44 years!

HaPPy ANNiVeRsArY!!

Heres to many more happy years together!

I love you!!

Christmas star

My Thanksgiving weekend was not only filled with yummy food, but it was filled with several craft projects that I really enjoyed making.

I was shopping with my mom and came across this random star and I told my mom that I would buy it for her if she would pick out some Christmas paper so I could cover it. It was super easy to make and alot of fun. It turned out really pretty and best of all, mom has a new Christmas star to hang wherever she wants made by me. :)

I can't remember what website it was that I found the tutorial for this star, but If I happen to stumble across it I will be sure to post it.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a memorable one!

Thirty!

I

Finally

Did

It!!

I made it to 30 pounds of total weight loss on weight watchers.

At one point I thought I would NEVER get here because I have been on an up and down rollercoaster for some time now. I really am proud of myself for sticking with it and getting to this point. :)

Wish List.. **sigh**

Here is my wish list for 2009. It would be so kind of any of you to choose one and kindly place it under my Christmas Tree this year. :)

1- Tickets to see these guys.

2- Crop-a-dile 2 big bite punch. I could do some amazing crafts with this gadget.



3- Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs movie. Saw it in the theater and loved it.





4- Up! movie





5- A new full sized bed that looks likes this.



6- A custom made necklace like this. You can find alot more here. http://http//www.lisaleonardonline.com/custom-necklaces/

7- This new Wii game.

8- Nintendo DS. rose colored please. I know, call me crazy, but I still want one.

9- Taylor Swift CD. Platinum Editon

10- Carrie Underwood CD. love her.

11- Singer Sewing machine. I could do some cute things with this. Carly, you may need to teach me how to do some of your super cute ideas. :D

Carrie

I LOVE this picture of Carrie, ha. It is SO her! :) I just want to give her a quick shout out and wish her a Happy 21st Birthday! I have really enjoyed getting to know Carrie. She really is a genuine person and she would do anything for you if you asked. She gets so excited to tell you new things that are happening in her life, and I love that she is so bubbly and just full of spunk! She is also such a great mom to sweet Abbi and I am happy to call her my friend!

Have a great day Carrie!!

Here is the card that I made for her. She loves horses..

Doctors Visits...

To start treatment for my RP, I had 2 doctors appointments last week. One was with my general doctor and the other one was with the retina specialist.
I needed to get a liver function test and talk to my general dr. about vitamin A. She wasn't able to answer too many specific questions that I had about the vitamin, only that it does damage your liver quite a bit. If I am going to go ahead and take it, then I would need to get blood work done to check my liver every year.

I have been doing alot of research online about vitamin A, so when I went to see the retina specilaist, I think he was kind of shocked that I knew so much about it, ha. He confirmed that vitamin A only slows down the progression of RP by 2% a year. That is not a very big percentage, but if it is your eyes then you will do everything you can to keep some of your sight. He also stated that there is no side affects of the vitamin, which is good. They dilated my eyes again and checked to make sure they weren't any worse etc. There was no change. I did talk to him about my experience with Amanda, and why I was holding back on taking the vitamin. He totally understood if I didn't want to take it, but said that it is very unlikely that something like that would happen to me. I told him that I was still torn and very unsure, but he wrote down exactly what I needed and to call him if I had anymore questions. I go back to see the retina specialist in another year to see if anything has changed.

*** Logan ***

Oh how I LOVE fall! :) Last weekend we went to Logan/Idaho for Beths nephews blessing. Brittany was taking pictures of Derek that same weekend and Becky decided to do them up Logan canyon. Oh, it was beautiful! I snapped a few photos of the leaves while we were there. The colors of the leaves had not completely changed yet, but I thought they were so pretty.

Enjoy! :)

Retinitis Pigmentosa **WARNING-LONG POST**

It has taken me awhile to post something about the title of this post. Its not that I haven't wanted to, but it has been really hard for me to put down in words what to say about it. But this is like my journal and I want to remember things while I can.
For those of you that don't know, I have recentely been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa otherwise knows as RP. I will fill you in on what RP is and what it means for me.

