One and done!

One of the bad things about turning 50 is you now have to get a colonoscopy.  I guess saying you "have" to get one is over dramatic.  You are "supposed" to get a colonoscopy.  About a month ago, I received a letter in the mail that I could do it easily without a referral so I decided to give it a go. I really wanted to get it done before Philip started school but they couldn't get me in.  Apparently getting a colonoscopy is a high demand procedure requiring 2-3 weeks lead time.  So against my best wish, I sighed up to have one today.

Everyone knows it has to do with your....pooper and there are tons of poop and ass jokes about it.  I found myself thinking of them too.  I knew you had to clean your bowels and I knew that wasn't going to be pleasant.  But I had no idea I had to quit solid food 2 days before.  And I really underestimated the ability to only have clear liquids for 1.5 days.  But I thought I was doing good until I took my Gatorade/Laxative drinks.  I had to drink 2 32 oz bottles within 2 hours.  As instructed, I drank 1 cup every 15 minutes.  I was so surprised it went so well.  No real nausea and I got all in....but not for long. It was only about 15 minutes before it start coming out the other end.  And it was ferocious and it was persistent.  I was starting to feel pretty desperate and got really concerned wondering when it would ever end.  But 45 minutes after I finished the prep, it did end....abruptly.  It would not stay in and I started throwing up with extreme vigor.  I could barely get over the toilet and I couldn't control were it went at all.  The good news is I suddenly felt so much better...the bad news is I just lost the prep and after I came all this way, I wanted to finish strong.  So I called the doctor's emergency line to see what I should do.  I waited and waited and decided to send Philip to the store for  more Gatorade and Mirlax.  I mixed it up and started again.  Luckily the doctor called and said he was pretty sure I had quite a bit of prep in me but to take 2 more cups at midnight and another 2 at 4:00 if I wasn't cleaned out.  He felt the big issue is that I got dehydrated.  So I was to pound liquids until midnight.

Long story short, by 4:00 am, I wasn't sure I needed more.  This is TMI but I sat on the toilet while I sipped my prep.  I could literally hear it move through my intestines and within 5 minutes, it was out.  It was actually pretty funny really.  But I decided I was clean and went to bed until 6:15 when I wanted to start getting ready to go to the hospital.

Philip was such a sweetie and took me there, stayed with me, and brought me home and took care of me.  He is such a caring kid.  He took his role very seriously.  I couldn't help but feel bad his first experience taking me to the hospital was for my pooper!  But he didn't see anything gross.  The hospital however seemed pretty surprised my caregiver was a teen.  I'm not sure they knew what to do with him....probably because he is a minor.  But I assured them he is a great caregiver and was fine. 

The good news is the procedure was done in about 20 minutes.  They give me an IV sedation and I couldn't help falling asleep through it although I could feel the pressure in my abdomen, it wasn't bad.  And the best news is they found no polyps and no cancer.  But he said my prep wasn't perfect so he wants me to come back in 5 years.  Well poop!  I was hoping for the 10  year pass but no can do.

I'm sure your not going to be surprised when I encourage everyone to face their butt/poop fears and get their necessary colonoscopies (and other cancer screenings).  Colonoscopies can cut cancer rates by 40%!!  That is huge.  And if you do get Colon Cancer, a colonoscopy will seem minor in comparison to what you will have to go through...and I am pretty sure a regular colonoscopy will be part of your cancer process. 

So good news today and buck up and take care of your butt!  If you need moral support or any jokes to help you through, let me know.  I've got 'em.

Special thanks to Nola for being there for me to talk poop and diarrhea last night.  It helped so much just to have someone checking on me and assuring me I will be okay.  Thank You Nola.

Back to school...for the last time

This morning is the first day of school for Philip.  I simply can't believe it is the first day of his last year of High School!  It seems like last week when he transitioned to public school yet it was 7 years ago! 

I can't help but notice how different this time was.  Philip had no desire for new clothes.  Although we bought stuff over the summer, there is just something about shopping for clothes to start school.  No new shoes either.  No school supplies.  NOTHING.  Philip is a strong willed kid and I guess he has worn me down over the years.  So I let him lead this year and didn't push the issue.  I still think it is nice to have new clothes and shoes for the first day of school.  But if he didn't want them, who am I to rock the boat?

