Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Cry my eyes out.

Uhm, I absolutely LOVED this video that made me cry so hard! Yes, please, I am ALL for adoption. Give me one from every continent please.

Watch here:


I think I am also emotional because I have been working so much! Tonight made me think a lot about life because I was there, of course for another resident to pass away (I am ALWAYS there when people pass. I may just be the angel of death... ). Between my two jobs that is three in three weeks. It is a such a special thing (as weird as this sounds) to be there and watch someone pass on to the next life....quite a spiritual and moving experience, especially when they have been in so much pain for so long. It is also amazing to be part of these sweet lives and take care of the things they need most at the end of their time here on Earth. I always try to tell them how much I love them and kiss their sweet wrinkly cheeks because who knows if they will be there the next day. I always hope that when I see them in the next life they will remember that I helped care for them in their final days....and of course teased them and gave them a few laughs. I also am planning on this guaranteeing me:

A) A quick passing...preferably in my sleep.
B) If I do get old...super good care.
C) No dementia.
D) And automatic rights to act like a crazy, be hilarious, and say whatever I want past 70.

Yep. That sounds about right. 

Friday, July 22, 2011

A little of this, and a little of that.

It has been so long since I blogged! It is good in some ways because I have been busy.

Well, here are a few things on my mind:

1. A year ago today I entered the MTC to be missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I looked like this:


I did a lot of this :)


Planned a lot!



Got to go to the LA temple once. 

Was so happy my comp/trainer/friend was THE BEST!

Had an unreal district in the MTC. 

And now a year today I look a little different...no name tag, no skirts or cardigans. Now a lot of the times I look average, and today I just have kind of a heavy heart and I ache to be a missionary again. It was so great, all the good and all the bad. There is nothing like being a special witness of our Savior, and it breaks my heart not to wear that tag most days. And then I remember that the Lord has been so good to me and it is all going to work out. Even if I do feel out of place sometimes.

Also speaking of looking different from the mission...I have officially lost 30 pounds. Yes indeedy! Happy day.

2. I got another Home Health Hospice job! I have been working like a mad woman. I work EVERY single day. Saturdays and Sundays included. But I am so happy to be helping the old folks. I luff them!

3. Yogurt Land has much too much of my money.

4. I finally sucked it up and am paying to move out so I can be social.

5. I am incredibly...insanely exhausted. Not just because if work,  but because of that crazy spider bite we think. I took 3 naps in one day...no big deal.

6. I love old folks so much.

7. I also love Diet Coke so much! So does Scuddles apparently... ok just the bottle:)


8. And I really love these kids so much!




Have a great one!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Some great dating advice from the old folks.

Tonight I worked on the memory support side at the Old Folks Home.

This is where Alzheimer's and Dementia residents live. I seriously love it over on that side.

Tonight one of my favorites told me she had a grandson that would just "swoon me ta-death."

I told her to get crackin then....by all means set me up.

Then she proceeded to tell me that she would take us to the dance down at the old station. I asked her some good advice on dating, pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down verbatim what she told me...single ladies take note.

1) Don't get sa-tickled (not SO tickled...SA-tickled) ya puke on the boys.

2) Don't dress naked, but don't dress UN-naked.

3) Don't get titt-ly and silly (I have no idea what "titt-ly means, but that is a QUALITY, quality word).

4) Don't ever wear bangs.

5) Don't over-do your make up so you look like a clown.

6) Kiss em' all, commit ta none.

7) Love at first sight, kill at second sight.

8) Don't talk malarky.

Such good advice. I will take all of those in and I am sure I will be hitched in no time! I love her little darling face...

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sweet, sweet, summer time.

This past week has been so fun and a little crazy! We had all my little cousins in from Minnesota and so I got to spend a lot of time with them...it has been a blast :). Since I don't have a ton of cousins on the Gould side and we don't get to get together a lot, it is a BIG deal when they come to town.

We had a blast going up to the planetarium, Temple Square, playing a TON of Wii, Color Me Mine, playing beauty shop, reading books, doing giant fireworks, going to the parade (minus me because of my big dumb bug bite...that sounds so wimpy), going out to eat, and of course, boating.

Boating was SUPER interesting considering the starter went out in the most giant lightening storm in Utah history. Not gonna lie, we were pretty scared stuck in the middle of the lake with no way to get off the water, three kids, and lightening on each side of us. THEN my poor mom, uncle and brother were out in the worst of it trying to pull the boat on the trailer by hand. Of course, of course. Our boat is only 3 years old and we have never had a problem....the ONE time we do it is during the storm.  Gould family luck of 2011 hahah.

