Take on Me

Things I am really just loving.

2012-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Like I said earlier, lately, life has been pretty good. It is really nice to have things just be better, and feel better, and go better in general. I feel so blessed for that!

Anyway, I am really loving a few things right now...

1. Schlack.

Ever heard of it ladies?? If not...it is INCREDIBLE. A manicure/fingernail polish that lasts about 3 weeks. No chipping. Looks amazing.

2. The Gym

I love that I can work out again! It really has been probably a year and a half, at least, since I have been able to work out. I had to wait a while before I could do cardio after my surgery and it feels so good to just be moving again.

3. Baptisms.

One of my friends from South Korea was baptized last week. It was one best I have ever seen and she was glowing! I could not hold back the tears because I loved it so much. It made me miss the mission like crazy!

4. Teavana.

Do you like herbal tea?? Because seriously this place is insane. I am loving their amazing teas...and the store is lovely.

Moroccan Mint...yum.

5. Living at home.

I like moving out and being on my own, but living at home rocks. It's also easy on the wallet. And I kinda like these nut cases...

6. Not being school.

I never knew how awesome having no school could be. So awesome, in fact, that (don't be mad) I seriously changed my major again. This time I promise it is the LAST time. When I realized I could have a master's in Public Health by the time I have a Bachelor's or possibly even an RN in nursing, I quickly changed my mind. So here is the official major (and is it not perfect for me?? I have never felt better): Public Health with an emphasis in International Development and minoring in Gerontology. Seriously everything I love rolled into one...plus still working in health...and not wasting all of my hard work in science classes. Also, I can have my degree in 3 semesters. Please and thank you.

7. My job!

I love, love, LOVE my new job. Honestly, how cute are these kids?? The only problem is how attached I get to these darling people. If you have a loved one who needs extra care in an assisted living center, Bel Aire in American Fork is really incredible. Also, if you need volunteer hours...you would love it! Just let me know.

8. My Facebook contest at work.

Can you help me win?? It only takes two seconds! I just need to get the most votes on Facebook proving I am the biggest fan of my old folks home so I can win a romantic weekend get away...haha. But seriously.

Don't worry, I want to give it to my parents...so I really want to win! Vote for me HERE.

9. Ash is coming home!

This little Sister Missionary is coming home in less than a month! I can't wait for my Vegas weekend to reunite with my bestest best friends.

10. Politics.

I am really getting in to this year's presidential election. Ya, ya, Mitt is a Mormon...but that is not why I am interested. I just really, really can't wait to see Obama out of that dang white house. Can we hurry any faster?

That is all. Have a happster day!

Old age is contagious.

2012-01-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Goodness, I haven't been on here in forever.

Life has been really good to me lately. I have been pretty busy finishing up the semester and starting my new job as the Activities Director over the Alzheimer's unit at my job....oh also the holidays. I almost forgot they have come and gone!

But I am seriously LOVING my job.

It is crazy. Absolute madness...and each day brings a new and different kind of challenge and they definitely keep me on my toes. I have really learned a lot of different skills including patience, which I am so happy about. This disease is so cruel and I don't know how I would deal with it if it is was my own family member. However, I feel so privileged to be able to spend so much time with these wonderful people who teach me new things every day. All I can say is because their long-term memory is pretty well in tact they give amazing advice, have great stories, and very interesting and incredible backgrounds.

It has been kind of a weird transition from being a CNA to just doing straight activities because I am used to doing all of the personal care for them. Now, although a lot less physical, it is a lot more mentally taxing.

...that is why I say old age is contagious. I am so tired all the time! I have been going to bed some nights at 9:30. And I am totally happy with that.

Mainly, dementia and Alzheimer's is all about staying busy, busy, busy! And simple busy. That is what makes you so worn out...staying so busy. Whether it is having them help you with laundry...unfolding it and folding it again, sorting forks and spoons, or doing art therapy...staying busy is the key.

I am excited because we are going to be doing a great tea party with giant hats and big jewelry and a sweethearts dance sonn! How fun. I love the old folks.

Also lately I randomly met all of these ESL students at this party! We have been good friends ever since and I have been meeting people from all over the world...mostly from South Korea. I love getting all this culture in my life. I also love the missionary work I get to do, even though I am not necessarily in the mission field :).

Well, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a great New Year's day. I have been so healthy and then I got hit these last couple days with a sinus infection and have been down flat in bed. I forgot how sucky it is to be sick...which is awesome, because it means I have gone that long without feeling like that.

Being sick = TV.

So updates?

Good news...OPRAH is back. Whoa, I love her. This makes me way happy.

Also, dumb Bachelor is starting tomorrow. You know I'll be watching no matter how stupid I think it is. How fun is it to make fun of all the crazies??

And Grey's Anatomy has literally been killing me. Of course they leave like 6 weeks in between one of the most intense episodes of all time.

Last but not least, the New Year's countdown was pretty good. Enough pelvic thrusting to last me an entire lifetime...but other than that it was good. Lady Gaga...it is crazy to think that I was freaked about how un-freaky she was. I was waiting for a crazy stunt and outfit and all she gave us was this black globe of an outfit that looked just really uncomfortable. That's why she took it off, I guess.

Ok, and this one...but still not that weird. Comparatively that is.

And to just leave you with a little clip to make you feel better about your house if it is not spotless after the holidays.You will be absolutely amazed! I almost couldn't handle watching this...not just because it was absolutely disgusting and horrific, but because of how incredibly ridiculous this lady is. If she played the "victim" card one more time, I would have died. So gross.

Happy New Year!

Remember that one time?

2011-12-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

Remember that one time when I for reals had no life??

...Well, ok, that has happened on multiple occasions mostly for health reasons. But this time because school was so incredibly ridiculous.

Or when I complained 800 billion times more than normal in a single semester?

Or cried my head off after my finals were done....not just because of the sure difficulty of it. Or the fact that I worked so hard to only get in there and feel completely confident on MAYBE 5 of the questions he asked (luckily, pretty sure everyone felt that way) for lecture. But just because I had been so anxiety ridden over this week for 3 plus months, that after all was said and done I just was so emotional. Dumb, I know, but it is that big let down after all the stress.

Or when I got an iPhone 4S and I talk to Siri like she's my mom? Also, it changed my life. It's true, I know it is a "thing", but it is a pretty awesome "thing". And I love it so much.

Or when I got myself into a lot of awkward dating situations?

Or what about getting an awesome promotion as Alzheimer's Activity Director at my work? Ha! So excited.

Or what about realizing I would normally be coming home from my mission at this time? How weird is that?

Or when I didn't update my blog for a month?

Or being the biggest grumpy head of all during this Christmas season?

Or the best of all, that I am FINISHED with my swear word finals!

So much has happened. I feel like a semester in young adult life equals 5 years in normal life. So many changes, so many ups and downs, so many crazy situations.

And honestly...if I had the time or motivation I would write down all of the freaky situations that I was in over the last month. They are honestly so funny, and I just feel like I am a magnet for just the weirdest things. So great. I am glad crazy things happen....it wouldn't be fun if they didn't.

Here are some pictures of the last month or so. Sorry if you are on my facebook...you've probably already seen them.

Hope you have a happy finals week everyone. If you can even use the word "happy" and "finals" in the same sentence. Finals really cramp my style.

Now for picture over-haul.

Had a great birthday! Thanks for all the birthday love. It was a great day.

Got to spend a day and go to the SLC temple with these great gals (and Cam's hubby) over Thanksgiving (yes, that was a while ago). I had never been through Salt Lake and I loved it! SO good to see my long lost sister as well. Don't we look so Asian-ly similar?? Good thing she is Asian and I am not...even though most people would argue I am.

Life on the activities end of things. Just setting up decorations with my best crazy in the whole world! I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said, "My two front teeth back of course!" Haha, I was dying laughing. I don't want her to get them though...her one toothed grin is much too good to make me feel better about life.

Old companion reunion from the mish. Always good to reminisce and remember how wonderful the mission was.

I'm pretty sure I'm a cadaver...

2011-11-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

because I am so DEAD tired.

And is anyone having a good semester? Because I am pretty sure I haven't found anyone yet. And I talked to about 6 people on the brink of a nervous breakdown this week. What is going on?? However, that may be because most of the people I talk to are also turning into cadavers as well because we are in the lab so much. And we hate life a little right now.

And THAT may be because the average on one of the tests this week was so incredibly bad that our crazy professor wouldn't even tell us what it was....but when I was looking through I'm pretty sure the highest was a 65% and average was around 20% ( and someone should REALLY tell him when he has TWO questions with options A-J and there is no right answer in any of those options...there is probably a problem with the test). When you have 200 people in a class all freaking out all at the same time....all of the time, it can get a little intense.

Because this semester is so stressful (and it TRULY was never meant to be...I thought 7 credits would be so easy) I find myself super grumpy and I get agitated over the littlest things. Like for example:

1. This kid who probably sniffled 465 times in the half hour while I was taking my test in the testing center. Blow your nose, I can't concentrate.
2. That seriously, every single road I have to drive on all the time is being worked on.
3. Dealing with dumb doctors who don't listen.
4. When I blow out my tires on the freeway because there is a huge block of wood (a railroad tie) in the middle of the road. I don't know how I didn't die.
5. When I do blow out my tires and the nice highway patrolman change them, my car falls of the jack.
6. Having 3-4 tests a week...in one class.
7. Finding out I have to work my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve...and possibly final's week.
8. Having really bad insomnia.
9. A full moon AND time change in the Alzheimer's unit....it has been more nuts than you can imagine.
10. People who argue, just to argue. And compare your life to theirs. Why are you comparing? Drives me nuts.

Oh my gosh, I feel so much better.

Good things are happening in my life too...I am not grumpy ALL of the time.

1. I am officially going back to Dixie...and I seriously am SO excited.
2. Although that class is insane, I am doing pretty good....I have no idea how.
3. I am feeling soooo much better. And nothing is like getting your health back.
4. It is almost the break.
5. I have a weekend off!
6. I at least LIKE my job...even if I work a ton.
7. I am more than half way done with this ridiculous class.
8. I can finally apply for the nursing program :)
9. I didn't die on the freeway.
10. I have THE most incredible friends and family.

Also here are some things that make me happy:

If you haven't seen these girls...whoa. They are SERIOUSLY hilarious. Kids with English accents are so much cooler. Also, I would love if she gave me just a quarter of her energy...I wouldn't feel like a cadaver anymore, I am sure.

Here is the follow up... so funny.

Also, I am not a huge Twilight fan, but I might be if Ellen was in the movie.

Happy weekend everyone!

Pinterest...

2011-10-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

is literally killing me.

After saying over and over again that I would not sign up...I totally caved.

It is so addicting.

And it reminds me of how much time I do not have.

But I LOVE it!

Sheesh.

Here are some of my favorite pins so far...

Magnetic makeup board.

Jewelry holder out of a cheese grater! So great.

How to catch drips from water jugs...

Paper towel roll decoration.

So cute!

Well...if you don't have Pinterest, think wisely before signing up.

It is amazing...but sooo hard to stop looking at all the cool stuff!

If you do have it, you can follow me here:

Happy pinning!

Good times at Dixie State

2011-10-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

It was my fall break this week and so I went for a visit during homecoming to this place:

It made me want these good times back....really bad.

Seriously, there is nothing better than Dixie spirit and it was so fun to go to my Student Government reunion for the 100 year celebration. It made me so homesick!! Honestly, choosing Dixie was one of the best and most random decisions I ever made. I remember, I was all set to go to BYU and had everything ready to go when I didn't have a good feeling about going there all of the sudden. It made no logical sense, but it felt so sure. I went down and took a tour and was offered a good scholarship and I immediately fell in love with the campus. The rest is history, and I can definitely say I was led to Dixie and can see so clearly now why I needed to be there.

I knew one person in all of Saint George, UT...but I ended up making some of the best friends I have ever had and experienced the greatest and most challenging 3 years of my life.

Well, I am still so close with the best people in the world! I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to in the short trip, but I did get to see these girls (minus Kels :( add a couple extra!).

I had a wonderful weekend going to the Alumni banquet, the homecoming dance to be Stef's date and help out (which PS. if you are reading this and you have gone to Dixie...it is growing so much! That dance was huuuggggee. It looked amazing! Good job student gov!), going up to Dixie rock and reminiscing, shopping, and catching up with all the people I love so much.

Well, I loved this weekend so much I am seriously considering going back in January....there are a lot more pro's then con's. We'll see!

Have a happy day!

Blogworthy moments...

2011-10-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have had some pretty great blog-worthy moments the last few days. They were really just so random and funny...definitely worth sharing.

1. I came down with Bronchitis Saturday morning and so I decided to go to Urgent Care and get checked out. Well, this really funny old couple comes in and they are just yelling and fighting with each other like you would not believe. I thought to myself, "hmmm...am I at work in the Alzheimers unit? I feel like am...it all sounds strangely familiar."

Well, they continued, and the lady kept saying, "you are so stupid for making me come! I don't need to be here! You never listen to me!" Well, I look over and she has this large slice in her chin. I didn't think much about it until her husband goes to the front and says....for reals..

"My wife here was trying to cut her whiskers and cut her chin instead. "

I immediately bit my tongue as HARD as I could so I would not burst out laughing!

Poor thing...I wouldn't want anyone to know either.

2. I go to Macy's, and lately I have been listening to talks and things on tape. Well, I was really just at the very end of one and wanted to finish before I went into the store. So I turned off my engine and was just sitting there until this random guy gets in my car....
Needless to say, I am pretty startled and confused and he finally looks over, just as confused and says,

"Sorry! Wrong car!"

Pretty funny. And a little freaky.

3. Going to the Eye doctor is usually a non-invasive, easy in easy out type of examination.You sit behind those giant glasses that they change the lenses on and the doctor rarely touches you right? Well, when mine checks me he shines his light up to my eye and he gets SO close that his cheek is on mine and I just always feel really uncomfortable...for sure invading my bubble. He also has horrible breath which just adds to the experience, and says "ompen (instead of open) and close".