I'm so incredibly proud of him.  He took 3 AP classes this year again.  Two classes had summer homework which he finished up last night.  I think this is the first year we've not fought about summer homework and getting it done.  He has a tougher schedule then I had hoped for him but it lines him up for Engineering college well.  He took AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics, Language Arts, Cabinetry making, Pro Start (the cooking class), Teachers Aid, Sociology, and World Geography.  An amazing load for a kid that only required 1.5 credit hours to finish.  I love that he loves learning.  I hope this year we can make it a smooth year.

This morning, he got himself up and ready.  He chose a concert shirt to wear.  He pulled out his notebooks and homework and put it all together.  He did ask me to make him a lunch which I happily did. And he is off.  Such a grown up.



And so starts the "Class of 2015"!!

Dave and Jamie's wedding

My cousin Dave and his fiancé Jamie tied the knot while Nola was here.  Their wedding was last Sunday at Red Butte Garden.  I've never been to Red Butte but it is an outdoor garden by the U of U.  They have lots of classes there and even concerts.  They decided to have a morning wedding.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning.  They had the ceremony under a gazebo looking over the valley. Then they had the brunch reception in the glassed in area of the building.  It really was a beautiful ceremony and celebration.  It is wonderful to see Dave abundantly happy.  Jamie is a fantastic person that I am so happy to welcome to the family.

Philip, Nola, Dad, Cindy

Randy and DeOna

Jamie, Dave, TJ (Dave's son)

Cindy, Ryan, Nola

 

 

I'll be honest.  After the reception, I was exhausted.  We came home and I rested while Nola caught up on her DVR shows.  Then we went up to Kaysville to meet Dad and Cindy for dinner.  After dinner, we went over to Dad and Cindy's to visit.  They have the most absolutely wonderful patio and yard.  It was great to relax and catch up. 

It was a beautiful day!  Congrats Dave and Jamie!

Fiddle Faddling

While Nola was visiting, she went to Wendover with our Dad.  It is something they started sharing together and love.  They offered me to join but that is so not  my thing!  So I drove Nola to North Salt Lake to meet  up with Dad and they jumped on the Wendover bus.  It is a great deal and you get to relax your whole way there and back. I have no stories to tell about that since I wasn't there.

I drove home and met with Mom and Chuck.  We decided to make Chili Sauce.  Yep....Grandma Anderson's tried and true.  It seems Mom and Chuck eat it like  no tomorrow and I like to have some on hand as well.  This time, we were more organized and we had Chuck, "The Master Tomato Peeler," with us.  Each batch takes 26 peeled tomatoes, 2 bell peppers and 4 onions.  Then the special spices that make it just so.  Within an hour, we had our first batch on the stove cooking.  We decided to just keep going and get the second batch started too.  Another hour later and the second batch was on the stove.  This concoction of deliciousness has to simmer for a few hours.  During that time, the flavors melt together and become a sort of chutney.  We ended up cooking ours for 3 hours each batch.  Then we turned to canning it. We've got quite the system down.  Mom filled the jars, I put the lids on and bundled the batch for the cold pack canner.  While we were going through the process, many jars sealed but I kept hearing Nola's voice in my head that we must cold pack them to make sure they are safe.  So we did just that.  All jars sealed and we had just a little left for dinner on Saturday night.

When we were done, Mom made a cherry pie!  That woman has more stamina!  We were done with time to spare.  Mom and Chuck went to meet their friend for dinner.  I went to get Nola from the Wendover bus.  Nola had great stories and came out ahead of where she started.  I'm so glad she got to spend time with Dad in Wendover!

Saturday, they all got going and went to Hogle Zoo.  I opted out of this one too.  I'm not a huge zoo person and the walking would be very difficult for me.  Instead, I rested and took it easy.  They had lots of fun and Nola took some fantastic photos.  After a rest and cooling off, us ladies went to get pedicures.  I took Mom and Nola to the place I've been going over by Brickyard.  There is no appointment needed and it seems to last awhile. Mom had never had a pedicure.  I suspect she is hooked.  Nola wanted soft heels and that is exactly what she got.  My feet got a nice tune up too and look beautiful.  After that, we headed home to have a family dinner.

