I Now Have 4 Teenagers!! - Jonathan Turns 13

 

I can't believe it - already, at such an early point in my life, I have four teenagers (well at least until December 21). This really happened much sooner in my life than I planned for. In actuality, it is proving to be a really nice time in life. I have four wonderful children, who are easy to take care of and are making really good choices in their lives (it doesn't get much better). We had a fun birthday for Jonathan (I'm not sure he's old enough to think that any celebration on Sunday is truly as fun as it could be otherwise). He has told us for about two years that he wanted a unicycle. Why in heaven's name would anybody want a unicycle. We have bicycles, scooters, skateboards, rip stiks, etc. I guess the only toy with wheels that we didn't have was the one with one wheel. Guess how easy it is to find a unicycle. I thought it wouldn't be that bad with a large metropolitan shopping area. Boy was I wrong. I finally found one at a bike shop in South Jordan and we drove in to buy it only to find out that it was big enough for about a 5 year old. I finally found on on KSL adds in TOOELE of all places. It was in almost new condition and had a training wheel with it. I was so relieved to get it. I felt bad because it wasn't new, so I also got him the Nintendo DS game system that he's been wanting for a couple of years (all his friends have them and now he can play with them - wow, they all site around and play games against each other via wireless while they stare at a screen so small I can't tell what's on it). I guess he won't have anything on the list for Christmas. The unicycle was too big to wrap so I wrapped a note telling him where to look (an old Gibby trick). It was in the back of the van. When he opened the van door and saw TWO wheels, he stammered, "What is it?" (He was expecting a unicycle). He had to get it out of the car before he realized that it was indeed a unicycle. He spent the rest of the afternoon trying to learn how to ride it. Now all the neighborhood little boys want unicycles (ha ha ha - their parents can try and find one now). We had Mom and Dad come up for the party. It seemed like a quiet party without Jared and Jordan. We had a lot of cake left over. It really does seem like they grow up way too fast.

It Makes Me Crazy!!!!!!

NOTE: Avoid this blog if you are politically sensitive.

I tried watching some of the Republican Convention (a few minutes last night and a few tonight). It just makes me CRAZY!!! I am so tired of the scare tactics (if we elect anybody except a republican we will be taken over by terrorists - they're everywhere - they're under your bed at night....)

"Every day the media reports incidents of terrorism, crime, and aggression. I have never been to a country where tragic stories of death and bloodshed did not fill the newspapers and airwaves... but the overwhelming majority of the human race does not behave destructively; very few of the five billion people on this planet actually commit acts of violence. Most of us prefer to be as peaceful as possible.+ - Dalai Lama

"If we get involved in fears about the future, we shall miss the chances that the present offers us."

I just refuse to play into the politics of fear and control (whether is be terrorists or border control). We are a country of free men founded on a constitution guaranteeing those freedoms. Fear has been used as the mechanism by the last eight years of government to erode our basic freedoms and try and maintain control of the government. As I have been doing name extraction from the 1870's more of the people I extract were born outside of the United States than in it. And yet we have come to believe that our borders are no longer open to those from other countries (especially if they are from the southern hemisphere - we don't seem to have a problem with illegal Canadians). The Republican Party has become so right-winged and conservative that I do not relate to them. It is the party of me and my wealth. Let the poor be poor because they deserve it. Let the sick be sick because if they worked hard enough they could pay for their health care, but I am certainly not my brother's keeper. So many of the attitudes now seem to be diametrically opposed to my beliefs and the teachings that I have studies for years (care for others, peace not war, greed and consumption are not good, etc.) Well, I have ranted enough. It only takes a few minutes to get me going. I just have to avoid most of the politicking until the election and then just cast my vote and move on.

