I was too sick at the end of November to post my list, so I'm doing a combined list today.

I am thankful:

~ for Nathan, my grandson.  He turned 1 in November and even though it's only been a year I can't imagine him not being a part of our family.

~ that in November we celebrated 28 years of marriage.  Even though we both forgot it on the actual day we know that our bonds are strong and we've been blessed through it all.

~ that I could take Abnormal Psychology at the University where I work and I PASSED!  I was always a pretty good student.  I got A's and B's without hardly ever cracking a book.  This class was hard.  I never missed class, took copious notes and studied like crazy.  Then I went to take the first test.  As I was taking the test I was feeling pretty confident.  I knew the answers.  I thought surely I would get at least 90%.  I finished the test and handed in the bubble sheet to the testing center.  I went out in the waiting area and stared at the computer screen waiting for my results.  I just kept watching and watching and as the numbers scrolled passed I just couldn't find mine.  I thought one of the numbers was my student ID #, but the score next to it was a 64%.  No way could that be my score.  I had to pull out my ID card to double check the numbers.  Sure enough, it was mine.  I got a D on the test.  I was floored.  I studied even harder for the remaining 4 tests and managed to pass the class with a B-.  I've never been so excited to get a B- in my life.

~ for advances in medical knowledge and for new drugs and treatment.  Now that I'm suffering from another cold I am again thanking my lucky stars that there are drugs out there to relieve my symptoms.  I am especially thankful for the advances in chemotherapy for cancer patients.  My dad is a living example of trying new therapies and seeing positive results.  He has two disorders, totally unrelated at the start, but snowballed into a complex problem.  His lymphoma was of a very treatable variety.  The doctor was very confident that he would have a full recovery.  But then his blood counts just kept plummeting and not recovering.  It was discovered that he had myelodysplasia.  His bone marrow was, as one nurse put it, "worn out".  It was too tired to make any new healthy blood.  After receiving so many blood and platelet transfusions that he might contend for the world record, the doc told him he wanted to try one type of chemo for the lymphoma and ANOTHER type of chemo for the myelodysplasia at the same time.  There were reports that this chemo treatment could "jump start" the marrow into making good blood once again.  The doc told us these two types of chemo had never been used together.  My dad was one of the first, and they both seem to be doing their respective jobs.  After our scare in September my Dad has made a remarkable recovery.  I talked to a nurse friend about a month ago and she told me how surprised they all were at how well my Dad is doing.  As she put it, "we've never had anyone live long enough for the Vidaza to actually work".  Wow.

~ that we have a beautiful new temple in our town.  It is the gem of our community.

~ that I have a room in my house for me.  My hangout.  I have a drawing table, sewing table, scrapbooking supplies, tv, stereo, ........just stuff.  It's my hangout and I like to go in there and hang out.  I am joined more often than not by either my dog or one of the kids.  Mike has a room for his hangout too.  We call it the cave.  All he needs is a tv, headphones and a recliner and he's happy.  I'm a little more "hands on", I guess.

~ that neither Andy nor Joni got hurt when their cars both slid off the road 2 days apart.  Andy did slide into a metal pole which pierced his windshield on the passenger side, and Joni did a 360 spin stopping within inches of a telephone pole.  Neither one was hurt in the slightest.  We were very lucky.

~ that Andy's wisdom teeth removal went smoothly.  He had no problems and was back to normal very quickly.  I am also thankful that I gathered my courage and after suffering with a painful erupted, infected wisdom tooth of my own for 5 years I went and had it removed.  I can't believe I waited that long.  The pain is gone and I had no problems with recovery.

~ that all the kids are blessed with good minds and enough drive and focus that they are all doing well in school.  The chips are definitely better than the old blocks they fell from.

~ that I resisted running over Santa Claus. Ha Ha.  It was just a bad moment.  Things did get better.  I was able to enjoy a great Christmas with my family.  Mike wanted me to enjoy the day so he did all the cooking.  He did the turkey, potatoes, every thing but the gravy which I did.  And he bought me an awesome camera for my present.  I don't deserve it.  He's too good to me.

Have a happy new year.  2008 will be great!  Hey that's a great little motto.  I'll leave you with my December calendar which I just finished.

My baby is now 17. 

17!

Holy Smoke, how did that happen?  It was just yesterday that I kept going into labor a month early.  He was due on January 16th.  I made regular trips to the hospital from December 15th on, to stop my premature labor.  Finally on the 28th the doctor said I could go ahead with the delivery. 

He was over 7 pounds.  Either the dates were off or I would have had a 10 pound baby had I gone full term.  I think Andy just wanted to get on with living instead of being cooped up any longer inside his mama's tummy.

Andy grew fast!  At 4 month he weighed 22 pounds.  He was born big,  grew and stayed big.  Definitely not the runt of the litter.

