Broken Femur

I went to SLC for a photo shoot. John was supposed to stay home with the kids but he wanted to go snowboarding with his friends. He called and asked my friend Melanie if she could watch the kids while he went snowboarding. I had my photo shoot for the Mrs. Utah pageant. After the photo shoot I went to the mall to shop for an evening gown. I was enjoying myself when suddenly I got a phone call from John's friend Sam. He told me that John had broke his femur but that he was going to be okay. I was in a panic thinking about my kids and the fact that I was out of town and now John would not be returning home to them. I immediately called Johns mom but she did not answer. I called his sister Becca and she didn't answer either but I got a hold of her husband Fred. He said they could come to St. George to care for the kids and be at the hospital with John. I was thinking maybe John was trying some kind of a crazy trick but he said he went to the side of the slope by the trees and followed his friend over a little bump. There was a turn after the bump and John didn't have enough time to turn and miss the trees so he threw his body to the side but his leg hit the tree. He tried moving his leg but only the top half moved and he knew it was broken. His friends got help and they put him on a sled and took him down the mountain to the clinic. He was in excruciating pain but they claimed they were not aloud to give him anything and that he had to wait for the paramedic to come. The ambulance ended up getting stuck in the snow on its way up Beaver mountain. John was put in the back of a pick up truck and taken down the mountain to the ambulance. By this point it had been 2 1/2 or 3 hours with no pain meds! They gave him morphine when he got in the ambulance but that didn't do anything for his pain so they gave him something stronger. He was taken to Cedar City but they did not have proper equipment for surgery so the ambulance had to drive in a blizzard to St. George. The ambulance ended up having engine problems along the way so they stopped at a Wal-Mart in Cedar city to get parts. The driver did not know how to fix the problem so John had to walk him through it while he was drugged up and laying on a stretcher. He finally made it after a 4 hour journey from Beaver to St. George. I left SLC first thing in the morning so I could get back to the kids and see John. He ended up having surgery. He had to get a steel rod drilled through his hip and down through the center of the femur with a screw to hold it in place. it will be permanent. It is going to be a long recovery and he won't be able to wake board for awhile or work for a couple weeks. HE is using a walker right now and will slowly graduate to crutches. Here is a picture of his x-ray.

Mrs. Utah US Continental

I can't believe I was crowned the new Mrs. Utah US Continental. After several pageants I finally got to experience my crowning moment as my dream came true. My husband, kids and parents were there to support me during this journey. My journey was long and exhausting as I prepared mentally, physically and emotionally for the pageant. I spent countless hours finding the perfect evening gown and the best aerobic wear that was the most flattering for my not so perfect body. I spent more time at the gym than usual trying to get into shape for the pageant. I spent a lot of time filling out my application and judges biography form. I also spent time driving to SLC for meetings and photo shoots and the actual competition. Of course you can't take part in a pageant without all that glamorous stuff so I spent more time getting my hair done, buying new make up, getting a tan, getting my nails done.....But, I think I spent the most time preparing my platform. I put a lot of thought into what would be the right platform for me. I decided on "Reach Out And Make A Difference". Because of my experience with fund raising, community service and helping others I felt it was a perfect platform for me. I am so excited as I embark on this new journey.

Disnayland

It's a tradition every year that my mom and I take the kids to Disneyland over spring break. This year Grandma Z came with us. Usually St. George has an earlier spring break than everyone else which ends up being the last weekend before the busy peak hours start. This makes it nice because the lines are not that bad. For some reason this year Disneyland was PACKED! I guess the spring break schedule changed for some states. Instead of it being the last weekend before the peak season it ended up being the first weekend of peak season. It was horrible! We tried to make the best of it. Whitney went on the Tower of Terror the last time we came to Disneyland and it scared the crap out of her. This year she absolutely refused to go on it again but my mom and I talked Suzan into going on it. She didn't know what to expect. It was so funny to see her reaction. I think it kind of scared her too. Caysen was in car heaven when he saw Mater and Mcqueen. He was checking out the wheels and their mouths. He was starring and touching and loving it! He couldn't get enough and we had to drag him away! Even though Whitney is seven years old she still insists on being in a stroller. She says it's not fair that Caysen gets to sit in a stroller. So we always rent a stroller. Besides, it makes it easier for us to get around and do things faster if we can just push the kids. Whitney NEVER takes naps! Ithought it was funny that she actually fell asleep in the stroller. Crazy how us adults are the ones doing all the work yet we have more energy than the kids and can't get enough of Disneyland but the kids get so worn out LOL. I wonder if she will still be in a stroller when she is 10?

