I did it!!! I graduated tonight from the University of Utah School of Medicine! Too bad I won't be making a doctor's salary (and no I am not a nurse either). I received my Masters of Public Health Degree tonight and can proudly say I am done with graduate school! 
The ceremony was held at the Rice Eccles Stadium. I decided to only drag my family to one graduation ceremony, so we went tonight to just the Division of Public Health celebration. Plus I figured I could get my School of Medicine ceremony experience when my bro-in-law finishes med school someday. It's been a LONG journey and when Pearl ran up to me after my "hooding" and several classmates asked if she was my daughter, I replied, yep and the reason it took four years to finish (she was worth it though). 
The "hooding" part of the ceremony. And for posterity's sake, well really for my sake when I'm old, my program's colors were salmon, hence the salmon hood and tassel. 
The best part of the whole night was hearing a little voice yell "Mommy" and run into my arms after the ceremony! And the congratulations kiss from Jeff wasn't too bad either!
You can tell who had the camera all night with this shot. But we still bleed Aggie Blue!!!
I did most of my blubbering in an earlier post but couldn't let this occasion pass by without announcing it to the rest of the blogging world. I am so glad to be done. Even though I only knew one other graduate at the ceremony tonight - everyone I started the program with graduated long ago - I finally made it. My sister told me that I should be really proud (and that my siblings are slackers) because I have graduated twice from college before any of them have even finished once! What a feeling... mostly relief that any late nights are now because I want to stay up, not because I have to stay up studying, and that I don't have to fork out thousands of dollars every four months to the University. Oh and let's not forget finally not having to retake biostatistics ever again! Three times was plenty (I just want to clarify that I got an A in this class, even after having to drop out twice because of a pregnancy and then new baby the next year). My family all came down for the ceremony and surprisingly, Pearl was really good during the whole thing. I only saw her run across the front of the room once. After a lot of hugs, congratulations, and a few pictures we skeedaddled out of there for some yummy Italian food at Marcellos.
Pearl thought the floor to ceiling windows were pretty cool. At least it kept her happy after a long day at Discover Gateway (will post pictures later) and no nap.
L to R: Nick, Kurtis, Kimmy, Me, Mom, Dad
Grandma and Grandpa "Ally" as Pearl says. 
L to R: Wally, Gwen, Pearl, Me, Jeff
Thank you Jeff for sticking this out with me, letting me get crazy ideas to go back to school just because I was "bored" (remember this was before Pearl came along), taking care of everything when I took my comp exam and pretty much disappeared for 5 days straight, forking over tuition, and reminding me that I would finish whether I wanted to or not!!! Oh and for the occasion bookworm and nerd joke.
And in honor of one of the speeches tonight, here's my own "Top 5 List of Reactions I get When I Tell People I Graduated in Public Health."
#5. What's public health? I really have no good answer for this one - just watch this video. While public health is a beast to try and explain to someone, I was always surprised when I heard Jeff describing what I did when I worked in the Genomics Program at the health department. After four years of listening to me babble on and on about genetics' influence on chronic disease and family health history, he actually got it. And most of the time, explained it better than I could!
#4. Geno...what? Ok, so I only got this reaction when I worked in the Genomics Program. Sigh....I miss genomics terribly. I think genomics is my passion in public health and someday I'll bring it back to Utah. Now I get more reactions like what car seat should I buy my kid (which BTW I am not a certified car seat technician, so if you need your car seat installed or checked, call your local health department of Safe Kids Utah).
#3. Oh, that's interesting. I think this is code for either what in the world is public health or I could care less what you do.
#2. Do you do restaurant inspections? No. But I do have a funny story about that. I had only been working at the health department for a few months when I had to go to Jordan High School for a meeting. I walked into the office and told the secretary who I was and that I needed to talk to Mr. so-and-so. She freaked out and immediately told me the mouse problem had been taken care of. I burst out laughing, much to her dismay. I guess she figured I was going to shut them down for some health code violation.
