lame another bruise- is it me, needle, or nurse?

Open all ears please! I know a lot of you have had blood "stolen" okay, okay taken and i'm just wondering if you have any idea as to what makes you bruise if you do. I would seriously like to know if I can prevent it for the future. I want to say that it's the nurse- lady who stated herself and I quote, "I'm very impatient!" Not what the patient wants to hear right before you jabbed them in the vein. OW!!!! So to those of you who are seeing your doctors soon or are in that particular field, can you inform me please. Cuz it hurts- like 2" by 1".

Ward Christmas Party- family ward*

I went to my parents ward (family ward) for the Christmas program they put together. It was different from the previous years, but I have to say that I liked it better this year. The music was better, actors much more in tuned with what part they were playing even though some were caught in the hall that night to read some parts. You could really feel the spirit. Songs were great, esp. the harp, duets- trumpet and vocals, just the whole thing. This is what my mother captured. Using the white temple clothes really makes it look like angels. I give everybody props.

In memory of Susan Mortensen Turley

She'll be remembered for upbeat spirits and loving kindness, personality, and one of a kind testimony:) She's home with our Father now, away from pain she endured so well. My prayers are with her family, esp. Rachelle and Lisa. 'Til we meet again.

http://lemonademakers.blogspot.com/

“… the tests of life are tailored for our own best interests, and all will face the burdens best suited to their own mortal experience. In the end we will realize that God is merciful as well as just and that all the rules are fair. We can be reassured that our challenges will be the ones we needed, and conquering them will bring blessings we could have received in no other way.

If we constantly focus only on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by the loving Father who outlined our journey. Each day can bring more joy than sorrow when our mortal and spiritual eyes are open to God’s goodness. Joy in the gospel is not something that begins only in the next life. It is our privilege now, this very day. We must never allow our burdens to obscure our blessings. There will always be more blessings than burdens—even if some days it doesn’t seem so. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Enjoy those blessings right now. They are yours and always will be.”

10 reasons why I hate MRI's -condensed

1. It takes for ever to get in even when you have an appointment
2. No metal is allowed-in other words, strip down to medical gowns which leaves you in the cold! ugh
3. I have to repeat what metal I do have such as my retainer and brain clips about 4 times. Makes you wish they write it down the first time just like choir directors tell their students to do. eh eh eh! Then they don't even trust me that I even have brain clips (why would I lie about such a thing?)
4. Ear pieces never stay in my ear
5. No radio to listen to
6. If there is a radio to listen it's never loud enough
7. The banging from the MRI is extremely loud (talk about going deaf)
8. MRI machine shakes
9. I'm a small person, my veins are small, thus 9/10 times I get poked twice for contrast. I'll end up with two bruises
10. By the time the MRI is complete, I have a major migraine.

is there any other way to check for brain tumors? I can handle the needles by now-drawling blood and all but the banging and shaking for 45minutes to an hour and a half, my mind and body can't take it. Sorry for the complaining but I hate MRI's.

Phoenix Science Museum

Last night I went to the Phoenix Science Museum, which is open for free every first Friday of the Month, except in December due to the holidays! We had so much fun and did so many random things including taking pictures for our buddies on missions! Who knows what Ella's boyfriend was thinking when she pinched that workers bum in the last pic. Ha ha. These pictures are the best-random and it distorts your face and all. I have to say that I'm thankful for the way I am- a daughter of a Heavenly King, and a daughter of Megan and Rex Taysom who love me- I wouldn't have it any other way.

GUESS WHAT!!! OH BOY OH BOY!! (or not!)

MySpace Graphics & Free Myspace Layouts

Yup! Let me explain in detail. Ashley and Bryson are having the baby girl! Not me! ;) I'm so excited! I get to be the favorite, and only aunt! Yippy! I can spoil her like i do all the other children in my life! Okay not spoil- it's more like love! Thats it love! Anyways, I guessed right! The boys guess wrong meaning that we already have a special connection! Ha ha! No i'm just totally excited for this little one!

U2 HalloweenFest!

Awesome, funky socks right! That's the secret to getting a guy's attention at fhe, even if that's not what you were planning on doing! I only wanted to go to carve a pumpkin, but found myself engaged in conversation with men. Yah-da Yah-da Yah-da, met tons of new guys. Anywho, goal of the night was to 1)carve the best pumpkin and 2) smash it on the target-droping it off the parking structure at the institute! There were 7-8 Groups and 1 more pumpkin than there were groups so my group got the extra pumpkin! As the only girl in my group i had to let them know that I was not their typical girly-girl. (Yah-da Yah-da Yah-da as before mentioned, consisted of a conversation about my tumor and how it was white and rubbery. The guy i was talking to was thinking about being a neurosurgeon so i let him have the good stuff!) Our group name was named after me since i was the only girl. It didn't have much to do with our idea however. Our idea was the best one according to the judges, but maybe on the other groups who lost! Cannibalism! One pumpkin eating the other! Also, the smashing of pumpkins, we won that as well with our second pumpkin, however if you average both of our pumpkins, which they did to be fair, we lost because we got 9.5 while the other time got 10. LAME- that's my competitive side of me! (side note for Matt, I think I was wrong about his first name, it might be Klyn. IDK. I'll find out when I see him again and I'll get back to you;)

