Speedy Recovery

Should we get a sauna and cold plunge? 

Nick and Dan have been trying to determine where to put one for a couple of years 

and we think we have the perfect spot on the porch behind the guest room.

Chris was driving in front of me today--

how much do I love pulling up next to this grin that radiates joy?

I think a squirrel found a good hidey hole this winter.

My finger doesn't hurt at all. When it starts to throb, I elevate it and ice it.

And my shoulder is 90%. So happy for quick healing.

Dan and I went to the movies to see "Escape from Germany" about the Mormon Missionaries being evacuated from Germany just as World War II was beginning. Nick loved it so much and was so excited for us to see it. We haven't been to the theater for a while. Kinda thinking we should do it more often.

We went to the Holladay theater, and as we pulled in, Dan said, 

"I love coming to this theater--it's so close and easy."

However, we misjudged the enthusiasm for the show and the tickets were sold out. 

No problem. We bought tickets online for Ft. Union which started an hour later.

When we arrived, discovered we'd bought tickets for 3300 South instead.

Made a quick trip that direction and still made it before the previews ended.

We were determined because Nick was so excited for us to see it.

So fun to think about it through his eyes, heading out on his own mission soon.

Nick's Endowment

My shoulder feels so much better today!

I slathered it in magic ointment--Wintercrest--before bed last night,

and today have much more movement in the problem areas with no pain everywhere else.

Hooray! I feel like a new person!

Nick received his endowment this afternoon at the Mount Timpanogos Temple.

Diane, Sheree & Jared and Camille all attended with us.

It was so nice to have family join us and support him!

It was a happy, fun day.

We ate dinner at Tsunami afterward with Diane 

(Sheree & Jared were off to Simone's lacrosse game),

with lots of good food, fun conversation, laughs and funny stories to share.

(Also a very cute waitress who was so excited to hear he'd just been through the temple

and was going on a mission. She's "just" arrived home seven months ago.

She was darling and we think Luke should ask her out.)

Also, we have to remember the kid who was so chatty out front of the temple

who did a backflip and almost hit an older gentleman headed inside. 

But we were grateful he took our photos!

Battered and Scarred

Sensitive Content Warning: Don't enlarge this picture unless you want to see something super gross! Or very interesting. Depending on who you are!

(The green ring is a finger tourniquet.)

Two bad things: 

1) By yesterday evening, my shoulder was realllllly stiff. When I had the big fall hiking yesterday, my right arm was behind me. I'd been holding on to twigs for stability as we descended over snow and ice so even thought my butt landed on the ground, my arm was extended behind and elevated. KT even said, "Oh no! Did you hurt your shoulder?" But I hadn't! It was just fine. But it wasn't.

Last night we were invited to a friend's home for dinner (super gourmet presentation--like Michelin worthy! It was so good! And they started by commenting they were eating Keto so the whole dinner was keto-friendly!) and somewhere between the 3rd and 4th courses, I was having to adjust my arm in weird ways to keep it from hurtimg.

When I woke up this morning, it was hanging a full two inches longer than the other arm. Not everything hurt all the time, just certain movements and I was unconsciously holding it close to my body--my brain was really protecting it. It hurt to take off clothes, put on clothes, and do basically anything. It was the same arm as my tennis elbow. Just as I had been feeling so good that that arm was finally painfree, now this. I had to fight off a sense of depressing hopelessness washing over me. 

On the bright side, I had an appointment that morning with an ortho about PRP for my tennis elbow. I asked him about my shoulder and he was happy to evaluate. We determined the pain was when I held it in front of me and tried to lift. Also extended in front and raising above shoulder height. He reassured me that most shoulder injuries heal without incident. Give it about two weeks. If it was still painful then, we'd get an MRI.

2) In the afternoon I was getting a cyst removed from my middle finger (same arm!). Last week I'd gone in to have it removed, assuming it was a ganglion cyst. But it was in a weird spot (finger underside instead of on top of joint) so he determined it wasn't ganglion and we'd have to remove it surgically.

