Whose daughter is this?

Holy Goats!

Living on the edge of American Fork Canyon does provide its benefits and well also some surprises; the most amazing view of Mt Timpanogos, a beautiful drive over to Sundance, and on the other hand wicked winds in the spring, helicopters flying above as they are looking for stranded hikers, and perhaps news crews reporting of the bear attack. Yesterday we found another added surprise to living at the base of the canyon. As the kids and I were walking home from school yesterday we saw something running in the backyard of one of our neighbors. We stared closely and to our surprise we saw mountain goats. We ran home trying to beat them to our house and what do you know as we headed to the back porch their the were! They stood in a pack of seven panting heavily and looking a tad confused. I think both us and them wondered where they were heading. If the went much farther they would end up running down the mountain side into a neighborhood! As they pondered their decision they took full advantage of a fresh salt water drink. (Ben had just drained the pool pump and let the water accumulate on the other side of our fence). I believe that the goats have been endangered here in Utah so they have tagged them and even collared some to monitor their where abouts. What a shock it will be when they see them down on Healey Blvd!

Brooke's Baptism

We had the honor of baptizing Brooke on July 12th! She is now officially a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. It was a beautiful and tender day spent with family and friends with a dinner party at Ben's parents house. Congratulations Brookie! We certainly are proud of you and the kind, amazing 8 year old you are!

Benici's pizza debut!

Benici's first Pie!

The kids favorite is good old traditional Pepperoni

Can you believe how hot this wood burning oven can get!

What do you call a good ol' German /Danish boy who loves to make pizza like an Italian? We call him Benici! Once again the obsessions of Ben have paid off! We are on to the next adventure of woodfire oven pizza making, just like New Havens Pepe's and the rest of the best do it! Call to make a reservation, I promise you the yummiest home made pizza ever and a dip in the pool!
Any bets on what promises to be the next OCD adventure?

Back Adventures

As most of you know I have been walking around like a troll since mid-March of this year. The troll walk attracted a lot of attention from onlookers. Bent over at the waist trying to lift my head up to see just in front of me I gimped around, dragging my right leg. Some just tried to stare at my feet and legs as if not to make eye contact with such a crippled person, others had eyes that just bled compassion, others just came right out and said"what is wrong with you?" The highlight of the troll adventure was riding around in motorized scooters throughout Costco, Target and Harmon's Grocery Stores. My shopping adventures have been limited to those 3 places since they are the only ones who offer scooters for the disadvantaged like me! I had a few misadventures like when I ran over Brooke's foot and she declared "mom drives like a maniac!" Or when I knocked over a whole shelf of juice boxes. The best reactions would come when I would stand up out of the scooter to pick the cereal off the shelf some looked at me as if if they had just witnessed a miracle!

I knew the adventures had to come to end some time. Physical therapy failed, decompression was the most miserable experience, 3 epidurals were just temporary band aids. Surgery seemed imminent. Last week I finally relented and dropped off my MRI report to the neurosurgeons office I had so diligently researched. I figured word of mouth from those not paralyzed spoke the best for the surgeon. So the Office of Dr's Reichmann and Gaufain were it. They said it would take a week to contact me about an appointment I heard the next day they were ready to see me. Hmm, I was noticing a trend amongst all the Dr's who had seen my scans. I heard reactions like: "champion herniation" "you only see ones like this once a year" "Wow that is BIG" If you notice in the picture above there should be a clear white nerve canal but right at the bottom is black glob pushing into the canal. That would be the herniation.

