A New Perspective

I have been overwhelmed with stress and heavy laden with life.  It's hard to stay at home all the time and sit.   Someone (my friend Kelly) put on facebook that amongst the stress, they are finding ways to be appreciative.  So here's my appreciative attempt.

I have a job that should support me through the Corona. I will work from home, which I don't like, but so many people can't work.  

I was instructed by a relative of mine that I needed to go to the store every few days and get the supplies that are in short supply. I'm grateful that I found some money to do that. Michelle came and took me shopping and we got quite a few groceries and used my moms freezer (since I don't have a big one).  

I had elective surgery 4 weeks ago on my ankle for a torn tendon.  I wouldn't be able to do that now with corona.  It has made it difficult right now because I can't get around and I can't go on walks or hikes with being out of school but glad I did it before the healthcare crunch. It has also been easier because besides shopping I can just sit.  I would rather be taking a walk or a hike but it is good to sit.  

I have 5 children that are ALL healthy for now.  Grateful that they are doing the separating and staying healthy.  Abi arrived home safely today because they were told to leave their apartments in St. George.  That makes my mama heart so happy to have her safe at home.  

We were all home, due to corona, for the Earthquake.  We would have had to find each other at school and get home. 

We had no damage during the earthquake. I'm still unsettled about the earthquake but my home seems unaffected.  Well other than a broken picture that fell..:)

I did have forethought or whatever you call it, to have Michelle and Abi pick up some toilet paper at the store when they shopped for me when I first had my foot operated on.  So now, its not so stressful that we have those supplies.

We were also home when Nick had his seizure.  I was there and able to get to him to make sure he was ok...albeit slow that it was.  

I have good health insurance.   My children's seizure medication that is $625 a month for Nick and 425 for Brooke is covered and costs me 30.00 a month.  We also have enough to last us for a few weeks possibly a month or more if we can't get to the pharmacy.  My mom and sister also have some at their house too.  

I have a sister that has come and helped me shop after a very busy day at work and taken me to the doctor.  She also has her own family to attend to.  

People have checked in on me about how I am doing due to my foot and also to make sure we were ok after the Earthquake.  People also checked in on my boys. 

I have been super unsettled lately, but today I was on my morning drive, and it was absolutely beautiful outside.  The sun was shining.  And only thing I could think of was the Hymn  There is Sunshine in my Soul Today.  I was listening and singing as I drove around and checked out the golf courses and huge houses of people that I teach.  It warmed my troubled heart just a bit.  

I even sent a video to my children.  I was in such a good mood today.  It is good for the Soul. 

I wanted to film this video outside the golf course but I had to rush home for our video session for school.  So this was at home. 

I 

I am going to be a Star

I'm going to be a star.  Between the shut down and being immobile...I'm headed there. 

Went on a field trip to Spanish Fork Cemetary with My mother and Michelle.  My dad is buried there and my other sister plus others.  It was a nice drive to get away. 

We had our necessary snacks

It wasn't exactly good cemetary weather.  I stayed in the car because the graves are kindof far from the car.  I couldn't get over there on the uneven grass and the distance with my crutches.  But they braved the elements and the grass and put some pinweels on their graves.  

We stopped and got lunch at Zupas.  But we had to get it to go.  No one allowed inside to eat.  They brought it to our car.  Weird times.  It was a good day and drive to get out amongst our Covid 19 outbreak.  

This is my new normal for working...at home

This is my new classroom....

And More

Our new normal has been a bit stressful.  I still can't recover from the Earthquakes.  It makes my heart skip a beat every after shock we have...and being at home instead of work is lonely, and I'm not totally convinced Jack and Nick are doing their online work. AND they fight ALL the time.  Being in times of stress it is also difficult that I can't get around due to my ankle surgery.   It is difficult to get to the store to stock up and get groceries.  I have to wait for help for everything.  So, I have had a few things troubling my heart lately.  Like a lot.

Then today, around noon I hear something then I hear Jack yell to me that Nick is having a seizure.  Ok.  I grabbed my crutches and grabbed the rescue medication, and headed downstairs.  I'm surprised I remembered the medication.  If  he needed it, I knew Jack could never find it.  Anyway, I get to the basement and Nick is on the couch having a seizure.  He is breathing.  I sit by him and keep asking him if he knows his name.  He says his name is siri and the next time he doesn't know his name or who I am.  He keeps moving around and trying to get up.  Eventually things calm down and he remembers his name and my name.  We just sit on the couch for a while.