#1. So... you're a nurse? No. I'm a health educator. Right, that means you're a nurse. No, I'm a health educator. What do you do then? I sit at a computer all day and when I'm not at my computer, I'm sitting in meetings. (That's not all health educators do! We like to remind people how to be safe and live healthy lives... but most of the time, no one seems to listen!)
I've been thinking a lot lately about being a wife and mother. Most days I'm not very good at either. Take Saturday for example. After helping Jeff to "curb appeal" our front yard, and later finding him asleep and sore on the floor, I decided to make dinner. Jeff was going to grill hamburgers but we left the sprinklers on and the grill was soaked. So I turned to my usual backup plan and starting making a pizza. Normally, I think I make a pretty good pizza but today when I pulled it out of the oven, something seemed to be missing. It honestly took me a good minute before I finally realized what had happened. I totally forgot to put the cheese on it! I was frantic, embarrassed, somewhat amused at myself, and almost in tears all at the same time. Jeff didn't (and won't until he reads this) know I had done this but after telling Pearl to go wake up daddy, I hurried and threw some cheese on top and stuck it back in the oven. Thankfully cheese just has to melt on a pizza and no one let on that they noticed anything out of the ordinary, except me.
Sunday rolled around and in my attempt to redeem my hatred of cooking (remember this incident or this one, yes I hate cooking and cooking seems to hate me), I decided to make some lime bars. What I secretly hope will happen when I make treats is that Jeff will be so enchanted by them that he will gobble them up, all while smacking his lips, and saying yummmmm until I can't stand the compliments anymore. It never happens. I knew I had some sweet & condensed milk that the recipe called for but what I hadn't realized was that it was years past the best used by date. Urghhh. But we had squeezed every single lime in the house, baked the graham cracker crust, and were one ingredient away from complete commitment to finish. I was terrified I'd poison us all by using it but decided after some online research to just go for it. Did you know that most cooking websites say that stuff lasts forever but it turns into what looks like caramel after a few years? I didn't think the lime bars turned out that bad, and I haven't gotten sick, but then again I'm the only one eating them. I guess it's a sign that I'm more of a 2, maybe a 3 cow wife on a really good day. If you have no idea what I'm referring to, you have to take a half hour out of your day and watch Johnny Lingo (Yes, you can watch it on Youtube, how cool is that?!).
Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't consider myself a total ugo like everyone thought poor Mahana was. Although this morning's hair incident might contradict this. After spending 20 minutes trying to do my hair, I simply gave up and washed it in the kitchen sink then started over. Yes, I'm that crazy but when your job entails meetings and possible media interviews everyday, you can't have a totally horrible hair day because those are the days you "get" to be on TV. Anyway, when it comes to most wifely duties, I stink at them. I can't cook, sew, bake bread or birthday cakes (apparently this comes with the territory of being a good mom), keep my house clutter free or even dusted for that matter, stick to a budget, and let's not even start with my gardening skills! I constantly tell Pearl no or don't do this or pick this up or come here. I forget to say prayers with her before bed and most days she could probably pass as an orphan. Well, this isn't entirely my fault... I do comb Pearl's wild hair everyday but she always pulls it out. I constantly wonder if I'm teaching Pearl anything that she will need to make good decisions in her life, if she will be nice to people, and if I do enough to help her learn language skills. I'm sure that half the time she's bored out of her mind with me. The list could go on and on and on. When I stop and think about having another baby someday (no this is NOT an announcement), I almost freak out with the thought of possibly quitting my job and staying home. I know this is totally selfish to think but when you suck at mom/wife responsibilities as it is, what kind of disaster am I looking at if I stayed home all the time? I'm good at my job, which is why I guess I still work (not to mention I have to help pay for Jeff's NCAA Tournament lottery tickets he won today :)), and why I went back to school. But being a mom and wife, not so good most days. I really don't know how my friends do it... all while getting their exercise in each day, learning how to do all these crafty and wifely things, and keeping their kids happy and healthy. Really, how do you do it?
Sorry to sound like I'm wanting a pity party. I guess I am just disappointed in myself lately and feeling like I'll never become the mom and wife I always imagined myself being someday. It's just a lot harder than I thought and the older, slower, and fatter I get the harder it is to reach down deep inside and become that person I know I should be.