Mom suggested we have a pot roast dinner to enjoy some fresh chili sauce.  Chuck has a way he makes pot roast that is just delicious.  We had roasted carrots and potatoes too.  We also enjoyed Mom's pie.  Mars and John joined us and brought a delicious and healthy salad.  We sat around and told stories and laughed.  We laughed so hard I think our sides hurt.  It was fun to do that after all the seriousness lately.  It was a great day for sure!

Millcreek Canyon picnic

I am way behind on my blogging!  Nola was in town last week for a long weekend.  We kept up a pretty furious pace and I didn't blog.  Then work has been crazy this week.  But I am now ready to settle in and catch up.  Instead of a really long post,  I'm going to break up our fun in separate posts.  So hang tight.

When Nola came into town last Thursday, we decided to go up the canyon for a picnic for dinner.  Mom and I planned them down to the fine details.  Chuck and Mom cooked their famous grilled burgers.  John and Mars decided to join us.  We found a fabulous spot right off the picnic area turn off.  It had lots of trees and was right next to the creek so that drown out the sound of others.  We all brought out chairs and settled in for an evening of fun and story telling.  It had been raining off and on that week but we only had a few sprinkles while we were there.   None of us even bat and eye at the rain.  After our main meal, we had a camp fire and made smores.

I couldn't help wondering why we didn't do this more often.  It was so relaxing and peaceful.  And only 15 minutes from my house!!

Here are a few photos.

Nola and Mom

Master Griller!

Gorgeous tree lined area

Just wow.

Kicking back "no screen" style

Mom is always so cute.

Nola by the stream

Cute Mars and John

A perfect Smore

Cooking Marshmallows

Weekend Warrior

If we are close enough friends, I've let you see my inner geekdom, you know I am a scrapbooker.  I started when Philip was born.  I would do pages every year as a way to document his life in photos.  Every year I work to get photos and put together pages for him.  As he gets older, it gets harder to get him to pose for photos and now that he is a teen, I am not privy to his daily activities but I made a commitment 17 years ago to document and work and glue and cut.  I promised myself I would keep going until he graduates high school.

Fast forward to last year and Nola suggested I start working on pages for me.  I do lots of fun stuff and none of it was documented.  As I was running out of "Philip pages", I decided she was right and I should start so I did.

On  top of that, she got me interested in an online scrapbooking group.  Actually the leader of the site lives in Utah up towards Ogden.  I've never met her though.  These ladies are like friends that you never meet.  We "talk" almost daily and you can really get to know someone well that way.  I've shared real mail with a few of them and I won't  mention names but some of them are my favorites.  We not only share ideas for meals or house projects but also crafting ideas and woman survival strategies.

Every other month, we have what they call a Weekend Warrior class.  This is where over the weekend, she releases two sketches (patterns) daily for scrapbook pages that you copy using your own scrapbook supplies and photos. Then you take a photo of your pages and share them with the group.  We support each other, share ideas, and  we all get our scrapbooking pages done.  Well this weekend is another Weekend Warrior weekend.  So I've been heading down to the basement to work on my pages.  I've been doing a little shopping so I have supplies.  I also set up my cell phone on my favorite Pandora station.  I sit down there and search through my.....stuff....to come up with a respectable version of  each sketch.  This has changed the way I scrapbook significantly.  Two years ago, I would have never dreamed of doing detailed pages or spending more than 15 minutes putting a page together.  But now I labor (one page took over 2 hours yesterday) over them trying to get the details just so.  I search for paper that goes together and embellishment (buttons, crystals, do dads, etc) to supplement the design.  I am under no fallacy that my pages are anything like these other women (some are professional scrapbookers that have been published!) but I am enjoying the hobby and happy to see my books come together. 

I thought you might be interested in some of the pages I've done.

Philip and Tiffany at Junior Prom

Sushi making class with my girlfriends in May.

 

Mary and I when I bought my new car in April.  Isn't this such a frilly
girl page for something so masculine as buying a car?  It even has a lace doily!

New Years Eve.  My friends coaxed me out of the house. 
I was so glad to get out and realized these people really do love and care about me.