You know, I am not sure how much more I can take.

I am grateful that I still have my job and all my children are safe so far.   But really, I have had enough.  LIKE enough.

A Good Judge

If you don't know how much distancing is a good amount, here you go. 

Melanie's Husband or ex husband I'm not sure if they were divorced when she died or not, posted this.  So helpful...

The New Normal

Since the corona outbreak things are different.  I just got to work today.

I have missed my gas station lady I see in the am.  I should go and see her from the drive through.  

Here I am at work.  

Yesterday Nick and I went to the store to shop.  Need to go every few days to make sure we have what we need.

I told Brooke that we might go drive by the zoo today.  We need something to do and she said that we didn't need to.  

So Nick and I did anyway.  

We have been Self quarantined for a week now.  We are surviving, but I sure hope it doesn't last until Summer.  I think we need schools and churches.  

Ankle Update

I have been on crutches an a scooter for the past 3 weeks.  It has been very difficult...i have to have soo much help.  I can't get the scooter upstairs in my house, and I have to have it hauled down the stairs when I have to go somewhere.  I also can't haul anything up the stairs which has been difficult with all the grocery shopping I have had to do because of Corona.  One never knows what is in our future for that.  Nick is pretty good at helping but he does get tired of it...


Here's my new pics after going to the Doctor.  It was my two week visit.  He took the stitches out and put those steri strips on.  It is itching now.  He said I have at least 6 weeks of staying off of it because of the condition of the tendons...dang...

I thought it was funny that they put YES on my leg so they knew which one to operate on.  I did notice when i was on my way to surgery on the OR board that someone was having the exact same surgery as I was but the RIGHT foot.  So I was grateful to wake up and that they did operate on the correct leg...:)

Nick is having way more fun on my scooter than I am...

Bruising...

My Friend Kenzie brought me some homemade granola.  So nice.  Made my whole day

Helpful

I was shopping in WalMart last night in the self checkout.  The employee keeps coming over to help...no I got this.  He then proceeds to tell me about the store hours set aside in the am for Senior Citizens.  They are between 8:00 and 9:00 on Tuesdays.  GREAT!  Now thats help in a time of crisis. 

Earthquake 5.7

March 18, 2020, I was suppose to be going to work.  I got up late...I cannot get to work before 8:00 so I was feeling a bit sluggish.  However at 7:08 am I awoke to my room shaking.  I immediately knew it was an Earthquake.  I sat up, and panicked.  I turned on the TV and channel 5 was dark.  I could hear the anchors saying 'we are having an earthquake...but couldn't see anything.  I called Michelle.  It was crazy.  I was shaking...no pun intended..  Jack comes upstairs and tells me his friend told him we had an Earthquake...I was in panic mode.  It only lasted probably 10 seconds but it make me very nervous.  What do I do?  Well, I certainly wasn't going into work and leaving my kids.  My mom called and she was very upset.  I told her we could come over.

We packed up, and went and got gas.  I had been feeling like I need to keep my cars filled with gas.  I topped it off.  The gas station wasn't crowded so we went home and got our other car and filled that one.  It was only about half.  We got to my mothers house and watched TV all day.  We had a few aftershocks.  One registered 4.7 and I thought was almost as strong as the first one.  It is hard to explain the stress and nervousness it created.

I didn't go to work because everyone was a bit unsettled for a while.  Eventually everyone that did go to work, was sent home because they needed to check the building due to the earthquake.  The same thing for the day after.  We had to stay home due to building checks.

Lots of people checked up on Marlena.  Nick said he was in a group chat from the ward and they checked up on him and us in the group chat.   My friend Kenzie checked up on me. She is my ministering sister and my friend too.  I checked in on my friend Janel who lives down the street and said her house was fine so I thought mine was too.  She kept me calm amongst the shaking.  All is well as far as I know. 

We decided to get some dinner out.  We can only get take out so we went to three places.  Nick and Jack got Panda, I got Kneaders salads, and Marlena got Arctic Circle.  Marlena said it was helpful to drive around and see that all was ok in Bountiful.  We also slept over with Marlena.