As it turned out, once they cut in, it was ganglion. So surgery for nothing. But I'm just glad it's gone. And shouldn't return, so that's good. 

I was awake and very numb during the procedure and the doctor misinterpreted my morbid curiosity in watching him cut and wanting to see the cyst for medical interest and a strong constitution, and once he excised the cyst (gel filled), used the tweezers to show me the nerve and tendon (a lot like what we see preparing chicken!). I silently chanted to myself throughout the procedure, "This is totally normal. Doctors and nurses do this all day long. They cut and pry underneath the skin, move nerves out of the way and tap on tendons, and they're totally fine seeing it all. Doesn't need to be any different for me seeing it as well." Took me a full evening to shed the image and impression of him tapping on my tendon. Much like the time it took to recover emotionally after cleaning up Clara's blood.

They stitched me up and bandaged my finger thoroughly and while I had time with the PA, asked him about my shoulder and he agreed that I should give it two weeks (since I wasn't having active pain) and most likely it would heal on its own. 

So battered and scarred (like the old violin) I made my home, plopped myself on the couch and spent the evening reading, shivering at the tendon tap and dreading when the numbing would wear off.

Angels Watching Over Me

Bells Canyon Falls Hike

From this:

To this:

To this:

To get to this:

When we hit snow for the steepest part of the hike, it was treacherous.

But the challenge created a lot of commiseration with everyone we passed

who were also slipping and sliding all over the trail.

Except for the few who wore spikes and thought the rest of us were stupid.

I fell a couple of times and was super grateful for how I landed--

the first time my hand hit soft dirt right in between to rocks.

The second time I slipped on a rock and actually caught air,

flew over the rock on my way down so that my back/knees/shoulders/head

completely missed landing on the boulder and instead sat me down in soft dirt,

totally unhurt.

KT said my dad must have been watching over me for that one.

A little later she started talking about grasshoppers and that reminded me of Clara,

who had a little grasshopper outside her porch one summer that she truly believed was her friend.

Whoever it was, I am grateful.

CGM, for short

 I'm wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor to track my glucose levels for the next few months.
I've been curious about them for a long time, ever since my cousin was wearing one at our reunion a couple years ago and she said the information was so interesting and she was learning ways to lower spikes and what foods were triggers, so I was excited when my doctor prescribed it.

Nick had one he never used from a couple of years ago, so Dan is wearing that one

and we're both going to track for the next two weeks.

The scariest part was attaching it, but I had Dan do it and it didn't hurt at all.

It's super easy to get a reading -- you just hold your phone close to the monitor,

and it will give you an instant reading. The app tracks throughout the day but with a range graph chart, not a specific number. 

I've been reading a ton of online articles trying to understand recommended levels
before and after eating, during exercise, highs and lows, morning vs. evening levels, etc.

Since I'm eating Keto, I should stay in my target range so it will be easier to notice spikes and how to attribute them. At some point, I'll use the data again when I start adding fruits and whole grains back into my diet to find my sensitivities.

The worst part is an alarm you can't turn off when your numbers fall to low.

The alarm would be helpful if you were actually diabetic.

And also if it didn't have a flaw where if you lay on the arm of the device and put too much pressure on it at night, it can't get an accurate reading, and the levels show up low. We've been woken at 4:30 am for two nights now when my alarm goes off! 

I think I've figured out I just need to close the app. Phew!

Also, Chris and I worked on his taxes today. I was mainly moral support because I told him how easy they are to do and I'd just guide him to the right websites. But I was wrong.

Especially because he had three W-2's and had to enter the W-2 info by hand to file electroniocally, 

which was super tedious and the "take a picture and upload" wasn't working because his phone number isn't in his name--it's in Dan's. Ugh!

Also, they were more challenging than I expected because the IRS site is needlessly confusing and requires a pin number and information from last year's statements to file!

Chris  remembered we used a third-party last year,

and fortunately, I discovered I'd saved the information in my phone under his contact info.

