Food For Fathers and Sons

This year Derek was in charge, with one other guy, of the Fathers and Sons (or Men and Boys) event in our ward.  He told me how much food to get and I shopped.  I perhaps should have sent him pictures of the muffins before I bought them so that he didn't end up with SO many to give away at the end.  He forgot how big Costco muffins are!  The good thing is that they got to camp at Blackhawk Campground up Payson Canyon before it got burned in a forest fire.

The First Day of Junior High

I took this picture when I went to the school to drop off Dan's epi-pen. 
This is his first day as a Spartan.

Our "Red Neck" Adventure

Derek decided it would be fun to try something different and so he got us tickets to a Monster Truck Rally.  We knew Dan would hate the noise and so we made sure he had ear plugs.  I think Derek and I coveted those ear plugs every time those big trucks revved their engines!!  We plugged our ears instead while the kids behind us laughed about us being "old people".  My favorite part was actually the car races in between the monster truck competitions -- but I was too busy cheering for the Sharknado car to take pictures!  Here's a look at the fun we had!

Me, Dan, Tia, Derek, Kayli, and Dan

I'm looking a little concerned -- probably about how the picture would turn out!

It was a warm day at the Spanish Fork Arena

One of the Monster Trucks -- I think the winning one.

A Rug For The Piano Room

We got laminate flooring in the piano room several years ago.  I have wanted a rug.  Derek -- not so much.  I finally decided that I was going to go looking, and I asked Tia to come with me.  We looked at a lot of fun stuff, including the dresser below that I really like.

Choosing a rug was hard.  We looked at a LOT of them and finally pulled one out of the package.  I went with the one I liked the most even though I was nervous that it wouldn't look good, or the family wouldn't like it.

It turned out well (I think).  I love that both times my friend Maria has come to my house since I got the rug she has stopped and told me how perfect the rug is for the room.  The colors in the rug bring the colors in the room together.

Telling people nice things about themselves, or things they choose is -- well -- nice!

Chalk The Block

This year it only rained one on some of the chalk the block event, and there was plenty to see.  Derek and I went with Kayli and Tia.  There seemed to be a circus theme and so there were a lot of elephants.  I kept taking pictures of them and sending them to my friend Shellie who gave me my elephant.  My favorite one was the 3D picture of the animal crackers.  I don't know how they make a flat drawing look 3D but it is pretty cool!

This is the 3D animal cracker one.  It was pretty awesome!

This was 3D too.  The actual picture was really long -- not as short and squat as it appears here.

Tia and Kayli liked this because they liked the movie.

There are some pretty talented artists out there!  I can't draw like them, but I can appreciate what they draw!

Hiking Mount Nebo

While Diana was in town Derek arranged to go hiking with his sisters Megan, and Erin, and some of "the cousins". 

Ethan, Jake, Isabelle, Dallin, Megan, Derek, Erin, and Mitch

On the trail.

It turns out that when you live at around sea level and then come to Utah and hike a really tall mountain, it is hard on your system.  Dallin had a hard time with the altitude and wasn't able to quite finish the hike -- though it sounds like he did most of it.  He did not feel well and it took a while of being down from the mountain to recover.  Jake stuck with him so he didn't make it to the summit either, but he did get some time with Dallin!

Christensen Reunion

Mike missed his first Christensen reunion because he was at basic training doing lots of hard things including about a zillion sit ups.  We told him all about it in letters instead.  As usual, I did not take a lot of pictures.  I was glad that wasn't my assignment this year!  Less stress!  We had breakfast at our house one day instead, and that went well -- especially because Tia came and flipped pancakes and her Aunt Michelle came to help and they laughed and laughed.  Laughing makes everything happier.  I was a little stressed out by about the time people should come, and it helped me to sit in my room and hear them be happy.

Kayli hugging her Papa "Gary's" leg.

Bryon, Trisa, Jake, and Kayli on water slide day.

Dan on water slide day

The Christensen reunion went really well.  I think it was one of my favorite Christensen reunions ever.  The schedule seemed a little less crowded, the name tag activity Derek's Mom came up with seemed to help people talk more, and it was just nice to visit with everyone.  All of the Christensens are nice people who are kind and helpful and good to be with!

Dan, Teddy, Diana and Claire.  Diana does a good job of spending time with as many
people as possible while she is visiting. 
I love her.

Dan built this during the reunion and was proud of it.

Mike Goes to Basic Training

Mike joined the army reserves while he and Tia were dating, but he still hadn't done basic training when they were married.  So, just a little over two months after they got married, he was heading off to South Carolina to Fort Jackson.  They came over for dinner and dessert before he left.

Tia and Mike and his army cake.

Tia and Mike and his army cake again!

Me, Derek, Kayli, Tia, Dan, Jake, and Mike

We miss Mike and will be really happy when all of his training is over and he can come home!

Moments in Time

For Christmas Derek got me a fairy garden kit.  I put it in the midst of the flowers I planted
and by the squash plants that eventually got huge and covered a lot of it.
Teddy got in the garden once and was like Godzilla in the city and so it got knocked over,
but that was easily corrected.

Bocce Ball!  Tia got this for Derek for Christmas.  I took this picture to send to her so she could see it was
getting used.  Teddy had to be reminded several times not to help out by chasing the balls!

After surgery, and after I was part of the way better, Derek took us all on an adventure.  We drove the Alpine Loop, and walked around Cascade Springs, and finally went to Bridal Veil Falls.  The boys and Derek hiked a ways up the falls.  Kayli stayed sitting with me.  I am thankful for that!