So there I am, and I just can't help but start to feel giggly...real mature right? So to keep myself from laughing I was literally biting down hard enough to take a chunk out of my cheek or tongue.

And then suddenly, I just couldn't hold it anymore and I just burst out laughing. Loud. It was super awkward...I had no idea how to explain why I was laughing and just had to B.S. something.

Awkward.

Speaking of awkward, if you have never been to awkwardfamilyphotos.com....I beg of you to go. It will bless your life. Here are some of my favorites...

So amazing!! It is hard to just pick a few....

Well, I am FINALLY on fall break and headed to Good ol' Dixie this weekend. I can't wait!! I miss it so much.

Happy Wednesday.

Anatomy at UVU

2011-10-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

UVU anatomy class is insanely ridiculous.

I know, I know, everyone says ALL anatomy classes are hard, but I am telling you from experience that this one is ca-razy. I compared my book to Dixie's, BYU's and SLCC...and I am telling you, probably 40 to 50% more info.

Why am I even taking it again? I took at Dixie and I am stupid...because some advisor told me that a B- in lecture and an A in lab would never get me into the UVU nursing program. Maybe not. But little did I think, "duh, you can at least try UVU and apply other places..." No, I just did it, not knowing the ridiculousness of it.

Trust me, this kind of stuff fascinates me. However, it doesn't fascinate me when my teacher wants to trick us on tests and put a ridiculous amount of information into one week.

Needless to say the average on our tests have been 35-45%...and thank goodness they curve! I have never been so happy about a 60% on a test in my life, until now.

I walk around the school and see other students carrying all of their anatomy books (which equals a library by the way) and we always seem to make eye contact with each other as to say, "Oh, you are in anatomy? You hate life right now also? Glad we are in this together."

I will say however, that by the time this experience is over I will know anatomy REALLY well after taking it a second time and taking it from Shively. Great guy, horrible at writing tests. And you know, I really feel like they pride themselves on the fact that they are the hardest in the state and like to keep it that way. So a little advice from Chels...don't take it at UVU.

I know I am studying too much when instead of saying a normal direction like a normal person something slips out "medial" or "inferior". Or dreaming about muscles. Or random words just are going through my head all of the time like "sustentaculum tali of the calcaneous". Or when I go to work thinking "wow, they have awesome defined muscles...they would make a great cadaver." So not ok...but it just happens!

So wish me luck kids. If you want to find me, follow the formaldehyde smell. I will more than likely be there.

PS. I can apply for nursing in Jan! Finally. We'll see!

Blind dating

2011-10-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

Well, if I had a nickel for every person who said they wanted to set me up with someone these days I would be rich!

Don't worry, I actually really like to be set up on blind dates because I feel like I get to know more people, and for the most part mine have gone really well when my friends have set me up....it hasn't gone so well when the old folks have tried.

Here are some stories just to prove my point.

1. I was getting a resident ready for bed and was just rubbing some lotion on her hands and helping her feel comfortable when she says to me, "oh, I bet your husband loves when you help him like this." I replied, "well, actually I am not married". "You're not?! Well, I have the perfect guy to set you up with...his name is Blaine and he is 68 years old. How old are you?"

Aye.

By this time my jaw has dropped and I am just cracking up. "I'm 22! That's a HUGE gap!"
"Oh, age don't matter" she says, "plus he is pretty rich... he has his own apartment. His wife died 14 years ago so he knows how to treat the ladies. Do ya like to bowl? He loves to bowl."

So I am just getting a kick out of this until hear her on the phone in the other room (talking extra loud because she can't hear) "Blaine! I got a lady friend here I was you to meet!"

Color is now draining out of my face because I can't believe she ACTUALLY called him. Luckily nothing has transpired so far and I hope she has just forgotten the conversation even occurred...I hope he has too.

2. Also another resident has been saying she wanted to set me up on a blind date for weeks with a "Polynesian man", because I am Polynesian and I preach that I love the brown ones. Well, months go by and she is still telling me that as soon as she finds out his name she will let me know.

Well she found out alright.....

It just HAPPENED to be my Uncle Jay.

That will not work on SO many levels. Good try though!

From now on, I will not be taking set-ups by my patients, thank you very much!

And on a side note... best quote of the week goes to Alzheimer's side...it went a little something like this:

"Don't you look at me like I have Syphilis!"

Uhhh...ok!

HILARIOUS I tell you, hilarious.

Have you seen this??

2011-09-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

I pretty much die every time....so great.

There are a bunch more...a few different spins but the same ladies.

Happy Sunday!

Old Folks say the darndest things :)

2011-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's true...you never know what will come next. It is so great.

Here are some of my favorite things that were said in the last couple weeks at work...

1. While I was getting someone in bed for the night:

Me: "Man, I am just so tired I might have to steal your little beddy!"
Resident: "Oh you don't have to steal it! Just jump in here and get sniggly and snoogly and snogly and close those little Asian eyes."
Yes.

2. Me: "Are you tired? Do you want me to help get you in your jamies and to bed?"
Resident: "Oh! Yes, yes, yes...I old and I'm ugly and I'm tired and I'm even pregnant!"

3. Me: "Oh my word, you just look so pretty! You got your hair all snazzied up!"

Patient with a sweet Southern Belle accent/the most sarcastic attitude in all the world:
"Oh yes, I am SO pretty. And I have lot's of money, and plenty of boyfriends, and the most beautiful wardrobe in all the world...and I have no wrinkles and I am not old at all! You want me to keep going??"

She is THE cutest 98 year old I have ever seen.

4. A lady came to sing (so sweet), but our little Alzheimer's side was just little more agitated than usual.
This is how my conversation went..
Resident: "How long is this going to go on?"
Me: "Just for a half an hour."
Resident: "Well, I don't want to listen to this! Where are the rest of the people that live here??"
Me: "They are taking a nap."
Resident: "Lucky Ba*t$%ds, don't have to listen to this all day."

5. One resident thought we were in a cemetery and that dead people were on top of live people.
They insisted that I called the caretaker RIGHT THIS SECOND and get the back hoe and dig them up.
This meant a 5 min fake phone call to the "care taker".

6. One resident LOVES hot chocolate. In fact, they won't eat or drink anything (for the most part) but hot chocolate. I say by 95 you have earned the right to do nothing but drink hot chocolate all day if you want to (we put Ensure instead of milk so that there is at least a LITTLE nutrients in it). I call them "Swiss Miss" and told them if I had to take her blood I don't think we would find blood, but just hot chocolate!

7. Me: "I am so sorry sweetheart, but we are going to have to take you to the hospital...the ambulance will be right here to get you."
Resident: "Ohhhhh no! I am just fine! Tell them I don't want to...and I'm afraid of the big bad wolf."

8. I got called a hornynick because I wouldn't give a sugar free resident a chocolate...what the judd is a hornynick? I don't know but I was dying laughing.

Oh dear...I love these kids.

More later.

I may or may not be dead....

2011-09-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

because I am so tired. And my brain hurts.

No one would know if I am dead or alive though because I see no one anymore...not even my roommates hardly because I am never home.

I just stay in my car driving back and forth from work, to school, back to work, back to the library.

Then I wake up and do it all again....

Blog?? What is a blog? I don't even know anymore because I haven't been on this thing in forever.

Sheesh.

Anyway, I am working WAY too much (aka 55 hours plus a week...trust me I am trying to get less) and my class load is much harder than I expected...but I am going to live. Maybe.

And one day I just might be a nurse. But sometimes I seriously have my doubts.

Either way, I paid for this experience (can you believe we pay tons of money to put ourselves through this hell called college??) and I can tell you I am working my little bum off to do well.

On a good note, it is amazing how much better I can think after this heart surgery. Seriously...it is crazy.

Well, I had been waiting to post this but I have also been so busy like a bee trying to get together a surprise 50th birthday party for this pretty lady:

It worked so great too! She seriously had no idea at all and the best surprise was flying in this other pretty lady...

Her Sister (or Stisto as they call each other) from Seattle. I wish I had her reaction on film because it was amazing and made me cry so much!

I will post pictures later of how it turned out...I was pretty happy with it.

Can you believe she is 50? Ya, me neither. Her cake was a bonfire because she is so old ;).

Anyway, life is good and I am happy to not be laying on the couch dying...even if sometimes I do feel like laying around all day.

Hope everyone has a happy day and a great top 10 lines from the good ol' old folks coming soon....

A whole lotta crazy.

2011-09-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, everything has been nuts lately. A few updates:

1. I moved into my little house and I love it! (pictures to come)

2. I started school and it is nutso. Remember how I was wanting to be busy?? Well, tad-dah! Almost too busy.

3. I am working a ton and I still love it oh, so much! Even if I am so worn out by the end of the night my eye-balls feel like they are going to fall out and my back hurts sa-bad.

4. I am going back to being a nurse. Don't worry I have changed my major 600 times. Now that I feel good I realize how much I love it. Maybe one day I will have a bachelor's? One day. Work hard now so you can work even harder later right?

5. I miss my little fam. I love being on my own again but I do miss my house too!

Well, on a random note I was looking at my friend's video that went viral...they are so nuts, but it is a pretty cool video. Don't worry, he is the one in the green frog suit, naturally.

And then it reminded me of this other crazy man....

Why are people so nuts? I am not brave, that is for sure.

Happy Friday!

I got my hair did...

2011-08-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yep.

One of the old folks did my hair last night.

Pretty spiffy right?

And now I give you the top ten moments of my night on Alzheimer's unit...

1. Finding a pillow with all of the stuffing out of it and all of it EVERYWHERE.

2. The water pitcher spilled everywhere.

3. Getting meds spit in my face... not once, not twice, but three times.

4. My arm getting almost twisted off.

5. Getting a big smooch on the mouth when I for sure wasn't paying attention.

6. Finding someone with two watches on, four shirts...one tied on the head, dentures missing, and pants on backwards.

7. Getting my ear talked off about how false the Mormon church is...little does she know she IS a Mormon haha.

8. Finding a straw that one resident put in another one's shirt collar.

9. Faking three phone calls to tell them that they will report for the army reserve in the morning.

10. And giving someone laundry to fold...un-folding and giving it back...unfolding it again...and giving it back... again...and again.

Needless to say I am tired. I have also become an awesome liar....or truth stretcher. You have to think quick when they have an idea or story in their head I tell ya! Just go with it or you will have a really long night of confusion.

P.S. I am pretty sure it was so crazy because it is a full moon. You think I am joking, but I am being completely serious.

Good thing I love them SO much.

Have a good night!

Yeah, yeah, so I'm a nerd.

2011-08-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I am laying here DYING with a Kidney Stone (yes, believe it) and so I have been watching a lot of TV again. Well, I am pretty nerdy and LOVE things like the Discovery, Science, Discovery Health, and ID channels. There are a few shows that I especially love...."How It's Made" and "How Do They Do It?". These basically show you how every day things are made and manufactured. It really is so interesting!

Well, my favorite yesterday was learning about Australian money! It is plastic just so you know, and it looks like this:

This video shows you how it is made. So if you are a little nerdy like me, check it out because it is pretty incredible.

P.S. The U.S. needs to step it up and get us some plastic money! I am sick of washing mine....and I think we should add some color. Don't you?

Have a happy Friday!

Wonderful weekend.

2011-08-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was so crazy. I had:

- One of my best friend's wedding
-A family reunion
- Work
- And a Real Soccer game

I feel like I was on the road a lot...down to Manti, Salt Lake, Sundance, and Salt Lake again...but I had a blast. I am not so much in the writing mood so here are some pictures of my adventures...

The happy couple:

All the bridesmaids!

The Saint George Bridesmaids

Me and Kels so sad that Ash is not there...

And look at Vayla's amazing bridals by Erin Summerill. She looks stunning right? And so does Chad of course...

SO pretty. And yes, if you were wondering, those are ALL her lashes. Kill her.

And then of course the Real Game where Salt Lake slaughtered New York 3-0. I love Real Salt Lake games...if you live in the area and you haven't gone, you need to go.

However, when we are trying to watch this:

And you get this instead:

it is not super fun. Rough I tell you.

Way fun.

Have a happy day!

Thank goodness...

2011-08-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

this waste of space of a show is almost over.

As in tonight it is over. Gosh, I just can't handle this season...or really the show in general. I know, I know...don't watch it right? Too late, I HAVE to. Don't watch it with me either because this is my time to break out and commentate on every thing that happens....

I am so sick of this itch I have to scratch and I ready for her to just pick JP never let me hear her ever say "par-fect" again.

Also, does she seem more emotional than some of the other bachelorettes we have seen??

Uhhh... BEGONE!

Now who will be the next Bachelor? If it is Ryan I am done. That is just TOO much too far.

Alright, enough of this. Have a happy Monday!

Cry my eyes out.

2011-07-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

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.

A little of this, and a little of that.

2011-07-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

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!

Some great dating advice from the old folks.

2011-07-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

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...

Sweet, sweet, summer time.

2011-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

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!

My Heart: 3 months post surgery.

2011-07-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

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 :)

Ewww, bugs... BUG!

2011-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

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.

I should just expect it....

2011-06-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

The other night, me and my friend Linnea decided to go see Source Code. It was so good by the way....I am sure I am way behind because it is at the dollar theater now, but I loved it.

Anyway, we walk in and I see the cutest guy. I turn to Linnea and the conversation goes like this:

Me: "Hey! He is way cute."

Linnea: Looking over to see a tall skinny white guy and a brown Polynesian man, "Which one? Oh duh, I should just look for the brown ones with you."

Me: "I'm sorry, I just can't help myself."

Brown man walks by, Linnea gives me the nod and the wink.

Linnea: "I bet he will be in our movie..."

We sit down behind this girl, get comfy.
In walks brown man.....Linnea gives me the nod and wink.

Brown man walks into the aisle in front of us and plops down right next to his cute date.

Both of us look at each other and bust up laughing.

Of course, of course. I should just expect that kind of situation to happen.

It was hilarious.

Whew.

2011-06-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am just so tuckered out! It is a good tuckered.

I worked the last couple of nights and it sure was a few busy ones.
It feels so good to be busy. It feels so good to do SOMETHING!