Break up

old news- brian and i did break up a while ago, mutual decision. I never knew how hard those things could be and now I know why Ashley cried all those nights. Luckily, I had awesome friends and family who helped me get over him in, lets see here, 3-4 days or less! Thanks for all the giggles and smiles! We're still friends, but thats awkward, unless it's on facebook!

Salt River-

Sorry about how the pic's are position, i didn't think about that b4 i posted them. But the first pic i had to post because of the horses! They went right to the spot that my group was at b4 we moved! It was so neat to be able to watch them travel across the water, protecting the baby! And the next pic was Brian being his funny self! He fell over just after the picture! It was great! Although i will never go again because it was a waste of my time! BORING! Boating and tubing is so much more fun then siting in a tube.

Surprise!

Today- aug 13 Brian birthday was awesome I took him bowling with Ella and Justin Lee and Matt! I kept getting gutters and Brian killed everyone else! Lol what a pair we are! Lol anyways I was held in his arms and he held my hands today! Oh I’m so excited! Ahh! Yeah and then we got him back to the house after 2 games and he never picked it up that is was a surprise even though he thought he saw his friends Patrick’s truck. Also he was wondering why we never went and got any food! Matt had told him we would get some after we went home, but Brian never understood why we had to go home first. We fooled him! We let him open the house and then everyone inside yelled “surprise”! Great! Thank you Tina, Hilary, and everyone else for putting it together! You rock! Esp. Matt! He thought of it! We partied all night long until I came back home. I was leaving and Brian walked me out. At my car he gave me a hug, but instead of from the side he gave it from the front!

the plunge of death

Brian!!

Awesome date-day: sweetest MAN! By the way, he's the one who is really skinny and handsome!
Here is the pictures you have all been waiting for! Sorry about the delay!

Missionary Farewell Party!

I understand that we aren't suppose to call them farewells, but I don't know how else we are suppose to explain it to nonmembers! Plus, when the party is mostly made up of nonmembers (esp in Tempe) it makes more sense to their minds when we use the word "Farewell." So this Saturday night, after other events which I will post later, I went to a farewell party for my dear friend Owen who leaves this Wednesday! However I was trying to use up a camera from earlier that day and found out that magic can occur within. Okay only on some of the pictures. But either way one of the pictures kinda looks like an engagement picture, but NO! :) It's no where close! We are just really good friends and I'm pushing him on his mission like all the other boys who have already left or are about too! Tay Tay is my little (6'3") bro! Ha ha!

owww!

Not that this is what I was planning on posting this week, but ow! I was at my best friends house getting hand-me-downs. On the way out the door (i'm guessing the dang dog wanted the clothes or something of that nature) the families dog snatched my right leg. My poor muscle! Ha ha if I had any! Anyhoo, Ella (best friend) then pounded the dog, who she absolutely hates, and throws him in the cage, and I mean throws. Then I'm gently nursed back to health by Ella and her mom before I went home to cry. But, If you thought that was torture, I got a phone call from a guy who is taking me on a date Saturday (YEA), and I was crying! Just what I needed! Oh well, he might as well know that I'm not the toughest girl on the planet right! I guess now I have something else to chat about on the ride up to the creek or lake. Whatever it is!

update 101

Just an update. I've been attending the singles ward and am loving it! I'm having a great time meeting new people and making new friends! Awesome individuals are out there! I can't really reveal any major names at the moment. There is a problem with it you see. The ward I am in is changing next Sunday, but for now, the U2 ward is primarily made up of (for guys only) Rob's, Matt's, Brian's, and your name is...? Girls are another story and much easier. I have it down to a science! Well, hopefully I'll be getting some fun pictures and events posted and whatnot! P.S. Did I ever say how cute some of the guys are--not just looks either!

Continuation of family Reunion!

Guess what! I shot a Mouser! Yeah I know a girl shooting a gun? What? It's not my fault-- it's my cousins! Lol jk it's mine but I think I did a wonderful job! Just ask Dustin! Actually, the gun was so heavy and I was so afraid of blowing out my shoulder, and it showed on my face apperently that my 2nd cousins helped me! So this is how it all happened! I held the gun how they (meaning my cousins) told me too. One cousin cover my ears so I wouldn't go deaf. Did it work? Partly. Another cousin helped me hold the gun! With one hand. Wow I'm weak. Then I aim! Ready. Set. Fire. .... Yeah I... Hit... Nothing. I shot over the mountain when I was aiming at a broken down truck! Beautiful! At least I have nice cousins! Too bad I don't remember the two that helped me. One was, I think, a M&M kid! Those one's are HARD! Anyhoo heres the bullet shell!