The 11 year old scouts they went to visit the fire department.
Dan is standing on the ambulance step wearing his Snoopy shirt.

Tia and Mike in South Carolina attending Stankapalooza (The Stankey family reunion)

Kayli went on a trip and it rained so hard she had to pull over.  Guess who is afraid of loud rain?

I think Teddy is a really, really, cute dog -- so naturally sometimes I just need to take his picture!

I got new glasses this summer.  I like them most of the time, but they fall off my nose fairly easy, especially in the heat!

Dan and Teddy.  Dan says that Teddy is one of his stress relievers.  Kayli reminds him that Teddy is her dog -- but she does share him with the rest of us.

One More Surgery

I had a lumpectomy in February, and then radiation until the beginning of June.  About a week after finishing radiation I went into the Payson hospital to have a hysterectomy.  It was Travis' birthday (my son-in-law). My Mom and Derek's came to the hospital along with Derek and me.

Me and my Derek before my surgery

I generally try to handle these kind of events as if I were really brave, and I try to be cheerful, and talk to the people who are poking me, or taking my vitals, or whatever.  This time they put me in a bed to get me ready for surgery and someone came to do the i.v..  She hit an artery and was upset and I kept trying to tell her it was ok.  She cleaned that up and left and another nurse came and tried.  That vein apparently collapsed.  She was very apologetic.  Derek was texting my girls and my sons-in-law.  The bright spot in all of this is that my sons in law texted back things that made me smile.  Then another nurse came and tried -- twice.  By then, Derek had turned pale and had to leave, and I was done being brave and had tears running down my face.  Last of all the doctor tried, and succeeded without much difficulty.  He asked if I wanted a spinal block in case they had to do the hysterectomy the hard way -- but I just cried because I didn't want to be poked any more and so he assured me that was fine and pretty soon I was headed to surgery.

I found out later that a friend of mine always goes through about 5 tries every time she needs an i.v..  I feel so sorry for her!  Ouch!

They put me out for surgery, which was able to be done laparoscopically, and when I woke up I cried again (that happened with my lumpectomy too).  I asked for Derek, but he wasn't there.  They told him he had time to go home and have lunch.  We only live two blocks from the hospital.  He was quick, but he was waiting for my Mom who, it turns out, wasn't planning on coming back and therefore wasn't hurrying!  I was up in my hospital room when he came back.  At least his story made me laugh, and even though Derek hates hospitals he stayed with me so much that the nurses were really impressed with him -- and I was just really, really, grateful.

The day of surgery was hard.  I felt like I had to think in order to keep breathing and so I was afraid to go to sleep.  All of my alarms went off once.  My blood pressure dropped and it scared Derek.  I just didn't feel so well that day or the next.  I ended up having to stay a day longer because my blood pressure was low and I felt lousy.

Me and my elephant after surgery.  Dan brought elephant from home for me.

One tender mercy in all of this was that during the nights, which are notoriously long and miserable at hospitals, were actually peaceful and calm.  Even after the disappointing day when I didn't get to go home, and Derek offered to stay with me, the night was good.

Elephant, me, and my Derek home after surgery.

Recovery has gone fairly well really, but I feel like it has been difficult to recover emotionally.  I will think I'm doing fine and then some pain, or the inability to move my left shoulder as well as I could before, or getting tired easier than I want, will remind me of everything that has happened, and I usually have to talk it out with Derek again and remind myself to be patient, and to be grateful it wasn't worse.
The good news is that this one more surgery should be my last.

Parade of Homes ... or maybe Vehicles

Derek by a "toy" he'd like to try out.

Me by a truck Derek thought my brother Brian should maybe buy :-)

Derek and I toured quite a few homes.  Some were more like castles -- with ridiculous amounts of square footage and more entertainment options than a fancy hotel.  The picture with me in it was taken in a garage that could hold a LOT of cars.  The section you can see is only a small part of what was there!

My favorite home was in a 55+ neighborhood here in town.  It had plenty of square feet.  I thought it was beautiful.  I'll just post a couple of pictures from that house.

This bar was huge!  I think I would have to lie on it to wash the middle!

It is always fun to go see what other people have designed and built and to imagine living in those houses.  There are a lot of ideas we would like to implement in our own house someday.  I really enjoy looking, but at the end of the day, I am thankful to go back to my house, with my family, and my neighbors, and my stuff.  Recognizing what I have, and being grateful for it, is one of the keys to happiness for me!

Survivor?

I was given this by American Fork Hospital once I had finished my lumpectomy and my radiation.  I never have felt like I deserved the term "Survivor" because I never expected to meet my demise because of the very little cancer I had.  Still, I have come to the conclusion that maybe everyone who gets up in the morning and keeps plugging away at their life, trying to handle the challenges they have in the best way they know how, deserves the term survivor.  Life is great!  It is full of good things!  But it is also very hard for everyone at least some of the time -- and most of the time I think it is really hard at least once a day -- even if only for a few minutes.  So yay for all of us Survivors!  Keep at it!  Don't give up!  As long as we try to help each other, we can do it.

Missionary Connor

Occasionally we get pictures from Connor, or pictures from nice people who happen to be in Japan and who meet him and send pictures to his Mother (me).  Here are some of those.

Notice that Elder Connor is holding a picture of him and his "twin" Kayli in both pictures.
He takes that picture everywhere I think!

I don't know who the non-missionaries are -- or really anyone except Connor
Maybe some of them are the ones who sent me the picture?

Missionaries!

Connor and his companion and delicious muffins.

These last three pictures were taken in Connor's new area.  He is in Kanazawa, Japan.  He said he has been a Zone leader for half of his mission now!  I love my missionary!