Jared's Waterfall Adventure

Jared went to see a waterfall last Wednesday. He thought it was pretty cool. He is having success with his new companion and in speaking to people as a missionary. They have a commitment for a baptism. From his letters it is apparent that he loves what he is doing. We wish they would give them more miles in the car. It sounds as if they end up riding ridiculous distances on bikes because they're out of car miles. I just pray he doesn't get heat stroke. He likes working with Elder Lee. He is from the San Francisco area. I think Jared said his family has 10 children (WOW). Our house is feeling a little quieter. Sarah had friends over tonight to work on a school project. Sherrie and I decided to go to the store and get some donuts to surprise them. When we got back about 30 minutes later they were all gone. Now we have lots of donuts. Well, we had lots of donuts. We invited Jonathan's cul-de-sac friends to all have donuts. They were pretty excited about that (I have to admit I even had a couple). The time between now and when I have to wake up is rapidly shinking so I will bid adieu.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Well they do and so much faster than bad things. In physics we learn that for each force there is an equal and opposite force (so that should apply to good and bad things as well). It must be that bad things exert less force over time than good things so they have to last longer. Our "long" weekend was much too short and Sherrie's eye problem has carried on much too long. She continues to be on the mend, albiet, slowly. She made it to school today (which I wasn't sure would happen given how terrible she felt much of the weekend). Our big weekend event was our very quick trip to Cedar City on Saturday. It was good to see Jordan and go out to dinner with him, but it was so tiring to drive so much, especially with Sherrie not feeling well. We spend all day Sunday in the house. We ventured out a couple of times on Monday to run some errands. Our big Labor Day treat was to have been Nigh Time Donuts - but, alas, they were closed for the holiday (I guess they figure people don't eat donuts on holidays). We had to settle for Albertson's donuts (which must be the worst in town). I went to Home Depot to get trim for the bedroom window. They had contractor bundles with about 3 times as much trim as I needed, for the same price as buying it piecemeal, so in keeping with my character I bought the larger quantity for the same price (I figure there is always something I can use trim for). Lafter that afternoon we went to Walmart to get some groceries. After about 10 minutes in Walmart Sherrie was too tired to walk around any more (and too proud to drive one of the electric carts) so she returned to the car and left me to do the grocery shopping (more juice, less chips - I really wanted to get the Oreo Double Stuffs). When we returned from Walmart it was time for dinner and nobody felt like cooking so we went to Bajio. Well, Sherrie, Jonathan and I went to Bajio. Sarah was at her friends and would rather stay there than accompany us to dinner (I still haven't figured out what is so terrible about spending time with us - actually she had already eaten at her friends). After dinner, I went home and worked on getting our bedroom windows trimmed. I have gotten faster over the many projects I've taken on, so I was done in about an hour. Now I just have to paint the trim and I will be ready to paint the walls (still have to pick out the paint color). I felt good about getting something done over the long weekend. I had originally thought that I would tile the laundry room floor, but that would have been far too much with Sherrie sick. So instead, I have the window trim done and the bedroom cleaned so I am ready to paint. We went to bed early last night, but I still woke up tired. Sherrie goes back to the doctor today, so I am hoping that he will adjust the medication so that we get more sleep. Jonathan keeps reminding us that it is his birthday this week. It always seems to creep up on us with the beginning of the school year. Not only to I have two children graduated from school, but I will now officially have four teenagers (yikes) - at least until December when Jared turns 20 (having a 20 year old is even more YIKES). I figured out that next year I will be the same age Grandma Gibby (great grandma depending on who is reading this) was when I was born. I will be the same age this year that Mom (or Grandma Gibby) was when Jared was born. I'm not sure of the significance of those discoveries, but I find them curious. Also, while doing name extraction today, I had the name of a women who was 110 years old at the time of the census. That means she was 16 years old at the time the Declaration of Independence was signed (WOW). Well, so much for my mindless ramblings of association. As I started, "All good things must come to end."

Fall Color

This and That for the Week

Sarah has a new friend who is a foreign exchange student from Japan (I believe her name is Ludi). He is a really nice young lady living with Sarah's good friend Kinzey's family. Sarah has had other friends from Japan (when we lived in Eugene) that she has stayed in close contact. To help her new friend feel more comfortable she found a movie (a scary one) that is Japanese with English subtitles. She watched that with Ludi (Sarah really likes the scary movies - just like her Dad).

Britney came up to visit us the weekend we took Jordan down to SUU (I believe that was two weeks ago). Since she has been coming to our house, Ruby has taken a liking to her (she is allergic to cats). She has been a really good sport (as seen in the picture). We enjoy having her come up and visit. She is always so positive and uplifting.




Sherrie had a bad night on Thursday night (lots of pain in the eye) so she decided to wear a patch. We think that she just stressed it out too much being at school. We call her Captain Sherrie. Saturday I went to Walmart and bought her a proper pirates patch (black) which can be seen in the picture with Jordan at SUU. It does help her eye. The doctor thought she should see significant improvement by Tuesday. Her eye is still red and swollen, though not as bad as it was. This has been a long, grueling process, dealing with this infection. I am so grateful that it will eventually have a happy outcome. I am so proud of the way Sherrie has persevered through this. Lack of sleep, pain and concern about losing your vision, while starting a new school year and still getting all your everyday mundane things accomplished. She is also the human alarm clock that goes off for each medication dose whether in a deep sleep or not...