And he was so good natured.  After he finally got his days and nights figured out he almost never cried.  He loved to putter on his own.  He wanted to work on the car one day, just like he saw his daddy do; only he was 3 years old and thought the screwdriver would work on the passenger side door, and "wow, those are some pretty cool marks in the black paint job". 

When he was 2 he was strapped into his car seat in the back while I ran a book up to my sister's front door.  In the 20 seconds that I had my back turned Andy had climbed out of the car seat, climbed into the driver's seat, and put the car in drive.   I screamed "NOOOOO" as I ran for the car tried to jump in and hit the brake.  My sister was right behind me yelling "NOOOO" which I interpreted to mean "don't run into my house", but what she really meant was that she was afraid I was going to get run over by the moving vehicle.  I did manage to jump in and hit the brake at the exact moment the car crunched into her garage door. 

    So, happy birthday Andy. 

    You have the best smile. 

   You embrace life and go for it with arms open wide.

   And even though some people think "kitty-lovers" are sissies, you don't let that bother you.

    You understand the value of a good furry hug.  

And when your mom and dad told you to take orchestra, you were obedient, as always.

But you weren't afraid to do things your own way.

   You are wide awake and ready for new challenges.....

.....whether it's a 50 mile bike ride after school.....

....swinging on a rope......

...playing goalie on the school soccer team (even though you hated it, you were the best)........

....or running with a sign, up and down the soccer field to cheer on your big brother's team (just because your sisters said they'd buy you a pop every time you did).

You probably would have done it anyway, cause you and your brother David are best buds.

...even though there is 10 years between you.

(I hope you had fun snow-boarding with him today.)

I know you'll always be outstanding in whatever field you choose to stand in.

Just remember, "home-run, hit-them-out-of-the-ballpark king", that you can do whatever you put your mind to.

'Cause your family loves you.

...and you are a winner.

and darn good looking young man.       With love,   Mom

Sunsets usually look warm with colors of fire, oranges, reds, and yellows.  This one reflects the cold of winter. Is there such a thing as a cold orange?  (Maybe the one in the fridge? ha ha)

David brought his family with him when he came to test Andy for one of his classes.  Nathan didn't seem to mind getting a little extra attention from Joni or his Grandpa.

No more classes!  The relief from the stress of school is evident in Abby's smile.

Poor David is still in school. (He goes to a different University.) Here he administers an IQ test to his "little" brother (who is camera shy) for one of his classes.

Nathan thinks that old red garland is way too much fun to throw away.

Joni and a few of her best nursing buds on the last day of school.

And a sunset shot from late last week.

I've never been shy to announce my age.

If you think I look young for 50, then that's fine.

If you think I look old for 50, that's one person's opinion.

But, I got to tell you.  So far actually being 50 hasn't been that great.

My birthday was on Thursday.  I started getting sick on Wednesday (my body rebelling?)

Thursday was just a so-so day. I didn't feel great, but not awful, either. One highlight, though was a little gift from my daughter Abby.  She texted everyone in her cell phone contacts and asked them to text her mother at this number and wish her a happy birthday.  All afternoon I was getting texts from all sorts of people I'd never heard of.  It was kind of fun.  I had to attend a department dinner that night, which meant I didn't have to cook, so that was okay, too.

1st day at age 50 - Friday - sick.  It really hit me about half way from my car to my office.  I just got suddenly ill!  My heart was racing about 135 beats a minute, which has happened to me many times in the past.  I knew how to slow it down.  I had to lie down. At first I just went in and laid my head on the conference table.  It didn't help.  I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling and just go to my desk and work, but that wasn't going to happen. I decided I had to find a place to lie down.  I went into the seismic monitoring station which was just recarpeted a few months ago, shut the locked door, and took to the floor.  In the past I could count on my heart immediately slowing down the minute I got completely horizontal.  This time was different.  It just would not slow!  I tried relaxing, breathing exercises, even tried to go to sleep.  No dice.  It just kept pounding away.  I started to feel a bit angry and stupid. "Oh great!  I'm going to just die right here and there's nothing I can do about it."  Because I was not frightened, and because I've felt those palpitations many many times in the past, and because I have consulted with doctor's about the condition and was given such awesome advice as "plunge your face in ice cold water and it will shock your heart back into normal rhythm" or "suddenly hold your breath and tense all the muscles in your body and it might stop the racing", I was not seriously thinking that I was in any immediate danger.  It was just uncomfortable and embarrassing. If I had the strength I would have walked back out to the car and gone home, but I knew I couldn't go that far with my current  pulse rate.  I finally went back to work and just ignored it.  It took over an hour for the dang thing to slow back down and give me some relief.  

All day long people kept coming into my office and telling me how tired I looked.  Thank you very much.  That really makes me feel better.  You betcha I look tired, thanks for pointing it out.

2nd day at age 50 - Saturday - Very sick.  My body ached all over.  I felt like I was on drugs, only I wasn't.  Everything seemed surreal and spacey, but I guess I was the one that was spacey.