What is RP?: Rp is an inherited progressive disorder in which there are abnormalities of the photoreceptors (rods & cones) or the pigment of the retina, which may lead to progressive vision loss. Individuals that have RP have night vision loss and they lose their peripheral vision as well. Sometimes they lose their central vision late in the course. Many people retain some of their sight all of their lives, others may go completely blind. Progressive RP is different in every case.

My diagnosis: I have been going to a very thorough eye doctor for some time now. They do every kind of test imaginable at this office, which I love because most eye drs don't do that, they just want you in and out of there in a hurry. Anyways, the tech had taken some photos of my eyes and when the dr was reading them he noticed some black spots on the sides of my eyes. Well, the black spots didn't mean anything to me at the time, but he wanted to do some more thorough testing. He had one of the techs do a test where you are looking into...lets just say a drumb. They make you wear a patch over one eye so your only looking out the one eye. When they start the test, there are blinking lights all over the inside of the drumb and they flash randomly but you have to keep looking at the light in front of you. I will just say one thing.....this test sucked! It was awful. Well the results came back and they were not good, not good at all. I was not seeing any of the blinking lights peripheraly, just the ones that were flashing in front of me. I made another appt to come back and take the same test because the dr thought maybe the tech did something wrong or it was me and I was just not cooperating, ha. Whatever.....
The next time I went back, I took the same test with the same tech, clicked the button whenever I saw a light (I was trying so hard) and still the results came back bad. Well now the dr was getting worried and it was freaking me out. He decided he wanted to give me the test to see how I did. Just to make sure I was positioned right, was clicking the button and what not.
After that test I was done with it. I didn't want to take it anymore. The test results came back bad once more. I still was not seeing the blinking lights out of my peripheral vision. The dr decided to send me to a retina specialist because he thought that my retina was thinning. Thinning of the retina didn't sound so bad, right?

Que to the retina specialist. I had my mom go with me to this appt because I didn't want to go by myself and I was a little nervous. I know...pathetic. I'm 40 years old and I still make mom come with me. :) He pretty much did some more thorough testing, said alot of really big words, took tons more pictures, which were so cool! At this appt the retina specialist pretty much diagnosed me with RP. He kind of explained to me what it was and he talked to me a little about treatment. But the treatment would come later. I now had to go to the Moran Eye Center in SLC for more testing and a "full diagnosis".

The Moran Eye Center- Oh, I was so so nervous going to Moran. I had myself worked up, was nervous and sick to my stomach. Blech. First of all, the Doctor was loopy, ha. When I say loopy, I mean so loooooopy. Second of all.....more testing! I was sick of tests at this point.

Mom and Brittany came with me again on this appt because I knew they were dilating my eyes and there was no way I could drive home, let alone find my way home. The tests here were a little different, but probably more thorough. I saw that dreaded "drumb machine" in the same room where we were and was freaking out cause I did not want to do that ever again! Anyways, he numbed and dilated my eyes, like 3 times I swear. After they were dilated, mom and I had to sit in the same room in pitch blackness for 15 minutes to get my eyes used to the dark. Ok weird. So here we are mom and I....talking to each other in the dark and not being able to see each other. It was just weird.

After 15 minutes he came back in and he had to wear this lamp on his head so he could put in these ghetto contacts. When I had to take my "real" contacts out.....wow, that was a story in itself, ha. I will just say i was nervous and dropped one on the floor...oops..... Back to the ghetto contacts...... they were like suction cups, but really soft and they had these square parts around them that is supposed to hold your eyelids open. Its hard to explain, but you get the idea. So he put those in, and then I had to look into a drumb machine again, but this time there were only 3 lights that blinked and I didn't have to push any buttons. We did it once in the dark and once in the light. I had my results right after the test and it was poor, which means the retina specialist was right and I did have RP. Boo!