It is all very unsettling for me...Corona and Earthquake.

So the white antlers were sitting on the fireplace  and fell off during the Earthquake

That ledge had 4 other pictures that fell off during the quake.  They would have hit me but I sat up in total disbelief.  

I noticed this ..This picture was also sitting on a ledge.  It did fall and break the frame.  I'm totally fine with that much damage.  

Corona

The Corona Virus has been a big deal.  It is infecting people and I'm not sure how many people.  But it is mass hysteria.  We are practicing social distancing...which is a term I have never heard.  It means stay away.  School is closed for at least two weeks.  AND everyone is hoarding at the stores for Toilet Paper.  Stores are out of everything.  I didn't go to the store because I had just gone before I had my surgery and had Michelle and Abi go for me before this mass hysteria just occurred.

School is out for two weeks and I am unsure what we are going to do.  I have to go and put lessons online (I think) and all the students will stay home.  Church was also cancelled until further notice.  That is good since I wasn't going to go due to my surgery and hard to get around.  I didn't have to get a piano player. We were also authorized for at home church and the sacrament at home also.  We didn't do church at home.  We can't even figure out how to do Come Follow Me at home...Nick said its for families with dads so we are off the hook for that.

Anyway, so I waited until the mass hysteria was over and went to Costco.  It was not a big deal, other than we couldn't get Broccoli or Bananas which were the two things we went for.  I did pick up a pack of toilet paper since they had it and it is a good idea to have some extra.  I had to go to another store for Bananas and Broccoli and they were out of tortillas and toilet paper...

I have never experienced anything like this.  I'm interested in how it will turn out.

Back to School + Orchestra Trip

after missing work for 7 days, I decided I needed to go back...AND I needed my nails done before I went back.  Abi was home so we went to the nail salon. She got a pedicure and I got a manicure.  I did get a pedicure before surgery so my toes would look good...

We went to a new place, USA nails where gma goes since my usual place couldn't fit us in.  So this Cat was on the desk where we paid. It was my favorite part.  It waved.  The best.

It looks red, but it is really hot pink.  

I didn't get a pic of abi's feet.  

This is me after the first day back.  I was hurting...

The second day back, I had to take Nick to meet the Bus for his Orchestra trip.  I didn't get a very good pic of him. He wasn't into hugging and I couldn't get out of the car very well.  

He is over by those cars.  He was pretty excited to be going to San Diego with the school. I hope he has fun.  

Ankle Update

I have been recooperating from Ankle Surgery.  It has been hard.  I can't put any weight on it for like 6 weeks.  It was the worst the Dr. has seen.  Of course that's how I do things.

Anyway, Abi came home because she had a meeting in Orem so she has been helping me. We did get to church and she played the piano for me.  It was fun to go and just sing with the kids instead of play.

After church we needed to go to Maverick and get a beverage.  We decided we needed Cinn a Bon too.

Abi forgot a fork or a knife, but conveniently we had one in the car...

some favorite snacks while recooperating...

My school sent me some flowers. So nice.

And this from my friend Rebecca..

Abi sent me a Maverick drink too..:)

And Ty brought me lunch from Cafe Rio with his Mom and a Maverick drink.  So thoughtful...I didn't get a picture though...Should have.

Apples for today...

Crutches waiting for me...

Putting puzzles together in my spare time

Michelle bought me this.  I needed it today.  

It has been a slow recovery.  It is hard to move around when one can't use one of their legs.  I need Nick and Jack to help me get my scooter in the car every day for work.  I can't get the scooter out of the house down the stairs.  I'm getting pretty good at getting it in and out of the van alone, but the stairs I still have not mastered.  I'm having difficulty getting myself down and up the stairs without crawling...

Andrew goes to a Dance

Andrew went to a Sorority dance.  Not sure what it was, but he went. 

This is his friend Nadine.  They are so cute. 

Senate for Nick

Nick is quite the ladies man.  He was asked to Senate (I think thats what it was called).  He had to wear a flannel shirt and he had to go and buy it himself since I was still recovering from surgery.  He did a great job on picking it out. I did iron it for him...

He told me I couldn't come to the door to see her, since there were no flowers. I said ok, only if I could get a picture of him before he left.  So this is it.  

He had a great time.  He even asked a girl to Prom the day after this dance.