Well, here are some recap pictures of the last week and my cutie pat-tootie cousins...well, minus Jackson. Bummer I didn't get any pics with him!

Anyway, happy Sunday!











Oh and PS. It was Imo's birthday yesterday! I made her wear a lei and a birthday hat:) Happy birthday cutie Imo! LOVE you!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

My Heart: 3 months post surgery.

People have been so incredibly kind and genuinely concerned about how I have been doing post heart surgery. I usually get asked these questions:

"How are you feeling since the surgery?"
"Have you had any migraines?? What about seizures?"
"What are your restrictions?"
"Are you going back on a mission?"
"So what are your plans now?"

Weelll...to answer these in one fail swoop (or at least those who read and have the same questions)

- I feel AMAZING!! I have off days every once in a while, but for the most part best I have ever felt in my whole life.

- I haven't had a migraine in probably over a month. I would say going from one almost every day for 6 months to 0...pretty sweet. What a miracle and so many prayers were answered! As far as seizures...zero as well. Wahoo!

- I can't do any contact sports for 6 months after surgery and exercise and lifting are limited. No dental work for 6 months...and well that is about it. Anything that feels ok is a go...sometimes when my heart rate goes up it hurts because it is still healing and there is a pretty decent sized device it is trying to get used to.

- As for right now I don't think I am going back on the mission. But who ever knows??

- I have NO idea what I am doing for my plans with life. It is really cramping my style.  And stressing me BIG time.

And really I am posting about my 3 month post surgery because I had my 3 month check up today and kids....it went SO good!! I am so happy.

They did an echocardiogram and then a bubble study test to see how my heart works now and see if I had full closure yet over my device.

This is where they put small saline bubbles in my heart and my brain to see if any pass through the other chambers. And for those of you who think medical stuff is awesome, I found a sweet video that shows what a normal heart looks like when they do the study:


You can see all the white bubbles on one side but none on the other.

And in contrast what an abnormal study looks like. This is what my test looked like before surgery:


On this one you can see bubbles passing from one side of the heart to the other showing there is a hole and leaking.

I am so happy to say that my test looked just like video #1 today and I had full closure after my surgery! They said I looked SO good in fact, that I don't even have to come back for my 6 month check up...only my year marker. I was thrilled to have some good news :).

My life has changed so dramatically. I feel like a new person in a lot of ways and I feel so incredibly blessed in this area of my life....and really, really blessed that I didn't die from stroke. Whew.

Thank you sooooooo much to everyone has supported, prayed, and thought of me during this time. It seriously means more than you can ever know.

Now for better days ahead, and more and more adventures to come :)
Monday, July 4, 2011

Ewww, bugs... BUG!

So over this weekend I went to my Grandma's little ranch. Well, as I was visiting I felt some little creeper bug bite me!

I figured oh well, no big deal...must be a mosquito. Well, that night it kept swelling...and swelling, and SWELLING. I thought I was just allergic and tried not to think about it and just took Ibuprophen and Benadryl and figured it would go away. The next day it was so big after working on it I couldn't get my shoes on for church! And then...extreme pain set in as I was working yesterday. Pretty soon it looked like this:

And honestly, that picture doesn't give it justice...it was hot and red and looked like I had broken my ankle since it was the size of a grapefruit all the way around. I was in tears by the time I got home from work and I realized this was no mosquito. Thank goodness I still have some good pain meds left over because I was in a ridiculous amount of pain. So what little snitchy bug did this to me?! And should we be worried? We don't know.

The swelling is starting to go down but the pain is so much worse....uhhhh. My whole foot tingles and I have a dull ache down through the muscle with shooting pain clear up to my thigh! What the heck?! I will kill that dumb bug.

I just keep thinking to myself, REALLY?! Really. Another thing? I am sick of having "things". Just put a target on my back. It is so funny the dumb things I get! And then I chuckle about it. And then I get bugged...pun intended.

 I was bummed too because these munchkins are in town:

My darling cousins who are getting so big! They all headed off to the parade this morning and I was so excited to go...but I was hopped up on pain meds...bummer.

Good thing we are having a blast anyway and I LOVE having my family here so much. These kids are TOO cute and it is fun having the grandparents, aunties and uncles around too.

Well I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Forf of July! Please no getting hurt with the fireworks tonight...AND NO MORE BUGS! They are dumb.