Happy Birfday!*

My Birthday Weekend.

Despite being sick during my birthday weekend I still tried to have a good time. I started off the morning with breakfast from my roommate, Kami. With the help of some others (like Vivienne and Ryan) we had a pancake, egg, bacon, sausage, crepe, and hash brown breakfast.

The first pancake! Given to me in honor of my birthday.

Breakfast was followed by some friendly Mario Kart competition.

And some board games. Then I was able to rest for a little while until Ryan got off work and we went to O'Charly's for dinner. I was so excited for the rolls, fries, and chicken tenders but by the time I made it through the fries I was stuffed/not feeling well. So I got the chicken to go and we went back to the house to hang out with Kami and open presents.

One of these things is not like the other...that's my umbrella to the left, I've had it for years. Kami noticed that they matched and I brought it up to Ryan and he said it's why he bought the wrapping paper. I believe him too, he's the type who notices these kind of details and likes to link them.

P.S. up in the corner you can see a red vase, Amber sent me the most beautiful flowers. I've never had flowers sent to me before.

Before I could open gifts though I insisted on having cake first (not because I'm a brat who was like, "where's my cake!?" but because Kami had made me one and birthday cake comes before the presents).

Here's the birthday crew:

The cake had an accident though - the icing stuck to the lid of the pan. I thought it was fabulous!

My little bald cake!

After I blew out the candles, Ryan tried to fix the icing.

I ate a piece, but again, not feeling well, so it was a small piece.

Sunday was not a good day health wise, that's when I went to patient first. I didn't eat breakfast but I tried to eat some dinner at Joanna's (Ryan had to finish off my plate cause I couldn't do it).

Joanna made the most incredible cake - as she always does (Batman, Spiderman, a well, Captain America) and now...

X-Men!! It was so much better than I had even anticipated!! So even though I didn't eat dinner - I made sure to have some cake.
I didn't really eat two pieces, I think I was trying to make Tommy nervous. Before dinner he kept talking about the cake and his mom, Joanna, said, "What if Aunt Jess wants to just take the whole cake with her because she's not feeling well?" and he seemed a bit sad about this. He said the prayer for dinner and he said, "Please bless that we can all have a piece of cake." How can you say 'no' to that!? I ate the cake and as with most food for the next couple of days, regretted it. Luckily, Jo gave me a huge slice (the 29) to freeze for later, so when I was feeling better I chowed down!

All things considered I think this year was a win. A good start to being my favorite number (ahem - 29 is my favorite number) for 365 days!

P.S. Do YOU have a favorite number? My b.i.l. thought that was weird.

Weweas the secwet weapon!*

Pics from New Years Eve

We had played Frisbee in the morning and then people kept asking what the plan was for New Years. Finally we just decided to have some people over to the house. (p.s. this was the first day I started to notice I wasn't feeling well).

It's always a good time when Jim is there.

We all realized that we were wearing red - so why not take a photo?

That Face!

Ryan got in trouble for making that face!

As the night went on, things started to get a little crazy.

We watched the ball drop online since I don't have cable. We had some sparkling cider and toasted to the new year!

But in case you guys were really wondering the type of stuff I did right before the end of 2011....here's a video.

Here's to 2012!

I don't know much about God or Jesus, but I can promise you His arms are meant for you! *

My nephew was baptized last Saturday and who do you think he wanted to speak at his baptism?
...
...

...

Me!

I was really honored, I can't lie or hide that fact. There were a lot of people he could have asked to give a talk, he's got plenty of aunts and uncles, he has both set of grandparents, a primary teacher, the works. I was honored and then incredibly nervous! I have never spoken at a baptism. I've been asked to say the prayer before, which is also nerve racking for me, but talking to my nephew about baptism just threw me off. So I wrote and rewrote trying to make sure I wasn't going to be talking over his head, trying to keep all the knowledge I had gained since I was 8 out of it (I don't mean that to sound as snobby as it does, it's just that I would start writing and then be like, "But wait, there's more!" and really this kid just wanted to be dunked in the water. Baptism to an 8 year old means something different than it would to say, a 20-something being baptized. It's a step in life for an 8-year-old, something they have been planning for quite some time, they haven't lived a life searching or making mistakes. So I tried to keep it to what baptism is.

