Golf and Paul McCartney

 You know what!? I have a BLOOD CLOT in my arm!  In my arm!!  I have had a weird summer that is turning into a terrible fall.  I had a horrible sore throat in May that lasted all summer.  To get ride of the sore throat, I took prednisone.  Well, the prednisone caused a blood clot.  I felt it in my elbow for a few months and suddenly on Saturday it was incredibly painful.  I tried to ignore the pain but started to get a bad feeling about it.  I went to the hospital at 3 AM and the doctor said there was no way it was a blood clot in my elbow.  She said she had never seen a blood clot in the elbow before.  I, at this point, was pretty certain it was a blood clot. 

Low and behold it IS a blood clot.  I had to wait a few hours for someone to come scan my arm and instantly, I could see it was a blood clot.  I had called and texted Stephen telling him I was in the hospital and he didn't get the message until after 8 AM.  He arrived as my arm was getting scanned.  A different doctor came in to tell me it was, in fact, a blood clot and then said that he had no idea what to do.  He told me to just see a hematologist.   Wow.  

 Monday, Stephen and I went golfing to get ready for our Golf trip in a few weeks.  I am a terrible golfer but I do love spending the afternoon with Stephen.  I am getting better so that counts for something.  Stephen wanted a new driver so we got a new one!  The test went great!

 Tuesday, my friend Spencer Morgan invited me to see Paul McCartney with him.  This was really an experience of a lifetime!! I like the Beetles and have enjoyed their music since being married to Stephen.  He loves the Beetles.  It was so cool to to hear songs like "Hey Jude" and "Let it be"!  I loved every minute of it!!  

 

Bravery

 As a woman, I feel like I am pretty brave.  I do a lot of things alone.  I do many hard things by myself.  I run alone, a lot.  I take my boys on trips with out other adults.  I feel like I am pretty brave.  I try my best to not allow the world to make me fearful.  This weekend, I drove to the mountains with Pearl (the dog) and got out, and then ran seven miles in the mountains alone.  I did it!  I was nervous but I did it!  I had the dog off leash the whole time so I had to keep her nearby a few times as we ran by a few people.  I ran through a camp site and I should have put her on the leash but I thought it would be OK.  I did get some funny looks but just kept on running.  

 

McCalls Haunted Farm

 I have wanted to go to McCall's Haunted Farm for YEARS!  My boys are finally old enough and we don't have cross country to contend with this year! So I made the reservation for opening weekend.  It was a blast!!  Edward was a little cranky about having to spend time with us.  He complained for the first 15 minutes of the car ride but they got back to happy when we fed him taco bell.  The haunted farm was so super scary and fun.  I loved all the costumes and the decorations.  We all laughed and had fun walking through the corn maze and get jumped scared.  All in all, I think the boys had a blast and I am glad I had us do forced family fun.  

 

Minnesota and a Wedding!

 

Over the weekend, Stephen and I traveled to Minnesota to celebrate Chelsea Anderson's daughters wedding.  Denni married her high school sweet heart, Eric.  They had a beautiful reception in the back yard of Chelsea's parents home.  Stephen and I helped set up and take down the reception.  We also helped serve food and support Chel in any way she needed.  I absolutely loved being a part of Denni's life. I moved to Hawaii in 2005 to live with Chelsea and nanny Denni.  It was such a fun experience.  Denni is a smart, beautiful, and courageous woman.  

Stephen and I shared a hotel with Chelsea, her boyfriend Brent, and their friend Ramon.  We had so much fun laughing and going to the spam museum. Actually, the Spam museum was the high light of the trip.  I have been to Austin, Minnesota many times but have not been to the museum.  It was fun! 

I am also grateful to have any excuse to hang out with Stephen, just the two of us.  We are still figuring out our relationship as we navigate my changing religious views.  I am working to see where my faith is going as I grow and change spiritually.  I was released as young women's president a few weeks ago and my heart has been so broken.  I am lost.  But I am so glad I have Stephen by my side to love me no matter what.  

 

Grandpa's 74th Birthday Week

 This week was a tough week and yet a happy week.  This week we remembered my Mom.  She died September 16th, 2024.  A year ago.  The pain feels so fresh. I feel like she just left us.  I think of her daily.  I miss her daily.  I still feel so sad and cry often as I miss being able to see her or call her daily.  I miss being able to tell her the thoughts of my heart.  She was such an amazing woman.  We met together and had ice cream to remember her.  

The next day, we went out to eat for my Dad's birthday.  He is 74.  He didn't think he would live another year without my Mom.  But he survived.  He was very sad all year.  I am so glad he is here to be a guiding light to my boys.  They need a strong moral compass in their lives.  My Dad provides this to us.  He is so smart and knows how to do so many important things.  I love him.  I am grateful for his guiding light in my life.  We also got together on his birthday and had cake.  Such a fun week celebrating my parents in two very different ways.  

 

Nasal surgery

 This last week, I had nasal surgery. I had a terrible sore throat all summer that lead me to the allergist. While at the allergist, the doctor did a CT scan of my head. They found I had a severely deviated septum and I needed surgery. I had surgery September 4th. The first day was pretty rough. I had the worst head ache. Luckily, I have the best friends here in town and they brought me dinner four nights in a row. 

I felt pretty crumby for three days but on Saturday, I started to feel worse. I had taken prednisone back in July to help get rid of my terrible sore throat. While taking it, I thought I developed a blood clot. As soon as I stopped the prednisone, the pain went away.  Fast forward to my nasal surgery, the doctor prescribed prednisone to prepare for surgery. I had texted her Thursday asking if it was necessary but she didn’t get back to me until Sunday. Well, I had already stated taking it. I could feel the blood clot in my elbow again. I wanted to be wrong. Well the next Saturday, my elbow was killing me. I could feel the heat and throbbing in my elbow again. It wasn’t getting better. I tried to go to sleep, hoping it would go away. It didn’t. At 3 AM, I woke up and drove to the ER. 

The doctor at the ER said she had never seen a blood clot in someone’s elbow. Well, turns out, I was her first. After all the tests showed it was a blood clot, the doctor said he didn’t know how to treat it and I needed to see a hematologist. I went home and took a baby aspirin. 

I saw the hematologist this last Thursday and she was extremely rude. She acted as if I was wasting her time. She wasn’t helpful and it was a huge waste of time. 

The best part about my surgery is now I can breathe out of my nose again! I can sing high notes again. I can sleep deeper and I feel better. Recovery has been easy especially with my sweet Stephen by my side. We have grown so much over the last month. We have been communicating more and been trying to be there for each other more. I am reminded why I married him. We are so in sync now. I love him and I’m so grateful he is in my daily life.