My family.  Sorry about the glare on the lower embellishment.

These are my high school friends.  We got together for brunch
before one of them moved to Mississippi.  This one is funny
 because Nola gave me a bunch of "borders" (borders are coordinated
elements to use as part of a scrapbook page) a few years ago.
 This is one that she actually put together.  I added the birds
and butterflies.  I can't wait until she sees it in my class posting tomorrow.
She will be surprised to see her work used.

 

So now you are part of my inner circle regardless if you wanted to be or not.  Please don't tell anyone my secret hobby because it is not sexy and it is not what the cool kids are doing.  Haha.  But it is a great creative release for me and gives me something productive to do on a hot summer or cold winter weekend.

Eyelash Status August 9th

I've been faithfully putting on my super expensive RevitaLash every night.  It is a funny little bottle of hope.  It say specifically to NOT put it on your eyelid.  You are suppose to put it on your lashes.  I had to guess what to do in the little 1/4" area that was bald as a baby's butt.  After 2 days, I no longer had to guess.  There was some fuzz sticking out of my upper eyelid!!!  It has now been 1.5 weeks and there are enough lashes to put mascara on!  I seriously can't believe it.  The eye lashes are seriously short but I can imagine they will be looking normal in another week or two.  The hair is super fine so there are no thick lashes but at least it is something there on that eyelid.  Unfortunately, the eyebrow has not had the same level of success yet.  It fact, it seems more bald than ever.  I'm hoping it will come around soon.  You can see in the photo below, there is just a small patch of eyebrow left.  Luckily it is colored or you wouldn't see it at all!

I tried to take a photo like they do for the eyelash commercials. 

This is Sam the cat.  He is famous for his eyebrows. 
Mine may or may not look similar
Notice one is full and the other is only a small one.

I can't wait to see where they end up in another week!!  Pretty exciting stuff going on here.

Let your old secrets fly....

Today I decided to go out of my routine to hopefully shake the funky mood I've been in for a few days.  Nola had asked me to get a special quilting do da so I headed to Gardner Village in West Jordan where it was.  But I decided to give myself a little time there and to have lunch at the restaurant.  Gardner Village is built around the Gardner Mill and farm.  Archibald Gardner was one of the original pioneers on Brigham Young's wagon train!  Mr. Gardner build this working farm in the 1800s. It has now been converted to a cute shopping area. They have the cutest quilt shop.  I am not a quilter in any stretch of the imagination but it makes me want to get out my sewing machine and get stitching.  So much inspiration and cute stuff all over.

The quilt shop, Pine Needles

 

The mill wheel.  Rebuilt in 1877.

Then I went over to Archibald's Restaurant that is just across the street.  They have built it around the old grain silo and if you are lucky, you can sit in the silo part of the restaurant which is where I happened to be seated.  Round the edges against the concrete walls are booths for each of Archibald Gardner's wives.  Yep.  He was a polygamist.   It seems he had 11 wives.  I sat in his second wife's, Abigail Spragne Bradford, booth.  I had the best Santa Fe Salad.  I have no idea why I've not gone here in like....forever.  It was cheap $9.99 for a large salad I got to enjoy while seated and really good service.  It was completely packed with people but I was able to settle into my booth and enjoy myself.

 

My salad.  It was delicious!

The irony was not missed by me.  If you are from Utah or the "Mormon" areas, you probably have polygamy in your genealogy. But this restaurant has capitalized on the fact that this guy was an ancient shmuck.  People actually wait for specific "wife" tables to open up.  I guess I am lucky Abigail's fans were not wanting to eat at the same time as me!  What really surprised me is they sell alcoholic drinks!  I've never been to a "Mormon" based place that sells cocktails to go with your meal!

After lunch, I walked through the small country furniture next door.  I may or may not have picked up some little chotcke items.  I'll never tell.  I did think they had some cute stuff should I ever need some country chic gift items.

This little outing was perfect and exactly what I needed.  Although, it isn't the only thing that shook my mood.  Thanks Mom for listening to me yack forever last night.  I appreciate your great listening skills and your gentle input.  It helps a ton.