Treatment- I got a call from the retina specialist the next day telling me that I need to make an appt with my regular dr to get a liver function test and talk to her about Vitamin A. If my liver is ok and I am put on Vitamin A, it does things to your liver so they have to monitor it more. The Vitamin A is supposed to slow down the progression of RP, but only like 2% a year.
Until I talk to my regular dr. and the retina specialist, I don't know that I will take the Vitamin A yet. I know that my body is different than everyone elses and the Vitamin A probably would be ok, its just that I have had a traumatic experience with Bethies sister going blind from taking minicyline with Vitamin A in it. Its hard for me to see Amanda the way she is. I know that she is fine, but the experience that she went through was terrible and I don't want to be like that.

The retina specialist told me that I should have my central vision for a very long time. How long that will be, I do not know. Right now I have a very hard time seeing at night. I have very little peripheral vision. I'm worried that I will lose some of my driving priviledges and I don't want to be dependant on other people. I know that people love me and they would do it for me, but its hard. I didn't want to write this post to have people feel sorry for me. I know that I will be ok, I just know that I will need to make some adjustments. I wish things in life were a little more easier, but sometimes we are dealt things to make us stronger. We shall see....
I will try and keep you all posted on things as they transpire.

Have a great weekend! :)

Lion King...

They did a segment of this amazing musical on Dancing With The Stars on Wednesday night and now I really really want to see it. It is playing in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay. Anyone want to buy me tickets? Puuuuulease! :)

Grand Tetons

The long anticipated wait to go the the Tetons was finally over, but oh how I did not want it to end! So much to see, yet so little time. In the end it was so worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat come rain or shine.

This time around we drove by Bear Lake. I had never been there so I was pretty excited to at least "see" it. :) On our way through we stopped and got some of these.....

....ooOOoo they were delish! Would take these over strawberries anyday!

We arrived at our campsite pretty late Friday night so we were not able to see anything. The next couple of days, this is what we were able to see. Love these mountains!
{ click on the pictures to make them bigger }

I think since we got there we were pretty much on the hunt for any sort of wildlife possible. We drove by Oxbow Bend several times with no luck. We drove up signal moutnain several times and only saw one deer. I really wanted to see a bear!

The next day some of us rode the boat across Jackson Lake....

..... and hiked to see Hidden Falls. I don't think I will ever be disappointed with this hike and seeing this waterfall.

These are just some cute pictures of Holly and Abbi at camp and at Jackson Lake Lodge.

I think next time we go, we might take this.....

but if we take the plane, we won't see a big ol' moose like this guy . Seriously....he was HUGE!!

Highlights of the trip:

-seeing my brother and niece and nephews at bear lake. Totally random..

-hearing the elk bugle...so cool!

-campfires

-listening to the coyotes howl..kind of scarey, yet really cool.

-shopping in Jackson

-spending time with great friends and family.

-seeing a moose! :)

I can't wait until next time. I hope it won't be as long as it has this trip.

Va-ca-tion :)

It has been about 3 years since I have been here....

I'm super excited that I am going there for 4 whole days this weekend. I seriously can't wait! I have been wanting to go camping for so long. :) The mountains are beautiful, I love seeing wildlife in captivity, hiking, going down the river, spending time with friends/family and just all around relaxing! YAY! Pictures to come........... :)

Announcing....

Taylor Jared Kropf

8 lbs. 9 oz.

21 inches long

Born about 2:10 pm on August 31, 2009

Congratulations Jared, Sharon & big sister Holly!! :)

{pictures coming soon}

Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy....

Saw these very talented guys at the Scera Shell last night. Don't know much about them, didn't think I would like them, but they were truly

AMAZING!!

The lead singer/guitarist reminded me so much of Frank Sinatra with his deep voice and his very classy dance moves. All the other guys could play their instrument like no other. I would go see them again in a heartbeat!

Birthday thoughts...