Sarah got hold of my camera and decided to turn it on me. Looking at the picture you can see why I stay out of the pictures. I was just glad that I didn't crack the lens or something. There is a rule in photography that the non-photogenic should wield the camera and stay out of the pictures of the benefit of all. Some people were made to have their pictures taken and same were made to take the pictures. I am happy to stay in the later category. If you look at the picture above of my wife, you can tell that she belongs in the first category, looking beautiful even with an eye patch.

Stormy Weather

I got an early preview of the storms when we went to Cedar City yesterday. We came through some strong winds and heavy rains. I'm glad I wasn't going down there today with all the rain and flooding. We had heavy winds and rain in Tooele today. I can feel the cooler air and the rain smells so good. It should help out my gardens. It has calmed down now for a while. I am hoping we have nicer weather tomorrow so that I can get some yard work done. I need to edge the flow gardens and put down some mulch. I guess if the weather is too bad, we'll just have to go to a movie or something.

Holiday Weekend Excursion

We didn't make any big plans for the weekend because of Sherrie's eye and our complete exhaustion from lack of sleep. Friday night we went out to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory off I-215 (it was a really good dinner). Saturday we decided to take Jordan's bike to him at SUU (an excuse to go see him - but he really did need his bike). We had planned originally to go on Monday, but with the impending bad weather and a lot of cabin fever we decided to go down on Saturday. We called Jordan to let him know of our change of plans. He was just heading off to go cliff jumping down by Hurricane, Utah (maybe we shouldn't have left him at SUU). He felt they would be back about the time we arrived so I proceeded to load up the bike, his Lacrosse gear, some posters, a jacket and the bike tools and supplies that I got him and we headed off. Jonathan and Sarah both decided against going (I can't understand why they wouldn't want to sit in the car for 7 hours). It was a nice drive down. We went the back route and tied into I-15 at Meadow. There wasn't much traffic and it was really nice weather. We made it down in 3 hours and 15 minutes (faster than the GPS said we would - have a GPS in the car is just like having someone challenge you to do something that they say you can't do). We arrived at Jordan's apartment about 15 minutes before he got home, so we introduced ourselves to Matt (his room mate) and moved his things into the apartment. Matt was watching a football game with a young lady so we decided to wait in the car (and make a quick trip to Walmart to get Sherrie a phone case). When we got back Jordan was riding some new kind of skateboard contraption (kind of like roller skates but with only two wheels under each foot - another way to break your neck). We went to dinner together at Applebys. The food and the service were really good. I had the all you can eat chicken fingers (and since (I hadn't eaten anything all day - I ate my money's worth). We looked for a Chinese Buffet, but found that Cedar City does not really have any good Chinese Restaurants (I guess college kids don't eat alot of chinese food). We had a really nice dinner with Jordan and then decided we needed to head back. It was after 7:00 and the GPS was telling me that I wouldn't get home until after 11:00. Because the storms were starting to blow in we decided to take the interstate all the way through SLC (so the GPS ended up being correct). We arrived home at about 11:15 pm (really tired). It was really nice to see Jordan. I was amazed at how clean his apartment and bedroom were. He said that he is me in his apartment. He is constantly cleaning off the countertops and washing the dishes. He had all his laundry done and put away. He even confessed that he mopped the floor with a rag on his hands and knees (wow - is the same child that we dropped off at SUU?). He had goals posted above his bed and in his bathroom. I am really impressed. He has been having a great time making friends and enjoying southern Utah. On Friday he went rock climbing and Saturday they went cliff jumping (into hopefully deep pools of water). I think there are definitely more outdoor recreational opportunities there than at BYU (we just hiked to the Y and up the Canyon). I was glad to see him so happy and enjoying school. He even went to Institute (get this) on his day he has no classes at 7:00 am (WOW WOW WOW). I have definitely been blessed with GREAT children.

A Needed Long Weekend

It is really Friday today - yeah!!! After thinking yesterday was Friday for most of the day (what a let down when I realized it was only Thursday), I am glad that the real end of the weekend has finally arrived. Without being able to sleep during the day it is really hard to keep up with Sherrie's medication regiment. Last night she starting having extreme pain in the middle of the night. I think it is the sleep deprivation aggravating her condition. We did both get out of bed this morning, albeit late. My brain feels foggy - maybe I will straighten my office today and get caught up on my filing (that doesn't take too much brain power and would certainly make my office look better, and make me appear more efficient,...). I can smell the chlorine (when I can smell it in my office I don't go outside - even after more than 2 years I am still sensitive to the chlorine) and that should help wake me up. What are my big holiday weekend plans? SLEEP...