I love my people where I work. It is the best facility in the world and I enjoy it so much.

My favoritiest lady has been sooooo funny lately. I asked her if I could write about her and she said yes...she loves it. Loves the attention!

She gave me a new nick name...Kitchy Witchy. I have absolutely no idea why, but she loves to call me that. She still can't get over that I am not Japanese either...won't let it go. I love to come up behind her and give her a little snort and scare her so bad! Then tell her I am the half man half ET that she thinks hides under bed and that she feeds cookies. She yells and laughs so hard and I tell her how much I love her. She just LOVES to be teased...loves it.

Well, I give you a little video I found on my facility's FB. I. was. dying. Now you can officially see the hilarity of her...

Enjoy!

Oh Imo, you're the best thing that ever happened to me.

Lately....

2011-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

I feel like punching life in the face.

Or giving it a big wet willy.

I just know that one of these times I am gonna catch a break.

Don't know when, don't know how....but I am holding my breath for it.

And today I really feel like this:

Except probably a little bit more grumpy. Yep, yep I do.

Luckily there is this place:

where I can forget about how unbelievably crappy sometimes life can be and feel at peace, even for just a few hours. (Learn about this place HERE)

And then I can remember him:

And then I can at least breathe for a little bit longer.

My mantra: I can do hard things.

Oh, my little homey.

2011-06-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is my my little homey Jaden that I LOVE so, so much!

On my mission I met one of my most favorite families ever who had the funniest and cutest kids! Jaden, the youngest (4 then, now 5) was the biggest crack up in the world. He was just a little ladies man who taught us how to over-use the word "homey".

Every time we came over his favorite thing to do was run up with his little nike's, hat to the side, and long bball shorts and say (with his wanna-be peace sign...but it was really three fingers instead of two like this...)

and say, "Peace out homies!"...over and over again. So funny...well, we thought it was. I think his parents got super sick of it and we kind of egged it on hahah oops!

We then became the "homies" instead of the Sisters and we loved it.

Then one day when we left he said in all seriousness, "I love you homies. I love you Sissies." I. about. died. it was so cute!

My companion and I said that to each other probably 8,000 times a day...and we continue to call each other homies from now on. It is great times.

Luckily I have this hilarious video to show you how cute it is! Enjoy!

What made me think of this homey was these little homies on America's Got Talent that my mom showed me! How cute are they??

Happy Wednesday!

It's a disease...or a growth.

2011-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously, that is how I feel about this show.

A few years back some of my greatest of friends said, "Hey Cheltz, just watch one episode of this show."

And after that point it was this annoying growth that I had.

It was like I honestly thought to myself, "Wow, this show is ridiculous", and then I just kept watching...and watching. And now, I have to watch...and it still drives me nuts.

She:

drives me absolutely bonkers. She is beautiful and smart...but I can't handle listening to her. Yet, there I watch, week after week because I must know what happens.

And if she mentions him:

one more time, my hand may just go through the screen. Sweetie, you only knew him 3 weeks.

Our Utah boy has caused quite the stir. Yes he was such a jerk...but I honestly couldn't help but chuckle because the show is so ridiculous that it is funny that he dooped everyone. What I am not laughing about is when she has to watch back what he said about her...that makes me sad. If you don't watch or aren't watching this season let me show you what he is like:

Me and the Sis were laughing so hard...what an idiot. Especially how he is at the end towards the guys....what dummy...yet so hilarious.

And I was also freaking out this week because it took place in Phuket, Thailand RIGHT where were last summer! Even the sea kayaking trip they went on I went on...so that was pretty cool.

Ok, enough about this show.

I hate it.

But you can bet I will still watch it next week.

Ugh.

If things go as planned....

2011-06-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

I hope to be going here next summer for another good dose of humanitarian work:

Some of my very favorites from my mission invited me to go with them.

Uhhhmmmm...you seriously do not even need to finish your sentence

before I have my ticket bought and I am in my seat.

I will think of you every day my Filipino darling Cami Fairbanks.

I hope it all works out...because in my mind...I'm already there.

Ha!

I seriously want to go everywhere and work in every orphanage that ever was.
Hence...why I changed my major.
See you soon Manila :)

Old folks make me sa-happy.

2011-06-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend I started working back at my most favoritest old folks home EVER. The two ladies above are still there along with many other of my great friends. I am starting back but still taking it easy because I am working up my strength...but boy it makes me happy to be back.

Working with the elderly seriously brings me so much joy I can't even begin to tell you. Their wrinkley sweet faces, good stories, and sometimes outlandish comments make me so happy.

I have been working on memory support side which definitely is not always easy but somehow I just love it. These are people with Alzheimers, Dementia, Schizophrenia and other mind altering problems which makes for SUPER interesting nights.

Top 10 favorite moments of the past two days:

1. Looking over to see three residents all reading the paper upside down.
2. Getting smacked in the face when trying to change someone's clothes.
3. Going to take one person's teeth out and finding another resident's teeth in the cup instead.
4. Finding one resident with 3 shirts on, one backwards, and pants on with no undies.
5. Having 4 of them meet to conspire to break out.
6. One resident offering me 100,000 dollars to give the code to get out...show me the money honey.
7. Getting told, "love you honey" with a cute kiss on the cheek more times than I can count.
8. Finding really creative ways to get pills down really agitated residents with chocolate and then getting them spit in your face.
9. Finding one resident pulling all of the flowers out of pots and planting them outside.
10. Finding one resident hiding behind the chair "playing house".

Oh it sure is eventful. I am so glad that I can take care of these sweet people in their last days and I always hope they get the very best of care. They sure deserve it...I fall in love with them so quickly.

On my mission I also met a lot of elderly gems...Grandma Lapena is on the left.

She is the best woman I know and gave me more laughs than I can handle. She is also dating a man LITERALLY half her age which makes her even funnier. This is them...

Seriously I cannot handle it, it makes me laugh too much. Like for reals she is 82 and he is 41...what the judd?? She is apparently super hip.

Here is more proof of her hip-ness. For your viewing pleasure....I give you Grandma Lapena (sorry it is sideways...it's worth it I swear.)

Happy be-lated Sunday.

Hug an old person for me this week.

It will make you and them so happy!

2 AM, where ya been?

2011-06-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

Oh well, it is just 2 in the morning and I can't sleep as usual.

What hasn't been usual is I haven't blogged in a good long while. It feels so not normal for me...but good. It means I have been getting out and having a little more of a life. More than life on the couch.

So here is how life is lately and how I feel about it...

1. I still feel really lost. I get asked a lot what I am up to and what is next. I have an answer I have been giving, but to be honest I have no idea. I wish I knew. Oh well...it will come.

2. I feel a bazillion times better and I feel so grateful about it. I honestly feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life as far as my energy goes....this surgery was a miracle.

3. I miss Oprah.

4. Why do I still feel so awkward in 90% of my social interactions?? I have been sometimes TOO social my whole life...and now I feel instantly weird. I guess I still feel like I just got off the mission and I have been living in a hole for six months. Both good reasons to feel weird I guess.

5. If you read my blog and read THIS post and were curious, nah, my bladder is still a complete joke. Kill me please.

6. I am starting work back tomorrow and my most FAVORITE retirement home with old folks and I couldn't be happier about it.

7. I miss my mission so much.

8. I love my friends and it was so good to see so many this week. As weird as I feel being social it feels SO good to be out.

9. I really love not watching TV.

10. This girl looked so beautiful this week at her wedding...

And you should have seen how amazing all of her details were at her reception....I will post pics later.

Congrats Jacki and Kade!

And this one is next...

So crazy! What a gorgeous couple.

Well, that's all for tonight folks. More to come later!

Sickest. Performance. Ever.

2011-05-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today I was maybe not feeling so hot. That left me a full day to catch up on the endless amounts of shows that I have DVR-ed and have not had time to watch. Not watching TV equals feeling awesome. Watching tv = getting a blog post of my opinions on what I watched. This day I watched the Billboard Music Awards and I have to say I was super impressed with their special effects...like Cee Lo Green's piano doing a complete 360 was pretty sweet. But the winner without a doubt, hands down goes to Beyonce. If you didn't see it....please watch it here. So awesome.....

She got a special award and it was pretty cool. She ended her speech with a shout out to her hubby and my personal fave by saying, "I love me some Jay-Z". Well said Beyonce, well said. I also love me some Jay-Z.

Some things that were not so awesome were the strobes...we know how much I hate those. Must we ALWAYS use so many??

And then this song that I generally love was PRETTY rough:

Aye. I was cringing. Along with Kesha's perfomance.... I had to close my eyes the whole time because of the strobes so all I could do was listen and my ears did not love. Bummer....just my opinion though.

And it just wouldn't be right if I didn't comment on this:

What do I think about it??

1. There are just SOOOO man awkward men this season! What the heck? Me and the sis were dying.
2. I can't handle the way Ashley talks. If I hear her say "par-fect" one more time my hand may go through the TV.
3. Her hair looks way better.
4. Why do the Salt Lake people have to be soooo sketchy?

Bently. He is Salt Lake boy....and he is going to be trouble. He is also going to be there a while.
5. How funny was it that this man was so wasted he fell asleep and couldn't be woken up?

How skeptical am I that is was fake? Pretty skeptical. Whether it was fake or whether it wasn't, it was pretty funny and he will never live that down. He will always look like an idiot and I feel sorry for him.

Well, I wish I never ever would have watched this show. It is like a growth....

I have to watch. So annoying.

P.S. Oprah was also epic. Ya Mike, it was. 2 shows left.

P.P.S. I hate TV.

Loving rugby...and players aren't so bad either.

2011-05-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to the National Rugby Championship at Rio Tinto Stadium...it was sweeeeet.

I love soccer so much, love going to Rio Tinto and I thought it would be pretty cool to check out this game. So when my friend Dewey invited me I was way excited! There went me, my sis, and her friend over to the game to see BYU vs Cal-Poly and I am SO happy I went.

Have you seen a real rugby game? It is THE most intense game I have ever seen...and it looks so hurty! It makes football look like the wimpiest game ever.

My son will never play, that is for sure. I would be so nervous he would end up in the emergency room the entire game. I mean check out this clip....seriously. You may think you have seen what rugby is like because you have seen "Forever Strong", but it doesn't do it justice...these are some highlights from the game last night:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The men in rugby are also quite nice...I wouldn't want to lie about that. Their legs are literally the size of tree trunks, and well, super tough. One guy went to the side of the field, pukes, and then runs and takes out another guy...NBD. It was insane. Not that puking is attractive...just saying, they are pretty dang tough. There were plenty of Poly's there...and we know how much I love the brown man ;). Hahah....

Oh man, all in all we googled the rules of the game and I got way into it! I wish the game was bigger here in the states because it is seriously so awesome. I learned what a try and a scrum was and that the clock counts up and not down. All good things to know BEFORE you go, because it is really confusing if you don't.

Basically what I am saying is...if you get the opportunity to go to a game...DO IT!

Who knows? I sure don't.

2011-05-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

I have to be one of the most antsy human beings on the planet.

I know it probably drives my parents insane and whoever I take to be my lofly wedded will probably want to kill me too. It is a blessing and a curse... I know I get a lot done because of it and it also generally helps me make good choices because I am so worried about changing my eternal outcome.

Honestly I have calmed down a lot, but this business of putting me down in bed and rendering me completely useless for 6 going on 7 months is enough to drive me over the edge. Now that I am feeling better I am in limbo of knowing what to do....and that my friends in a lot of ways is worse than being down sick in bed and knowing you can't do anything. Now comes the stress of trying to figure out what is next and what I should do.

I don't really know how to explain it. It is this need to get going...get in gear. Go to school, get a job, date, work out, travel, do student government, get to the temple, scrapbook my whole my life, finish my mission, read every book, DO EVERYTHING.

Where do I go to school? How do I pay for it? Do I get a job? WAIT. Slow down Chels....I don't even feel well enough to do a lot of that! Answer...antsy. Slow down. Get better first. Sheesh.

Everyone and their dog will tell me not to worry about it....but I just can't help it. I just came that way and I don't have any idea what to do. I do however know what degree I want and what I want to do in my life...so that is a step in the right direction, but I can't stand limbo.

You know what else feels confusing? The fact that Oprah only has three shows left.

I just hate it, hate that she is ending. Love the Oprah queen and love the show...I will miss my 4:00 regular that I have watched since I was in like 6th grade. Although I am super excited to see her last three shows....you know they are gonna be bomb. Still bummed I lost the contest to snag 4 tickets! One day I will post the HILARIOUS outtakes of that stupid video. I absolutely HATED doing that entry...if I didn't think I even had a stitch of a chance because only 200 people entered you wouldn't have caught me dead doing that. Well, it was worth a shot.

The sock caper.

2011-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

We all know how much I love my little Scuddles...(see pic)

But there is something he does that makes me absolutely LIVID.

He is the sock THEIF! Or caper, or whatever the heck you want to call him. At any one given moment you can find him with one of our socks in his mouth. For some reason, he just loves them! GAH! This morning I woke up to him next to my head and I went to give him the best of squeezes until I saw THIS:

UH! I immediately stormed out of bed and started chasing him around the house saying, "OH no, Scuddles WE don't eat socks!"

Does he care? No. He takes piles of them. And then where does he sneak them? Oh just to his stash in the back yard.

We found like 6 of them once in his little pile back there. AH! See where does he get them?? Well, the laundry room, if someone leaves them on the floor, out of your shoe, if you leave a low drawer open...but MOSTLY I pretty much always sleep in socks because I am generally freezing at night! But somehow in the night those little sockies end up off my toes.

GUESS who knows that??...SCUDDLES. So he always steals my socks in the night and so I NEVER have matches. It drives me absolutely insane.

So after chasing him all morning and getting plenty of these like 'ashamed I am being bad but I don't really care, I want my sock' faces from him....

I gave up and kind of went about my morning. I walk in and what do I see??? Uhhhhh.....

TWO socks! That little nilly. He makes me so mad. Scuddles! OH WE DON'T EAT SOCKS!

