Christmas Party 2012

So many good things happen and I don't take the time to record them. Luckily I can use my blog for my journal as well as my written journal. I figure between all of my different creative outlets, I should have things recorded somewhere. If not in written word, in pictures.
Recently Wayne and I had the opportunity of vacationing together in Kauai. It was a beautiful week together in a beautiful place. I've recorded most of that information in my travel journal but I may post some pictures here on the blog but not immediately.
As soon as we got home from Hawaii we finished preparing for our Christmas party. It was a polar express theme. We had the house decorated in snowflakes that each of the kids had made the week before. We made lifesaver trains and Karie helped the kids decorate sugar cookies. Our dinner was yummy. We had tenderloin (bacon wrapped of course), garlic mashed potatoes, brussle sprouts, fresh bread. Our cookies and the hot chocolate later in the evening was our dessert. Jocelyn helped everyone make popcycle stick stars and my dad told the little kids about the Christmas in 1937 or 38 when he received his toy train that we were using under the tree. Emmett told us a story about the Christmas he got his first BB gun and that was quite the story.
Here are a few pictures from our party.

We Need Humor in the Workplace

Like Minds Think Alike! Too Alike!

These 4 Sonic Route 44's have a very funny story. It started while I was talking to Wayne on his way home from work. I told him how thirsty I was and how I was craving a lime ricky. Not much else was said and Wayne was still in Bountiful so at least an hour away. I had errands to run and I left home to run to Brigham to go get gas in my car, go to Walmart, the dollar store and then back home. Wayne got home about 6:00 with 2 Route 44 lime Ricky's. Thinking he had done a great thing and was going to surprise me and make me so happy. I wasn't home and I didn't get home from my errands until about 7:00 and when I did, guess what I came home with? Yup! And thus we have 4, count them, 4 Route 44 lime ricky's. More calories in one than either of us need and we each have 2 now. I'm pretty sure that 44 is for 44 ounces. So 88 ounces of soda for each of us. $10 spent and some of the best laughs we've had in a long, long time!! You know they say when you're married long enough you start to finish each other sentences... Sometimes Wayne and I almost amaze ourselves at what we are capable of. This takes the cake today don't you think!?!

Meet our little Baby Nia

So excited to welcome little baby Nia into our family! Zach and Hayan have been waiting for a little baby for a while now, so when they finially became pregnant we were all so excited. We instantly knew that no matter what they had (boy or girl) it would be beautiful with lots of dark hair Nia was everything they could possible hope for. She certainly puts a smile on her mommy and daddy's face! She makes her grandma pretty dang happy too.

Girls Day Out

Quality Friends, a photo by Michelle MaBell on Flickr.

Sometimes the work week is just too long and you just have to take a day for some down time. That's exactly what we did on Friday. Mary isn't working in our office anymore but she will always be a part of our "Quality Friends". We took the time to slip away to the BeeHive Grille in Logan for some yummy food and a chance to catch up on the summer activities for everyone. It's so nice to work with such great people to call your friends.

Sunday is Family Time

Sundays have always been family time for us. Ever since Wayne and I first married 30 + years ago Sundays have been reserved for spending time with family. In the early years Wayne & I were the ones leaving our home to go visiting to our parents and grandparents. Now with the passing of time and the change in family dynamics, we still visit our parents with our kids but now our grand-kids come along with us. Every now and again we are able to stay home on Sunday's and the kids come to our home to visit. It does not matter where we do the visiting, the important thing are the relationships and the memories we are making and the memories we are giving to our grandkids. I hope my grandkids will be able to look back fondly on the time they've spent getting to know their great grandparents. I know my kids have appreciated the time and the relationship they have with their grandparents. I also know how much the grandparents value these relationships with the kids. Better yet, I hope we have instilled a love of family in both our children and our grandchildren. I want to be a home my kids no matter their age, will want to visit and where they know they are loved & always feel welcome.

Here is a great picture of my dad outside in the garden trying to find"the leak" in the garden hose. Instead he's found a great treasure of little great-grandchildren wanting to pose for a picture. Of course they had to help him water the patio as well.

