It's Christmas Time!!!

December 2010
From our Family to Yours,
Another year has come and gone, and to be frank, I hope next year is better. Not that I’m not grateful for my family, friends and the abundance I have been given, but this last year turned out to be a bit more stressful than I really wanted! Just want this coming year to be a little brighter.
Our family was fortunate to spend some quality time during spring break in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Yes, it snowed (but only a few flurries) and was downright cold! Although we did get to swim at the west Edmonton mall beach under the fake palms, running our toes over the cement sand, and went to a hockey game to see the Ducks play the Oilers (always root for the home team!). And what would spring break be without a bit of shopping! Yes we did it all and ice skating every morning too! We had the rink all to ourselves and went round and round and round… Some people go south for the sun, but we had it all and without the crowds! Maybe next year we should plan for Alaska!
Emily still shines at West Salem High. She is busy with cheerleading (and loving it!), leadership (she’s junior rep, working hard on getting prom together), piano (trying to find time to practice), studying hard in advanced classes, and of course her MIT team. The science geeks still rule! A group of eight very intelligent students put together an idea for a SCRIBO pen to help kids and those with disabilities learn to write better. These incredible students won a grant from MIT to produce a prototype and present in Boston this coming June! She may be a blonde cheerleader, but she is a brilliant blonde cheerleader! So we still try to keep up with her insanely busy schedule, but with only a year and a half till high school graduation, I am beginning to feel that empty nest angst! All the talk of colleges, scholarships, and student aid makes my head spin. After she is off to college, I may even miss the 5:30am seminary wake-up call!
With all the economic stress surrounding us, we have been very fortunate to keep working. Bob is still at CTA, telecommuting and traveling when necessary, but we have an income and insurance, which in today’s economy and with all the family happenings has been a blessing. He continues to be our rock and works hard to provide our family with all the basics and a few frills!
In May my sister, Sherry came from California to visit. We had a very busy, but wonderful time. It was a fantastic week. She got to work the finish line at the Awesome 3000, watch one of Emily’s choir recitals, and, of course, froze her butt off at a high school track meet! And to top off the experience I even drove her home through the emergency room! Yes I totaled my car with my one and only sister in the front seat next to me. Not the way I would have liked to end a perfectly good family visit, however reality occasionally gets in the way of life. Yet, amid the horror of shattering glass and bent metal, it was evident that we were protected by forces more powerful than ourselves or the car. It was a true miracle that every person entangled in that intersection that day walked away with little more than scratches and bruises. Sometimes we don’t know why our lives are spared; only that they are and we are left to determine our next step… I believe that is where prayer steps in, to help guide our lives for the better.
The weekend following the accident, I was blessed to watch my dear sweet cousin walk her first 5K following cancer surgery. Jes is a light to my heart and a strong courageous survivor. With all our prayers, she will be for many years to come! Family is a treasure!
My graduate internship process started out slow, but has since taken off. I love working at Polk County Mental Health and I love helping the folks out that need a hand. I have kept busy with school and running has been a large part of the self-care regime. However, I stretched myself this past September and participated in a sprint triathlon (500 yard swim, 12 mile bike, and 5K run)! I learned much about myself mainly that I am a running purist! Swimming was tolerable and the biking was endured, but running, now that is freedom! I am proud to say that I set my PR in sprint triathlon, one that will live until the earth melts!!
Our sweet Kitty of almost 18 years was laid to rest this summer. Kitty, nicknamed… Blizzard (her first name, given by Michael), Princess (Emily’s contribution), Road-kill (because I ran over her once), Rainbow (because she rolled a perfect rainbow across her back in chalk one sunny afternoon), The Queen (after Olive moved in), and BMW (Big Mean White kitty – to Olive) was a great pet and will be missed by everyone, but Olive seems to be adjusting easier than the rest of us!!!
August saw a quick trip to Utah with the family and open heart surgery for mom, yet another blessing in our lives this year. It was touch and go for a couple of weeks but with a skilled surgeon, amazing ICU doctors and nurses along with caring heart specialists, mom is back at home and doing great. We haven’t decided which marathon she is going to run… LOL!!! I have learned to expect the unexpected and be grateful for those experiences in life that allow me to see the real blessings I have been given.
I guess I need to rephrase the beginning of this letter… I am so blessed to have the life I have and the family and friends I have that lift me and inspire me. This year has been one of tremendous challenge, yet I have found incredible strength through experiences as well as an inkling into what is truly important in life.
May you be as blessed as our family, without all the stressful happenings!
Merry Christmas Everyone,