112 Days - But Who's Counting (That's Over 15%)

(Jared in a hat somebody gave him), (Elders Gibby and Lee), (The Suit Burning Ritual - held at 2 years)

Another day, another week gone by (already), my how time flies when you're having fun or not sleeping. We received our Wednesday email today. Jared is doing great! He sent his previous companion home (after the ritual suit burning - things have changed somewhat since I went, we just gave some other elders our ties). He is now the senior companion with an elder who goes home in just a couple of months. He really wants this elder to have a baptism before he goes home (a noble goal which I hope they are blessed with). Elder Lee apparently hasn't had a baptism yet and if anybody can pull it off, it will be Jared. I really enjoy receiving his letters because they are infused with so much enthusiasm. It doesn't matter whether they've had a baptism, they're looking for a lost bicycle helmet, or they've been riding bikes in a downpour, he enjoys it all and relays it via his emails in an uplifting manner (thanks Jared). They are building their teaching pool but dealing with the plague of all missionaries, investigators who don't want to pursue any investigation outside of their own living room. The nice people who will talk to you tend to also be the ones who never to commit to anything (or commit to everything without ever following through). He is working hard and I know he will see success from it. I'm very proud of his achievements, his attitude and his commitment (now I have to get off and deal with my emotions - too many children leaving home and being successful without me).

What a Pretty Daughter!

Sarah brought home her school picture today. We had a fun time putting it in the frame and looking at all the previous years' pictures. She has really grown up, but is still the same sweet, young lady she's always been. It is hard to believe that I have an almost 17 year old daughter that is a Junior in High School and will be getting her driver's license shortly. Am I old, or what! I don't need to feel that old, I work with people younger than me who are already grandparents....ouch.

It is quiet with just two children living at home (not that quiet is bad). Sherrie is on the mend and it is supposed to be another cool night, so I will be able to sleep well for my 1 hour increments (I guess it is good that it is a holiday weekend).

What Day Is It?

After a week of sleeping in one hour increments I am feeling pretty foggy. Sitting here at my desk I couldn't figure out what day of the week it was. My brain kept telling me it was Friday (very wishful thinking). I finally determined that it was Wednesday, although I was fairly sure at one point that it must be Thursday. It was particularly rough last night because it finally cooled down and I went into a deep sleep for those short increments between medication cycles. It is all worth it, though, as the eye continues to heal. Last night it looked even better. The swelling is almost gone and it is more pink than red. I am so relieved that it is healing up without the prospect for long term problems. Only one more week of this sleeping regiment. Sherrie has another doctors appointment on Thursday (which I believe is tomorrow). I am hoping that he will scale back the every 2 hour medication to every 4 hours which would certainly help both Sherrie and I feel better. Last night after we got home from work we took the kids to Subway for dinner and then came home and we went to bed (yes, at 7:00). When we woke up at 9:00 for the eye drop Sherrie remembered that we needed to pick up another prescription at the pharmacy (which closes at 10:00), so I rushed out the door . I've been to the pharmacy so often in the last week that even in drive through the pharmacist asked how Sherrie was doing (there are nice things about living in a small town). I then had trouble getting back to sleep so I read until the 10:00 medication. I feel like I could go to sleep sitting here in my office chair. Well, I had better wake up and get to work ...

Bad Friday - Good Monday

After a stressful weekend we received encouraging news this morning at Sherrie's daily doctor visit. There was significant improvement with the virus effectively eradicated and the cornea beginning to heal. On Friday it looked fairly bleak with the viral dendrites covering the entire cornea causing swelling and significant pain (the picture provided shows a dendrite on the cornea - in Sherrie's case these lesions completely covered the cornea). On Sunday, the pain and swelling subsided somewhat. The doctor also told us that after the Thursday visit he was worried that she would lose her eye. Even the pharmacist asked how she was doing this morning when I went in to get another prescription filled. All the waking up every 1-2 hrs to put in the medications paid off. I will never look at an eye infection the same way. We have to keep up the medicating regiment for another week to ensure the infection does come back, but that's okay because we know her eye is going to be okay in the end. She's off the daily doctor visit and doesn't have to go back in until Thursday. We are fortunate to have such a competent Ophthalmologist in Tooele. (Information on Ocular Herpes Simplex)

I can't think of much else that happened since last time I blogged. I did some laundry (which still needs to be folded - at least its washed!). I changed out the light fixture in Jonathan's bedroom (we bought the new one about a year ago - he's been so patient that I thought I ought to get it done - now I just have to get his bedroom painted - hopefully before he graduates from high school).

