Recent Drawing....

..... "It took me like 3 hours to shade the upper lip" :) (name that movie)

For a long time Patrick has wanted me to draw a picture of how I envision Christ to look. He has mentioned it on a number of occasions, but I have always put it off for a number of reasons. First of all, how intimidating is it to try and draw the Savior?? Mr. Perfect? Like I wanted to take the chance of not doing Him justice. Secondly, I am a very harsh critic when it comes to pictures done of Christ, so naturally I knew I would be just as harsh on my own. There are only a few pictures I actually like of Him, so I didn't want mine to be added to the "dislike" pictures.

Well I finally decided to stop putting it off and to at least try a rough draft. Seeing how Christmas was coming up I decided it would be the best time to focus on drawing Christ. There was a slow day at work and I had my sketch pad with me. So I started this picture out by using a mechanical pencil (big mistake, I know) so it was hard to hide that fact later on. Anyway, I ended up finishing this at home with some better lighting than inside the mobile unit. It was kind of ironic that I ended up using drawing materials he bought me years ago when he found out I was into art. It ended up coming in handy afterall :) So here is the final product of my rough draft (yes, I realize the many flaws and know what I want to fix for the final):

The two main things I wanted to focus on were His eyes and smile. I wanted his eyes to be full of light, because He is our light. I wanted him to have a smile (not a creepy one showing his teeth- I HATE those ones, but I didn't want a creeper smile either...more difficult to do than you would think!). I just feel like so many times artists depict Jesus as this very somber, serious, non-smiling man. To me I would like to think that He is very inviting, personable, and happy. Anyway, I could go off on my opinions but I'll end my little soap box there.

Zoomed out. I had to include my easel because it means a lot to me. My Grandpa Guest is an amazing artist. He also can build anything he puts his mind to. He knew I was into art of all kinds and built me this easel to make it easier for me. It has made such a difference! He is an Engineer so he made all these little gadgets on it so I can fit any kind of size of paper and tilt it as much or as little as my heart desires. I love it. And I love my Grandpa, one of the coolest men I have ever known!

Different lighting, a little dark...

Well, there ya have it. Open to critiques

HOLY Liver & Spleen!!!

I know I still haven't posted much about Christmas, but I have been waiting to get some pictures I took with my sister's camera. So in the meantime I couldn't resist posting this. Let me explain...

I finished a scan at work, and as I was processing the images I came across the BIGGEST liver and Spleen I have ever seen on a human being! Just in case some of you wouldn't know the difference, I posted a picture of what a normal one looks like compared to the huge one I scanned. Don't worry HIPPA, I didn't want to lose my job so I removed all information :)
Here we have a normal Spleen:

Now here is the Ginormous Spleen! Can you belive it??! It's bigger than some livers that I have seen!

Normal Liver:

HUGE Liver! I swear it is taking over this patient's body! Well this may be nerdy to post, but I did anyway. Maybe someone out there will appreciate this craziness as much as me.

Carma is Real!

A week before Christmas I had a cancer patient. For HIPPA reasons I won't get too detailed, but he was around my dad's age. I was striking conversation as I was starting an IV on him and I asked him if he had any fun Christmas plans. His response was, "No, I have been alone for so long that it is just another day for me." He has been single since the 90's and has no children or any other extended family. He has felt too sick to date since then and then had a heart attack 2 months after he was forced to retire due to his health. He had a bad migraine that day and also mentioned how he probably had one foot in the grave anyway. Hearing all of this hit me really hard. Here there is this fairly young man who is living completely alone, and has for many years.

After work he was still on my mind. So I decided to send him a Christmas package. He was diabetic (like many patients) so I got him some sugar free goodies and got some headache meds (for any other attacks he may have) and gave him a card saying Christmas shouldn't just be another day to anyone and wished him "Many many more Merry Christmases" and told him it was because I like to think positively that he DOES have more. I wrote more stuff but don't feel it necessary to share.