Unfortunately my back couldn't wait till my appointment. Late Sunday night I gave birth to the most excruciating herniation recorded by man. ha. Well, I haven't spoke to too many others who have encountered this but my analogy goes something like this" it felt like giving birth to an elephant through my nostril." With the pain shifting to the other leg and foot it became totally numb. I couldn't sit, stand , or crawl without screaming or crying. I think I ripped skin on Ben every time he tried to help me move. I writhed for hours. Finally the tears drained out and at 6:30 a.m. with the help of a percocet I managed to fall asleep leaning on a pile of pillows on top of a chair. During the night I had screamed to the Lord for mercy, promised to be a better everything if he would just offer some relief. I am not so sure he heard those pleas but I know percocet did! In the morning, with the advice of the Dr's to get to the ER immediately Ben and I headed off to our favorite haunt as of late, Utah Valley Hospital. As I left the MRI it was immediately reported to us that the radiologist had never seen a disc herniation bigger then mine. By the time I got back to ER room the neurosurgeon Dr Gaufain was there waiting. Ben swears he was salivating. He broke the news that surgery was needed immediately. Unfortunately I had eaten some oreoes with the pain meds they gave me so that delayed my surgery till the next day. I offered to go home and get ready but I was admitted immediately with the warning that paralysis was too much of a risk.
The next day the surgery went off with out a hitch. The Anesthesiologist even greeted me in recovery saying "that herniation was like pulling meat out of a king crab claw, one piece after another!" I was beginning to get the feeling that I had broken some sort of record here. Within an hour of being back in my room I was busy taking 2 laps around the floor. Pain free but still dragging a totally numb leg an foot. The textbooks predict that nerve damage doesn't heal but Dr Gaufain promises that 50% of his patients see some sort of relief. I am for sure pleading that I am in that 50% this time. I think I have taken 100% of my due this year. It is great to be home gimping around. They released me at 10 a.m. yesterday and it has been a pleasure to limp around in my own home again.
This is the end of the medical adventures for 2008 and we are on to some more exciting times soon enough! I am grateful this back adventure waited till after my parents 50th Anniversary extravaganza, Brooke's baptism and an awesome visit with my two sisters and their families. I guess there is always the bright side of just getting it over with rather then waiting around. Out of the advice I have gotten I wish I had dismissed 99% of it. This is what I have learned: listen to your gut. Everyone has an opinion, don't be bogged down with the guilt of disappointing others expectations or forgoing the promises of miracle treatments. Do what is best for you and what you are prompted to do, there is Truth in your internal compass listen to it!

Oh PS The procedure was a laminectomy discectomy

This boy can dance

Many eons ago I worked doing accounts receivable in Greenwich & Wilton CT for a video game distributor. Soon after I joined them they ventured into the video game magazine business, the first of its kind at the time. I was some how suckered into writing articles, primarily about impending game releases or industry pr and news. Let's just say I was not a natural fit for the video gamer crowd. It was all men and quite frankly they were all a little nerdy. These were guys who played video games all day and waited with baited breath for the release of the next big Mortal Combat or Halo. Because they worked for the magazine they were the Gods of the industry...testing out games and reviewing them with the design teams at Nintendo, Activision etc. I managed to survive and even became friends with the gamers. One of my most favorite co-workers was Matt Harding. He started working at 15 and quickly became one of our best writers and reviews. His career did so well he put off college to keep on working in the field. Matt was quirky, innocent, game obsessed, brilliant and had the best dry sense of humor in the office. He had joie de vivre that clearly became more apparent as he grew older. I have followed him on utube for the past few years. Here is his latest video...I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I am green with envy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&feature=user

Blackwelder Luck

I am convinced this is a story only a Blackwelder can tell. It contains some of the worst of luck mixed with the triumph of incredible luck.

It begins like this: We decide to celebrate my birthday (37! eek) with a relaxing ride on the chair lift up Sundance Mountain. Our best friends the Kelly's join us on the chair behind us (they are immune to such Blackwelder luck and instead have just plain old good luck).

It is a beautiful day, the mountains are as green and lush as we've ever seen them. The girls are loving the adventure and we are all feeling a tad inspired by all the beauty around us.


As we approach the final ascent there is a pretty steep part that bounces the chair just a tad. As we bounce we hear the familar sound " clinkty-clink" Then SPLAT...hmmm we thought, "Was that really our car keys?" Sure enough there they were a good hundred feet down or so lost in the bushes of Sundance Mountain. The keys had managed to slip out of Ben's pocket and into the bush. Suddenly our plans to enjoy the ride then meet up with the Kelly's at the Foundry Grill at 6:00 for dinner were changing quickly. BUT (and this is where the Blackwelder luck comes in) then we remembered that riding just two or three chairs ahead of us was the engineer that Ben had worked with on our pool and some houses. He had plans to enjoy one last bike ride down the mountain. Man did we have plans to change that! As we approached the top of the mountain we immediately began to scream "ADAM!" Luckily he heard us and stopped to hear our pleas. We told him that Ben had dropped his car keys at pole 16 and they were somewhere near a "horizontal log!" About 5 minutes later as we began our descent down the mountain there was Adam climbing up the through the bushes in search of our keys! Between the Kelly's & Ben's directions they were able to tell him where to look in that vast field of chaos.

And wouldn't you know it he found them! Just like that our luck had changed. So there it is Blackwelder luck...Nothing comes easy but with a little luck everything turns out all right.

OUCH!

Yesterday was a right of passage day for Brooke. She and her best buddy Callie celebrated their impending 8th birthday with an ear piercing extravaganza! Oh man were they nervous but they handled it all with grace and their usual smiles triumphed in the end. I was a tad nervous taking Brooke because she has such a crazy aversion to shots. I thought for sure she would end up in the corner of the store in the fetal position screaming but she handled it like a champ and even comforted Callie when it was her turn. She says it never hurt just throbbed a bit and I know it could not have been too bad because they headed straight for Orange Julius and shopping afterwards.