"Oh yes we do," says he.

Good thing I love him SO much.

Good thing he needs a hair cut sooooo bad. He looks like crazy dog and I luff it!

On a complete side note I got to hang out with these cool kids last night:

Gosh they're the best ever! I had so much fun, and too bad I didn't get a pic earlier because this is like barely a quarter of the people that were the BBQ. It felt AMAZING to get out. I almost had tears...I could have, I was so happy. Happy to be outside, happy to be with the best friends ever, happy to be laughing, and happy to just not think about being sick for once. I seriously forgot what it felt like to hang out...between my mission and being sick it has been a while! Loved it. I had to slunk my way home at the end of the night I was just so pooped out from laughing so hard and having so way too much fun.

It was great. Can't wait to have a Summer filled with that where I am feeling awesome :)

More later!

The band Fictionist must win.

2011-05-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

So, I had this fantastic post already to go yesterday to get your most welcomed votes, and then Blogger decided to go out on me ALL day yesterday.

So now I only have a short time to get your votes out.

Look. Point blank this band Fictionist is fantastic.

They are in this little contest called

Rolling Stone: Choose the Cover Contest

It's like totally not a big deal.

LIES. It is a HUGE deal and I just want them to win so dang bad.

If you haven't heard of them, you are just really missing out. That is why I am going to give you a sampling... like Costco on Saturday. This is one of my favorite songs:

See, no gimmicks here. They are fantastic. I am not being bribed to promote them, I just would really love to see some of Provo, Utah-ite/amazing muscianists to just make it. I just love them.

So can't you just help me by really helping them out by just voting?? I mean it is seriously no big deal and will take you LITERALLY all of 2 seconds (and when I say literally, I mean literally).

We don't have much time because round 3 ends TODAY!! They have come so far and are one of the last 4 bands and 2 will be eliminated today. Luckily they are looking like they are in the top 2 but we need to keep them there and keep them (in the words of Charlie Sheen) WINNING!

So look, just rate them 5 STARS here and LIKE them as well. 2 CLICKS and you are done. EASY.

I will love you FOREVER and so will they.

Happy Friday the 13th! Hopefully it will be a lucky day for Fictionist! It will be if you vote ;)

Hesistant to post this....but it is too good/embarrassing/funny not to share.

2011-05-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

People are going to think I am crazy for being so open, but I guess I am kind of just an open book in a lot of ways. If I have to go through it, I would just rather laugh about it with everyone else...because honestly, this is KIND of funny and yes SO not funny at the same time. (Michael Webb is going to LOVE this.)

So the story goes like this: (and just go with it...you have to read to the end to get it.)

It seems like since surgery I can't fully empty my bladder (haha see now you know what I mean and you are thinking, "I seriously can't believe she is posting this.." but I totally am, because it's ridiculous)

I mean literally...so annoying. We are talking like 6 times an hour and I would not even tinkle a teaspoon it seemed like. My hands are so dry from washing them so many times and I was getting no sleep from going up and down up and down....all the freaking time. I could have killed someone. Not only that, but this isn't just plaguing me at night...this is an all day thing as well. I would turn on the water faucet, think of great water falls...ANYTHING to try and just go like a normal human being. A good 8 ounces would be nice...nothin.

Now I was trying not to bring it up to my mom or say anything because it would be, yet again, another "thing" or ailment to deal with and I have been doing SO much better! I just didn't want to ruin it. Well, after too many days and nights I just had to say something. Worried that I may have a bladder infection I went in to my favorite doc.

The nurse came in with a bad look on her face and said, "I think we may have to put a straight cath in and drain the rest of your bladder."

My head went directly in my hands and tears filled my eyes. "Ok. I hate caths so much and if there is anything we can do before resort to that I will do it. I just can't take another thing...."

So that is what they did...they sent off for more testing to see if it had an infection and we would meet for another test tomorrow. Bless that nurse's heart. I HATE being being cathed soooooo much.

On to my long and what somewhat embarrassing story...

Well, no infection and for once that was a bad thing. This leaves no reason for my bladder to be doing this at my age...I have never had a baby, never had a hysterectomy, and I have no infection which means more testing.

The next day they had me come to do an ultra sound. First they would measure me with a full bladder, then they would have me go tinkle and after remeasure to see what my bladder measured. Well, unfortunately after I went my bladder was nearly the same size....see! I told ya! I was only going a little bit. So annoying.

What did this mean I wondered?
Oh they knew...they knew EXACTLY what that meant was....STRAIGHT CATHETER.

Uhhh, I hate them so much. Well, I don't, but I do. They needed to drain the rest of it out. Wanna know what is worse?? Oh ya, I thought being cathed was as bad as it was going to get. But it was about to get, much, much worse. I was going to have to be straight cathed EVERY DAY multiple times a day, EVERYTIME my bladder did not drain all the time. Ya, that's right.

N FREAKIN B D

So while I am having a, 'I seriously can't believe another function of my body is malfunctioning' moment, the nurse proceeds to tell me (and this is the best part, no really it is) that they believe (yes this is true, and funny) that one of the clots or strokes had damaged the part of my brain that remembers HOW TO PEE.

HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA. Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is right. I forgot how!! Shoot darn it all.

But there is good news...I always try to find some good news somewhere. At least I am not WETTING my pants and wearing Depends...quite the opposite I CAN'T pee all the way. I just wish it would come out now an then.

So I will be visiting a team of Neurologists and Neuropsychologists who will be analyzing my brain to see what other damage could have been done and re-train my brain how to tinkle. Won't that be fun?

But then I got looking online and thought who needs the Neuropsychologists when I found this AWESOME line of books that can train me:

Or how about this gem?

Since I originally learned from this book maybe it could jog my memory:

Heck if I could learn in a day, why not!

This one came as a shocker:

Well, I guess I might have to purchase some of these books....maybe it will help train my brain.

The good new of all is that really I am feeling so much better and have been getting out more and more. Also the migraines = rarity :)

So sure I can't pee, and sure my body keeps malfunctioning! At least I don't have strokes!

So if you see me walking like a cowboy...no laughing. There is a good explanation. No one likes being cathed 3 to 4 times a day...it makes me grumps!

Have a good day everyone.

*Sorry if this post offended anyone. I just thought it was too funny to pass up.

Great stuff. Great site.

2011-05-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was catching up on blogs like usual the other day and THIS great blog introduced me to possibly the most addicting site ever...

Wanelo.com

Oh what? You've never heard of it? Neither had I. It is basically a place where people can upload products or stores that are unique. This makes for finding A-mazing and sometimes hilarious stuff. These are things I generally do not need but feel like I should own just for the novelty of it. I continually feel the urge to keep pushing the next page button just to see what could possibly show up.

Here are some of my random finds...

Have some giant ear bud speakers...just cuz.

I do feel like one day I need to have this shower head. It looks divine.

I definitely want this because I love pictures oh so much...I have a pretty sweet picture mobile that I got in NYC and I think it needs this to match.

Have a stache....it's funny. And all the cool kids have them these days.

Have a noosal shower gel/shampoo dispenser. Nothing says to your house guests 'welcome to our home' like a giant noosal in your shower. It is warm and inviting and says 'squeeze me' immediately.

These are so cool! They had these in Thailand and I wanted to play in them. I wondered where I could get them...apparently here.

One day when I am rich I will own this piece of land on the beach and this tub and that sweet rain shower.... I just think I will want some more blinds so no one sees me nakey.

Put your hard earned cash into these cool tulip USB ports....once again...just cuz.

And here is a great find...this boyfriend pillow. Winning!

And I just want to go here and sit in that awesome swing and not leave....it looks wonderful.

How about this cute umbrella? If I move somewhere rainy I think I will just purchase this just because I love it and could use it all the time.

And last but not least I love these strawberry pitters (is that what you would call them? I don't know, that is what I am calling them). I always hate taking the stems out of strawberries and so I LOVE this.

Love this site. There were way too many things that I thought were funny, interesting, or beautiful for me to post so you will just have to check it out yourself! You will love it too :)

More later.

I not a happy girl.

2011-05-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel today.

I am just really grumpy.

(I know good pic right? )

Last night I broke out into a full on allergic reaction. I have fallen ill with many things in my life but I have never had allergies or an allergic reaction. I guess I had a type of reaction but it was because I went out into the sun with a medication so I got a rash, but I have never had hives before.

It first started out just like itching around my ear mildly and then all of the sudden I looked like THIS:

I kid you not. My nose maybe didn't swell, but my ears and eventually my eyes had blisters all over them. Of course my family could not help but make Mike Tyson jokes at my GINORMOUS ears but I was definitely not laughing...ok maybe I was just a little. I looked SO crazy so it was pretty funny I will admit.

The weird thing about hives is that it moves! So today it moved from my ears and eyes to my hands and knees. My hands are now ginormous and look like I have swollen boxing gloves with big welts on them. OUCH! They hurt so bad not only on the outside but they make you feel sick all over.

So today the doctor made me come in to make sure I didn't have any complications because of my heart and he wanted to take a look at me...they are very careful with me now days. We just couldn't figure out why I would have such a reaction! I have been on the anti-biotic they gave so many times before (Z pack), I have no food allergies, and I have been taking the same meds for almost a month now and no problems. Well, since the antibiotic is the only change I have had we have to figure the Z pack is culprit and sometimes your body can come up with a reaction later in life. My body chooses now of course, one of the most trying times physically of my whole life. Lovely.

Unfortunately that medication will stay in my system for 5 more days making this reaction constant for five more days. We couldn't have that, so they decided to put me on some meds to try and stop it. Unfortunately the down side is those meds will make my ability to fight off my upper respiratory infection more difficult... I just can't win for losing here. Obviously in my normal life it would be no big deal to get this and I could handle it like a champ...but if I listed off all the ailments I am dealing with right now (trust me, you don't wanna know) my ability to deal is shot and I am just am so done....I just can't take much more.

I just hurt so bad all over right now and I just cried so hard....so today I am miserable world. I am frustrated and worn out of getting beat up. I just am. Tomorrow I will be tougher and I won't be so grumpy, but today I felt sad. That's ok to admit right? Other people have it so much worse so sometimes I hate to admit frustration and oh woe is me-ness....but today I really felt it.

Thanks for letting me vent blog world.

Tomorrow I will count my blessings a little more and be a happier person...but today I just needed to bleed a little.

Thanks dear Rachel for the visit...I just needed it :)

More later.

Updates and random thoughts in my head.

2011-05-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a while for me to not blog....I do blog quite often these days.

I got this stupid secondary infection this week and so I haven't really felt up to blogging or doing much of anything. I was just sooooo miserable, but I am starting to feel better so I am happy about that!

So this post is going to be pretty random and have a bunch of things that have been floating in my mind that I just want to show you and or tell you about.

1. I am just happy to be alive. When I went to the doctor for my infection they were so excited that I had gotten the device put in and what a new quality of life I would have. When I told him about the pocket of clots they had found he was told me that if they had not found that before I had had a baby that I would probably had died in labor and delivery because a pulmonary embolism...once again reminding me how grateful I am to have had the surgery and that I have been blessed so much.

2. In other news, I got my letter of acceptance here:

I was really excited and I don't know if I will be going there FOR sure, but it was good news all the same.

3. I am looking in to the possibility of doing a service mission for the remainder of my mission which is a year once I am feeling better. I looked into them this week and they have THE coolest missions like teaching seminary to disabled kids, working at the Welfare Center, giving tours to special visitors at Temple Square and the Conference Center, and many many more. This way I feel like I can finish my 18 month service while being close to home and taking care of my health as well as attending school possibly. We will see how it all really plays out after all is said and done, but that is what I am thinking and feel good about.

4. This weekend I also made it out of the black hole to see these great friends at their reception:

Congrats Jill and Mark! Although I wasn't feeling so hot it was so nice to get out after so long and to see so many friends I had not seen in forever. Marked improvement right?

5. One of my best friends Linnea brought me THE cutest and most creative things ever. These before and after specially made heart cookies from Smart Cookie in American Fork! Ok...so good. Best cookie I ever had and so cute! Thanks Linnea!

6. Gotta say, the Royal Wedding was A-mazing. Don't care how much crap I get about it I LOVED it. Kate looked amazing and I was IN love with her dress. Glad everything went well and nothing scary happened....honestly I was concerned. That many people and there has to be a few crazies who want to blow something up. What was cool is since I have endless amounts of DVR and time on my hands I watched all the planning before too so I loved watching it all happen...I know, I know blah blah. Congrats Kate and Will...it was lovely!

7. Well, last but definitely not least, my post would just nat be complete if I didn't comment on Osama Bin Laden. So many emotions surrounding his death right? How would you like to be the most celebrated death in history? With facebook you know he has to be. Well, what a relief but also what is next? I think what scares me more than the bad guys over-seas are the radicals in our own country. And I also hold my breath for all of our service men and women and what they now face. I guess all I feel like I can do is pray for them and give my thanks to them to and their families who are so brave everyday...because I am not so brave. I am so grateful for you and for this great country!

So that is all...all of my random for today.

Hope everyone is doing great! Have a happy Monday for me :)

I have officially named my heart device.

2011-04-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

Dun dun dun dun DAH! (that is in my royal drums because of royal wedding week!)

And the name of my heart device shall forever be known as.......

GARY

In honor of the man who couldn't knock me out after the 8 doses of Versed and made me witness my own heart surgery. I will never get over it Gary, that's why I am naming my Amplatzer Septal Occluder after you.

It just feels so right...and it will be forever with me until the day my heart stops beating. Literally.

So the proof is in the pudding and I have the sweet photos of dear Gary scanned in:

That is so freaking sweet. I am so official...you know why? Because they even gave me a card I have to carry in my wallet that says that I have a device. Uhhhh...that is so cool.

Gary provided me with YET ANOTHER headache free day. I am SO grateful. 2 days for Gary!! I unfortunately have an upper respiratory infection to spoil the joy because I have the immune system of that of a...well, someone who has been laying in bed for 5 months, been on 4 antibiotics and been through trauma. My body hates me and I don't blame it.

