Lazer Larry ... Happy Father's Day

This is my dad Larry (my brother Joe too):

I like this picture because I remember that it was my off-color joke that made him laugh like that.

This is Larry and Jewel in Alaska overlooking the cruise ship.

I don't know anyone who is more:

• kind
• soft spoken
• giving
• loving
• selfless
• generous
• caring
• slow to anger
• proud of his kids
• humble
• willing to try new things
• smart (you need a degree in physics to really understand what he did for a living)

These are some of the things we all (Larry's kids and grandkids) get from him:

• his good looks

First generation (Larry)      Second generation (Dan & Sam)        Third generation (Asher) - many other grandkids look like Larry

• love of sports
• love of the gospel
• love of good food (although these days he eats really weird combinations of things)
• his testimony
• love for a spouse
• work ethic
• free dinners
• father's blessing
• patriarchal blessings
• ability to be calm in stressful situations
• the importance of an education
• example of never-ending faith and hope in the potential of others
• acceptance
• wisdom
• all that he has and is

When we were growing up my dad would make breakfast every morning and sing crazy folk songs that didn't make much sense. Then he would walk Ann Dee and I to school. He never missed one of my basketball games (including Jr. Jazz). He always has shown unconditional love for me and confidence in my abilities. When things get hard, I have often thought, "I can do this because my dad knows I can."

My dad would do anything for me or any of his kids or grandkids. Right now he is doing and being everything for his wife. It is very touching to watch them interact. He is always tender and sweet even when sometimes the situation is very frustrating. Last week in his talk, my nephew Jordan talked about the example his grandpa Larry is of love. I think we are all better people because of my dad's example in caring for his wife. I would be so lucky to have someone love me and take care of me like he does her.

Here they are dancing at Jewel's (named after her grandma) wedding.

I'm so glad that I was born into this family, even if my parents were a bit older when the had me and Ann Dee. Most likely my kids won't know my parents like I do or my older nieces and nephews do. That is why records like journals, family histories, and even blogs are important. 

Happy Father's Day ... a week late.

to be AND not to be ... that is how it is.

I'm not sure where exactly my mom is. She is there and she is not. She can interact and joke and laugh and in the next moment get mad and threaten to kick me for being a brat ... and none of it makes any logical sense.

It's hard to know how to feel. It's hard to know if I should laugh, because a lot of what she says and does is really, really funny. It's hard to know if I should cry because sometimes I don't like it when we laugh at her and I'm sad when I think about my real mom. That mom would not think this situation was funny.

That mom ...

• wanted her kids to be happy and would sacrifice much to see that they were
• went back to work after raising a bunch of kids to have enough money to send a couple of those kids on a mission at the same time
• worked very hard at every church calling she ever had, especially gospel doctrine, temple worker and missionary
• read to her kids ... even when we were older. I remember listening to my mom read Ann Dee and I books like the "Secret Garden" and "Anne of Green Gables"
• would make funny faces and voices of various characters when she read to us
• bought books for her grandkids for birthdays and Christmas
• was proper and polite and taught her kids to be proper and polite
• worried about her kids and lost hours and hours of sleep because of it
• gave birth to 9 kids and lost one at 5 weeks old
• loved her parents
• wanted me to be a great violin player
• sang the hymns in church in alto
• was very anxious when my brothers played football because she was always worried they would get hurt
• always bought me a new Easter dress
• loved chocolate and would hide it around the house and in the car
• once surprised me and Ann Dee and took us to Disneyland even though I know she was tired and I didn't even ride on the roller coasters
• loved scary movies
• used funny words and make funny sounds ... like cumi (butt)

 Katy, Ann Dee, Mom at Stewart Falls

On the balcony of the Oak Lane house ... I'm the red headed girl who looks like a boy.

This mom ...

• eats ice cream every day
• sleeps a lot
• doesn't always know who she is talking to but is so skilled socially that you might never know it
• still sings the hymns in alto
• doesn't know what holiday it is or what season it is but she always tells me to wear a coat and shoes
• laughs a lot
• makes us laugh a lot
• sometimes gets disoriented and lost because she is looking for the people or the kids
• once asked me, while on a walk, if my mom knew where I was
• doesn't worry as much or forgets things too quickly to worry about them
• loves to read letters and cards and notes sent to her by her friends and family
• loves movies and sporting events
• loves her Larry and feels most safe and comfortable with him

I love both this mom and that mom. Even though sometimes I really, really want to talk to that mom. Happy Mother's Day Mom ... no matter where you are, you are my mom.