Before the baptism, everyone who was participating (speakers, prayers, etc.) had a little meeting in one of the rooms just to go over the program. Jake was in there too and when his uncle (who was conducting the meeting) said when I would be speaking Jacob looked at me and gave me a big smile and a thumbs up.

I felt like I had a pretty good talk prepared (when I say pretty good I mean a good length) and then it came time to go up there and give the talk. So here's what I didn't account for:

• The noise - no joke, I'm not used to having kids around at baptisms (or church in general) so the noise was overwhelming.



• The uncontrollable shaking of my knees (really? I thought I had gotten past all that).



• Jacob's attention span - I had his attention, I lost it, his dad nudged him and I had it again, then I lost it, then I had it again for a brief shining moment* because I brought a visual with me.

The end result, my talk was a lot shorter than I prepared it to be. I hit all my main points though, it just felt short to me...and maybe that works for kid's baptisms. I must have done well because as I was going to sit back down Jacob held up his hand for me and gave me a high five. My talk was kid approved.

It was a very interesting experience for me, being at his baptism. I think for me more so than other people because it had a similar feel to my own baptism (forever and ever ago). I mean, it was the same room, and it was set up the same as it was when I was baptized (it may have even had some of the same chairs!) I was baptized in January too, and during my baptism there were basketball games going on in the gym ('tis the season). I could remember my own excitement to be baptized and I could tell on Saturday that he was feeling the same kind of excitement.P.S. Jake picked the flag, he's so patriotic.

Say my name, Say my name*

Here's a story of how I tried to get this little girl -

to say my name. Long ago I had given up on any child saying "Jessica", it's just too much for them, so I have come to accept "Ca" as an acceptable form of my name. In fact, my niece, Lauryn, is the one who started it. She couldn't say my name but she was eager to let me know I was her favorite so she called me "Ca"...but then she got confused and started to call Martha "Ca"...my own nickname was usurped!

Back on the east coast though, I'm 'Ca'. So I had been trying to get Ava to say my name for the longest time. She had a pretty good vocabulary on her too but "Ca" just didn't seem to be something she wanted to say. Her Uncle Matt (in VA) and I even had a little competition to see whose name she would say first. Despite the fact that I was over there more often - Matt won out. Matt....MA-AT. Of course he won!

Then one day I was telling her to say "Ca" like I had grown accustomed to do and she said, "Papa" (which is my dad...go figure). So I told her I would take it. The next day I said it again and I was expecting to hear "Papa" again but this time she said "Ca"! And people heard it! I almost dropped her I was so excited (no, I didn't actually almost drop her...but she could tell how excited I got and she thought it was great - positive reinforcement). I was so excited that after literal months of trying she had finally said my name.

...and then when she met Ryan, she said his name almost immediately...still trying to let that one go.

Anyway - I had a video where she says my name right at the end - but it doesn't seem to want to load. I will play around with it and post it later if I can, but no promises.

I'm feeling much better now.*

Ok - so far, no one wins any blog bucks...not even me.

It's been a long three weeks, 1 ultrasound, 2 doctor's visits, three blood tests, and two (yes, two, I couldn't come up with four of anything) prescriptions later - I am finally starting to feel better.

So - Dr. A is fired. After the initial visit where I just didn't feel like she was listening to me, I followed-up with her because she was supposed to call me that Friday, which she didn't. By this time I had felt a very distinctive lump in my neck. Despite being a hypochondriac I actually didn't jump the gun and assume a tumor, but I still wanted to know what it was. So I mentioned this to her in our phone conversation where she was telling me to come in for another blood test because maybe the virus was working it's way out of my system and seemed to be trying to get off the phone fast. She ordered an ultrasound...of my neck. Ultrasounds are for babies! No really, they are. But it turns out they do stuff like that for the thyroid and what have you.

I went and gave more blood and had an appointment that Friday for an ultrasound. The ultrasound people told me it was a swollen lymph node...which I feel the doctor could have told me that if she had bothered to see me. At this point I decided that it was all in my head and if the doctor thinks I'm getting better then dangit, I was better!