2012 Lake Powell

Lake Powell is always a unique experience. No matter how many times we go. No matter how similar the trip should be, no two trips are ever alike and this year didn't disappoint. First off the crew: we started we 2 men, 4 ladies and 6 children which just happened to include two 2 year olds! We've had babies on the boat before and we've had 2 year olds on the boat but having 2 on the same trip kept everyone on their toes! There was not a quiet moment but every moment was exciting. Everything was new and exciting for the children and watching them play and explore so hard each day that sleep at night came as a treat. Of course we had to lock the kids in a tent while they slept to make sure they didn't wander off the boat during the night. Sydnee and Savannah are pro's now so they made great tour guides for thier cousins Avery and Carter. 
It's kind of crazy to think that Wayne and I have vacationed with our kids since they were Sydnee's age. Now we're taking our grandkids and watching them enjoy this same wonderful vacation.

It's fun to watch our kids go as the parents to Powell. A full circle of life and enjoyment. The memories and stories just continue to grow and grow!

Both Sydnee and Savannah rode the knee board this trip. Sydnee was a knee boarding fool - pulling 360's like crazy! She had a grin so big you could never have gotten it off her face. She was beaming from ear to ear!

Fathers Day With My Dad 2012

Not the greatest picture but we were struggling with the camera, the light and he models ;-)
It is such a blessing to have my dad in my life and even though he feels like he has become a burden because his body doesn't move as well as it did in his younger days and he requires a little help from us now and again, I continue to learn from him valuable lessons every day and I wouldn't trade this time with my parents for anything. He is an amazing man of patience and humor if I could acquire just have of each of these traits I will feel I blessed. My kids have a bit of his quick wit and we all enjoy his sense of humor. I can remember a lot of these same traits in his mother and I loved her for that. I wonder if grandpa Larsen wasn't a bit like that too but he was gone before I was old enough to know him well. Dad says most of this comes from the Sorensen side of the family. No matter - as long as it continues to be passed on through our kids and grandkids because it is such an amazing gift. Thanks dad for being such an amazing dad and for being such an important part of my children and grandchildren's lives.

Poppies on Pappy's Day 2012

Savannah so wanted to sit in the chair. Check out the look on her face. It was so funny!

 He's so handsome! One day that flower will be for some lucky lady :-(

 No one loves the camera more than our little Savannah!

 The white dresses I bought were a natural for the poppies. Don't you think?

 Giggles are contageous!

 Listen Nash - This is how it's going to be!

 Sure Grandma, I can sit still for 2 seconds, I promise!

That few seconds between a child and a young lady. Happy Fathers Day and Grand Fathers Day! What a lucky bunch of Dad's and Grand dads!

Catching up... Here is a glimpse from Mothers Day 2012

It was so awesome on Mothers Day to have all of my kids together at the same time and in the same place. With only 3 kids that doesn't seem like such a great accomplishment but when you have 4 of us working in healthcare - you realize this is almost a miracle!

Everyday with my mom is a miracle. I love and appreciate her so much more now than ever. She has such a child like spirit and has had her own set of earthly trials. It is such a blessing to have parents in our lives at this stage in our lives.I am grateful for my mom. I am grateful to be a mom. I am even more grateful as I watch my daughter and daughter-in-law's become mothers.

Five beautiful Mothers on Mothers Day 2012

April 2012

I was trying to recapture a cool picture Brandon's sister in law took of him tossing Emma. By the time Tyler had tossed Savannah 5 times or so and then tossed Nash several times (for just the right shot). Cute little Sydnee ask her dad if he could toss her. Tyler waa a good sport and at least gave it a good try. Sad day in a little girls life when she's too old or too big for her daddy to carry her or throw her around.

Sun was setting in Manuta as we headed out on our walk on Easter evening. That's ok because we still had a blast playing on the toys and chatting with the cows.

April has brought so much change into my life. Some good, but unfortunately some sad. The sad change has been indirect change to me but it has not been so fortunate for some good friends of mine. It's always easier to write about the happier things in life even though we probably learn more from the struggles. I may write a little about both at some point but for now I'm going to post some pictures from the happier times.

Emma loved the slide and so did the other little girls. They were good to take turns on all of the toys.