I am very blessed to have some wonderful mothers in my life. And since I didn't post anything on Mother's Day (and I promised Jeff I'd post the picture he took of his mom), decided it was time to share with the world five reasons why I love these ladies!
My Mom
- Becoming a mother myself, it finally dawned on me how much my mom had to sacrifice to give me life, raise me, and love me. I can't begin to describe the love I feel for Pearl, so I can only imagine that's how my mom feels about me.
- No one does laundry like my mom. Jeff thinks it's freaky actually but I think it's one of my mom's best "quirks." She has to sort clothes into a million piles... white socks, boy's undies, white tee-shirts with print on them, red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, light blue, black, purple (sometimes you can combine with pink), prints, and on and on. Seriously, it's a little over the top but I never had to worry about my clothes looking old. The best part of her laundry obsession was when I turned her loose on Pearl's clothes after she was born! That was the best part about having my mom stay with me.
- She always stuck up for her kids. I remember one year I was having some problems with my high school soccer coach and my mom was ready to wring her neck until she stopped hurting me. Many times we kids had to beg my mom to not call the school, a teacher, or some bully's mom. Guess you don't mess with an angry mom! This lesson also applies to banks who screw her over, a business who won't give her the deal they should, etc.
- She cries in movies. Ok, so we typically make fun of her for this one but I still remember as a kid rewinding the original "The Incredible Journey" to the end where all the pets are reunited with their family just to watch my mom sob and sob and sob. Mean, huh? But she still cries in those kind of movies, especially anything Disney related or with animals in it. Sometimes you need someone else to cry for you and my mom's the one!
- My mom is a bit feisty, just like her mom, and I love it! Who doesn't like being around people who genuinely care about others, can make fun of themselves, and get a little sassy once in a while. Everyone loves my mom. I still have old co-workers tell me how much they loved working with my mom and what a great person she was in their lives. I have to agree!
Jeff's Mom
- Gwen taught me how to do hardanger. It's a Norwegian embroidery, sort of like doilies or cutwork, but better (and way, way more expensive to do). It was something her mother taught her and Jeff always said he wanted his wife and girls to learn how to do hardanger too. I was fascinated by it and Gwen had the patience (and still does) to teach me how to create these breathtakingly gorgeous tablecloths, runners, and other fun things. I love knowing that I am carrying on a family tradition. Not to mention that I've never had to buy my own hardanger fabric because Gwen has generously given me hers. Good thing too, because I'm not sure we could afford to buy it!
- She always takes Pearl for us when we go to Aggie games. I can't say how much we appreciate knowing that we can drop Pearl off for 3 hours of fun with grandma and know that they both love it! It makes it so much easier going on dates knowing Pearl is in good hands, with lots of candy around for bribery. And she's even willing to go to Boise, ID as babysitter with us so we can watch the NCAA Tournament games.
- She feeds us. Sounds a little dumb, but really, Jeff's mom and dad invited us over for dinner every Sunday the first year we were married. It literally kept us alive some weeks! They still feed us and always have dinner for us when we drop by. I'm sure if we still lived down the street from them, we'd be getting a free Sunday dinner every week.
- She raised a great son, who luckily wanted to marry me, and still puts up with his shenanigans and teasing. And believe me, it's not easy somedays :)!!!
- I've never heard her say a bad thing about some people who I know have really hurt her in her life. I admire that quality so much and strive to emulate that, although I'm not very good at it. It simply amazes me that she has enough self control to not say hurtful things about others.
My Grandma
- If you thought my mom was feisty, you should meet my Grandma! I love how she can crack an inappropriate joke once in awhile and says what she thinks. She is just hilarious to be around! I remember shortly after Jeff and I were married, that she told me that she really, really like him because she could tease him and he teased her right back. I mean, can your husband slap your Grandma's butt (or your mom's for that matter) and say "What's up toots?" and both start giggling?
- I'm named after my Grandma. I love my given name, Kay Jenette, and the fact that I share this with her. I've always loved knowing that I was named after a very strong woman who has taught me so much about how to live my life. And you can't help but love someone who's self-given nickname for her and my grandpa is "Ho and Oh" (Whorton and Orel Kay).
