Sweet Reminder

Our Young Women group was assigned to go to our neighborhood assisted care facility and put on a Family Home Evening program.

Telling a bunch of teenagers that we're going to visit the "old" and disabled people was, as you can imagine, met with moans of enthusiasm.

I'll admit, it is a bit uncomfortable going there. Unless you interact with individuals who have, sometimes severe mental and physical disabilities, you just aren't sure how to talk to some of the residents. But as I sat there and watched our Young Women play Christmas songs on the piano, read a Christmas story, and sing carols, I was truly touched. There was a sweet spirit in the room.

When the assigned member of the Stake who is over the center got up and asked a few of us to share a favorite Christmas memory, I nearly lost it. Today, December 17th, would have been my Grandma Jewkes' 80th birthday. She passed away unexpectedly on December 20th... 10 years ago this year. I knew the day was coming and I'd been kind of emotional all week thinking about her. Christmas was really hard that year. Growing up all of my Christmas memories revolved around my Grandma Jewkes. Even though we lived 10 minutes away, we spent all of Christmas break at my Grandparent's house. We had the same breakfast casserole on Christmas morning, the same Christmas dinner with "little chickens" (aka, Cornish game hens), fun, laughter, games, a ridiculous spoiling with presents, stockings handmade by my Grandma, and an entire table dedicated to nothing but Christmas treats and sweets. 

I miss her a lot. 

I couldn't help but stare at this beautiful lady. She was just smiling at us. And she had a fashion magazine with her! I loved it... such spunk that must be in her 93-year-old body to bring her fashionista reading with her to FHE!

I went up to her after we were finished and told her how beautiful I thought she was and how much she reminded me of my Grandma Great. She told me how much she loved hearing the piano because she couldn't play it anymore and that she had been a piano teacher. Her mother was an incredible musician and she remembered her mom playing and teaching her how to play the piano as a child. I had to hold back the tears as I sat with her, especially after reminiscing about my Grandma and other loved ones who aren't here with me anymore. It was a privilege to meet her. This image means a lot to me. 

I may not know who this lady is, but my Heavenly Father does. He loves her. 

And He loves me too.

Cheer Clinic Bad Luck

Pearl looks forward to the USU Cheer Clinic every year.

And every year she gets sick. {Same with my niece Ruby... whom we pay give the clinic to her for her birthday every year}

Last year, when I went to wake her up to go, the room smelled funny. When I looked at her closer, I could see barf in her hair and on her pajamas. Sweet. But that little pipsqueak cried and begged us to take her. So we did. She made it through the clinic, had a nap, and then performed at the game. Granted she didn't feel too good but nothing was going to stop her.

This year was a little different. She woke up and said she was ok to go. Just before we left she said her stomach hurt again but she wanted to try and make it. About 45 minutes into the clinic I walked over to check on her and she said she wanted to go home. That's when I knew something was wrong. She's a pretty tough cookie. I took her to the nearest Instacare thinking that maybe she had a bladder infection. It may be TMI but I used to get bladder infections a lot when I was her age and her symptoms were just how I remembered them.

Luckily we were the only ones in the Instacare so we didn't have to wait long. They ruled out strep throat and a bladder infection. But the way she was wincing when the doctor poked her stomach made them worry she might have appendicitis. She had a lot of the same symptoms. So they said they needed to do a blood test.

That did NOT go down well with Pearl. She is terrified and I mean TERRIFIED of needles. It didn't help that I had told her she wouldn't need a shot either. When that poor phlebotomist came in and Pearl saw her box of supplies she FREAKED out! Screaming and crying! The nurse who was helping figured I was one of those moms who was going to be as upset as her child. Nope. I'm heartless. And a new favorite of that nurse. I practically laid on top of Pearl and told the phlebotomist to just "stick her." I'm not sure Pearl will ever forgive me but that nurse told me after, "I like you... you're kinda mean like me." With a wink.

A pink bandage and Popsicle later and Pearl had stopped crying. The blood tests showed she had a high white blood cell count so something was bugging her. With those results, the doctor told us to go up to the hospital and have an ultrasound to rule out her appendix. Not the diagnosis I wanted to hear. Jeff met us at the hospital and we checked in. And waited. And waited. And waited. For three hours. To say Jeff was less than pleased would be an understatement.

And the diagnosis after that wait (and bill)? Nada. Nothing. Healthy appendix.

Apparently Pearl is fairly healthy. The nasty viruses going around haven't taken full effect on her like most of the other kids the doctors have seen. It's just going to be a slow, long drawn out off and on again sick.

Which means what? We were at the game. Cole could have cared less about how his sister was feeling. He was so pumped to be in the Spectrum, doing the Scotsman, and finding Grandpa to sucker some popcorn out of. 

He was pretty happy Uncle Kurtis was there too. They make for good company.

Pearl did a great job dancing, especially since she didn't know any of the routine. She's standing in the middle of the "U state." 

Hopefully next year, we avoid the sickies. Otherwise Pearl's cheer leading career is over.