I'm not a wuss

Feeling like a wuss
For the last two months since my knee surgery (ACL & LCL repair), I've felt like quite a wuss. I was still on crutches and after faithfully going to physical therapy and working hard, the progress was minimal. In fact, my bend actually got worse. Although it grossed me out to think about what they do to my knee during the manipulation surgery, I really wanted to do it. And yesterday they did it.

Helpful Niece
My niece, Kari took care of me for those first 24 hours that you are not supposed to be alone. She had to drive me to physical therapy twice and sleep over and basically babysit me. It was very kind of her. This is Kari with her new cousin, Milo:

New Nephew
Ann Dee also had her baby yesterday. Little Milo has red hair. It is pretty light so it could go blonde but I hope it stays red.

First Place
Since the beginning of January, I've started a new food plan which includes cutting out all sugar and flour. It is an amazing program and I've lost over 40 lbs in 3 months. Most of that time, I was unable to exercise, so there is your proof that weight loss is mostly about what you eat, not how much you exercise. I entered a contest sponsored by triathlon coach, Keena. Anyway, I won first place and the price money was $350 which will help tremendously to pay for this second surgery. I would like to spend the money on new clothes but that'll have to wait.

Spices
I'm still finding things to organize in my house. With my new food plan, I've been cooking so much more and I finally got frustrated enough with how my spices were organized that I found a system that works for me and my kitchen.

FHE is back
With this injury and surgery, my FHE schedule was messed up. I am happy to report that I have started it back up and my Monday nights are starting to book up again. Last Monday was FHE at the Browns. Amy's mom gave a great lesson about the ressurection and then we colored eggs. Did you know that you can decorate hot eggs with crayons? Totally cool. This most recent Monday, I went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the MOA with a singles group and my friend Angela pushed my around in a wheelchair. It was a very cool exhibit and I was happy to be able to attend.

Turns out I'm not a wuss 

After the manipulation, my surgeon came to see me and told me that it was a good thing we decided to do that surgery because he was able to break through scar tissue and heard popping etc. It made me feel so much better because it means I'm not a wuss. I have been able to move my knee so much better in both directions ever since. And yes, I'm on pain killers and yes, I have months and months of rehab ahead of me but this will save me so much time. This is one of my favorite T-shirts designed by my brother-in-law, Doug. Check out his other t-shirts: http://www.wussywear.com/ This is me and my cousin, Ann back in 2005 before the Provo Freedom Run.

A few things ...

1. My knee doesn't move and so I still can't walk. I have to wear this as long as I can while I sleep ... sleeping doesn't happen very well because it puts a constant, mild stretch on my knee and it is NOT comfortable. There is a possibility that I'll have to do what is called a manipulation surgery where they put me under and then crank the heck out of my knee. I'm guessing it will hurt when I wake up but at least my knee will move, right? I think they will decide on April 25th.
2. Made it to the temple finally. Angela and I went to the Draper temple tonight and I was able to attend with my crutches. You know how temple workers are always nice? Well, try going there with crutches, they are extra, super nice. It was a good experience. I'm a bit behind on my goal to attend every temple in Utah in the year 2011. I'll have to go more than once a month since I missed March and there are 13 temples in UT. I can do it.
3. Millie took some photos of me last week. Here are some of my favorites:                            
4. I went bird watching last Saturday on crutches in the snow and thoroughly enjoyed myself. We saw 37 species of birds! To see which species we saw, go HERE.
5. I've come to grips with the fact that I will most likely not be doing any races this year and possibly won't be able to golf (keep your fingers crossed that I will). But hey, I can drive a cart! 
6. My nephews, Tyson and Luke, were in the "King and I" at their school play. Luke played Louie and sang his solo perfectly: "you can be as brave as you make believe you are."
7. The Bean Museum represents in BYU's Divine Comedy's Harry Potter parody ... 
8. Ann Dee's baby boy is coming soon and I'm excited to meet him. I hope he is as funny as his brothers.
9. I miss my mom.
10. I think my dad is amazing and I'm really thankful that he helps me almost every day take things down to my car in the morning. Oh and he goes grocery shopping for me too.

My Left Leg ... again

Over 5 years ago I tore my achilles tendon on my left leg. Here is a picture ... oh how I love to post this picture:

It was a horrible experience. And now I'm going to tell the story of how I tore a bunch of ligaments in my left knee ...