Anyway, a week went by and I was at work. Our work day was a disaster with many different things going wrong, including very difficult patients to deal with. Both my coworker and I were both getting really frazzled and were both ready for the day to be over with, but still had quite a bit to go. I was almost to my "snapping" point when there was a knock on the trailer door with my former patient! He came to bring me a little Christmas gift and to thank me for brightening his day. It couldn't have come at a better time! Here is a picture of the gift package:

It's like he has known me forever because the mug says, "Gimme some sugar!" And everyone knows how much I love sugar. The card says:

ONE SEED- can start a garden

ONE SMILE- Can lift a spirit

ONE CANDLE- can light a room

ONE CONVERSATION- can start a friendship

ONE PERSON- can make all the difference, that one is YOU

I invited him in to visit and he updated me on some results of the scan. He then gave me a hug then had to leave. But seriously good carma couldn't have happened at a better time. It was what I needed to keep going that day at work and to not snap at my ornery patient :) (don't worry, I haven't ever snapped...yet anyway). Well this story probably isn't cool to anyone else but me. But it is still comforting to know that carma still has it's way of coming around when you need it!

Love Me some Babies!

For friends and family it has been 'baby season' and I love it! I don't know what has gotten into me lately (maybe it's my biological clock telling me my ovaries are shriveling up and I need to act fast...haha) but I am obsessed and love babies. So during the last little bit and during holiday family get togethers I have been oh so lucky to come into contact with some cute little ones.

First is little Ammon. He is my cousin's, Chaz & Sara's little boy. I wish this picture would do his beautiful blue eyes justice. This was only my second time seeing him since they live so far away, but he was well behaved the whole time I got to hold him.

This next little fella is my co-woker, Carly's, first little boy. I can't believe how big he is already getting. I swear I cause him to get hiccups because every time I have seen him he has had them. I'm waiting for Carly to gain the courage to let me watch him while she goes out to play :)

My cousin, Shauna stopped through Utah before heading home. This is her little girl, Ayla. I couldn't get over how tiny she was and how cute! If you look at the girl below Ayla, she is a few months younger but they are about the same size! (But Ayla's head is smaller). It was funny to watch her crawl. It didn't even seem like she was big enough to lift her own head yet. She was so well behaved too.

This last one is my cousin, Heather's, little girl- Lauren. She has gotten crazy big. I got to watch her for a bit while Heather was busy with wedding flower plan's for my sister, Stacy. (P.S.- I'm secretly hoping she has an accidental honeymoon baby so I can watch her baby while she works to put her husband through school. What color are the placebo birth control pills...? heheh- evil laugh). Anyway, Lauren is at the fun age now where she smiles back and is learning how to use her voice for things other than crying. She is a very well behaved, cute baby!

Well there you go, since I can't brag about my own babies I'll brag about some of my favorites for now. There is just something about babies that just makes my day. They are just so cuddly, loving, and non prejudice against anything. I could hold them all day!....(yes that was a hint to any moms out there reading this. Even if you just want a 30 min- 1 hr nap, say the word and I'll fill in for you!)

Kinda random, but that is all.

Teaching an old dog new tricks = Tailbone crack-a-lackin'

For years and years living in Utah, I have always dreaded the Winter season. Snow has served me no purpose other than causing much unneeded heartburn while fishtailing in my car driving to work. I HATE having to get up extra early to scrape off my car, and HATE never being able to get warm, and DOUBLE HATE driving in it. Especially since my work takes me to far places at times. Anyway, after battling it for so long, Kristin (my sister) and I decided to turn lemons into lemonade and learn how to Snowboard! This way, we will actually be able to enjoy the Winter season. Due to some great deals, this last Saturday we decided to go to Snow Basin. Included in our little package deal was our rentals and a 2 hour lesson with an instructor.

Kristin and I on our way up, getting our excited game faces on (we have been talking about doing this for years now)

One of Snow Basin's Lodges

It was a BEAUTIFUL saturday morning. Look at this Mountain! Looks like a fake back drop

Arrived and ready to go

Boot rentals....CHECK (classiest boots you will ever see, Napolean would be jealous)

Snowboard Rentals......CHECK. It's becoming more real!...

Sitting in the lodge, waiting for 10am to roll around (they told us to get there at 8:30 to get rentals and everything in order. Good thing it only took us like 20 minutes. Needless to say we had a lot of time on our hands)

Kreest & I posing in front of the amazing view. It is almost time to board!

So 10am finally arrived. We were a little nervous at first that the class size would be huge, or that we would be these old women compared to the rest of the class of like 5 year olds. We lucked out though, WE were the young ones. There was just one other guy in our group who was a father (probably in his 40's). He was a way nice guy. Our instructor taught us the basics, and then had us go on our merry way to the lift. We were a little nervous on how to get off of the lift since our instructor said this part can sometimes be difficult for some, but we all made it without falling. Good start, right? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves now.