Here's some more action! Great uncle Reg! And I mean GREAT as in FANTASTIC! Out of the blue, when I was in flip flops, had us follow him out to his horses and remembered the last time we came up, the promise he made with me! He promised to let me ride his horses, however he said I had to be in tennis shoes. I forgot my end of the bargain. But being the great guy he is, he told me to step on his leg and get up on the nicest horse he has. bare back! HEEHAW!










Now the moment you've been waiting for... Grandma and the accordion! She's always so talented! Boy was she cute! Enjoy! I'll try and add the video if I can get it to work with sound later!

Family Reunion- visiting grandpa's grave

What a nice opportunity it was to visit grandpa's grave with grandma and our cousins! It's still hard to see it, but humbling to know of Father's plan and that families are for ever! There is still no head stone, but there is a little name plate thing. I think that's what it's called! There's tiny, little pieces of grass growing out of the dirt. And just as his funeral day, the wind blew peacefully, and reassuringly that all is well in Zion!

Family Reunion!- Morning

This past weekend my family was able to go up north to Pinetop to visit Uncle Ryan and his family! Along with that, there were two reunions going on. One in Pinetop for the Ellsworth side and one in Woodsroof for the Tenny side! On Friday afternoon we took off for Ryan's. We didn't arrive til the evening so all the following pictures are from Saturday's events! Cade was enjoying using my phone! He took a wonderful picture of himself! There were many more on my phone! One of his eye, a video of him running around his home and showing off his new little brother of which he and his sibling absolutely adore (esp the belly button!), and of the road we were traveling on! Also of a Gatorade bottle! Excellent if you ask me!
Yeah and here's me! Front seat like always! Shot gun really! Had to add it! Ashley kept asking for me to send a picture to her and i didn't have one on my phone and so I took one for her and this is what I got!

Okay... this next footage is something that we (meaning just us kids-no adults) played with for hours on end. We loved it and couldn't stop until we became hungry! Even Clair loved it! Although with her we were a little more cautious so it wouldn't roll into the lake/pond!

Smile*

I Love this and those who make me smile all the time!

Grackles!

I'm totally siding with Grandma! She told my mom that we should have let it die and I'm agreeing with her now since it has bitten me seven times and it won't be quite! I'm ready for it to fly away, but I can't even grab it out of it's cage because it continues to bit me! I should have listened to Grandma! I guess I have learned my lesson when it comes to birds! Grandma always knows! However, as much as it is annoying to hear it chirp in the middle of the night, it was fun to watch it grow into this plump round ball of feathers. I just wish I knew how much longer it's going to be around or rather, "when is it going to fly away!?!" I still want to know if it's a boy or a girl though?? hm... guess i'll never know.

Just a bit more protein

a little thought to remember- don't let your brothers cook! As a little gift today, or maybe we were all (meaning the kids) starving, but we as children decided to cook dinner as my mom took Tod around to do fast offerings. Fritos stack is what we were making! yummy! Anyhoo, I assigned assignments to Logan and Jaron because I was gifted with a migraine once again! Unfortunately, I don't think about the little things my brothers might do and I gave Logan the rice and Jaron the meat. Rice was easy. Jaron, however, as he was browning the meat, saw a little, small, black ant that our house seems to have all over-- they don't bite, but are annoying! The ant was on the stove (why i don't know). Jaron, out of no where decides to let the ant crawl onto the spatula and puts it into the pan where the meat was. Personally, I don't think the ant lasted long. I think it fried! Yeah, I was the first to watch this action! "GROSS" But I needed the extra protein I guess!
Mortal of the story: well it depends on how you look at it. Either 1) don't let your brothers cook, but then you have to do it all yourselves (no fun- probably not a good idea) or 2) eat ants with your food because they don't taste bad and some taste like red raspberry's!

Random it happens

How about that? Yeah, I think I was on another sugar high, but I didn't eat anything with much sugar in it except captains crunch! My friend Ella had spent the night, since we found ourselves way too tired to pick ourselves off the bed at 11:55pm the night before (with curfew midnight) to drive her home and so the next morning she woke me up way too early -- okay so 9 am and we played dress up with make up! It was so much fun to not worry about a thing except if you put to much eye liner in one spot or if my hand shook like crazy and make the eye liner (liquid-not good if you shake may I add) make squiggly lines! yeah wonderful! thank you to whoever made makeup remover! Whatever the fact may be, I had a blast this morning and the picture above proves it! I ran around with so much energy, who knows where it came from, that I ran outside and stood on top of the tree stump! I couldn't tell you why, but I did, and I'm glad! That's all I did and my friend got a picture and we ran back inside as the day got warmer! Wow, I'm pretty random! Life's fun like that!