Today is my 40th birthday, which seems like a big deal yet it seems so impossible and sounds so old.
It seems silly to make a big t0-do over your own birthday, or to secretly hope someone else will throw together a huge birthday bash. But its kind of sad to let it pass without a festive nod of some sort.
As a blogger it feels funny to draw attention to my birthday by writing about it, but it feels wrong to let it pass without mention. So for now, I am just going to acknowledge it and accept it. I guess this is the state of mind that I have been in for the last several weeks, because I have been dreading turning 40.
I guess this is reality and the fact that I am even publishing my age here on my blog shows great progress.
I think there is a couple of different things that have helped me in reaching this age. One being that I regualarly get told that I look about 10 years younger. I am amused by this, but I am definetely not complaining. :) Two is that I have so many wonderful people in my life. Whether it is family or friends or even complete strangers. They have helped me be who I am today and I love them for that.
I guess I don't have time to worry about silly things like getting older. There is a much bigger picture and I realize that they don't really matter in that big picture anymore.

I think I have figured out how to like and accept myself and that is exactly as I am. It doesn't really matter what age it is when that happens but it is going to be a beautiful one when it does.

So..... Happy Birthday to me! :)

Happy Birthday to......

.....someone who

• has the biggest heart
• is a great photographer
• would by you a candy bar if they had the money :)
• tells you their secrets
• is like the sister I never had
• would do anything for you if it came right down to it
• goes by the name crash or eddie
• can sing karioke like no other
• has the most beautiful blue eyes

Happy Birthday Brittany!!

I love you!!

Card...

Here is a card that I made for Beths sister-in-law. She is expecting a little boy in August. They are throwing her a baby shower this weekend in Logan. I am excited to see all the cute things she will be receiving(Ahem, Carly!) Just thought I would share this card, I thought it turned out pretty cute.

This is the inside of the card.

My latest addiction...

I love love love the show Army Wives on Lifetime! I saw it advertised and thought it looked really good. I didn't want to start watching it in the middle, so I started on season 1 and am now playing catch up. It really does hit close to home,not only what the people in the army go through, but what the wives go through while they are away. I find myself crying on each episode that I watch. Oh, and the music on each episode is amazing! You should check it out.

Who doesn't like zucchini fresh right out of the garden? My mom has been giving me some from her garden and I'm loving it. The best way I have found to eat it, other than zucchini bread is slice it up with the peeling still on(peel it if you like). Put it on a cookie sheet and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Add some salt, pepper and garlic salt and toss so it is coated. Put it in the oven on a hight heat, turning occasionely. Keep an eye on it, it cooks pretty fast. Delish!

Pioneer Day 2009

What a way to celebrate Pioneer Day with country music from the 80's and 90's and love songs that you never seem to forget. Restless Heart and Collin Rae came to the scera shell and performed under the stars, which is the best setting ever!! It was a fun night.

Favorite Restless Heart songs:

• I'll Still Be Loving You
• Why Does It Have To Be (wrong or right)
• When She Cries
• Bluest Eyes in Texas
• A Tender Lie
• That Rock Won't Roll
• Fast Movin' Train
• Long Lost Friend
• Dancy's Dream
  

Favorite Songs of Collin Rae:

• Love Me
• I Can Still Feel You
• That Was A River
• One Boy, One Girl
• Little Rock
• When I Think About You
• In This Life
• The Gift

I hope you all had a fun and safe Pioneer Day!!

Steel Days '09

I am a little late posting about this years Steel Days events. Better late than never, right? It turned out to be a full day of fun for everyone.
We started out the day with the parade, which was super long (about 2 hrs) serioulsy! Oh and lets not forget about sitting in 100 degree weather for those 2 hrs or so..yeah, definetely miserable! But we had a great time and we had a great spot with shade from mom and dads umbrella. :) Whos complaining?
Mom, Bethie and I went and walked around the car show and boutique after the parade. There was a lot of saweeet cars there. Mom kept saying, "we used" to have a car like this or "we used" to have a car like that. I think she was wishing she still had all of them and is kickin herself for not keeping them. Good times....
Bethie and I walked down to main street and watched the cars drag main later after the car show. I don't know which was funnier.. the crazy people watching the cars drive by, or the people in the cars wondering about us crazy people watching them, ha!
What a busy day it was, but the fun wasn't over yet. We still had a BBQ to go to at mom and dads and then the fireworks after. As always AF city puts on a great fireworks show, and we have the best seats in town with parking!! We can see them in mom and dads backyard, Its so great! Here are a few shots of our fun day. :)

Can I just say that I love all of them!!