 Mom's have play dates all the time with their kids so why not grandmas? That's what we thought and it turned out pretty well for a first meeting for the 3 girls. I should have taken Nash out with me too, next time! It kept us busy helping the kids on and off the tramp, up the slide and on and off the swing. We had a nice time and I'm pretty sure the girls had a blast too!

TyAnne, Emma and Emily  3 of the most adorable little girls. They were so cute to each other. And even tired they did well to share. Given another few months and they'll be able to play independently for hours, no problem. They were so cute together!!

Bryce Canyon 2012

This was our first trip to Bryce Canyon and it was a lot of fun. It was a lot colder than we had planned for so lucky for me Wayne had packed his wind-breaker golf jacket. It came in very handy. Next time I would bring my own coat, wear long pants, bring a hat and some gloves during the winter months, otherwise I wouldn't change a thing. Next time we come it will probably be the heat of summer and this lesson learned won't help a bit. Oh well, isn't that how it goes sometimes!

Winter Weekend Get-away!

This weekend get-away turned out different than
I had pictured in my head but those are usually the best at least from my experience. I had it pictured coming here to St. George and playing some golf, shopping and just chilling in the condo with Wayne.  Some much needed mental R&R before heading back to the busy weeks ahead at work. Instead, we left home in a hustle. I showed up here in St. George right in the middle of the parade of homes, something I couldn't have planned if I had tried and yet we didn't go. We went to the art district and wandered through some art galleries. That was fun. Then we spent some time in some antique shops and some consignment shops. We spent the last part of the day at the outlets and found some fun deals. We shopped pretty much all day on Friday until we stopped for dinner. We had great sushi downtown. Wayne taught me how to play angry birds and I taught him how to play bejeweled. It was really loads of fun (and frustration!) I know why they call it angry birds. They should call it angry people playing angry birds! So addicting!! We laughed at each other as we each tried to master the other person's personal favorite computer game. It was a fun exchange. Today we started with breakfast on the balcony. Then we headed out for a last minute deal of fingernail polish at ULTA back at the outlets. Wayne is such a good sport. Then we headed out for what we thought would be an afternoon car ride to Bryce. 8 hours later we finally returned home. During those 8 hours however we had a blast. We had time to chat and sing disco songs. We saw mountain sheep , lots of deer and some amazing scenery. We froze our little hiney's off before the day was over. We stopped for lunch in a town called Orderville.
Check out this sign across the street from the "Subway" where we ate lunch.
It alone was worth the trip.

Career Article

Career Article

Who taught you how to be a patient?

Who taught you how to be a patient?, a photo by Regina Holliday on Flickr.

What a great painting by a woman named Regina Holliday. She discusses how children use toys to learn about becoming a patient and how these toys haven't changed or kept up with the changing of technology. It was an interesting read. You can read it yourself here @
http://reginaholliday.blogspot.com/2012/02/who-taught-you-how-to-be-patient.html

Like Family February 3, 2012

I have the good fortune of working with some of the greatest people. I couldn't ask for better friends or a better group of people to spend my day with aside from my own family. The past few months have brought a lot of change and unfortunately for me - this means I won't be spending my days with some of these great friends anymore. Instead they have the great fortune of moving into a new chapter in their lives. It seems weird to think that it won't be that long before Wayne and I will be looking at that chapter in our lives. Retirement is something that happens to someone else - to old people. Funny thing is, neither one of these great people are old! They are great friends, full of life with amazing plans for fun and travel ahead. So jealous!

The picture on top is from the first retirement party. Jim loves Jimmy Buffet and vacationing in Baja California. He has a laugh that is contaious and can be heard throughout the hospital hallways. Jim was one of the first LRH employees I met and I met him while I was working for FHP. He was an advocate for me then and it carried on through the the next 11 years I would work with him. Everyone should be so lucky to have a Jim in their life. I learned a lot about myself from coming to know Jim.