Two Doves and a Gackle!

Today we had a huge project going on around our house. In our back yard we have two huge trees that, during any storm, could fall over and hit our home. Thus our goal today was to cut both of the trees down! Well, we succeed, but not without decapitating a bird, and becoming the new parents of three new baby birds. I feel really bad about the one that died and about the two other baby birds that are going to die cuz I just can't help them. They are both doves, I think. However, they are just too young. I don't even think they can open their eyes. And I feel horrible about the three eggs, but I'm glad that I can feed the Gackle! I'm growing fond of it! I keep holding it and I know that it's not bird food but I was told by an expert that they eat it anyways! I feed it Dog food! Carefully. It already bit me too! Ah, pets...

Jay's Here!

So yesterday, my Colorado family members came over to visit me. My Uncle Jay, Aunt Ellie, and Cousin Justin are from there and at first, that's all I thought came over, boy was I wrong! Not only did they come, but my Cousin Mike and his family (who are from here) came over as well! It was so neat to see them. To visit with them and to share the thrilling experience with them was extremely moving, if you will. Mike's wife, Candy, she showed me pictures of human brains! Awesome! She a radiologist! This whole procedure was interesting for the two of us, so you can just imagine how much in depth of a conversation we had! I told her about wanting a video so I could have a movie night or a least have pictures! Oh well, I guess a scar will have to do! She is so much fun and I love her!
So also this week, Bryson has come up with a name for my sweet car that can't really drive at the moment! It's a sweet name! I love it and now I just have to figure out how I'm going to display it cuz I'm not going to put it on the license plate- i'd rather spend money elsewhere.
*~* DIS *~*
and since it's a cobalt... Dis-cobalt... get it? sweet huh? I like it! It's a good one, better than what i can come up with that's for sure!
So that's that! Other than that, I don't have much going on other than Doc. appointments or as Erin said the other day, "that's the story of your life!"

Craniotomy Procedure 4-24-08

1. My mom and I b4 surgery.

2. Rhonda- She was my nurse in Recovery Room. She was neat and fun. She told me to toss the ice I was eating if I wanted. She also told my mom to take a picture of my pee because it was green! It's not every day that you see glow in the dark pee! Mine is special! Even the doc thinks so!

3. My Dear Grandma Ellsworth came with me and my mom to be with us during surgery and she stayed the whole time. She is awesome. I love her!


4. This is my awesome scar! 15 stitches- i think and one long stitch!

5. My mother feeding me ice chips! Nice and cold, something that was wonderful for my raw throat. Yes, it is still very raw and now my tongue is raw and it's hard to eat what I want! What a bummer! Who would have thought that brain surgery effects what kind of diet you get to have. Fruit snacks has even been limited. :(

6. I'm hardly awake on this one and it's just a far way picture of me on oxygen, iodine in my ear with dry blood... eewwwww!

7. My ET pose! It has a red light on the end of it too!
No joke!




8. A close, close up of my scar!



9. This is Corrine! MY first ICU nurse! I loved her. She cared for me as if I was her own child. She even gave me ice cream at 2:30 in the morning! imagine that one kids!


10. This my Baby Abby Garrett! I love her! She keeps a smile on my face and (don't tell her parents, but i've been teaching her tom boy stuff) i.e. spitting, hand shakes (she has that one down quite well!);)


11. Ashley is next to me in this one. She's been taking great care of me while I was unable to move. That's what sisters are for!



12. Oh, this is JOE! Joe Sanchez! My other ICU nurse for during the day. He was funny and we passed jokes back and forth to each other! He even let me break the visitor rule of only two visitors at a time and instead I had 5! And he's not too bad looking. Plus he's got a job and a degree! lol! hows that guy holly?

13&14 This is Tony. He moved me from the ICU (which I was glad to get out of so that I could have more visitors -oh and I took pillows from there too) into the Patient room where the many parties took place. I think my mom never knew how many friends I really did have until now! I tuckered her out! Sorry mom!

15. Sally. What a sweetie, if I may. She was the night shift of two and she did such a great job!

16. Kim. She was cool! Took care of me on discharge day! awesome really! helpful in getting me the last drugs at the hospital and the paperwork needed!

17. this is me not looking so happy. I'm being forced to eat- which i don't like. also, i just had a bath and my sister had to help me with that because of the iv's, my left arm is totally bruised and i can't use it or lift it too high and i can't even scratch my back anymore. what a pity.

18. Thanks to everyone who has kept me in their prayers, fasted for me, called, visited, sent notes, flowers, gifts, hugs, letters from Brazil. & loves! Hopefully I'll forget what the hospital experience is like before I feel like having children. For now, it's not happening: I don't like IV's! I'll adopt instead!