American Fork marching band, cinderalla, the bagpipes and rainbow brite were a few of my favs.

{ Ice Age 3 }

Yesterday, it was an Ice Age family reunion! The whole herd...ehh em...I mean the whole family met at the theatre to to see Ice Age 3 in 3D.

The cast consisted of:

** Stacey as......SID

"I'm too young to be eaten!"

**Jacki as....MANNY

"After we rescue Sid, I'm going to kill him!"

**Brittany as....CRASH

"Wait.You mean there is something "bigger"than mommy dinosaur?"

**Mom as...EDDIE

"Uhh, can you repeat the question?"

**Bethie(not in attendance)as....DIEGO

"Look, who are we kidding, Manny, I'm-I'm-I'm not a kitty cat, I'm a sabre. I'm not really built for chaperoning play dates."

We also need someone to to play the role of BUCK and SCRAT. I think Kim as Buck and Dad playing the role of Scrat would work out just fine. :D

Well, if you have not read a previous post of my family and our "inside joke" of ice age, you should check it out sometime, it is quite hilarious.

Anywhooooo....Ice Age 3 was pretty good. Although it was not my favorite, I give it about 3 stars. My favorite is the first one of this series. So, if you have not checked it out, I recommend it and its a must to see it in 3D.

Here is Mom, Brittany and myself sporting our awesome 3D glasses.

haha...look at Brittanys eyes, she has glasses under her glasses

It was a fun day at the movies with the fam. Love them!

4th of July Festivities

I love the 4th of July! I am so very proud to live in this country and be an American! Thanks to all those soldiers out there that are fighting so hard for our freedom.
So, I drove back up to Logan for the 4th of July weekend. We had some fun things planned and I had to pick bethie up as well because she spent the week at Amanda and Quintins.

Friday night we went and watched the fireworks at the stadium...well, we didn't go in the stadium, we sat nearby. Carries family had saved some spots so we just sat with them. We ordered a few pizzas and just hung out waiting for the fireworks to start.

Abbi before the fireworks started

Bethie and I...yeah, carrie didn't want to be left out of the picture..haha!

I didn't think that the fireworks were really that good this year. The grand finale was really lame! I couldn't believe that Abbi was not scared at all with the loud noises that comes with the fireworks. Look at her...she is in a daze and concentrating so hard. Love it!

Saturday morning we were able to make it to the parade in Hyrum. We left kind of late, but were able to get ok seats at the cemetary. I love parades but it seems like there are no floats anymore. Its all just advertising for businesses and what fun is that for the kids to just see cars and firetrucks driving down the road?

Here is Quintin,Tim and Amanda at the parade

This is the first parade that Abbi has been to that she was really aware of what was going on. She loved it and was waving to everyone. Here she is just patiently waiting for the parade to start.

Here is the many cute faces of Abbi. This is here "oooooooh" face. And look at me, I'm trying to copy her, ha!

She was clapping at something here. It could have been the marching band from mountain crest.

We didn't walk around any of the booths in Hyrum or at the fairgrounds this year. It was just to darn HOT! Amanda, Quintin, Bethie and I decided to go to lunch at The Beehive Grill. It was pretty good, but our waiter was kind of lame.

A little while later we walked up to main street from Amandas house and watched the Cruise In. This is where the oldies cars that were at the fairgrounds are able to drag main for a little bit while all of us watch them drive by. Here are a couple of my favorites.....

I took a picture of this car for a reason. My parents had this exact same car. Same color, same model, same everything. They gave it away to the boy scouts so they could use it in a demolition derby...what were they thinking?? I think they are kicking themselves now after seeing this picture.

Haha...this is the Back to the Future car. See the resemblance?? Even the driver and passenger look like good ole' doc.

After we watched the cars drag main, we all went over to Karl and Beckys for a bonfire where we roasted some hot dogs, made s'mores and just visited with great friends.

Once again, it was a really fun and memorable weekend in Logan.

I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July! :)