Extreme Homemaker

On June 22nd I posted the following on Facebook

I got some replies that flew right over my head. i.e

I seriously didn't think twice about these comments. I was like, duh, yeah there's a show. It's on ABC, they makeover people's homes. I'm not sure if any of you have caught on yet either but in my post I said "Extreme Homemaker" not "Extreme Home Makeover" as I had intended.  A friend of mine pointed this out several days later. No wonder no one was volunteering. 

extreme |ikˈstrēm|adjective

1 reaching a high or the highest degree; very great : extreme cold.

• not usual; exceptional : in extreme cases the soldier may be discharged.• very severe or serious : expulsion is an extreme sanction.• (of a person or their opinions) advocating severe or drastic measures; far from moderate, esp. politically : their more extreme socialistsupporters.• denoting or relating to a sport performed in a hazardousenvironment and involving great physical risk, such as parachuting or white-water rafting.

homemaker |ˈhōmˌmākər|
nouna person, esp. a housewife, who manages a home.
makeover |ˈmākˌōvər|nouna complete transformation or remodeling of something, esp. a person's hairstyle, makeup, or clothes.
Obviously I was volunteering for the t.v. show, not to be an extreme homemaker, as for those of you who know me, there is nothing "extreme" about my homemaking except for maybe the "extreme" lack of homemaking. Anyhow, I went, alone from 8 pm- 2 am and volunteered doing odd jobs. When I arrived at 8 pm the house was framed and they were working on drywalling, painting, roofing, and landscaping. I was able to help by picking up trash, providing the manual laborers with water, shoveling dirt and carrying bricks. It was a great experience and I was glad I was able to help out a family in need.  I'll let you know when the show airs. Here is what the home looked like the next night. 

Home in Daybreak, South Jordan, UT for the Gomez family

We took the kids on a walk around the area the night after and took some photos by the lake across the street. Although it would be nice to have a home makeover, I'm just thankful I have a home, an awesome  "extreme homemaker" named Christy, and 2 happy healthy kids. I am the luckiest person alive. 

One was bit by the other, I'll give you one guess who 

Mommy and her babies

Another mommy and her babies

The lighting was perfect this time of night. 

The simple pleasures in life

This will be the pick I choose to show them in the future when one of them tries to tell me they don't like the other. 

Ry looks like she's on Splash Mountain

P.S. Sorry about the fonts, I couldn't get them to change and be uniform, but that's the least of my worries. Hope you enjoy. 

Prima Donna

One of our better purchases. Love this thing.

Never considered myself a Prima Donna, but after this weekend camping in the rain and cold, I'm officially calling myself one. Put simply, camping is too much work. And that's if things go as planned. Now imagine going camping with a 3 year old and 15 month old who is not yet walking. Oh and I forgot to mention the responsible Mom is not present. I'm not saying I'm irresponsible, but I can hardly manage 2 kids in a controlled environment like my own home, let alone in the wilderness with bears. There's an inside joke behind the bear story. Anyhow, let's just say I don't think I'll be invited back next year. I made the comment to Christy that I just wasted an entire day of my life, and she said "Ry had fun" and you know what, she did and so did Easton, and in the end that's what matters. I am one lucky girl though. After packing up at 9:30 p.m., taking the tent down in the rain and mud and getting home with a car full of stuff, I was able to sleep in my own bed, sleep in and wake up the next morning to find Christy had already unloaded the truck, put everything away, sprayed down the tent and not once did she complain. I'm planning the next trip though.

This is pretty much the look I had on my face all weekend.

Ry loves riding the 4-wheeler

Ry fell down and Aunt Sun was tending to her owie.