The heat has taken a toll on my gardens. In spite of regular watering, the flowers all look like they've seen better days. My color bowls don't have any color at the moment. I am hoping that as the weather cools down for pre-fall (of course with global warming as serious as it is, who knows whether we will ever have winter again) that the flowers will perk up and give it one last burst of color before they're frozen to death. As much as I love my gardens, I am looking forward to winter and 5 months with minimal outdoor maintenance.

Well, this is my life today. I am off to unload a Suburban full of teaching supplies and then to bed to resume the medication cycle. Ta Ta .....

Some Tough Days

I haven't had the chance to blog much for the last few days. Sherrie's been going through a difficult and scary illness. On Sunday she noticed that her eye was bothering her. On Monday is started to swell and looked red. She went into the family doctor on Monday night and was diagnosed with pink eye. By Tuesday evening her eye was looking much worse. I called and spoke with the doctor and he thought it was an allergic reaction to the medication. He referred her to an ophthalmologist for Wednesday morning. She was diagnosed with an acute viral infection of the cornea. It is basically like have cold sores on her cornea. By Wednesday she was in such pain that we had to call the doctor and get a pain medication called in. She had to go in to the doctor again this morning. Her eye was worse. The doctor said that is was the worst viral infection that he had ever seen. The doctors said it was probably her first case of this particular virus and like an adult getting the chickenpox she is having a severe reaction to the virus. It has been really scary because if the infection isn't brought under control soon enough it can cause blindness (it moves into the retina). This morning the cornea was essentially covered with viral sores, but it hadn't moved into the interior of the eye. This night it looks like it is somewhat better. It has been a really grueling experience worrying about the infection and having to administer medicines just about every hour around the clock. Sherrie has held up remarkably well. I can't imagine how scary it would be worry about losing your vision in an eye and then having to deal with the extreme pain on top of it. Of course this had to happen in conjunction with school starting and Jordan heading to school. Fortunately, Sherrie doesn't have students for several more days. The doctor said if the additional antiviral medication he gave her today works she should be ready to go back to work by Monday. I will be glad just to get back onto a regular sleep schedule.

On a more uplifting note, Jordan is loving school (of course classes haven't started yet). He is adapting to college life really well. His Bishop gave him some squash from his garden, so Jordan cooked it up and served it with pasta to his roommates. They are going to enjoy having a gourmet cook in the apartment. (We miss having Jordan's gourmet capabilities at home). He is having a good time and meeting lots of other student's, although he says he's not very good at remembering names. He was asked to design the Homecoming t-shirt for one of the campus sororities. He's also been jamming with several musicians that he's met there. I had to order him a wireless router because the apartments have internet, but not wireless. He received it today, so he was happy that he finally had access to the internet (life without Youtube and Facebook for several days is extremely hard). The only thing he is wanting now is his bike. So we may have to make another trip down to Cedar City to take him the bike. It has been really quiet around without Jordan here.

Jonathan and Sarah started school. Jonathan actually started yesterday at the Junior High. He has been going there for a year for band so it wasn't a big shock for him. He is excited for school to start and came right home and finished his math homework before he went outside to play. He is in Algebra with mostly 8th graders. He really likes his classes and was really excited that they sell churros in the cafeteria for only 25 cents (a nice, healthy lunch item - deep fried, extruded dough coated in sugar). Sarah started school, but I didn't hear much about it. She brought home a foreign exchange student (from Japan) after school and then went to her friend's house (life with a 16 year old daughter).

Well, it is time to go to bed and start the hourly sleep cycle. It didn't work too bad last night, but I did notice that I didn't have much energy today.

Jared's Fun P-Day

We received Jared's Wednesday letter and pictures. He is really have a good time and loves his mission. The couple they live with took them and some other missionaries to the NASA space center in Huntsville. He said it was kind of like Lagoon without the rides, although it did have rides. He rode a g-force simulator which apparently made him sick. He rode the takeoff and re-entry ride (missionaries get to do more on p-day than they did 25 years ago when I was out - ours was primarily letter writing and laundry day).

His companion finished up and went home last week. Jared is going to miss him, they got along very well. He is being made Senior companion (congratulations to him - only three months out). He is also getting a very difficult companion apparently. Just like I predicted (Eric commented that he was given difficult companions, and I had my share of difficult comps). It doesn't really seem fair that when you get along with people they give you the difficult ones. I am sure that Jared will do okay. He is having some interesting experiences in the Bible Belt. He had a big Bible bash with a guy that actually read the Book of Mormon with the intent to prove the missionaries wrong. After a while they realized that they were wasting their time and left. I am interested now to see how things go with this new companion.