6 hours later

6 hours. 5 men. 300 plants. 4 trees. 96 degrees.
phew.
Our yard is begining to take shape!

another shot

There is so much more fine tuning to go but already it looks amazing.

Barren Yard

Thought I would share some shots of Ben's latest OCD project. He has been working his butt off, spending all of his free time as of late getting the backyard ready for the landscaping. All 325 plants are due to arrive today (although, we were prepared last night but the truck got delayed!) I told the Landscape Designer that I wanted a lush, green Connecticut feel with a touch of English garden. I can't wait to see of he pulled it out! We have spent hours trying to get oriented with all of the plants and what they will look like and I am excited to see it all done. One more project to check off our list and start enjoying, just in time for our Connecticut guests! Hopefully by the time they get here I will be able to walk a bit. I am scheduled for a Epidural of corticosteroids in my back to day. I am sure hoping it will offer some relief. I would love to help with the planting tonight! HA. I'll post the "after pictures" tomorrow.

Picc Free!

106 Days later I am finally picc line free.

As much as I am grateful that I was able heal at home and enjoy the independence of not having to be in the hospital, I am SO much more grateful not to have tubes hanging out of my arm. Tubes that get stuck in the laundry machine, awkwardly hang out of clothes, must be covered with plastic wraps to shower, that keep you up worrying about infections and forbid me to jump in the pool. The list could go on. My arm is molting, a little (well alot) flabby but ready to face the summer. I really am grateful for the nurses who visited me every week, calmed my crazy worries (can I kill myself if air gets in my line? why is there blood in the tubes?!) and for the husband who woke up in stupors in the middle of the night to help me with my medicine and make sure I never missed a dose. I am grateful for nurse Cherie who kept me company at every bandage pull and of course the final exit of the purple picc. Ick. I am grateful for children who had to learn to think having a mom with tubes hanging out of her arm is actually cool and not so scary. All in all having a mom like me may teach them compassion, service and unconditional love. Sure wish I didn't have to teach them those strengths in such a way but I am sure it will make them the strongest, most amazing women. There has to be an upside to all this right?
So, if you ever know anyone with a picc who needs help injecting some drugs or just a hand to hold though the crazy process just call me, I am the picc princess!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Happy 5th Birthday Ellie!

Yesterday we celebrated Ellie's 5th birthday with a zebra party!
Oh my goodness does this girl love zebra's!
So we went all out with zebras. Zebra's everywhere, on the invitation, the porch, the balloons, in the flower arrangement, on the cupcakes, even her bathing suit.
She enjoyed the day with all the other 5 year olds on the block and swam away. The mom's enjoyed the day relaxing by the pool and catching up with one another. I have to say this was the easiest birthday party I have ever hosted. My neighbors Wendy & Heather were so awesome, helping me pick up the treats and set up. I may have enjoyed the day even more then the Ellie! There is nothing that makes me happier then relaxing with friends and I am lucky enough to count my neighbors as my best friends. Oh wait, this is supposed to be about Ellie. Back to the star of the day! She woke up at her usual bight and early time of 9:30 with a room filled with balloons and a pair of zebra pj's waiting. She was so excited to get the party going I wasn't so sure how we were going to make it to 1. Luckily time flew, phew and before we knew it there were 10 little 5 years swimming around like fishes. Most of them took a quick break for cupcakes and snacks and jumped right back in th pool! After the guest left we enjoyed a dinner with the Kelly's at Ellie's favorite Tepanyaki followed by the fine film "Kung-Fo Panda". All said and done it was a day of Ellie favorites that we all enjoyed. We especially love watching Ellie grow up, she is such a joy to us and I am sure will continue to blossom in in her 5th year. Happy day Ellie Belly!

I made it!

We shared a special day with Ellie last week as we watched her "graduate" from preschool. Who knew there was such a thing! It ended up being a great night, the children were all so darling singing their hearts out and even memorizing & reciting their lines for the program. I am so excited for Ellie, I know she will really love kindergarten and all of the adventures ahead of her. She surely does grab hold of life, make it the most fun it can be and smile all the while! Congratulations Ell-Bell! We love you!

Dancing Queen!!

Ellie has prepared all year for her "Lizard of Oz " (known to most as the "Wizard of Oz"!) performance. She loved being a poppy, being center stage and mostly all the flowers and attention adored on her. Prior to her performance we spent the day preparing with a manicure and pedicure then getting her hair done! Spoiled. She must take after her mom because she loved the pampering.
We were all proud of her performance, she danced her heart out. At the end of the day we caught these shots, how darn cute!