I had an amazing birthday pancake breakfast on Saturday morning (hereafter referred to as the Last Meal). And then I kind of just went downhill from there. Ryan and I went to O'Charly's for dinner that night. I'm a systematic eater (meaning I eat the fries first) and that's as far as I got. I assumed in half an hour I'd be ready for the chicken - but I wasn't. So they sat in the fridge on rain check for a while.

I went to bed relatively early and I woke up several times on Sunday morning with a soar throat that made me cringe every time I swallowed. It made my ear hurt more than my throat so I assumed I might have an ear infection. Ryan and I left church and went to Patient First.

They got me to the back quickly, which was impressive after my hour long wait in the waiting room at the other doctor's office. They weighed me, heighted me, took my blood pressure and temperature. I was running a fever so they took the dreaded strep test (gag - seriously). Then they left me to wait for a while. The doctor came in, looked at my ear and told me it wasn't an ear infection and then explained why he knew that. Then he felt my neck and found the myriad of swollen lymph nodes. He ordered some blood work, we told him about my other blood work for the past two weeks. He asked what my doctor prescribed...nothing. He seemed a bit surprised by that. He prescribed me some antibiotics and told me to take Tylenol for the pain in my throat and ear (just one side).

Ryan and I left there and went to Joanna's for dinner....of which I barely ate. I slept a lot. I slept a lot the next few days. The worst was Tuesday, I got home at 5 and went straight to bed. I woke up around 11 and tried to nibble on a PB sandwich but didn't get far and fell back asleep until 7:30 the next morning. Even then, all I wanted to do was sleep.

My co-worker Pam said that enough was enough and she looked up the side effects of my prescription. One was nausea, which I was certainly feeling A LOT of. So she had me call the doctor and get a different prescription. Then she found the "severe" list. The last two were, lack of energy and extreme tiredness. Pam said, "You have those last two!" and I thought, "aren't they the same thing?" but regardless, I did have both.

SO - I am on a new antibiotic and I am feeling more myself today than I have since New Year's Eve. Still tired, throat is still a little sore, but I'm awake and I don't feel like I am going to throw up. And last night, I ate dinner...something I haven't really done since last Friday.

So - win.

p.s. sorry if this post is totally random. I can't remember what you already know and what you don't. So hopefully - there aren't total blanks in there.

You're mocking me, arent' you?*

Since we can no longer play frisbee on Wednesday nights (the only field we knew of with lights got torn up and they are making it into a baby baseball diamond - what a waste of resources) we have been playing soccer on Saturday mornings.

We like to go to Bryan Park - even though there is a little problem with it.


...do you see it? The fields are "closed" we're not supposed to be on them. But as you can also see from the picture - that doesn't really stop us.





Our team moms, Brittany and Vivienne, making us snacks. Pictured in the back are Elder Pounder and Elder Wardenberg (sp?)

I'll tell you what does stop us though - Parks and Recreation. They came by for a routine visit (aka to make sure the signs were still standing) and that's when we had to quit playing.

Here's Eric, Kami and Jesse as we are trying to figure out where else we could play (where we could play that was close by).


There was a school not too far down the way so we went there - not as nice - but it would do.



I don't really play soccer - but I had a lot of fun, I stick to defense cause I feel like I'm better at stopping people than actually making goals (this is for most sports by the way). One of the Eric's asked me if I played soccer in high school and I laughed and asked him if he was picking on me, he said 'no', apparently my defense is good. ...or he's never really played either. It's a toss up*.

Ew, dandelion, must be the last one of the season.*

Okay - this one is older - I was worried I would have gone on another hike before I posted about the last one of the season.

We decided to get one more hike in for the season - so before people began leaving for Christmas, we went to Old Rag one more time. I apologize in advance - at this time I couldn't find my camera so my pictures were taken with my phone (so that means they might not be good AND there won't be many).

Stephanie and Renee trying to keep warm in the parking lot while we waited for the others to arrive.
Zach - doing the "fearless leader" pose. He was like this until he ripped that shirt on a rock - then he became a big baby and kept lamenting the shirt.

Ben led us off with some...yoga I think. He called this the Tree Stump

Then we stopped at one point to replenish our calories and we had a touching moment with the gnome - Renee is singing in the background - I hope you can hear it.

Old Rag may be a hard hike at times (especially the rock climbing when your fingers are frozen and you don't have gloves...) but it is by far my favorite!

