"Special Underwear"

So this morning at work one of the nurses was joking with me after she found out I was from Utah and asked, "Do you wear special underwear?" I smiled and said, "sure do." Well a few other nurses sitting nearby joined in the conversation and couldn't believe that I didn't wear normal underwear and couldn't fathom the idea that I wore my bra different than they did. They got to asking questions about those "special underwear" and it was a great teaching opportunity but challenging at the same time because I felt I should and did hold back some details that they didn't need to know which only makes the whole concept and me seem stranger :) Funniest part was a few minutes into the conversation, the original nurse stopped and said, "Wait...you're Mormon?!" She thought that just living in Utah meant you wore "special underwear." I kindly informed her that no, the DMV doesn't hand out the special underwear when you get your Utah ID :)



I'm really glad to be in Michigan and have these experiences to teach people about the church. It seemed like at home, even if you weren't a member you still knew a whole lot about the church. Here, I have to fight down polygamy rumors and plenty more because people really have never heard of the church or know very little and I might have been the first Mormon they met. Just another reason I'm sure glad we got this chance to come to Michigan! I almost enjoy being the brunt of the joke as much as they enjoy making fun of me :) All in good spirits though...

Yet another Norris post...

We are proud to report that the stitches are out and the cone is off! Norris got really upset when the vet took out the stitches and ended up muzzled for a few minutes but he is home and happy to be cone free! His leg looks a lot better but we are still a little worried about the big wound not coming back together very well. We'll just have to watch and wait though.
I know this is like the 4th dog post but besides law school and work, that's our life out here :) But my parents and brother are coming next week so there will be plenty of new post topics and pictures to come!

Ready to go to the vet!


Getting ready to take his "happy hat" off


Awww, cone free!

Just try not to smile...

How freakin cute is this?! You all should know by now that I am the #1 animal lover and last night at work I had extra time to pour over these incredible pictures. This monkey was trying to teach the cat to sit on 2 legs like its own babies do. This picture came up way too small so copy and paste this link to see the full picture. It's the 3rd one from the left. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/flashback/2008
And this picture just screams "old soul" to me. How can you not love that face? Here is the link for this picture. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/animal-minds/musi-photography.html Be sure to check out all the pictures in that gallery...AMAZING! Maybe I should have gone into zoology...

P.S. I found the first page of the new Stephanie Meyer book "Breaking Dawn." Oh I am counting the days!! Did you know that Barnes and Noble around the country are having midnight release parties for the book? If anyone in Michigan is interested, let me know :) Here is the link...enjoy!! http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20203238,00.html Does anyone else really dislike the actor they picked for Edward? He is not what I pictured at all while reading :(

P.S.S. One more note for the ever so miscellaneous post. Norris is doing much better and for the first time this morning since he came home he didn't cry when going down the stairs! He gets his stitches out Thursday then 1 more week till he can enjoy the beach with his Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Tyler (my parents and brother)!

Norris is Home!!

My sweet little guy Norris got the okay to come home on Friday after a 2 night stay with the vet. The timing of the accident certainly could have been better (or not happened at all) since youth conference was scheduled for friday and saturday. But Ryan ended up going with them to Kirtland, Ohio and I stayed home with my babies. I don't mind though, he hobbles around and doesn't do well with stairs so he needed someone here.

He ended up with 3 sets of stitches in his leg and multiple other scrapes. I tried bandaging it first but he tried to nip at me every time and he constantly licks at the wound and will try to chew through the suture so unfortunatley we had to resort to the cone collar :( He actually tolerates it pretty well except he can't eat or drink with it so we have to help him. It's hilarious to watch, the only way he can drink is if we get him next to the tub and take down the shower head or bring the hose in from outside! I'll get some pictures of that posted soon.

I hate seeing him limping around and whimpering but I'm glad he's home with us. Now if we can only get the other dog's owner to cover the bill... Thank you so much for your nice thoughts and concern!Baby has been so sweet to sleep next to him wherever he goes
We've been having slumber parties in the living room the last few nights
Ouch

We need your prayers!

So my poor little boy Norris got attacked by another dog last night while Ryan was taking them for a walk!! I had just got out of the room of a critical patient when I got the message that Ryan had taken our dog to the emergency vet! I immediately thought the worse. I guess another dog ran out from behind a house and just attacked him. By the time it was over, he had a big cut on his leg. Ryan had to carry him. He spent last night in the hospital and I just got an update that he is in recovery now and might have to spend another night because he is so painful :(

Poor Baby doesn't know what to do without her big brother. None of us slept well and she gets up every hour or so and walks around the house looking for him. Oh I love him so much and wish I could be with him but hope that he will be okay.