Last & First!

Today was the last day of school and the first day of the rest of the summer! Phew. I have to admit I am a summer junkie. I am ready for nothing to do, books to read and some days by the pool. I have a feeling there will be many days by the pool!
Today the kids went to school until 10:30 so afterwards we kicked summer off with a pool party. Lunch for the ladies and the kids and lots and lots of swimming. It was a great day and will be a greater morning tomorrow when we can sleep in and lounge all day! Bring it on summer!

The Cat Whisperer

Brooke loves cats. She especially loves our Ragdoll, Spencer. She loves them so much she offered her "cat whispering" abilities to the cat breeder who lives in town. So this weekend we are the lucky hosts of four Ragdoll Kittens. They are just 7 weeks old and as darling as can be.
Throughout the day I have had to enforce time-outs for the kittens, allowing them an opportunity to eat and rest without the constant "attention" of the adoring and obsessed kitten lovers. Poor Spencer, he is so not loving the visitors. I feel his pain. I am just hoping we can return all four without any tears!

Another sign of spring

I am sitting in my robe waiting for the town building inspector to come. Downstairs the gas guy is here to upgrade our gas lines so we can heat our pool sufficiently this year. Until we get some solar panels we may be Questar Gas Company's favorite customer since it cost us last year to heat the pool for 2 weeks!
Ben anticipates working on the hot tub this weekend and then getting ready to spray his vinyl paint. Then we are ready to fill and jump in! Now if only Mother Nature would cooperate. It may be 50 degrees but we are still almost 10 degrees below average for this time of year. Yesterday Ellie picked her first crocus, in purple of course. Spencer (our cat) is scratching at the glass and crying at the robins who have made our new London Poplar trees their home. I have never seen robins so fat! Last Saturday I sat on the field at Brookes' soccer game under 2 blankets with a winter coat and hat on. She was awesome as the goalie for a bit but then joined some friends under blankets too. I can't say it loud enough " bring on spring!"
I thought I would include some shots of the pool that Ben built the girls & I last year while we were visiting friends back East for the month of July. We got to enjoy it for a few weeks before Fall came. It was wonderful, beautiful, refreshing and the best OCD project Ben has ever worked on!

Where We Poop Butterflies?

It seems many of you are wondering about my quote on the banner of this blog. It reads"From the land of sunshine where we eat rainbows and poop butterflies." It is actually belongs to Kate a cute fuzzy creature in the movie "Horton Hears a Who." Brooke can not stop saying it, even watches the clip on UTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJkaKAIl_Fc&NR=1
I think in a very satirical way it is an appropriate quote for a gal like me who loves the sun, tries to stay positive yet manages to spend more time in the bathroom then any other room in her house. Lets face it, Crohn's is not a pretty disease. No one wants to talk about bathroom habits other then Dr Oz and my GI Doc. If I have contributed one thing to my friends and associates its that there is no shame in chatting up the plagues of Gastrointestinal disorders and daily happenings. In fact, my life has been quite bland lately without the GI woes I have suffered acutely from the past 3 years. I have a pile of magazines to the sky because I am never in that room any longer. In the mean time I managing to enjoy the sunshine...altho we need some terribly here (my antibiotic induced tan seem to be fading a tad!) And of course eating everything under the rainbow. I will have to write about Ben's amazing cooking abilities and perhaps share a few fav recipes at another post.

8 lbs later

So this is how the blog endeavor began....This morning I was inspired to share a little good news with all of those who have been following my latest health "journey." As I wrote I figured a blog would be a much better way to stay in touch. With a blog I could show pictures of my girls, brag about my girls, tell you what we are doing with the girls, tell you about my Ben, the wondrous enigma that brings joy and adventure to my life...The point is I need to do something other then crosswords, occasional genealogy and supporting the paparazzi. On another note, I have always failed miserably at journal writing so this blog may suffice as a family journal for now.

Most of you who will be reading this have been following my latest health saga. Since departing the hospital it goes something like this....tooth ache, root canal, crown, bulging disc with sciatica pain to the moon, physical therapy, oh and a sty in the eye! I will elaborate later. But I thought sharing pictures from my arrival home and from this week would convey how well I am really doing. Notice the 8 lbs that Ben managed to pack on me in just 4 weeks. Remind me to tell Ben it is time to slow down on the fat inducing foods now!

Back to this blog. Let me put the disclaimer out there...I can't type, write, don't know how to use punctuation and certainly don't know how to blog. Computer savvy I am not. I can't believe I am doing this. It must be caused by some sort of delirium left over from the hospital. But here we go on the blogging journey, thanks for coming along for the ride!