But good news for Cheltz and Gary, we are happy as clams to not have a migraine. Or seizures. How cool are you Gary? Way cool...way, way cool. I would go as far as to say I love you more than anything I have ever owned. I love you too Dr. Sorenson for putting Gary in me. Life is so good.

Have a good day everyone and do something to celebrate :)

Aye caramba.

2011-04-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Those are all the words I have for my boredom.

This is the 5th month of my couch/TV slump and it is getting to the eyeball scratching out point of restlessness. Seriously I can't take it anymore! I would just love to read or do something ELSE. Bah. I know I have talked about it a lot...because that is ALL I have to talk about. This is me complaining.

I know I am getting to the crazy point when I watch two days straight of this:

Ahhhhh. I know...I am shaking my head right along with you. Tyra, you're killing me.

I am SO grateful for the sweethearts that have come to visit in the last few days! If you knew what it does to my spirits and my mood...you just can't. Finals ended and it was like POOF! I have a million friends...it was so sweet and made me feel so loved and pulled me out of the depths of "hating my life" mode...seriously. Thank you so much and I love you.

If I am going to be happy about being able to have time to watch SOMETHING I will say I am excited about this:

THE ROYAL WEDDING!!

Don't ask me why I am so excited about it, I just am. It just seems so awesome all of the royalness, and trust me when I say there is PLENTY of coverage to go around starting like a million days ago. I think I will be watching much of it and it is so regal. How would that be?? To be little Miss Middleton?? Intense...

I am sure people are coming out of the woodwork saying that they know her...especially like Ellen haha. She has been cracking me up because she says she is Kate's 17th cousin and is ticked because she is not invited to the wedding. I always like to show things that crack me up on here and here is a quick video of Ellen that had me laughing:

Funny right? I just love her.

And now an update on recovery:

I had a WONDEFUL headache free day! Thank you heart device. I want to name it...hmmm. I will have to think about that. If you have any ideas feel free to comment!

It was so wonderful that day and it was a day I had visitors which was great. The next two days came back with vengeance and I have had a rougher time, but my leg is healing up pretty good so that is positive! I feel like I am doing better! I was telling my mom I don't know what I am going to do when I feel better...I don't know how to do that hahah. Meaning I really don't know how to feel good! It really has been years since I woke up and said, "Gosh! I feel good today..." how dumb is that? I am sure I will figure that out fast :)

More later!

Mike William Webb really misses me....so I guess should post.

2011-04-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is Michael William Webb:

Mike is super funny.

Mike likes to give me a hard time which is also super funny.

Mike and our friends have a lot of inside jokes that can never be repeated on this blog.

Mike is thecheltz.blogspot.com's BIGGEST fan. Don't believe me?

He posted this on my Facebook wall yesterday:

"I don't want to sound needy but it's been like 25 hours since you posted something on your blog..."

That seriously meant SO much Mike.

I then replied:

"I know I am like your personal Oprah (which holds a lot more weight than you know because Mike LOVES, seriously loves Oprah.), but Mike it is hard to be that inspirational to one person every single day. My apologies and I will try really hard to step up my game. All my love, the writers of thecheltz.blogspot.com. "

Then he tried to make it look like some "joke" HA, by posting this:

"I realize that you need to recuperate. I'll cut you some slack." I am sure he was embarrassed. Silly nilly.

And like I said I answered with this, "Well, that means a lot coming from my biggest fan and frequent reader!"

So I just feel bad Mike, it has been a while for me. Because you know, I do have A LOT of time of my hands so I usually post MUCH more often than not. So I tried to at least think of SOMETHING that I could at least put on here for my biggest fan...

Well, today I was watching Ellen, another of Mike's favorite show...she's no Oprah, you know why Mike, but I saw this really awesome rapper.

She's pretty fly for a white girl Mike...this screams YOU!

Pretty amazing right?

This post is for you Mike hahah. We will always be in a battle won't we?

A note on the recovery is it is still a little rocky. What was crazy is today my blood pressure went down to 77/46...so yes how am I still alive?? I have no idea! But they put me on some medication to try and bring that up because that is a little crazy and kind of freaks me out. I am also extremely dizzy so that is no good. Still pretty sore still and the migraines are still just as awful as ever...but Dr. Sorenson says that is a good indication that it worked! So I will go on that...

I am bored and miserable as ever if I am going to be 100% honest but just trying to get through it!

More later.

Recovery = Not what I expected

2011-04-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

First off I just want to say SO sorry for that totally incoherent last couple of paragraphs of that previous post. Super embarrassing and super funny. I didn't even realize it until today and so I will go back and fix that right now....meds and migraines will do that to a person.

And just a quick update for today: I guess this recovery was maybe not as simple as I expected. I was maybe thinking that this was just a quick in quick out type of deal because I think it usually is.

However, I don't think usually they have to poke you twice so I am SO sore! I really didn't expect that. Very bruised and very sore.

My blood pressure is still pretty low so I am pretty dizzy. Dizzy + migraines = really icky.

My migraines are 2 times as bad as they were before. I know they told me this, but I don't think I fully comprehended this.

I guess what I am saying is I am just SO glad that I had the surgery and I feel so blessed, I just really didn't have any idea that the recovery would be like this. Once again the nurse said I would feel like a train hit me for the next month and to be patient, but I just had no idea.

So this is me re-evaluating.

More later!

And the surgery went a little somethin' like this....

2011-04-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it is finished! I had the surgery I am so happy it is done. It all went down in a place that looks just exactly like this, the cath lab:

Looks kind of sci-fi and freaky huh? That's because it kind of was...well, when you are awake for the whole procedure it is. I am going to do my best to explain all of it to those who have been so sweet to even take an interest in and love me. Once again, please excuse any and all grammar mistakes, I am on pain killers and am sporting one very large migraine at the moment.

So I do LOVE any and all medical junk and I think generally would jump at the chance to watch any and ALL surgical procedures. However, I guess being awake during my own heart surgery I was not jumping at! They did video tape it and I was totally psyched to watch it AFTER...listen when I say I was not really anxious at all about having this procedure done which can sometimes reject the meds. But my body for SOME dumb reason does take a lot of meds to knock me out....A LOT and we all know I have a history of this. 8 doses of Versed and they could not do it! So I watched the entire procedure and commented as well. Obviously if I was a drinker I would be a heavy weight.

They got a kick out of me and would say things like:

"Hey Chels....we are beginning to think the whole goody Mormon mission thing was a cover. We think you are pusher because we just gave you enough drugs to kill a horse. So why don't you come clean with us huh?"

Also at one point Dr. Sorenson said, "Well team, let's take a vote here. What size of device do you think we should use??" I then said, "Well hey, don't I get a vote?" They forgot I was awake and thought that was pretty funny.

I didn't mind being awake for most of it and I thought that it was pretty cool except for when they gave me the 6 shots in my groin...ya, that was not so cool...that hurt really, really, bad and I thought I should get a prize for being brave and for not punching someone. Also when they decided to go ahead and yank on the device pretty dang hard to make sure it was in there good...massive, massive chest pains. Didn't love that either.

They also had to go in twice with a catheder because I guess I had a pocket in my heart that was holding clots of blood which is not so good. Good thing we found it! I am so incredibly blessed and really this whole thing has been so amazing and such a miracle. He covered the pocket with the device and the hole and also punctured through part of the septum making room for part of the device...hopefully I am explaining this all right.

Regardless, we got it fixed! Because they had to jab me twice in the groin I am pretty dang sore and bruised which I totally and completely did not expect at all. The doctor said because he jabbed me twice and and because I am on a lot of blood thinners to expect to have a bit of a recovery. Amazingly enough I am much more sore with this than when I had an ovarian cyst removal and I did not expect that at all!

I also had kind of a rough night at the hospital when my blood pressure went really low to 82/51. This really freaked me out and I had a crappy nurse...my best friends are nurses.... and I get the worst nurse ever. What's up with that? Anyway, in the end it just because I was dehydrated and on pain killer and blood thinners.

Anyway I am going to have a rough month ahead they warned me, but I am just so blessed that they got the device in and that they caught that pocket which means no strokes for me! I really have good feelings that after I get through this recovery that the migraines will GO AWAY and leave me alone as well, I am just going to have be a little patient a little longer. Like they said in conference that is why we are called patients!

Once again as I have said on facebook, thank you so much to all of you who have taken the time to just send me a note of concern or love, or a phone call or anything. I can't tell you what it means to have support and love during this time of trial.

More later!

P.S. This is the actual device they decided to use on me! Sweet action huh? When I actually feel up to it I will scan in the picture of my echo with the device in because it looks really cool...I am kind of nerdy like that. HA! They said without insurance that thing costs like as much as a car...so I am worth a lot now-a days. I guess I am like a 10 cow wife now....JKBS. Ha.

"The future will be better tomorrow" - Dan Quaylek

2011-04-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Why will it be better?

Well, the heart surgery is tomorrow. And kids, I have every ounce of faith in the world that I can muster that this is the answer we have been led to. This is what is going to help me get better, and I am no longer going to have the problems I have so long been plagued with: migraines, seizures, mini strokes and fatigue. I just know it.

I know angels will be with me when I have the operation and everything is going to be ok. So I am just so excited to have it done and feel better!

I go in tomorrow at 9 and the surgery is 10 at St. Marks hospital. After the surgery they said I would have to lay flat for 2 hours which does not sound fun to me...but hey there could be worse things. Also they said sometimes you can have a really bad migraine after, but what else is new?

Then they will keep me over night, and in the morning they will do another echo and send me on my merry way! Not too hard right? They said sometimes for like a month after migraines get worse before they get better, but then you can emerge into a new human being. YES. I am not too nervous...the only things I was nervous about are:

1) The fact that it is heart surgery. It isn't a BIG heart surgery or anything, but it is still MY heart and it is very vital to me. I am gonna need that thing in the future, just sayin'.

2) They put you out with conscious sedation. This kind of freaks me out. In some ways I would just like to be knocked out cold and intubated....I don't want to know anything that is going on thank you very much. But hey, they definitely know what they are doing so I will just not worry about it.

3) The nurse still made me worry that because the size of the hole is a 4 out of 5 there is a chance that they can't the device in. I know they have to tell me that, but I wish they wouldn't have because I know they are going to get it in but now I have to go in worrying anyway. The doc seemed super confident and I know that through blessings that everything is going to be fine...she just still had to plant that amount of worry in my head. Snitch.

Last things last, it will take about 6 months for my little broken heart to heal haha. That means I will be on Asprin, Coumadin, and Plavex for this time and will have to be careful about lifting anything over 25 lbs for 3 months and 50 lbs for 6. Also no wakboarding this Summer which really bums me out! But hey, I am so excited to get better and I have so much trust in this doctor, Dr. Sherman Sorensen. I was looking on his website and you should see how many times this guy has been published! SHEESH!

For those who were curious I will post a link about the surgery and also a video about how it works, and for any of those who want to send up some extra prayers for me, I totally wouldn't object :) See ya on the other side!

Here is what my surgery will be like:

Info on Sorensen Medical Group and PFO closures HERE

Check out my doc's background. No big deal. HERE
If you are ever thinking of getting checked out I would seriously recommend HIM. For reals.

Hau'oli lā hānau, a whole lotta food, and other thoughts.

2011-04-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hau'oli lā hānau means happy birthday in Hawaiian I found out today.

Happy 19th birthday to this boy:

NINETEEN!?!?

What?

I know, it doesn't even feel right coming out of my own mouth. This is my "little" bro Ty Ty...my very little bro who could take me down in two seconds. He generally doesn't have a problem reminding me of that on the daily when he shows me with his giant bear hug that smothers me and cracks my bones.

I just love this boy so much and I am so glad he is my brother. Trust me when I am say he is the funniest person alive, most amazing writer of music, is a killer wake boarder, good at everything he tries (which has secretly made me mad since he left the womb), so good at rock climbing, can take apart and put together anything and everything, and is the ultimate at the best thing of all...BEING my brudder :) dat my nice.

Well, yesterday my mom made him the MOST amazing Hawaiian feast...EVER. Are you ready for the menu?? You may just die. She really out-did her elf:

- Lau Lau

- Teriyaki Chicken (the best ever...Gould style. Can never be beat)

- Kalua Pig

- Poi

- Rice

- Mac Salad

Annnnd a giant Reese's cake (Reese's are his fave) that was a double layered chocolate cake with a Reese's peanut butter cream filling....kill me. It was soooo good!!

Look at these local boys faces. I am not sure who was happier, Tyler or Papa Gould!!

Haha, nothing makes Papa happier than a good ol' plate lunch.

Well, Happy Birthday Ty Ty! We sure love you.

In other thoughts, I love when people come to visit me in my black hole of the basement. Brings me sure joy. Today some visitors from the mish came...my trainer Sister Katelyn Griffiths (who actually comes other than today) and my friend Elder Chase Hessing!! LOVE THAT.

Hessing made such a sacrifice to come when he got his car smashed in my cul-de-sac! Poor guy. So sorry Chase. Love you guys.

And my last thoughts of the day...I really love Saturday Night Live. I think that many of the sketches are just so funny and I have a few great gems for you that are my very favorite. The deal is I found out it is on Netflix, so I am sure in the near future I will be showing my funniest moments on here. Ple-hease watch them.. they are SO funny. Enjoy!

And this one isn't necessarily hilarious, but the impersonation of Denzel Washington is seriously AMAZING! I couldn't embed it so watch it HERE!

Have a great night :)

4 8 15 16 23 42

2011-04-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

If you've see Lost you know exactly what those numbers mean, and if you haven't I would seriously consider watching it. It was so great!

The last week and a half of my ridiculous life have been spent watching all 6 seasons of this dang show. Well worth it I guess hahah...I mean, I had nothing better to do. I know, ridiculous...but I promise you when I am better I will be doing everything and anything but watching TV.

For every person who tried to tell me not to watch it because I would hate the end....I honestly liked the end. Seriously! Not what I would have expected...but I liked it. The writers of this show, freak... who thinks of these things??

Hate to say it, but I liked it way more than my previous favorite 24. Sorry Jack Bauer.