3rd day at age 50 - Sunday - Sick.  I skipped church because I didn't want to infect everyone.  I made dinner for my family.  My married kids came over to help me celebrate my birthday.  We had a nice dinner, they brought me a cake, and I just kind of sat there feeling like my head was mired in mud.  I couldn't string 2 coherent thoughts together, so I'm sure I was fascinating company.

That night I had to drive to the airport to pick up Mike.  He had been gone for about 4 days to San Diego.  I lost his itinerary, but knew he was flying in sometime around 10:00.  When I got there I felt like I was walking in on a party.  There was a stereo blaring, balloons, flags, and lots and lots of people.  They were laughing and taking pictures and having a great time.  I noticed that many of them were wearing matching jackets that said something about veterans on the back.  The music on the stereo system blasted some good patriotic music, like "They Come Into America", and "I'm Proud to Be an American".  Finally a flight landed, (this isn't a very big airport) and immediately the "party" all jumped and lined up.  There was a line of flags and men saluting as passenger's from the landed plane filed past trying not to gawk at the spectacle before them and I'm sure, wondering who it was for.  I have to admit, I wondered that last part myself.

After the last of the passengers had passed, the group seemed to fade back into their party mode and resume waiting.  I was sitting off to the side, coughing and blowing my nose and doing my best to avoid spreading my germs to the masses.

I sat there with my sketch book for an hour.  I kept my eye on the flight board.  The flight that I thought Mike would be on kept getting pushed back.  At first it said it would be 10 minutes late, then 25, and then it simply said, "delayed". About that time my cell phone rang.  It was Mike.  I said, "Where are you?"  He told me he was still in Salt Lake and that they had no idea how long it would be.  I asked him if there was a veteran with them and he said yes.  Mike knew him and talked to him (Mike knows everyone from our town) and said that the vet had gotten tired of waiting, so he rented a car and was going to drive the 4 hours home.   I thought I'd better go over and let the "party" know their guest of honor was a no-show, but just then I noticed they were packing up to leave.  I guess one of them received a call also.  Mike told me to go home.  He had arranged a ride with our optometrist, who also happened to be on that flight. Like I said, Mike knows everyone.  I was glad to go.  I had the honor and privilege of paying for the time I parked the car at the airport watching the party and drawing in my book.  I lost $1.25 in a vending machine.  But maybe because I still felt a bit spacey none of that seemed to bother me too much.

4th, 5th, and 6th day at age 50 - Still sick.  I'm thinking I'm not liking being 50 very much.  Not if it involves being sick all the time.  I think I want to go back to 49.  Today at work I had a coughing attack.  I knew it was going to happen, it was only a matter of when.  It happened at the most convenient time.  A physics professor brought into our office a meteorite that he had borrowed.  He just wanted to return it.  I was coughing so hard, (that little tickle was agonizing) that I could not speak.  Tears were rolling down my cheeks, I'm sure mucous was bulging at my nostrils.  I was a complete and utter mess.  He was very concerned and kept saying, "are you all right?"  With a bright red face, coughing like my lungs wanted to exit I tried to wave him an a-ok sign.  He left, I'm sure hoping none of my germs had landed in his direction. I made a quick retreat to our faculty library, shut the door and continued my "lung removal" efforts for another few minutes. 

Later that afternoon as I was sitting at my desk a student came in and asked, "are you okay? You don't look so good."  Thank you very much.  That really makes me feel better.  You betcha I look like crap, thanks for pointing it out.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be a bit better and the next day better still.  Maybe being 50 is kind of like the month of March.  You know the old saying, "comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb". 

I just hope that my 51 year old lamb won't be going out to pasture,

or to the slaughterhouse.

My good friend Joisey has impeccable timing.  I've learned this over the last few months.

She always does thoughtful things just when I seem to need them the most.  Packages, cards in the mail, e-cards, e-mails, and texts.

She did it again today.

I had to work late.  On my way home I received a phone call from Abby asking me to drop by the photo store and help her pick out some pictures for her final photo project.  As I walked into the store I received a text from Joisey. In the course of our texting I told her I was at a store to help Abby.  She asked if she could help.  I texted back, "sure, which photo should Abby choose?"  We sent a couple more texts and then I turned my attention to Abby and her photos.  We looked at and chose 8 photos out of about 30.  She needed one more and brought up one final shot of her violin bow on top of the piano keys. 

Before I could even comment on it, Abby received a text.  She pulled out her phone and opened the message.  It was from Joisey, and said, "I like that pic!"

Abby got the most shocked look on her face and turned around and looked at me with her mouth hanging open.

"What....what....."

I was laughing so hard I couldn't even talk.

Abby texted her back, "What pic?"

Joisey replied, "that one"

Abby looked so confused and asked me what she was talking about.

I was still laughing, but managed to tell her that she was talking about the photo on the screen.  She liked that photo on the screen.

Abby texted Joisey and thanked her, and then chose that photo as the final one for her project.

I was laughing so hard I could hardly get out to the car.