(Mom's are the best!)

We went through the whole process again, got his federal filed, opted not to pay the $40 to file the state, 

because, I said, I'm sure Utah's direct site is much easier. 

No. No, it wasn't. It kept telling him he owed $200 which I was certain wasn't true.

He left to workout. I kept digging.

Finally Dan came home and was my moral support as we tried the whole State process again

and Dan detected the "standard deduction" line we were missing and knew where to look for it on the federal form (If I were designing the site, I would put a note "look on your federal form, line 40.")

Finally we got it filed and Chris actually gets $200 back.

And that, in summary, is what is wrong with the IRS.

Nick's Ordination

Nick was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood today.

Dan ordained him an Elder with our Bishop, Dave B. in the circle and our High Councilman, Brent A.

The high councilman asked me to bear my testimony,

so I asked that before I did, each of the men share how the Priesthood blessed their lives.

Dan said holding the priesthood was a commitment to serve others and through 

serving, you'll find your own life is blessed.

Bishop B. talked about the first time he gave a blessing on his mission to a sick man in Cambodia.

He promised he'd be healed, all the while wanting to stop himself from making such a promise.

But in fact, the man was healed and able to serve a mission.

The Priesthood is the power given to men to do the Lord's work on the earth.

Brother A. said he was bolstered by the faith of others.

One man wanted a blessing, but he couldn't speak the language. The man said, to give it in English. 

It didn't matter what language was spoken, the man still felt the blessing.

Finally, I shared with Nick that I've always been grateful that Dan held the Priesthood

and could use it to bless our family.

I testified that the prayers of a mom are heard by God and every bit as effective.

I've also often been in situations where I didn't know what to pray for and 

in the momen was given the words to say. 

But, there is something unique about Priesthood blessings.

I can't exactly define the difference, but my spirit recognizes it.

(Perhaps its that in prayer I could ask for blessings/healing/comfort/guidance.

I can talk to God through prayer and expect answers in my heart or mind.

But in Priesthood blessings you might actually "command" -- is that the right word? -- 

the body to heal with the authority you're acting on God's behalf. Of course, that doesn't happen very often. But you could, if prompted by the Holy Ghost.

I wouldn't do that in a regular prayer.)

It's a blessing to be used on behalf of others, and the most special to bless your own children.

When Dan ordained Nick, he blessed him and counseled him in the following things: 

that he will be a blessing to his mission president with his maturity,

to be humble in leadership opportunities on his mission and to look for ways to love,

blessed him with the gift to learn the language quickly,

blessed him with protection in racing between now and his mission,

and that he would start sharing the Gospel now with the people he spends time with.

***

Afterward, while Dan got a chicken roasting, Nick helped me

put the patio cushions on the outdoor furniture!

Soooo happy for warmer weather!

 

Mission Shopping with Nick

Last week my bike wouldn't change gears which made the ride really crummy.

I was very confused and frustrated, but Dan reminded me I needed to charge my new electronic shifter bike. K. Ugh. I had no clue where I'd put the charger. Surely I'd saved it, right?

Fortunately it was in the second place I looked and today, shifting worked perfectly.

I even made it up 3000 South without stopping. A good milestone for Spring.

Dan and I rode together--another telltale sign that the weather is changing.

This afternoon, we took Nick suit shopping at our new favorite store

that apparently people come from far distances to shop for prom suits etc.

And all this time we've been slumming it at Men's Warehouse.

Suffice to say, the boys were much more confident in Ken's ability to get the right fit than 

their experience at Mr. Mac. (Plus he told them they were too youthful for stodgy black suits--

something I've been trying to tell them for years.

We also got a blazer for Dan with the plan to come back soon for another.

Then Maria's for lunch, Deseret Book/Distribution center for temple clothes for Nick's upcoming endowment and finally a stop at the mall to get a few Lululemon pants for comfort tracting.

(At least physical clothes comfort!)

As a great end to our great day, the weather was so nice we ate outside!