We strapped in our second boot and it was time to go down the "bunny hill" HA! That was NO bunny hill my friends! At the end of the day we looked at the hill from afar and were surprised that we actually survived our first day on that thing. Anyway, our instructor started us by trying to get us to practice going and stopping on our heel edge. That idea was comforting to me because I love heel edge when I wakeboard. Our instructor, Kyle Johnson (ask for him if you want to take lessons) told us if we are ever about to hit someone, it is best to just fall. So, being a crowded Saturday (some of the slopes weren't open yet so it was pretty packed) and getting behind Kristin or little tiny ski students I fell quite a few times to avoid disaster collisions.

The second run down was going way better and our instructor told us he was impressed at how we were catching on. So he decided it was time for us to learn stopping with our toe edge. Can I just say how much I HATE toe edge?! So at the bottom of the slope there is a steeper hill. He wanted us to get the feel of going backwards toe side down the entire hill. For some reason my snowboard decided to stick while my body kept flying backwards. Then the next thing I know is I am on my butt with an excruciating pain jarring from my tailbone all the way up my spine. It was the kind that instantly takes your breath away and it shot my entire body into that stiff as a board look. I had to immediately roll over on my stomach, still not able to breathe. I had to lay there while I watched Kristin struggle down the hill. I was finally able to shake it off to keep going. But I swear one false move and my tailbone will detach from the last muscle fiber thread that's keeping it in tact! Kyle said my tailbone is probably going to be jacked up for the rest of the season. Awesome (something to look forward to). But it is still KILLING. I seriously can't sit down without looking completely ridiculous.

Other than the crack-a-lackin' tailbone fall, it wasn't too bad. Kristin had a few bad crashes to the point where her hat flew off a couple of times. I guess I'm just a more graceful crasher:) We both had a lot of good gut-laughs though. We are for sure going to keep at this new sport!

Here is our instructor, Kyle Johnson. Read below about his amazing story of his past 6 months of life (he was even on the show "The Doctors"...which I love!)

Cool story about Kyle. In June (yes, only 6 months ago) he was in a horrible long boarding accident where he landed with his head straight onto the pavement. The doctors in the ER stopped counting how many pieces his skull was shattered in after 10, plus when they would pull some off ,there was bone falling on the floor. His brain swelled twice its original size! So they removed most of his skull and froze it for 3 weeks while he was in a coma, and just wrapped his head while he was out. The doctors said they didn't have much hope for survival, and at best he would be a vegetable. They also said he would probably be paralyzed, be deaf, and blind. He said his dad gave him a blessing that was quick. He told me what was said, but I'm not going to share because it is kind of personal and don't know if he would want me sharing. His spine, eyes, and ears all healed themselves. He had to relearn how to walk and talk. He said that by the books, to this day, he should still be in recovery. There are a few doctors interested in his case because of his remarkable, unexplainable recovery. He was even on the "The Doctors" (Helmet Safety for kids- Part I and II if you're interested in watching the clips) I love that show. He said he can't remember Christmases, Birthdays, and even the story of David and Goliath was completely new to him (I thought that was kinda funny). Another funny thing was when he woke up in the hospital he thought he was in the telestial kingdon so he was all depressed and discouraged thinking "this is crap, I didn't do anything bad!" haha. He was way cool and funny. It is amazing though, that he should still be in recovery but instead he is a snowboard instructor! He still has hydrocephalus and says he has constant headaches (my sister, Stacy, can relate with her "chronic headache" diagnosis). He looks amazing, looking at him you would never had guessed that his skull at one point was all one big shattered mess. What's up priesthood power?! I know not everyone believes in the "Mormon" religion, but how could anyone question the power the priesthood holds after hearing this story??! Amazing.

"Mimicking my mood" flowers

Look at these beautiful flowers I was given! Bet you can't guess who gave them to me....this person is HOT and one of my best friends...still don't know? It was Carbomb! (My friend Carly for those of you who didn't recognize her nickname) Sorry to disappoint anyone out there who thought it may have been from a guy. All I can say to that idea is, "Hahahahaha!" jk. Just thought I'd mess around for a bit. ANYWAY, I had cut her hair a few days before and she came back to thank me cause she is sweet like that. I really love the colors on the flowers.

Notice how they are all growing and leaning towards one side? AWAY from the cold, snowy outdoors? Yep, after a few days of sitting on the table thats what happened. It made me laugh. I can't say I blame them, they are just like me- I HATE the cold and being cold. Probably cause my cold blooded body and death hands/feet keep me from ever being completely warm.