Well, the only problem now is that I am still going to be probably down on the couch for at least another month after surgery (which is a week from today....I'm a little nervous!).

Soooo....now what do I watch? Ugghhhh I am so bored and sick of TV. Any suggestions?

Ote'a

2011-04-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

One thing I really love to do is hula and Tahitian dance...I love the costumes, the people, the music, and remembering my culture. I love being Polynesian and am always proud of that...even if I do LOOK haole (white), that is just why I will have to find me a nice brown man haha. Just kidding but seriously.

Anyway, I have always enjoyed it, but I ESPECIALLY love to Tahitian dance. That is the fast paced dance that I am sure many of you have seen. It is a great work out and whenever you perform it always gets the crowd the most excited. When I competed in the pageants (yes, I did) these were the outfits we picked:

My mom did a pretty good job of putting the outfits together and we wanted to make some really cool head pieces however, we ran out of time and it was just too hard to do with too many quick changes backstage.

I had so much fun doing the dances and performing and I can't wait to practice some more when I feel better! Hopefully whatever school I go to has a good Polynesian club with dancing where I can get involved and improve my shaking skills haha. My best memories are with the Pope's and Latu's from Orem back in Jr. High and Elementary dancing in my front yard...good times :).

Well, here are some cool clips I found on youtube...Aloha and enjoy!

She is insane and I love her costume!

Then on So You Think You Can Dance they did a Tahitian which surprised me so much! Annnd it was to the song I dance to all the time... find it HERE because I can't post it. They did a good job I thought! Especially for learning it in a week! Costumes were cool too.

And a last one I thought was cute is here...

More later! Have a great day :)

Deluxe hugs for 2 bucks. Any takers?

2011-04-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

I thought this was so funny.

People like this are so annoying and yet it is totally a prank I would pull. So, gotta hand it to the guy it was pretty funny. Obviously at the end that was totally scripted and totally lame...but the rest, pretty dang funny. Enjoy your Saturday!

My favorite time.

2011-04-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I just love General Conference so much! This weekend will be so great.

I am sad though because I just know it will never be like it was watching it on my mission because you are on such a different level.

Also, my brain just doesn't work the same haha. But, I always look forward to April and October to see what the theme of the conference will be and what our dear Prophet will say to us on Saturday and Sunday.

I will look forward to some spiritual uplift-ment (is that a word?) as well and not Lost for a time...I have watched so much of that dang show. I have a feeling I am going to finish all 6 of those seasons a lot sooner than I planned.

More later :)

Happy Conference weekend!

My ALL better list.

2011-03-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

Something that is really therapeutic for me when I have ended up in bed sick for long periods of time is to make an "ALL better list". It is a way for me to make goals in the future, and then make a gratitude book for the progress I make.

There was a time when things were pretty bad when my list was really simple and looked like this:

1. Shower myself

2. Walk to the end of the cul-de-sac

3. Do my own hair

4. Get out of the wheel chair AKA stop having so many seizures

Gratefully now my "ALL better list" I am not quite so debilitated and not in a wheel chair so it is a little bit longer and not so sad. This has been hard in its own way, but I have a new list this time and I can't wait to check them off one by one:

1. Enjoy the sun without it hurting my head.

2. NOT watch TV.

3. Read a book without getting a migraine.

4. Be able to drive again.

5. Go for a walk.

6. Wakeboard.

7. Hike

8. Not get nauseated before, during, and after I eat.

9. Travel again...next stop: South America?? Argentina?? I don't know! Time will tell.

10. Run.

11. Not be tired all the time.

12. Not have muscle hurts.

13. Boating and Lake Powell

14. Go to the mall.

15. Listen to music REALLY LOUD and not have it hurt my heady.

16. Not get sick at the temple.

17. Go to Hawaii

18. Be able to go to ALL 3 hours of church EVERY Sunday.

19. Hula again.

20. Be able to think clearly enough to scrapbook again.

Many, many more things could go on this list....but that's good for now! I can't wait to feel better again.

April 14th couldn't come fast enough.

Scuddles (my dog) has a rubber lip.

2011-03-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sonny really does have a rubber lip that looks like an inner tube.

I don't know why, but my mom and I get such a kick out of him and his rubber lip...we think it is so funny.

See photo here:

No...actually, let me give you a better look here:

Even better, here is an up close view of the lip itself:

Do you see what I mean? Sometimes it sticks out even more and he gets this little smile that gets stuck on his snaggle tooth and that cracks me up so bad. I can't EVEN handle it.

Many times I just like to come up and flip his rubber lip down to expose his very crooked bottom teeth, all while making the noise "doink". This really bugs him, and really makes me laugh.

Speaking of teeth, we have doggy toothpaste (liver-flavored...EW!) and this really funny looking doggy toothbrush. I thought while I had nothing to do I would try brushing his teeth...I couldn't bring myself to use the toothpaste because I thought it would just make his breath smell worse, but I tried brushing...IT WAS SO FUNNY...but he hated me. So I stopped. I will never be a dental hygienist...especially not a DOG dental hygienist. I will leave all of that up to Cami, Lindsey and Vayla, thank you very much.

What a crazy headed pooper scoops! Gosh I just love him sa-much. He looks so nutsy when he doesn't have a hair cut. Ha!

More later.

LOVING this group.

2011-03-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the band Fictionist??

Admittedly I had not until a few days ago. I am real sad I am late in the game because they are seriously FANTASTIC. That's right, all caps. My long lost student government buddy from high school Liz emailed me and asked me if I had heard of them...wondered if I could do a post to help spread the word on them. When I heard them A) thought OF course I would and B) have been plugged into their music non-stop while I have been trying to write all these dang essays for college application (Sidenote: it is no fun to write essays when your brain is at half mass. My friends now call me "strokey"...first I was seizure girl now I am strokey. REAL funny! Ok enough of that).

I am hooked on Fictionist.

And now we need to try and help them win this big competition!

It is a Rolling Stones competition all based on popular votes. With over 6,000 votes they have already made it into round two out of four! It goes until April 14th and the winners are chosen over the summer. If they win they will be on cover of Rolling Stones, go on Jimmy Fallon, play in a major music festival, and get a major record deal. Whew.

Annnndd if I might add they are all returned missionaries and studied jazz at BYU. Go Mormons!

I asked Liz, "So do you happen to know these guys?" Stuart, Fictionist's Singer is her husband's brother, and Robbie the electric guitarist is married to her husband's sister. No big deal.

Sooo, all you gotta do to show these guys some love is listen and watch the most excellent of videos below and then follow the instructions on this link. It takes two seconds and we can help them win! Also when you vote you get to download FOR FREE 4 of their songs...so when I mean I have been plugged into their music non-stop, I mean I have been plugged into their music non-stop.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Thanks Liz for making my life better because I now know Fictionist.

Vayla Moo-say Mitchell

2011-03-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ohhh boy. Where do I even start with this girl? Well, today surely is her day of birth...the day, as Michael Scott would say "she emerged from her mother's..." never mind. Ha! If you know Michael Scott from The Office you know just right exactly where that is headed (pun completely intended! WOW! I am funny today! HA!).

Well, Vayla and I haven't been friends since we were kids, but it feels like it! I just love the girl and I don't know if there are too many people who could make me laugh much harder. Majority of our HILARIOUS experiences could never touch this blog, but trust me when I say they are for the record books.

Some of my favorite and funny memories would have to be going to Thailand last summer with Baby V. This was not only Vayla's first time out of the country, but her first time on a plane! That is very brave to bear the 16 hours for your first time. Let me say she did well, she did REALLY, really well. I have flown a lot and that was a MISERABLE flight. Also, I just love to tease her because she brought her entire food storage with her and we are glad she did. I was jealous because unlike her I was up puking literally 26 times in one night while she slept soundly with her applesauce and peaches.

The best moment of the entire trip (and I will tell this story til the day I die) was walking into our third world hotel room to find her on one of the hottest days dripping wet, buck naked standing arms out in front of the cooler yelling "I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T!" I shut the door, stopped dead in my tracks, fell to the ground and laughed until I couldn't breathe. I promise it was the funniest thing I have ever seen...mostly because of the most prominent tan line I have ever seen, and the most distressed look I have ever witnessed.

She was such a champion and was so amazing with the kids. What a heart of pure gold! One of the kids especially, Bownui just absolutely melted for her and she is going back this summer! They are going to die when they see her. I could not be more jealous!

Vayla has overcome so much in her life and I am so proud of the life she has lived! She just found out she got into the dental hygiene program at Dixie and she deserves it so much. No one has better grades than that girl, and let me tell you, she works for it. I just love her so much and she has been such a great friend to me! I could tell stories about her til I am blue in the face, but I am just so glad she is one of my best friends. The boys love her and I can see why! With those eyes and that infectious laugh...see ya later! Sorry to tell you boys, she is taken! She has been there for me with a lot that has gone on in the last while and has been such a great shoulder to cry on. Thanks for being a friend for me Vay and always helping me through the rough times!

Happy birthday Baby V...On to the next one ;)

Memories.

2011-03-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today I was trying to do this dang entrance for the Oprah contest (which literally I think I might actually have a shot at...I know it's funny, but only 81 people have entered as of today and there are only 4 days left of the competition! I ree-heally want to win.) and so I was going back through some of the essays I have written.

I found one that brought back a lot of memories of my trip and the HUGE impact it made on me as a 16 year old. People always tease me, especially when I got home, because I was such a fanatic when I about everything; talked about it all the time, how I ate, what I threw away, how I slept, material possessions etc. Even the other day my mom said, "Come on Chels, we can laugh about it now, it was kind of funny!" But the fact is that changes a person, ESPECIALLY a 16 year old. It was a ton to take in as a young girl because not only did I just see difficult things and then go back to my hotel room, but I lived without running water and spotty electricity in the slums for six weeks with the people. Essentially I learned what is like to live that life and I knew what I had waiting for me at home....you can't know that kind of weight held on me.

Soooo, everyone can tease me all the want about being fanatical, but it changes you. I have since learned Kenya has their set of problems and we have ours and me being fanatical is not going to take that away...but it still changed me. It has propelled my life to become a life-long humanitarian and do all that I can to help here in our own country or abroad. Essentially I plan to get a degree just so I can work in the non-profit world and hopefully dedicate my life to that work. I just love it so much!

Anyway, when I was not loaded on Topamax having strokes and such, I wrote clearly hahah. Here is an essay I wrote on my feelings of my experiences there. I miss it so much....

* August 20, 2005 at 10 PM, I waited anxiously for the flight to take off. I was so excited to be able to go to Kenya, and had dreamed of it my whole life. With our luggage stuffed full of supplies and clothing, I could not wait to meet all of the people, especially the children. After an extremely long flight with many stops we finally landed in Nairobi, Kenya. I could hardly control myself, trying to take in everything. The sights, the smells, and the people…I was actually living my life long dream.

We gathered our luggage, and our dear friends were there to pick us up. They handed me the schedule of the many projects and places we would be working, telling us that many people were anxious to meet us. We piled into the van and started our drive to my new home. I watched out the window looking at everything that surrounded me. For most of the drive there were endless fields and small villages, but as soon as we got into the city it was almost too much to take in. Tears filled my eyes as I looked outside seeing the most poverty I had ever witnessed. I had always been aware that there were places like this, but seeing it on TV was nothing like actually being there. I saw children on their own, small shacks made out of anything and everything. It broke my heart to know that people lived like this. This huge culture shock and seeing how impoverished these people were was so difficult for me. I felt so guilty that I lived the way that I did, and that I had ever complained. It was so hard for me to understand why I had been blessed with so much “stuff”, and they had so little.

The first day was hard, but the second was even more difficult then I could even imagine. As I walked into Upako Orphanage, my heart sank as I saw how many orphans there were. These kids had absolutely nothing; no family, no money, no education, no health care, and no one to love them. As I looked into their eyes I saw children who were not children. They were kids who had to grow up so fast, learning how to live on their own, and how to survive on the rough streets. As I stood up to introduce myself, I choked on my words and tears filled my eyes. As soon as I started to cry, one little girl came up and wrapped her arms around my waist, and at that point I could not hold my emotions in. It was all so new, and it was so difficult to compare my life with theirs. I was extremely guilt stricken, and I wished at that point that every material possession I ever had I could give away. I looked at the world around me at the point, feeling so small and insignificant. There were so many people who were suffering and poor, and I would never be able to even make a dent in these people’s lives in the short six weeks I was there.

After that day quickly my attitude changed. I started to not see the poverty, but simply the people and their amazing lives. As I played with the children, I finally saw the hopelessness in their eyes fade away…they were being kids. There was one little girl that followed me around endlessly that was about three years old. She had no shoes and her little toes were freezing. I picked her up, wrapped my jacket around her and rocked her. She was asleep in literally five minutes. Her older sister, with tears in her eyes hugged me and said, “Thank you so much Sista Chelsea. I am the only one who has ever held my sister and told her I love her. You don’t know how much it means to have someone else care for her.” Tears ran down my cheek. I finally realized why I was there and the impact one person can make. Mother Teresa’s quote ran through my head, “The hunger for love and appreciation in this world is much greater than the hunger for bread”.

As the weeks ran on I realized that no amount of money, clothing, or food, would ever mean as much as the words ‘I love you’. That the greatest impact I could ever make in the world was to tell each person those words and sincerely put my interest in them. Each disabled child, each person dying with AIDS, each drug addict, each single mother trying to survive with their family was different, special, and deserved to hear the words ‘I love you’. I realized that the materialistic things were not what I was blessed with, but blessed with love, opportunity, and education. These were the true things that my life was so full of. The hardest day of my life was having to look at those children that I had grown such a special love for, and tell them good bye. I looked at their tears streaming down their cheeks as I tried to hold back mine as much as possible, I told them how much I would miss them, and how special and unique each one of them is. I hugged and kissed every single one of those children before I left and told them how much I loved them. From that moment on I knew how I could essentially “change the world”, it was through those simple words and caring for each and every person in Kenya, and at home.

More later :)

The big long explanation of the heart situation.