The picture at the bottom is from our most recent retirement party - my good friend and office mate for the past 5 years, Mary Brown. Just writing about this happy moment for her brings tears to my eyes. It was such a hard loss not just for myself but for our "office". We are all within ear shot of each other and Mary was the sunshine that was constant in the office. It didn't matter what else was going on there was a few things I could count on with 100% certainty. Brian would be able to sneak up behind her while she was concentrating and scare her nearly to death. She would always let me know if I was having a good hair day and 9 days out of 10 she would tell me I was losing weight. Who wouldn't want to hear that everyday? Mary had the best stories and no one could tell them like she could. She made everything more interesting. Who will tell us how busy she is everyday all the while pumping out amazing good deeds to neighbors and friends. She knew everyone in town and their entire family line.It always felt like Mary cared for half of Cache Valley while she was a nurse on the surgical floor. I think it safe to say I will never have another Mary in my life - she is irreplaceable. Her husband is pretty amazing as well. Happy for them both that they were both able to retire on the same day.

So 12 years I've been in my current position at LRH. I am now the most senior member of the quality team. Yikes! 12 years ago when I first started and was learning from Jim and I remember how inadequate I felt. This one year has totally turned things over at work. It was so comfortable for so long and now it feels like a different office.

 I am curious and feeling quite overwhelmed at what the next few months at work hold in store.We are busy training new employees and we are getting ready for our Joint Commission survey. It seems that healthcare continues to change at such a rapid pace one can hardly keep up! I easily spend 8 hours/week reading up on the regulatory changes and requirements as we prepare for survey. I love working the quality management department and it's a natural fit for me. This is one of the great things about the nursing profession - there are so many different areas to specialize in.

I am so thankful for my second family. My LRH family has certainly

become like family to me. We've been through parent's dying, children divorcing, children marrying, grand children born, sick children, and dying pets. We've had a few firsts, like our first pedicure, first glitter toes and amazing authentic Italian dinner with recipes compliments of Dr. Keyser. We've even acquired a few new expressions that have

become a hospital favorite and most requested copy ~

the office mantra "What The Hell !"

Don't make me use my sign!

Another Day With Hank

1/7/2011

Oh you just gotta love this silly dog. I'm not sure why though! Check this out - Hank decided he wanted some Christmas candy. Ok, let's start with the whole story. I got up at about 7:30 and fed Hank and let him outside to go potty. I went upstairs and started my cleaning. I was vacuuming and cleaning and making noise so I didn't hear anything unusual going on downstairs. At about 10:30 or so I went downstairs and I must have just walked in on Hanks latest adventure. He hadn't eaten too many of the cinnamon bears but he had managed to take the entire 1 1/2 lb bag off the counter in the kitchen, take it to the family room and start munching. Check out the center picture with the yellow arrow. Hank even took the twist tie off of the bag! Figure that one out! He also ate the box of green marshmallow Christmas Tree peeps that Wayne got in his sock for Christmas. Of course Hank must not have liked those so he either spit them out or threw them up on the family room carpet A nice sticky, surgary mess that you just gotta love. I'll have to admit it was quite festive with the red and the green. Seriously Hank? And that my friends is what happens when you have a dog that has a garbage gut. He's quite talented and it appears he even has taste. We know he prefers fresh bread over day old. Now we know he likes cinnamon bears over peeps!

Happy New Year 2012

Hard to believe it's 2012!
Every year as a little girl I remember sitting down on New Years Day writing my resolutions even as a very young kid. I wish I had kept those old resolutions. Wouldn't they be fun to read now!  I won't be publishing my 2012 resolutions so don't get excited but I will say that I think that I am more honest with myself and I know that I am much more realistic.

My wants are much less than when I was younger. I wanted nothing more than the love of my family. I want to use my time more wisely so that I have time to spend with my adorable grandkids. I want to make special and lasting memories with each one of them. I want to deepen my relationship with my Savior through more sincere and consistent scripture study and prayer.

How quickly the past 20 years have passed and if the next 20 years pass even half this quickly I can feel my time running out. I have so much I want to accomplish and although I don't know how much time I'll be given to accomplish these tasks, I figure if I want to enjoy the journey I should continue plugging along at my bucket list. I should also make certain I have all the right things on my bucket list! That's what my 2012 will be about - making certain I have the things that really matter on my bucket list and that I haven't filled my list with just play.