- My Grandma is a hoarder, which while sometimes scary, has actually worked out in my favor most of the time. You see, growing up, anytime I needed a new dress or clothes I just went shopping at Grandma's. She kept everything and by the time I got to high school, all my mom's old dresses were totally fabulous and stylish. No one ever had authentic dresses, skirts, and the best leather jacket, like I did.
- One of the best memories I have of my Grandma was doing sealings in the Logan Temple. Jeff and I were lucky enough to get to do sealings with my Grandpa as the sealer and I remember it was a really, really busy day at the Temple. The next I remember was seeing a flash of white run to the door, stop and walk past the doorway, then speed up again. It was my Grandma running around making sure everything was in order in the sealing office. I burst out laughing because she was totally trying to not let on that she was running in the temple but I caught her!
- She hates cooking and so do I! I never have to feel bad about it because she always tells me I'm doing the best job I can as a wife and mother and to not be so hard on myself. She married a man who can cook and so did I! Now that is a good example to follow right ladies?
Of course there are other mothers I admire and look up too. I miss my Grandma who died six years ago and taught me that family is the most important thing in your life and that you should treat your family as royal guests in your home. I have the coolest Aunts in the whole world and some really awesome friends who teach me how to be a better mom, wife, and employee,. Hopefully all of their training is rubbing off and someday when I'm old and gray and Pearl has her own blog, she can say the same about me.
It's not that I don't want to post something today all about mothers, but well, yesterday was a long day and I know my sister is eagerly awaiting some photos so she can steal them for her blog. I'll post more about Mother's day tomorrow, or later this week when our boring life has nothing exciting to share with the rest of the blogsphere. So, thank you mom, Gwen (Happy Birthday by the way), grandma, and all the other women in my life who love me, support me, teach me, and inspire me to be a better mom. I love you and am so grateful you are in my life. And thank you Pearl for taking a nap today... only a mom would know how appreciated this gift is!Ok, now back to yesterday. We started out the day by heading to Ogden to watch my little brother's lacrosse game. I really have no clue what's going on... I was a soccer girl myself. They didn't even have lacrosse when I was in school - geez I've really dated myself now. Pearl wanted to play on the playground so I only got to watch a few minutes of the game but did see Kurtis whack some guy in the head, then get sent to the penalty box (forgive me if I have no idea what I am talking about), and yelled at by his coach. I was kind of surprised Kurtis had it in him to smack someone, he is so mellow. Kurt was a good sport for me and posed for some pictures after the game, even if it wasn't "cool" to do with all his friends watching. 
I admit I know nothing about lacrosse, but aren't you supposed to catch the ball?
Here's the aftermath on the sidelines after the whacking that I mentioned. Even my dad chewed him out, well sort of. It was a staged photo and both of them were giggling.
After lunch and much screaming by Pearl to not leave Aunt Kimmy behind, we headed home to get ready for my brother in-law's birthday party, that my sister (who was still in Ogden remember) was throwing at my house! Luckily I have a husband who is a great cook and made steaks for everyone so I only had to worry about a couple side dishes and dessert.
We gave Nick a Magna Doodle. Nice, right?! Pearl got one awhile back and Nick was obsessed with it so we figured it would be the perfect gift for a 24 year old. He loved it! We even broke out the "You Are Special" plate for the occasion. And no, the flowers were not for Nick. After all it was Mother's Day this weekend too!
I must throw one awesome birthday party because Nick was out cold after dinner.
After dinner we told stories and laughed until I almost peed my pants! The ironic thing about that was the stories were all about peeing or well, uh, other bodily functions, your pants. Gross I know but I had no idea this topic of conversation could be so funny. I won't go into details but I seriously haven't laughed that hard in years! Oh and Kimmy dared Kurtis to eat some of Pearl's cookies (oatmeal, sprinkles, and Coke) for $4. 
"Look at my new blackberry!"