2011-03-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, here it goes pals...I will do my best to explain how the appointment went today.

First off it was easily one of the longest days of my life. We were at the doctor for 4 hours for sure, if not longer.

I had the bubble test slash echo first with the tech and once again it was the same old news...medium sized hole in the heart. I was so bummed and they made it seem like I was most likely not going to get my way with the surgery and that was what I was gearing up for.

Well...we waited and waited, and waited....and waited hours more. They put us in a room with a TV and I was so anxiety ridden and just tired of being there that I couldn't pay attention to anything. My poor mother was also dying of hunger and we just really needed some answers.

I finally figured out why we were there so long! Because A) the guy has great bed side manner B) he listens C) he knows his stuff and D) he has done over 4,000 of these PFO surgeries in his career...so he sees a lot of people.

Well, to make a really long story short when I came home from my mission I had an MRI done and there was a small white spot that they deemed unusual but nothing of concern. First things first Dr. Sorensen says that is most definitely a concern and was a mini stroke. He said neurologists don't think those spots are a concern in young women until many start showing up or a massive stroke occurs. This is much more likely in women taking a hormone replacement therapy or birth control because of the rise of blood clots. But many studies have been done that those spots are in fact strokes and he said I am just lucky we only see one. The only thing that concerns me is that MRI was done a while ago and I have had A LOT of migraines since then. That's ok, I don't want to know, let's just get it fixed.

In my case because I have had such a history of neurological issues as well, this is more of a concern he says. Even though hole is medium, this is a stroke prevention rather than a migraine/seizure/sleep apnea/fatigue prevention (hahaha wow, I have been such an issue). However, if we can get rid of all of it in one surgery which is possible...that would be amazing.

He said after the surgery 40% of people that have it feel like a completely new person, 40% have lessened migraines and have other migraines are coming from another source, and 20% it doesn't do anything for (which is really rare but he has to tell me that anyway).

The important thing, he reminds me, is that he can 100% guarantee I will not be having a stroke after the surgery...and that is the good news - actually the best news. So if I do have a migraine with stroke-like symptoms, at least I am not worried that I am having a stroke.

So April 14th is the day I will go in for surgery!

It is a conscious sedation and then you spend a night there in the hospital. It is pretty quick recovery and then takes about 6 months for your heart to fully heal over the device so your have to take it easy....

I finally feel validated after 6 years of feeling like a nutsy.

I already know I am gonna be in the 40% of feeling amazing...don't even worry about it :)

Left my mind, be back later.

2011-03-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to write a little disclaimer:

sometimes I go back and read my blogs and realize that there are lot of grammatical errors and some don't always make a ton of sense.

Now I don't want to make a lot of excuses, but I totally want to make excuses here: I am literally not always in my right mind at the present moment hahah! For reals.

Because of my meds and the migraines and all this weird stuff, just wanted to let you know...sometimes my brain gets left behind.

Just bear with me here :)

PS. Tomorrow is the appointment! I have good feelings.

More later.

Creeper number one.

2011-03-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

You cannot legitimately watch this and not be freaked out.

I have been freaked out about it for weeks because it comes on every other commercial on Hulu...and I watch a lot of Hulu.

The guy in it looks like a serial killer and like he is planning to murder his fiance.
Annnnddd...the cat looks fake and disgusting.
Plus who proposes with with a cat??
Just watch it and you will see...

See what I mean?

The way he gets that face with that creepy idea...
and then he starts making plans in the night!
And then covering her eyes and just....I duno, it's disturbing.

Good luck with your fake marriage and your fake cat!

I hope you don't end up dead.

I just have really strong feelings about it because it really freaks me out....

Plus the music belongs in a funeral home where her funeral might be.

The end.

I just love great news!

2011-03-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today was great because I finally feel like I am starting to healing up from this junk that I have had this last week.

Annnnd....the best news of all is that the Cardiologist office called and said that I could come in on Monday instead of waiting clear til the 30th to get my heart looked at!

Oh we jumped around and did dances and said lots of thank you prayers.

We are being blessed in many ways and I think this was Heavenly Father's way of reminding me that he is watching out for me.

I have a lot of faith going into this appointment that this going to be the answers that I need.... but if it's not we are going to go out and find out how to stop what is making me sick.

So can I use your faith and prayers for just one more weekend?!

Thanks again for all the support.

More later :)

Remember that one time??

2011-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Remember that one time when I was super sick with possibly bronchitis and migraines and a fever all at the same time??

Now is that one time.

I could literally kill someone and myself with the misery....

March 30th couldn't come any faster.

But then the bigger picture sets in...

and I just tell myself it could ALWAYS be worse.

And I just keep praying for Japan and watching in horror at the destruction...and when I think I am miserable, I remember I am not that miserable. I hate being so powerless when these things happen, but all I can do is pray my little heart out for them and hope that they will be watched over.

And I think of going to Thailand and seeing the after math of the tsunami YEARS later...many years later and how they have had to rebuild their little country. I hate that Japan will have to do the same.

SO, I am not that miserable.

I thought I was, but I am not.
Darn that whole perspective thing.

Yum.

2011-03-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

I love me some jewelry.

Etsy has some great stuff. Not as good as flea markets and their prices....but definitely good. Nothing says great like fake Tiffany's for 10 bucks (that is real sterling silver by the way!) like Thailand does. But Etsy will do.

Here are some of my finds for the day:

Did I mention I like turquoise and silver?? I realized how much I actually liked it when the majority of the jewelry I picked was just that...

More later :)

Scuddles is my bestie.

2011-03-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

They say (who are "they"? Really, I want to know when you find out.) dogs are a man's best friend.

Well, I am a woman and Scuddles (Sonny) is mine.

I mean look at this mug:

You cannot deny that that little munchie mug is so sweet and angelic.

I know what you are thinking if you don't like dogs..."I don't like dogs, AND especially I don't like little dogs."

Well, I hate to break it to you, but once Scuddles weasels his way into your heart with his tricks, little scuddley personality, and rubber lip...it's a little too much for people to handle and you end up liking him just a little.

He can right now:

Play dead when you make your hand into a gun and say, "bang"

Slow dances with you

Can give you high five

Polka Dance

Twirl around with his arms out

Shake

Roll over

Ring a bell when he needs to go outside to go potty

Play hide and go seek

And play soccer with an ice cube....all thanks to the master trainer Mister Gould (aka the Mother)

Well, his tricks are beside the point...they are phenomenal, but Scuddles just has so much more depth. We were besties before, but our friendship has been taken to a whole new level...

I mean we go EVERYWHERE together and we share EVERYTHING (meaning food, home, family and the couch in which a sleep). I love the little pup. And he knows it.

He knows now that I can't look into that little face without sharing whatever it is I am eating (unless of course it would be a hazard to him) without giving him just a little taste....I just can't bare it anymore.

So every night we have the same thing happen....

I have to make myself eat something small - like maybe a bagel or a yogurt or something - (I hate eating now by the way...who ever thought that would happen to me? I am a POLYNESIAN girl.) so I can take my meds. I get it and take it down to the hole (AKA the basement couch....where I have resided for almost 4 months...shoot me) and Sonny rushes down and hops on the couch before I even get there.

Because he knows....he knows that I always let him lick the lid from the yogurt.

And I always say...."Ohhhhh, Scuddles! You wants some O-gurts???"

And he get's sooooo excited. That little muffin get's SO excited and I love it.

And I love Scuddles and Scuddles loves me. We're BFF's forever because no matter what happens he's always happy to see me and always there to snuggle me when I have a rough day.

When I used to have seizures he always knew. He would always get anxious and sit on top of me....and when I am sick he is always worried. That's because we are besties...

So I can share o-gurts and pieces of bagel with my bestie for sure...just not pieces of chicken because you are allergic.

Happy Saturday!

Love you my little Scuddley Wuddley.

And between me and the rest of everyone who loves you, I think you may be the most loved dog in the world...but I think I love you the most.

I'm a sucker.

2011-03-11T13:59:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for these...

comforters.

I always have the itch to switch them around when I have a room.

Some people love shoes, shirts, jeans...I happen to love comforters.

I just wish they were a little cheaper.

Here are some cute ones I found today

Love these. So much.

The last few days...

2011-03-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

I have been overly weak and tired with these migraines.

I'm not really sure why more this week than others....if it is just all the stress of what has been going on in the house or what???

Poor dad from his surgery....well he is MISER-ABLE. All in caps. And hyphenated. I just wouldn't wish that upon anyone....especially him. So we just lay upstairs and be miserable together and well poor mom just has to listen to me whine the last few days. My dad doesn't whine, just me.

So I have been doing a lot of this:

and this:

all the day long. I just soak until I am too pruney to believe and then sleep until I am too slept out. Then I go to bed and do it all again.

In the mean time I wait for people to post something interesting on their facebook (please give me something good people!) and then look for insanely hilarious Youtube videos that I make all of my friends and family watch with me.

Here are some of my favorites:

And this one I have to really explain first.

Well, my brother knows the kid and he is fine now.

He also laughed while showing my brother the video....which gives like everyone else the go ahead to laugh as well.

It really is funny if you know that he is ok....also it is 9 minutes long...but it is worth it.

And there are millions more where that came from....

some I just don't know if I feel super comfortable posting on here. But if you have the same sense of humor as I do, then ask me for some other good ones.

More later :)

Laugh if you will...

2011-03-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

but I am totally going to enter this dang contest.

Since I was like what...eight?? I have been watching Oprah freaking Winfrey and have wanted to go to the show. Now she decides to end the show and so I will find a way to make it there if it kills me.

We all know she inspired me to do humanitarian work....so I am just going to go ahead and enter hahah.

And you are all laughing now! But when Gayle King shows up on my doorstep...well, we will see who will be laughing. Ha!

Michael Webb...this one's for you.

Some quality parenting techniques from Wanda.

2011-03-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

This had me rolling on the ground.

However, the whole interview was SO much funnier so I wish you could have seen it.

GOOD times.

Guess if you aren't going to spank you can get pretty creative!

We finally have some answers kids.

2011-03-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a long journey...and well, we are not there yet. But today I feel closer than I have ever been!!

After years and years I feel like I finally have a grasp on things and hopefully it is not false hope.

I went to be tested for my PFO aka my hole in my heart and I was so nervous... a) because my dad was having his big surgery (he is doing great by the way...had a lot of bleeding but doing good) and b) I just wanted this so bad. I had a lot of faith building experiences the last couple of days and I just felt like this was it! I felt good about it...but I was still so nervous.

The way they test you for this PFO junk is they stick an IV in your arm with saline and then they put a pretty crown on your head with gel on the sides. Meanwhile, they have you do a bunch of different things like blow in a tube, lay down, sit up, and bare down while they inject bubbles in your IV. After that the bubbles pass through your IV, to your lungs, then your heart and then to your brain. If a lot of bubbles show up then you have a big PFO...if only a little - a small PFO....medium bubbles - you get the point.

The tech gave me a lot of hope when she got really excited at the beginning and yelled, "YAY! You have a TON of bubbles!" I teared up as I had been praying, "Heavenly Father, I BETTER have this right now." and I thought, "WOW! That really worked!" Then she said, "Well, on that test you didn't have very many..." then I was thinking, "LADY! Don't say ANOTHER word of false hope, or I will literally strangle you."

Who would every think that anyone would ever want a heart defect??

Apparently a lot of people who come into this clinic who have tried everything and are as miserable as I am.

Well, after the test was over they took me into another room with my Grandma and we tried to make small talk and get my mind of my nerves. The tech had told me I was a 4 on the scale of 5...which was moderate and nothing conclusive. Oooofff course it was. Don't make it easy on me by any means by making it a big gaping hole!

The nurse came in and was lovely and basically said that I definitely have a hole in my heart, but with this test it is moderate. If I was just anyone and just had headaches she would send me home and say try some other things. But with my long history of seizures (which we never had an answer to), sleep apnea, fatigue, migraines with aura, and a whole list of other neurological problems that have been inconclusive they have reason to believe that this would answer all of those questions. So she said they would like to do more testing and an echo when the doctor is in. She said she hopes right along with me that this is the answer and has every reason to believe that this would be the answer we have been looking for for so long.

The only down side is more waiting because I can't get in until March 30th.

I hope...I hope SO BAD this is the end of my journey....and I believe it is.

All I can say is when I feel so much better is I will be a FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. So watch out.

Thanks for all your prayers! Keep on praying for just a little longer will you? I could use them.

Things I can live without if I have to, but would rather not.

2011-03-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

There are just some things in this life that if I had my rathers I would pick in a heart beat.

Don't get me wrong, I can definitely go without if I need to....but a girl DOES have preferences.

These are mine.

What really, REALLY gets my ticker ticking is when I have a favorite of something and then a company stops making it. That happens so often and it just makes me so mad...like this favorite:

Plumeria lotion by Bath and Body.

Lucky for them I can still buy it online and at their big sales...whew. Nothing says I just walked off my homeland of Hawaii like this does. I MUST have lotion after I shower or I literally will feel like I can peel my skin off. It's weird...and like I said if I had my rathers I would like to smell like my homeland.

While I'm in the shower however I like to smell this because it is delish and I like the way it lathers.

and then while we are on the subject of showers I would take one of these...

because washrags legitimately give me the willeys. And if I was going to HAVE to use a rag I would have to get a new one every single time and even then I would question it....rags and sponges make me question everything about life. They are germy and nappy and just....I can't think about them.

Then before I would go to bed I would have to wash my face and use my favorite face cream:

And then use my most favorite toothpaste which is the cheapest and best flavor of all...Crest regular paste.

Lastly before I hit the sack I have to have lotion, chapstick, and ice water. So which chapstick do I choose? Well, because of Julie I pick my top fave:

But it is kind of pricey, so when that is not in the budget, I always stick to the cheap and the best:

Also (and I do not use this before bed so this is kind of off topic) because my eyes water a lot and I do tear up quite often I must have water proof mascara if I want to look like a human being by the end of the day. This one is my favorite:

I wouldn't say I am high maintenance, but I would say there are some luxuries I definitely enjoy. So if you didn't think I was weird already, now you know for sure.