It was so cold that we found thick sheets of ice at the top. I don't know if you can tell, but Renee and Stephanie are holding it up in front of them.

And just in case you couldn't see it - they are now attempting to eat it.

Ben was being a dare devil and jumping from this one rock that made most of us nervous - unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice - he just looks like he is stepping off it.

I think the weather and my schedule (and my new found fatigue) will keep me from hiking in the spring - but I do hope to return to it soon!

My evening's in danger! *

I've had this song (this version) stuck in my head all week. (Thanks Marissa)

And for some reason the video is backwards...that's ok, it's Friday (fun, fun, fun, fun).
Happy Friday!

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.*

On Saturday I went to visit my parents and talk to them about what is wrong with me. I got some medical input from my mom and I got a priesthood blessing from my dad and brother-in-law. Mom informed me that I have a condition called, thrombocytopenia. This is the fancy way of saying I have low blood platelets. Really, that's all it is. It is a symptom that usually improves when the underlying cause is treated...so we just have to fix that and I'm good.

I also learned where platelets go, because when I found out that I had low platelets I wondered how I lost them. I hadn't suffered any injury, I wasn't bleeding in any way, so where did they go? Turns out that the average life of a platelet is 10 days. Raise your hand if that's new to you.

There are several things that can lead to reduced platelet formation - here are the ones I found on a medical website.

• Pregnancy


• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purura - My body is confused and is fighting my platelets (sounds idiopathic to me)


• Autoimmune disease


• Bacteria in the Blood

I'd keep going but the others made me want to gag so I am taking a break.

...Anyway...I have decided that I would at least have a little fun with being exhausted/sick...so I'm taking bets on what's wrong with me - the winner gets 100 blog bucks (that's basically getting 10 posts correctly)!

You want to know why it's that high? Because - without a medical degree you will have guessed better than my soon to be former doctor.

So go ahead and take a guess at what you think it is.

Here are some possibilities that people have already said they think it might be, but don't let that limit you:

• African Sleeping Sickness


• Thyroid


• Anemia


• Mono


• Mental (a.k.a. all in your head)


• Diary allergy


• A random virus just passing through, take two aspirin and call me in a month (you would get 150 points for this because it's basically what the doctor says)

Good luck and may the odds be ever be in your favor!

Weadababyitsagirl*

She's here! The newest addition to the Donbro collection

Sadie

Born 1/10/12

Welcome to the family kid! You're gonna love us!

Fight the good fight, precious!*

I'm a little/lot behind on post. In December, a group of us went to D.C. to see the lights at the Temple. It's not like Salt Lake's, but it's ours.
Brittany likes to think that she is tall. She is standing UP on the curb and the boys are standing off the curb...and on of them might be bending their knees.Then we ran into Jesse (he had been all over interviewing for schools and he was at the train station so he came to meet us to get a ride home).

...See how excited he is to be back?

We didn't just go see the lights though, the Richmond Chorale was also up there performing. So we got (free) tickets and waited for the doors to open. We all went in as a group but at the bottom of the stairs Jesse broke off to use the facilities. I told him we'd save him a seat. They had Sister Missionaries there directing traffic and as we got into our row I said to the person behind me to leave a spot for Jesse and the Sister Missionary at the end of our row said, "No saving seats." I said, "Oh, he had his ticket he just ran to the bathroom." and she repeated, "No savings seats." and I looked at my friend and said more quietly, just leave a seat, he'll be back in a second. I didn't think he should have to sit by himself because he had to go to the bathroom. So I kept looking for him because the mean missionary was still at the end of our row. I got distracted by something but looked back just in time to see the sister missionary telling Jesse that he had to find a seat further back and I threw up my hand and told him we had a seat for him. She relented and let him pass. It was crazy, we almost lost him.

Aside from the that, the performance was great. Then we hung out in the lobby waiting for the rest of our group to get there.I just love this picture of Tia and Jesse, I don't know why, it makes me think they are on a talk show.
Then we all went to the parking lot to decide where to eat dinner.

That didn't work too well, we split up into two groups. Group A went to Cafe Rio and Group B went to Cheeburger, Cheeburger. Guess which group I was in?

(This picture was taken to show the difference in the sizes of our burgers).

The Cheeburger gang.