I know some of you will think I'm weird/crazy for asking for prayers for our dog but he really is our baby and we worry about him so much!
Get well soon Norris boy!!

4th of July Fun

So this 4th of July reminded me that we've already been in Michigan almost a year. It was our first 4th of July here so now we have gone through all the holidays as just the two of us. Sad but cool at the same time. We sure miss spending holidays with family but the friends we've made here sure feel like family.
On Friday we joined our friends Tom and Nicole at a BBQ their friends from the Lansing ward were hosting. (we live in Lansing but for some reason are in the Holt ward). It was fun to meet new people, that ward sure seems like a BYU ward with tons of grad school couples. After a game of kickball we went to watch fireworks in the mall parking lot. Then is the drama of trying to get out of the parking lot, good thing we were with good friends cuz we had plenty of time to chat. Oh and we also narrowly avoided hitting 2 deer that night! They are all over the place here.Tommie and Nicole

Yesterday we started our touch up painting. We finished 2 windows and a bench which doesn't sound like much but we were exhausted! Sure looks good though.
Anyway, nothing too exciting but we sure like getting together with friends! Now just another week of work then we are going to Kirtland with the youth. Wish us luck...

I'm Grateful

I'm grateful for the chance to serve. I think I feel the purest and the closest to our Heavenly Father when I'm serving. It may sound bad but I'm not into "service projects" so much as just doing something by myself, quietly. It's more of a humbling experience I think. Wondering where these random thoughts are coming from? Let me share...

Last night at work I took care of a an older gentleman who was a long ago retired marine. One of those cute guys that still wears the "retired marine" ball cap with all the patches and everything. Anyway, it wasn't hard to tell he had been living a rough life and was very down on his luck. He lives in the shelter and like many veterans, suffers from under-treated PTSD. (By the way, anyone else besides me find it sickening that so many of these brave men that served our country end up homeless or mentally screwed up with a very poor health system (the VA) to help them?) Okay, off my soapbox and back to topic. So I felt for the guy. He was wearing every piece of clothing he owned and carried 2 grocery sacks with everything else he possesses, everything. I had to throw his only pair of underwear away and the rest of his clothes were only slightly better. I felt so bad and wanted to help but our short supply of used clothing we keep in the ER wouldn't work for him. So after a quick phone call, my sweet husband at 11pm went to Walgreens are bought him a package of underwear and donated a package of his own favorite black Nike socks. I'm so blessed to have Ryan and to live amongst his unselfish and unconditionally loving ways. Without the drop of a hat, he was there at midnight to bring me a few minor supplies for a man who appreciated them more than we know. I'm sure you all know the feeling when you are able to help someone who honestly needs and appreciates it. It felt so good to provide him with the most basic of necessities, a sandwich, and a little brotherly love that he probably hasn't seen in awhile. He was SO grateful!(FYI, I'm a big baby and am choking back the lump in my throat right now).

(Another FYI to lighten the mood: for those of you that don't know...I'm a sucker for animals. Any kind, every one of em, I plan to have a farm someday where I can take in all the animals that need me. But next to animals I'm a sucker for homeless people and the elderly. Let's just say, if this guy had brought in his homeless dog (he didn't have one but if he did), he would be staying in our guest room right now :) Just to show you how serious of a problem/obsession this is, a few months ago, I took care of a truck driver who had to stay in the hospital but his dog was locked in his truck 20 miles away at a reststop. Guess who took the dog home till he got released from the hospital then gave him and the dog a ride back to the truck :)

I'm so grateful for good parents who raised me to care about others, and for a mom who taught me by many examples. I'm grateful on this 4th of July for the men and women willing to serve our country and pray for their well being not only through the war but in the many years to come. I'm grateful to live in this country and to be blessed with freedom. I'm grateful to be a member of the church and to reap the warm feelings that come from serving others. I'm grateful for friends like you who will read my crazy, all over the place posts and try to understand them :)

The link below is to Bianca Merkley's website. Bianca is my "cousin-in-law" (she married Ryan's cousin) and the coolest girl! She is a beautiful singer/songwriter and wrote this song called Grateful. I've heard her sing it several times before she recorded it and every time it touches me. It fits perfectly with my post today but I wasn't able to get it on my blog so please cut and paste the link, go to her website and click on Grateful and just listen. I think you'll love it but please let me know!Love you guys! Happy Independence Day!
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=134056096