Blessing of the Hands

I've worked at St. Mark's Hospital as a Physical Therapist for 6 1/2 years. Day in and day out I'm given the opportunity to literally and figuratively touch other's lives. For the past 10 years St. Mark's has organized an event called "Blessing of the Hands". It happens during Hospital Week or now termed Employee Appreciation Week. The employees are given an opportunity to have their hands blessed by a number of different people from various religions. St. Mark's hospital is Episcopalian but they have a wonderful pastoral care program where they train people from all sorts of religious faiths. I don't consider myself a religious person, but I do consider myself a spiritual person. In the hospital, where people are sick, and perhaps near death or dying, it's' comforting to know that these people are available to patients, friends, and family members. They are also there for employees as often it can be emotionally difficult to work in this environment.

I chose to become a physical therapist because I wanted to help people, but I really believe that over the last 6 1/2 years my patients have helped me and taught me more than I will ever teach them. I've become a better person, more caring, more patient. I've made lasting friendships with patients and their families over the years.

Last Wednesday May 11 I was able to participate in the Blessing of the Hands ceremony. It's only the second time I've done so over the past few years, and I'm not exactly sure why, because it's something I need to do yearly. It is such a powerful experience. My hands were washed with water and they were given a blessing by 6 different individuals of various faiths. Each prayer was unique and special to me. As I said, I'm not religious but spiritual and I felt the presence of another Power that day. I was overcome emotionally and feel truly blessed that I am given the opportunity to touch lives and be touched each day.

The last blessing was performed by Arapaho healer Dorian Two Horse Sanchez. 

Lions and Tigers and....... Dinosaurs, Oh My!

Hogle Zoo opened their dinosaur exhibit this Friday and I thought Ry would love to go. Wrong!!!! She hated it. The dinosaurs were rather realistic looking and to a 3 year old that's terrifying. Easton on the other hand thought it was fun to roar back at them. He's 15 months old now and thinks all animals say "grrrr".

The ferocious T-Rex

On a funnier note, I caught this giraffe tongue tied with this pole.

Where were you?

I watched President Obama's address to the nation Monday night to announce the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Throughout the broadcast the reporters kept saying this is going to be one of those moments that we all will remember where we were and what we were doing at the time. I'm not so sure I will with this particular moment but I do remember a few events through my life and thought I would post where and what I was doing, as my memory is not the best.

May 2, 2011

I was at home, bathing the kids and getting them ready for bed. My friend Michelle Rios sent me a text to break the news. I was able to watch Obama's address to the nation.

September 11, 2001

I was a first year P.T. student at the University of Utah. We had a lab early in the morning, when I first heard. We then had to sit through pathophysiology class. There were no TVs in the building. I know people went next door to the University Park Hotel to watch the footage. It was so surreal.

As a 3rd year P.T. student I did an internship at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, NY. I was able to visit Ground Zero and following are pictures I took from the site. I'm so glad I was able to visit this site and pay respect to those that died. 

April 3, 2004

USA flag signed by visitors

You can see the windows blown out in this adjacent building. Chilling.

This is the subway station right next to Ground Zero. 

This cross was built from remaining metal from building. 

April 16, 2007

Virginia Tech Massacre. I was working as a P.T. at St. Mark's Hospital. I saw the news on the t.v. in the patient's room. 

April 20, 1999

Columbine shooting. I remember I was at a friend's house but don't recall whose. Saw the news on t.v. I was in college at the University of Utah. Pretty sure I was with teammates. 

April 19, 1995

Oklahoma City bombing. I was a Junior at Brighton HS. I just remember reading the newspaper and I distinctly remember this photo of the fireman carrying the baby. 

January 28, 1986

Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion.  I think I was in the 2nd grade at Chaparral Elementary School. I can remember we were going to watch the launch, but don't remember watching it. I just remember the teachers crying and the sadness of the event. 

I know there are so many other horrific and/or historic events like natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornados, etc, but I don't recall exactly what I was doing or where I was.    I suppose I should keep a journal so when Ryley and Easton ask me about those things I can remember. Some things are, as the events above, hard to forget, and I wasn't directly impacted, i.e. had a family member or myself in the event. I feel for those who were and hope that they can somehow find peace in these terrible tragedies. May God bless you.