed nicely by the time we have to travel in a few weeks.

Magnetic Fields--The Book of Love

Norwegian Butter Crisis!!!

I feel very sad for the Norwegians.  They have been experiencing a butter shortage.  Butter is delicious, and makes so many things taste wonderful.  It is a million times better than margarine, which--let's face it--is nothing but salty grease.

Jeg håper du har smør snart, Norge!

Rainy Day Dinner

 

Homemade chicken noodle soup! With leftovers to go in the freezer for some other rainy day.

It's 11:40 PM

and I am awake. I just ate the chicken salad I was craving, read some blog posts, checked out Pinterest.

This may be because of the 2-hour coma I fell into this afternoon, but I think this will just be an insomniac kind of week. We're waiting for Friday, to see how this next round of surgery turns out. Prayers are requested and welcome. Don't forget to include the surgeon(s) and the anesthesiologist(s). Thanks.

Last Night, It Was So Cold...

How cold was it?

It was so cold that I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt, flannel pajama bottoms, long socks and legwarmers to bed, and slept under two big blankets.

Maybe the temp was in the low-40's.

But I had been sitting for a couple of hours on very cold bleachers out in Lakeside (east of San Diego), watching Rowdy race BMX. My lower body was freezing, and didn't thaw out until I had swaddled it in the aforementioned get-up.

Vacation Slide Show

Winter Vacation 2011 from rowdy matt on Vimeo.