Arizona State University Tour

I think I mentioned that Philip and Ryan went to Arizona to do a tour of ASU last weekend.  Their tour wasn't actually until Monday but they wanted to tool around Tempe to check it out and it turns out, Ryan has a friend in the area they visited with.

Honestly, I know this isn't my story to tell.  I wasn't there.  And Philip is a terrible story teller.  But here is what I know.  They drive to Arizona and back.  They had a great time talking while they drove.  I have no idea what they did over the weekend.  But I do know it was 106*.  I've actually been to Phoenix in June when it was 112* so I know how hot it can be.  But Monday morning, I texted Philip to make sure he was on track and headed to the tour that started at 8:30.  I was on pins and needles waiting to hear how it went.  Keeping track of the schedule to think what they were doing through the day.  Finally, I got a call from Ryan.

It was Ryan and Philip calling to tell me how cool it was.  ASU has a partnership with Intel and Intel has invested in a very cool lab.  Arizona is heavily invested in their students and have a very active student counsel.  They really made Philip feel welcome and like they really wanted him to consider the school.  He had a tour of the campus, the Engineering area, and the honors program including the honors dorm.  If you are in the honors program, you are required to stay in the dorms for 2 years.  I'm sure that is so they can help you stay focused.  ASU also offers a tuition break for neighboring states and they help with financial aid.  Philip filled out an online inquiry about financial aid and it said he is a good candidate for substantial aid.  That would be nice as long as it is not student loans.  Ryan is a graduate of the U of U.  He made a comment that the school program was certainly better than the U of U.  That is saying a lot. 

Philip left pretty sure he wanted to go to ASU.  I suggested they do the tour of the U of U so they can compare them apples to apples.  Philip also still wants to tour UC Berkeley but it is looking less attractive financially.

I delayed writing about the ASU experience because I was waiting for photos.  I finally got one today.  Pretty cute Philip....pretty cute.

Such an exciting time touring and figuring out which college is the best fit for you and your life long goals!

How much does cancer cost?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am always curious what my medical bills will be like.  Well today must have been the day of doom because I got the super bill for both my radiation and my ER visit in the mail.  The 17 radiation treatments, for 3.5 weeks, not including the visits with Dr. C, came in at a whopping $18,000!!!!  When I see Dr. C, it is close to $300.  This doesn't include my visits with Dr. L, scans, Xrays or blood tests.

I also received the bill for my long evening stint in the ER.  $3600 for that sweet little visit.  That did include a chest Xray and the aspirin (luckily that was only $.04), gastric cocktail, and nitro glycerin.  I'm glad I didn't take an ambulance there!  That is one expensive non-heart attack!  While I don't think it was gas, if it was, that is a way expensive fart!

Can you imagine if I was on Medicare or some 80/20 coverage insurance plan?  That would be $3600 out of pocket for the radiation and $720 for that chest pain.  And they don't have any problems asking for that right up front.  If you don't have it, you either get sent home, sent somewhere else, or if you are lucky enough, you can set up an aggressive payment plan.  When I start feeling picked upon by my job....getting a lower raise or feel like my insurance premiums are just too much, I think about what I save when I have a medical situation because of my good insurance plan offered through my job. 

So you might ask, what did that cost me?  Well let's just say I am a freak about my health insurance and I panic every year when my work has open enrollment.  I am on a Utah coverage plan that happens to be an HMO plan.  Those are so old fashion and I am not sure many companies offer them anymore.  Every year, we all get pushed to go on the "High Deductible" plan.  It is a $5000 a year deductible before you get coverage.  But they have continued to offer the HMO plan which is what I stay on.  I am limited in my doctors but it works on a copay system instead of percent.  I pay $300 a month for my insurance coverage.  Seems outrageous.  Until I see these bills.  So what did radiation cost me?  $0 and some eyebrow hairs and eyelashes.  What did the ER cost?  Well I thought it was steep but it was a $150 copay...and because I was an "Emergency patient" they made sure I wasn't in serious peril and then they came right in and didn't hesitate to ask for my payment right there.  I'm positive I would not have received the care I got without paying them my copay and having good insurance.

I am so glad I have good insurance.  I can't imagine trying to tackle health issues without it.  And I can't tell you how important it is to have a good plan that will cover you in the event you get that terrible news that no one wants to hear.....the C word.