Kurtis said it was way more fun that hanging out with mom and dad, which for a 14 year old is a big compliment. My parents, thankfully, were at the Eagles concert, which was the reason all the siblings got together in the first place - we were "babysitting" Kurtis. After a call from EZ (Jesse's wife) that she was locked out of the house in LOGAN, plus Jeff had already gone to bed, we decided the party was over.
Our temporary indoor garden was beginning to grow itself out of the containers and take over our sunroom, not to mention that I caught Pearl eating a pepper plant the other day, so we, well Jeff, planted the garden tonight. Not only do we have to battle that dreaded last frost in deciding when it's safe to plant everything, but we also have the quails to worry about. While we find the fat little things with their bobby feathers on their heads amusing, we hate that they always get to our veggies before we do. Especially my peas! If anyone has any tricks for keeping quail out of your garden, let me know! 
Jeff built me these cute planter boxes that he painted red. I saw some in a magazine and thought they would look better than a corner of weeds come summer's end. They aren't quite the same, but I think they look great and they give a pop of color in our yard. The little plants look so cute in them! I just hope they keep the massive plants Jeff seems to grow every year contained. 
This year we planted peas (and they've already sprouted), peppers, lettuce, eggplant, squash, corn, beans, giant pumpkins, and lots of tomatoes. I think we may also get some herbs so we can make fresh salsa. At least that's my new idea (dare I say goal?) this summer, to learn how to make salsa.
If you look really closely, you can see some tiny peas sprouting out of the ground next to the lettuce. I can't wait!!! Even if we only get one pod, I will be in heaven!
Pearl wasn't too sure what we were doing, although she was excited to help carry a pepper out to the garden. And play with the hose. Jeff had to try and explain why she couldn't drink the irrigation water but I don't think she really listened to him. 
She had fun digging in the dirt with her shovel, although I'm not too sure Jeff appreciated her help. But if Pearl has any of her dad's gardening genes in her, she's probably on to something with scooping the dirt out of the planter boxes. Maybe it's a secret growing technique known only to the green thumbs of the world. Unfortunately, I am not one of those green thumbs - can barely keep a house plant alive - but luckily for us, Jeff is a fabulous gardener! Come fall, we should be feasting on lots of healthy veggies and probably begging people to take them off our hands!
Don't you just love Jeff's face in this picture? He looks really amused that Pearl is helping to plant the beans, wherever she feels like it!
I did it!!! I graduated tonight from the University of Utah School of Medicine! Too bad I won't be making a doctor's salary (and no I am not a nurse either). I received my Masters of Public Health Degree tonight and can proudly say I am done with graduate school! 
The ceremony was held at the Rice Eccles Stadium. I decided to only drag my family to one graduation ceremony, so we went tonight to just the Division of Public Health celebration. Plus I figured I could get my School of Medicine ceremony experience when my bro-in-law finishes med school someday. It's been a LONG journey and when Pearl ran up to me after my "hooding" and several classmates asked if she was my daughter, I replied, yep and the reason it took four years to finish (she was worth it though). 
The "hooding" part of the ceremony. And for posterity's sake, well really for my sake when I'm old, my program's colors were salmon, hence the salmon hood and tassel. 
The best part of the whole night was hearing a little voice yell "Mommy" and run into my arms after the ceremony! And the congratulations kiss from Jeff wasn't too bad either!
You can tell who had the camera all night with this shot. But we still bleed Aggie Blue!!!
Pearl thought the floor to ceiling windows were pretty cool. At least it kept her happy after a long day at Discover Gateway (will post pictures later) and no nap.
L to R: Nick, Kurtis, Kimmy, Me, Mom, Dad
Grandma and Grandpa "Ally" as Pearl says. 
L to R: Wally, Gwen, Pearl, Me, Jeff
Thank you Jeff for sticking this out with me, letting me get crazy ideas to go back to school just because I was "bored" (remember this was before Pearl came along), taking care of everything when I took my comp exam and pretty much disappeared for 5 days straight, forking over tuition, and reminding me that I would finish whether I wanted to or not!!! Oh and for the occasion bookworm and nerd joke.
And in honor of one of the speeches tonight, here's my own "Top 5 List of Reactions I get When I Tell People I Graduated in Public Health."