Halloween

We had a very busy Halloween season. We took the kids to the corn maze and pumpkin patch, we had Halloween parties, school parties, trick or treating at the mall and around our neighborhood and John and I even went to a haunted house!

This year for Halloween Whitney chose to be a Monarch Butterfly and Caysen wanted to be Thomas The Train. The kids kept me busy. I went to Caysen's class to watch him learn how to Trick or' Treat, exchange candy and go on a "Bear Hunt". Caysen loves to go on a bear hunt. They listen to a story and do actions to what is being told in the story. It was fun to watch. We went to Whitney's school to watch the Halloween parade. It was fun to see all the different costumes. I helped out with Whitney's class Halloween party. We decorated the room spooky and had a smoke machine. Then we decorated cookies, played spooky BINGO, ghost bowling and had a coloring activity. When John got home from work we met my friend Kori at the mall and we let the kids trick or treat at the mall. They got a lot of candy but that didn't even make a dent compared to all the candy they were about to get. After the mall we went trick or treating around our neighborhood on our 4 wheeler. The kids loved it and so did I because I didn't have to walk. It was great because we could get around to the houses faster and all I had to do was sit and drive.

Autumn

I love this time of year! The weather is perfect. Being in St. George where you have a lot of heat in the summer this time of year feels great! Not only do I love the weather but I love living out in the fields where you can see all the farmland growing corn, hay and cattle feed. I love seeing the yellow butterflies flying around and I love taking pictures this time of year. It has become a tradition to go to the pumpkin patch and take family pictures then go to the corn maze at staheli farm. The kids look forward to this tradition. They love going to the farm to ride the tractor, go on the cow train, play on the playground, go to the pumpkin patch and get a bite to eat.

Update

We found Mr. Jingles! I was eating lunch at Five Guys when my cell phone rang. It was a man saying that he found Mr. Jingles and he was not in good shape. I asked if he was alive. He said yes, he is very much alive and biting everyone's toes! He said that his 11 year old daughter and her friend were playing at the park and they heard a kitten crying. The investigated and followed the cry. He was in the mud by the river. He was coughing aand did'nt look too good. She took him home and gave him 2 baths. One with flea and tick remover and one with shampoo. She got him all washed up and insisted on keeping him. She went and bought him toys and a litter box. He said he had to figure out a way to tell his daughter that Jingles has a home. I hesitated for a moment about just letting her keep him and just let Whitney think that he was never found but it broke my heart every time she cried for him. When Whitney got home from school I told her I had a surprise. She said where is it? I told her it was not here yet but that she was going to be sooooo happy! She asked if I found Jingles? I told her I did and she said lets go get him. The guy who called said he had to work but that he would drop him off later. Shortly after he brought Jingles back home. He said he told his daughter and she said the right thing to do was to give him back to the rightful owner. He said she proved the she can take care of a kitten and he is going to get her another one. I'm so glad that I made those flyers and posted them and Jingles was found in only 2 days! I reminded Whitney that God does answer prayers :)

Lost Kitty

Yesterday at about 4:30 Whitney and I crossed the street to go to our neighbors house and Jingles followed us over. We left him out on their front door step. I visited with my friend for about an hour and when I left her house I did not see Jingles. I figured he went back home but when I got home I did'nt see him anywhere. A storm was starting to come so I figured he would run home for shelter or go find shelter. At 8:00pm it was raining and he was still not home. Whitney was sad. I told her it was time for bed. She said she could not sleep because she was too sad. I told her we could say a prayer to help us find Jingles. She said that prayers don't always work. I reminded her that whe nThor was lost I said a prayer and we found him so we said a prayer together. At 9:00pm I went looking for Jingles out in the rain. I went up and down the street calling for him but I could not find him. I left the garage open a little for him in case he came home. This morning he was still no where to be found. I spent 2 hours today making flyers and posting them around the neighborhood. I think some one found him and thought he was a stray kitten and took him into their home. All we can do now is wait!