Tomorrow, by the way, is my big day when I find out if I have my hole in my heart and my dad has his major surgery. I am pretty nervous and I feel like I am finding out if I made it on student government or if I got the big part in the show! That sounds so weird but I just really hope that we get some answers. I should have more faith and I SO appreciate all the of the fasting and prayers know that there are so many that are doing that for me and my family. I really do have a good feeling about tomorrow so I just need to not worry so much.

More later :)

Nate, Nate, is a great.

2011-02-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

If I were going to be completely honest....sometimes lately I have felt like my world has been ripped into a thousand billion shreds.

Some days I am really angry, sad and lonely....and well, I think that is healthy...healthy to just be honest about how you feel.

Like one of my bestest friends Alisa always tells me (and I just think it is brilliant) "it is ok to bleed, but not bleed to death". So I will! I will be frustrated for just only one minute and then stick on a band-aide and be positive and get on with it!

So...on a really exceptionally hard day I got to visit my favorite family I used to nanny for! I just adore them and they are really another family to me. They have done so much for me and supported and loved me and I really appreciate them for that.

Natey Naterson (I call him) is the youngest and just turned the big 7. We spent so much time together and we have had some great times. One of my favoritest stories about him was when I would put him in time out and he had his blanket answer to everything (I have told this on the blog before so if you have read it...I am sorry). Our conversation would usually go like this:

Me: "Nate, time out five minutes."
Nate: "Fine."

...five minutes later...

Me: "Why did I put you in time out?"
Nate: "Because. I dus hit, and das makes berry Jesus sad."
Me: *trying to hide my laughter* "That does make Jesus sad."

Oh man, he is such a snitch and I could tell hundreds of stories about him.
While me and his mom (who by the way gives THE best advice! Love you Steph!) drove him to karate we stopped to get some dinner and he turns to me and says:

Nate: "I love you to clear pass-a sky!"
Me: "Well...I love you clear to. the. MOON!"
Nate: "Whoa...well...I love. you. clear. to....a THOUSAND!"
Me: "Oh. My. Goodness. Well! I love you passed a million!
Nate: "Whoa. Well...I. love. you. cllllleeeeaaaarrr....passseeeddd. the STARS!"
Me: "HO-ly CA-noly. Well...I love you...clear...passed....SPACE!"
Nate: "Well, yer dus my best friend and I love you.

THE end.

Wow. I felt so loved.

Put you in my pocket Natey Naterson....you made me feel so much better. Leave it to the seven year old to make me feel 100% like a million and half bucks.

I was not sad when I left there :)

Little munchie face.

Mister Gould

2011-02-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

This is my beautiful mother:

Right now she is working in the nursery at church so naturally she comes home with some good stories.

My mom is just so automatically great with kids, dogs, hamsters... you NAME it! But it is just hilarious to watch her put ten kids at ease. When she had her foot surgery and they were stuck without her I know they really missed her in there.

Well, I have been meaning to put this story up for a while but there is a little girl named Lydia in nursery that just LOVES my mom. She affectionately calls my mom "Mister Gould" instead of "Sister Gould" (we call each other Brother and Sister in church because we believe we all came from one Father). So every week there is Lydia with her little munchie face and high pitched voice (I wish I could do it for you) to greet her and say, "OH hi Mister Gould"!

Well, over the next few weeks she was ready to go to the class for the older kids called Primary, and where her own mother teaches. This is how the conversation went:

Lydia's Mom: *excited tone* "Lydia, are you excited to come into Primary to be with Mama?!"

Lydia get's a little confused and sad look on her face:

Lydia: "But what about Mister Gould?"

hahaha I was DYING! My mom is quite the charmer.

The last funny thing is I didn't even know they actually had lessons in nursery!

This week I decided to pop in.

I look in as my mom has ten kids on her lap off and on and calmly has her foot up on the chair singing "The Wheels on the Bus"...it was ridiculous to watch.

Later on she squishes their little diapered bums and munchie faces onto dwarfed chairs and holds up a picture of Christ (this one of him in Africa WILL be hanging in my house one day and is my favorite of all time...I'll just throw that in here.):

And then says (in her most nursery voice) "Ok kids, now who is this?"

They all answer like they just spent an hour on the helium tank, "Desus!"

"That's right! And Jesus loves you SO much, and I know he loves me....Ok! Let's get snacks!"

Yep, that was good attention span kids. Good job Mister Gould. You are the best EVER!

MY SIS!

2011-02-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

Today, the 25th of February (or I guess when I technically write this it is not ACTUALLY the 25th by like a half and hour, but that is not important) is my sister's day of birth.

I can't believe it but the girl is 15. That is crazy and I am not really sure I am ready for her to be all growed up and have her permit and all that judd.

I am so proud of my 4.0 g.p.a., fun loving, witty, all-inclusive, righteous, beautiful, and talented sister.

Here are some reasons why I am glad she is MY SIS:

1) She makes me laugh probably harder than anyone can. No one can pull out a faster and wittier comment than she can...especially at her age.

2) She literally loves everyone she meets and is constantly reminding me to only say nice things about everyone. Whenever I use the term "sweet angel" it is because I got it from her. When she catches me saying, "she really bugs me! I just am REALLY not a fan of her." There is Hannah saying, "Chels, she's my girl! And she is a sweet angel." Hahaha

3) She was voted most popular girl in school, but of course would she ever tell us? NO, because that is something she is A) too humble about, and B) wants really nothing to do with because she is just not like that. A sweet angel as she would say - hahah. She got voted that we all know because she is not just a cute girl, but because she really is nice to everyone. Love her.

4) Hannah is always willing to help everyone! Especially this last little while everyone in our house has been sick she has been running from me, to my dad, to my mom - back and forth up and down the stairs. She is always willing to help everyone around her, especially her family and especially serving me. I have not been the brightest of sunshine these last few years and she has not only put up with me, but served and loved me. Dat ma.

5) She is such a talented girl in all she does...but especially dancing, rock climbing and singing! SO proud in all she does.

6) She is always a true friend and no matter what - I know she would do whatever she could for those she loves.

7) She never fails to listen to rap and hip hop with me and makes sure I am caught up on all the latest music...espcecially when I came home from the mish hahaha.

8) She always has been and always will be supportive of me and all my decisions and what I have done.

9) Hannah is ALWAYS helping me with fashion tips because she is the ultimate little fashionista! My whole life I have just never been good at thinking outside the box when it comes to putting together an outfit...I wouldn't say I have been bad at dressing...just not creative. Hannah always looks darling, put together, and unique. Needless to say, my 8 year younger sister was always dressing me, not the other way around! Thank goodness! Especially since she has been here since I came home from my mission because sister missionary clothes do not fit the every day cute bill.

10) She is ultimately my best friend in the whole world and since I have been home I think we have been closer than we have ever been and I love being around her 24/7. I miss her so much being down here in St. George and I am so sad I am not with her on her exact B-day! But I know she will have a blast with her friends and we will celebrate another day....she is THE BEST! So glad she is MY SIS! As I love to say, if I got to line up all the sisters that ever were and ever could be I would still always pick mine!

Hope you have the best b-day ever Sissy Poo!

My life essentially.

2011-02-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today a really freaking funny situation happened that kind of summed up the way my life has been going lately....well, maybe the last 6 years. And truthfully I am NOT complaining, I just think the Lord likes to push my buttons and someone is playing pranks on me. I like to say that since you pray so much on a mission the Lord and I have more like conversations rather than prayers and so sometimes I ask him questions, like, "REALLY?!?! Are you serious?!" when things happen to me that are just so funny and just unrealistic.

Well, today Lindsey and my new friend Trumble went to lunch and we were driving back and saw kind of homely little kid with a bull cut. He turns to Lindsey and says, "Look Linds! That is who you can look forward to marrying one day!"

Two seconds later we see a little wiry blond kid on a scooter and he turns to me and says, "and there is your future husband Chels!" BAM he hits a bump, SLAMS into the ground.

We all look at each other, start burst out laughing.

I start freaking out and am saying, "GUYS! Don't let him know we are laughing!! Poor kid! And THAT is pretty ironic of what is going on in my life lately!!!"

Trumble says, "Well, Chels, you sure bring that type of crap down here when you come! Hope that is not an OMEN of your future!"

We all start busting up laughing....it was funny, but not. But SO funny.

Poor kid.

Thursday is the day.

2011-02-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

YAY! I have an appointment with a great cardiologist to get my heart checked out.
The ironic thing is that the ONLY day available for a really long time is the day of my dad's major surgery. GO figure hahah. I should just know that those kinds of things just happen to me and think it is funny, because it is pretty funny...but not.

Anyway, this place deals with chronic migraine/seizure people like me all the time so let's just hope they find a little hole and set me up for a little surgery and fix me.

So if you wouldn't mind continuing to send a few extra prayers up for me I REALLY need them right now :) I am more nervous for Thursday than I have been in a while...for my Daddy and that I will have this stupid thing.

For now I am laying on these chick's couch for a change of scenery down in the George of Saint:

I don't know if seeing them has made my migraines worse or better because I have been laughing my brains out. I just love them so much and have not seen much of them since I have been home.

More updates later, but don't forget to pray for that little hole in the heart :)

Happy Tuesday!

I could use your prayers on this one.

2011-02-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

So I have been having these stupid migraines for a while now and we have been thinking my link has been hormones since I have issues with those for so long. Well, thanks to Heidi Mcsweeny, my amazing NP those are in tip top form...good news and bad news because there is no link.

No link to food...chocolate, sugar, caffeine...none of that.

Well, this is where I REALLY need your prayers...really, really, and it is going to sound crazy...

Everyone has been telling me lately that maybe I have a hole in my heart. I was like, "are you crazy, I have MIGRAINES, not heart problems". Well, people kept bringing it up, bringing it up! Finally I did a bunch of research and I thought, well, there may be something to this. One of my old companions said her mom had a migraine almost everyday for 25 years and found out she had a hole in heart, had it fixed and has had maybe one a year since. Actually 1 in 4 adults have one (meaning a hole in their heart) and walk around with it and will never know it and will never show any symptoms... but for some people it can cause mini strokes and migraines...also, SEIZURES. Like my seizures. Like the seizures I had up to 80 of a day.

My heart is the only thing we haven't looked in to after 6 years and really we could be onto something. The cool thing is also, to fix it they don't even put you under general anesthesia...it is no big deal...they give you a little sedation, put a catheter down in your leg by your groin, do the procedure and you're fixed. No more seizures, no more migraines. Well, actually you may have really bad migraines for like a month and a half after but then you don't have any.

We talked with some nurses and they said they hope I have it because it would explain why for years I have just felt tired in general and just never really felt good. They have seen people that have the procedure and have felt 110% better after and live a totally normal MUCH healthier life. It even turns out my great grandpa had one and it can be hereditary.

It sounds strange but I just HOPE so bad that I have it, because if not...they said I may be pretty much stuck like this...a migraine every other day. I have petitioned the Lord and I just asking for everyone's prayers and faith on this because I have suffered with so many ailments for so many years and I just am ready for a break you know? I don't think it is too much to ask for a hole in the heart...ha ha funny request, but it is our best option. I have the faith that if the Lord can do all he does, and by that I mean part the Red Sea and deliver Alma's people out of bondage, he can give me a solution and a miracle. If not, I will still be faithful and still keep plugging along until he fulfills his promises that I will be fully healed. I still think the hole would be an easy solution, but I have lots of great ideas that he hasn't used yet :). You could still pray for this very great idea to happen.

I love these women. I WANT to be these women.

2011-02-20T00:12:00.000-08:00

First of all, look at those mugs.

If you know me, I mean truly know me, it just really sums up just what I love.

Two sweet little angel old folks with southern accents.

DARLINGS!

Now here is their story and it just sums them up EVEN more.

I just love people like them and wish I could be there with them everyday soak up every inch of them, and love on them every day.

And well, I find myself sobbing at this show much more than necessary:

And then find myself just planning on marrying a millionaire or finding a way to be a millionaire so I just make sure my kids have no idea they are rich, starting my own non-profit and shamelessly giving it all away here. Then traveling all over and giving more away to my babies of Kenya who I still dream about every night.

Anyway, this girl:

was darling and I loved her on the Oprah show. She is a millionaire and still budgets and lives on 100 bucks a week...so great.

So watch THIS where the darling ladies get a GREAT surprise from my fave OPRAH. Worth your time! Love their reactions.

I love them! If everyone was like them, well this place would be a whole lot better. They are twins and say the Lord sent two because there was too much to be done! So true, and I love their mottos which are, "Number one, there is but one Father and that is our Heavenly Father. Number two there is but one race and that is the human race. And number three not to take the last piece of bread from the table because someone might come out of this hungry." and their last motto of The Love Kitchen is "Everybody is God's Somebody". AMEN! I love them. I am in love. I want to be them EVERY day.

HAPPY SUNDAY! Serve someone today :)

Pure Hilarity

2011-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Lately over at the Gould house it has been pretty funny because of this chick:

My stunningly beautiful Sis (who I wish would have saved me some of that brown Hawaiian gene and beauty gene instead of STEALING it all for herself!) has a birthday coming up and has been BEGGING for one of these:

My Sis has a sense of humor like you would not believe and so she has been doing all kinds of convincing, paired with REALLY high voices and pictures taped in various places of these little muffins:

Uhhhmmmm,... SO cute, and so funny. She is hilarious and who wouldn't love those puppies right?! My dad! Well, I know secretly he does. PS. these little munchkins don't grow! They STAY that size. Bah, kill me, I am such a sucker for doggies.

So Hannah needs to get everyone on board with this, so what does she do for her strategy besides sticking small pictures of cute furry animals??

Sticks in this movie which my mom has never seen! PURE GENIOUS!

I mean the girl is pretty dang funny if you ask me, always making kissy faces at pictures of puppies. I am on board 100% and always trying to help get the parentals on too because I love them and I think my lover, needs a Brudder:

However it is not looking so good because CLEARLY the dad is not on board and mom is only half way. So we will see! I hope, I hope!

HAPPY FRIDAY