Friday Night Football

Fall is in the air. Nights are chilly and sometimes rain soaked, the smell of popcorn and hot dogs permeates the nostrils and footballs are flying! The Titans are just one of many high school teams vying for a win amongst the rough and tumble world of pads and pigskin.
The West Linn game was set to be a battle. They wanted blood and revenge from last year’s play-off loss, and we were on their turf! The Titans were coming off a big win from the week before and we had Deeks, the West Linn transplant that as a sophomore had been recruited by top college football programs. It would not be an easy game for either team and could go in any direction. The players appeared evenly matched and each squad boasted quality coaching staff. The fans on both sides were undaunted by the rain. Let the skirmish begin!
The Titans scored first: a field goal. But the Lions answered back with a touchdown. It would be an epoch clash. Just before half-time, on a third and long, Titan QB was sacked for a 20 yard loss. It looked as if the momentum had turned for the lions. The Titan defense looked tired. With incredible resolve, the young defensive warriors took to the field, held the lions and time ran out. Half time and the difference was a field goal! It was up to the coaching staff. The Lions needed to keep their momentum and the Titans needed to find theirs.
The second half started slow with the ball staying mid-field for the first couple of possessions. Then the explosion began, the Titans found their mojo and scored spectacularly. The lion’s offense could not answer back as the defense began to solidify.
There is always a turning point in a game, this one happened in the third quarter on a fluke touchdown by the Titans. It wasn’t pretty, but the Ref called it good. After the dust settled, the lions coach called a time out and proceeded to inflame at the nearest official. Flags started flying and the coach was booted. The lion fans and players erupted into cheers for their disgraced coach and when he finally left the field he did so amidst a standing ovation from the lion fans. The visiting bleachers stood in stunned silence. Then in a tribute to maturity beyond their years, the student Super-fans turned toward the game leading parent fans and football players, they began to cheer their team on to victory! The point after was ours!
It wasn’t a runaway and the lions still had something to prove, a sort of resolve to take a win back to their ejected coach. But the Titans would make it difficult. The deal was sealed as the Titans entered the red zone for the last time. Another lion defensive play led to another crucial decision. A late hit on our QB earned a flag; however with tempers flaring, our QB answered back, a second flag. It only took three seconds for the Titan coach to be out on the field leading our QB back to the sidelines by the pads… time out titans. The Titans needed him to lead their team and they needed him to calm down. The coach took control and the QB displayed an ability to master his rage as he stepped onto the field and delivered the crushing blow to the Lions.
There are three things that separate the good from the best: players, coaches, and fans. Titan players, both offense and defense, displayed control at the most difficult times and exhibited maturity rarely seen in adolescents. Titan coaches expanded on their positive attitudes and philosophies to encourage and guide their protégés toward constructive ends. Last but not least, the fans did not react with the usual mob mentality as their opponents were slowly self-destructing. The bottom line: Titans 38 Lions 26.

Standing Outside the Fire

Garth Brooks used to be one of my most favorite music artists, next to George Strait that is. Who can resist those melodious strains of “Amarillo by morning…?” Of course this was during my ‘country music’ era which started sometime in college (my roommate was president of the AG club) and ended shortly after moving to Oregon. Those were some very good, yet strange and chaotic times.

But I digress… It was while I was pregnant with my now beautiful 15 year-old-daughter, that I first heard Garth’s song, Standing Outside the Fire. It was a snappy tune, carried a good beat, the message rang true, and the video brought tears to my heart. Then I had the infamous pregnancy protein test to illuminate our chances of having a child with a chromosome abnormality, most likely Trisomy 21. The results were not promising; there was a 1 in 197 chance that my innocent child would face a lifetime of physical and mental challenges. Moreover, due to my age, additional tests were recommended, among which was an amniocentesis, which carried with it a 1 in 218 chance of spontaneous abortion. There was also the decision to abort the fetus on the basis of the original test or wait until after the amniocentesis when more definitive information would be available.
I had married later in life and my husband was not a spring chicken. He already had two children and the thought of raising a third at this stage in our lives seemed daunting, especially a child of challenge. However, he courageously gave the final decision to me. Test, abort, no test, which test… it was confusing at best and decision making has never been my strong suit! I swirled in a state of turmoil. What would happen to my baby, my life, my marriage? The stress and pressure were enormous and suffocating. I needed help and guidance, anything to change the status quo. There was always the path of nothingness. This is where I usually ended up, just doing nothing. If you wait long enough, all your problems are solved by default. However that didn’t seem the responsible thing to do in this situation, as I felt the pressure from others lives in the balance. Here I was; Standing Outside the Fire. My doubts and fears engulfed me, paralyzed my brain to the point of stupor. I could not wait for the default decision.
At this point in my life, even though I had been raised in the ‘Mormon’ faith, my spiritual makeup was irresolute. Unlike my sister, whose path had taken her to a culture of Mormonism du Jour, my choices had flown with the crowd, kind of surfed along with society and it seemed to work for me, until now. I really wasn’t in for drastic change and I pretty much knew what her thoughts would be. However, she was my sister and I did value her input. Of course the logical step in her brain was to seek guidance in the form of a priesthood blessing – a rather typical Mormon response. Hum… would that even work for me? Let’s face it, lately my life choices had not been in line with the Mormon standard doctrine and I hadn’t been to church in years. Another decision on my plate of indecision!
I needed guidance and pretty much the only guidance I could find came from my sister. Everybody else was telling me to do what I felt was best. It seems that they were as lost as I was! I didn’t know what was best! That was the problem! So, with the small amount of faith I could garner, I asked for a blessing. With trepidation, I stepped into the fire. Totally unsure of the direction this decision would catapult me and my newly forming family.
I don’t remember the words of the blessing, only the feeling. I knew everything would be alright. I didn’t know what that would look like, just that everything would be alright! I didn’t know if my baby would be born with Down’s syndrome or not. There was no flash of insight on how this would affect my life or my marriage, just the firm, yet gentle impression that everything would be alright! My heart was calm, I knew it didn’t’ matter what challenges my child would face, we would face them together! I knew I didn’t need to risk an amniocentesis to tell me the genetic makeup of my baby. It didn’t’ matter! Everything would be alright! It seemed so simple after that. I did a little research into children and families living with Down's syndrome, just to know what I might be up against. I was in the midst of the fire and I was going to be alright.
The day our daughter was born I didn’t even count her fingers or toes. I didn’t have to. She was the closest thing to perfection I had ever experienced. Her spirit was indomitable and strong, straight from heaven. Today she stands as a strong, intelligent, athletic, and amazing daughter of God. I look up to her, pray for her, and will forever stand with her in the middle of the fire!