On Valentines Day I was given some roses from my niece Holly and her husband, Tod (yes, one "D"). 

That night I went skiing at Sundance after work with my new friend Rafael. We were having a lot of fun and after a few hours we decided we were going to go for one more run so we could still do something fun that night like watch Brad hand out roses. Well it was dark, cold, icy and I'm not very skilled so because I was going faster than I should have and because my ski caught an edge, I couldn't recover and I went down. The bindings didn't release immediately so my body fell one way while my knee went the other. I thought I had just twisted my knee until I tried to stand on it. Now I'm going to list what happened next cause I'm tired of all this writing.

• snowmobile ride down the mountain
• drove myself home with Rafael following me
• Rafael helping into my house
• Bachelor
• Visit to orthopedic doctor next day
• MRI the next day
• Results the next day ... torn ACL, MCL, meniscus (couldn't see the LCL because of the swelling but I tore that too it turns out)
• Surgery on March 1st
• My good friend Angela happened to be assigned to work as one of the surgical nurses during my operation ... it was so comforting to know that she and our long-time family friend, Doug (my surgeon's PA), were assisting with my surgery
• I don't really remember what happened during the surgery cause of the anesthesia, ya know but this is the result ...

That is Justin's finger holding up a penny. You should have seen the spreadsheets he created for all my many caretakers to keep track of my mediations. It was pretty impressive. 

I've spent a lot of my down time with good friends playing this nerdy card game:

DOMINION ... read Naomi's post here about her experience playing this game. 

Don't knock it until you try it.

So many people have helped me post surgery and I'm very grateful so I made a list so I could write and send thank you cards. I was amazed to learn that over 80 people were on that list and I'm guessing it will grow because I'm still accepting help as I'm still on crutches and waiting to start physical therapy. This might be a cop out, but I decided to dedicate this post to all those who have helped me as my way of saying thank you.

EXAMPLE ONE:

These boys have helped quite a bit ... they love to watch "Kipper" via Netflix on my new Apple TV (thanks Eric) while Ann Dee fixed me meals or cleaned or changed my laundry. They love to hear the story of how I hurt my knee and how I got to ride on a snowmobile. Asher helped me fasten my brace one day ... he took the responsibility very seriously. I think he likes me now.

EXAMPLE TWO:

Melinda and Russ took me out one day and we went to lunch and then the mall. Russ tracked down a wheelchair which made my shopping experience much more enjoyable. Thanks to Todd and Amy, I bought a awesome watch with a little bling ... yup, bling.

I've had a couple of moments of self-pity and frustration this last month but they have been few and far between. When I think back to my achilles surgery, I'm amazed at how different my experience has been post surgery. Instead of soothing my physical and emotional aches and pains with food, I've been able to eat well and keep focused on my goals. There are certain things I cannot change in my life right now and knowing that I can't control these things has brought me peace. I've been able to let go and exercise faith and patience and try to find the silver lining in this experience ...

• great parking for 6 months
• can still drive cause my right leg is very capable and I no longer own a car with a manual transmission
• rest ... maybe my body needed a break from all the physical exercise
• this type of surgery has been improved over the years so I can expect a complete recovery which means more triathlons, racquetball, golf and skiing some day
• being able to borrow my mom's showering chair to make getting ready in the morning an easier experience
• my home and my place of employment both have elevators
• saved lots of money by not going to Vegas last weekend for the bball tournament or St. George this weekend for the golfing trip I was going to plan
• haven't received my tax return yet so I will have the money to pay the deductible on this surgery
• realization that "this too shall pass"... I will get through it and it won't last forever
• realization of how many people love me and are happy to help me

Anyway, if you think you are on that list of 80+ people, then you probably are and I'm very grateful for your kindness and concern. I am one lucky girl.

The words of this note I received with those roses on Valentines Day take on a whole new meaning after this experience.

So much for ...

this ...

(already purchased and paid for)

and that ...

(already registered and paid for)

and this ...

(totally JK)

Instead I'll be doing...

this ...

and this ...

and that ...

(we hope anyway)

Wanna come and hang with me?

Ogden Temple ... 1 down, 12 to go

Last week Dave and Erin and I made it to the Ogden Temple. Below is my tentative plan for the rest of the temples in UT. If you want to join me for any of these, let me know.