The 8-hour commute… and lessons learned with tire chains

Tire chains go on the drive wheels. I know this concept and being the daughter of an auto mechanic I am familiar with cars. The problem is that when you are under pressure and stressed about decisions, your brain doesn't always process information correctly.

It was a winter afternoon and the snow had started to fall as I busily finished up a few assigned tasks at work; I looked forward to an hour long commute in less than ideal conditions. As 5:00 approached, the snow fall increased so I made the decision to put on the chains that my husband had lovingly put in my trunk. Interestingly enough, growing up in snow country, I have never had the experience of putting on tire chains. Intellectually I understood the mechanics, but to actually perform the task was beyond my current scope of comprehension. So, I proceeded to pull out the instructions and read them carefully as the snow continued to fall around me. Struggling with the chains, I finally got them attached to the rear wheels. Of course these are not the drive wheels on my vehicle, but for some reason at that moment, this very pertinent fact was escaping my extremely overtaxed brain. Feeling enormously proud of my latest feat and after scraping 2-3 inches of fluffy white stuff off my car windows, I hit the snow packed roads. Finding nothing in downtown Vancouver to quench my appetite, I slowly braved the ever ominous SR 14 freeway. It was slushy, but I had chains on, and slow going to the 205 (I heard that I-5 was a parking lot and the entrance in Vancouver proved the theory). I jumped onto the I-205, crossed the Glen Jackson Bridge and right after the airport exit, traffic ground to slow and stopped conditions. I crawled along for about 2 1/2 hours and decided to stop and get something to eat. The nearest exit was Milwaukie and it took nearly an hour just to exit the freeway! My nerves were starting to fray not to mention the fact that when talking with my husband, I realized my error in putting the chains on the wrong wheels! I had front-wheel drive! I knew that! Where was my mind? I wonder if this is how clients feel when they are overwhelmed and still have to make life-altering decisions! My mood had changed from feeling vulnerable and energetic to embarrassed and exhausted. What remained of my commute all of a sudden grew into more of a mountain than a mole-hill. I exited the freeway struggled taking off the chains and felt positively stupid and defeated. I deserved something special, Wendy's frosty was just the ticket and for an extra special treat I splurged for fries! I really don't like fast food, but in the interest of wasting time and trying to pick up my spirits, it was needed.

A little shopping at the local Freddie's and I was back on the road. I couldn't believe it, the freeway was clear… wait… I spoke too soon! A grinding halt at the Oregon City exit and a flashing sign that 99E exit was closed. Just my luck, the back road was the only way I knew around the traffic nightmare. But the night was still young, only 9:15 and I had renewed energy from my tasty meal. The traffic went from crawl to stop to crawl and back to stop again. It took three hours to go 10 miles. My mood in the car had turned dark and John Tesh had signed off the air an hour ago. It was midnight, nothing positive about life at the moment. I made a quick phone call to my work and then got the idea to circumvent the traffic by going through Tualatin (I5 northbound). I got into the right lane, which was moving at almost the speed of crawl and proceeded toward the exit, which was only about a mile down the road. When I got to the 205/5 split, I noticed cars and trucks littering the I5 northbound onramp and the conditions were slick and treacherous everywhere. Semi's stalled out, cars and small trucks spinning wheels in an effort to make it up on to the southbound on ramp. I made an impetuous decision. I jumped the line and quickly worked my car onto the I5 southbound lane. The traffic was very slow on the on ramp and we all crawled along the slick, icy, washboard roads toward the clear sanctuary of I5. I was home at 1:00 am, tired, beat, exhausted, foot hurting, but I was home! It was the best feeling in the entire world. It didn't matter that Emily was sacked out on the couch and all the lights were out, I was home! Bob had waited up for me and I was able to tell him the whole miserable story! It helped, but I was still wired from having to drive through icy conditions and avoid crazy drivers. Sleep finally overtook me around 2:00 am.