I can't get over how beautiful the colors were, the picture just doesn't do them justice

Our new pet, Bambi

This little fella was stuck in our backyard for a couple of days (we think he couldn't jump our tall fences) He stayed in the same little area for most of the time. We opened our front fence gate hoping he would find his way out. Even his parents came back for him. Looks like he found his escape, though, cause we haven't seen him in a few days. It was fun while it lasted, he was super cute and fluffy. I wanted to go out there and pet those cheaks! (the facial kind, not the other kind) :)

My New Baby

After much research and thought I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a new car. I decided after the first snow fall this year that it was time to prevent any more gray hairs or near-cardiac arrests. I had some really close calls to deathly car accidents with my old car last winter and was not about to go through with more. So here it is! It's funny, I've never been a fan of black cars cause you have to wash them so much, and black interior seemed so depressing. But they didn't have what I wanted anywhere in Utah, so they said they would give me free car washes any time I want. Now the black is kind of growing on me.

Chevron Experience

This may sound really cheesy of me, but every morning I pray for a service opportunity. Some days I ask to be inspired on a specific person, others just for the opportunity. Well, this particular morning I just asked for the opportunity. As I got off of work, I decided to go fill up my car. While my car was filling up I was sitting in my car I heard a knock on my window. There was a young man (about my age, maybe a little older). He was holding a Chevron gift card in his hand and offered to sell it for $8.00 when it was actually worth $10.00, giving me a $2.00 discount. He then shared with me his situation where he needed the cash to get some food for himself and his little daughter (he recently got full custody of). He said I would be doing a huge favor in helping him make it to his final destination, Logan. To be honest I was a little hesitant because you hear of scams like this all the time. However, my morning prayer came to mind and I thought this could be my "opportunity." Either way, I wasn't going to let a little bit of money stand in the way of giving me the chance to blow it (I can use all the help I can get with brownie points with the Man upstairs). Anyway, I handed him $15 instead cause that was all the cash I had. When I told friends and family about what had just happened they all told me I was totally scammed. HOWEVER, I am happy to announce that today when I was filling up my card again there really was $10 on the card. So I just want to let all the pessimists who told me I was scammed know that not all people are bad, there is still good in the world! :) How refreshing!

Happy HallOWEN

You are probably thinking that I am a moron who can't spell "Halloween"....wrong! I do. However, my co-worker/friend, Carly, just had her baby! She was due October 29th, which is around Halloween. When I found out what they were going to name their baby boy I came up with the idea to make her a halloween costume where her big belly could be a pumpkin. Then I figured I might as well include Owen in on the fun. I think Owen liked the Halloween theme so much he ended up waiting to be born ON HALLOWEEN!! I think we are going to be great friends if he's already playing along with my ideas:) Anyway, the shirt says, "Happy HallOWEN"

This is Carly seeing the shirt for the first time when I gave it to her, she is fixing to laugh

I made her model the shirt for me so we could see the pumpkin belly. She never even got that big, lucky little B :)

Cute pregnant woman!

Here is a blanket I made for her. I went back and forth on what kind of font to use for his name, but I thought having a little bit of a swirly font was fun. Here is the final product (don't look at my stitchwork too closely, I'm no seamstress yet)

Now here is a separate little story. I found out Sunday morning that she had little Owen. I told her beforehand if she were to have him during the Halloween holiday I was going to visit her dressed in a certain costume. Rewind a few weeks: At work at Ogden Regional Medical Center we, as "medical" employees, had to read up on a big powerpoint presentation, then take a test. Some of the test went over different "Codes" they have in a hospital. Well, "Code Pink" means "Child Abduction." So I thought it would be funny to go dressed up in all the Pink attire possible with a name tag of "Code Pink." Hence my crazy pink eye shadow and lips and outfit, I don't like pink THAT much folks. I had planned on getting a huge poster board to write it and attach a ton of pink balloons, but it happened fast and it was on a Sunday so I couldn't go to the store, so I had to improvise a bit.

(me before I'm about to enter the hospital and make a fool of myself to all employees and others in the halls. If you can't read the sign it says, "Hi, my name is CODE PINK)

(Me FINALLY meeting baby Owen, he is SO SO CUTE!!! I was instantly in love..haha wow, I'm talking like I'm his mother or something:) but code pink may apply cause I wanted to take him home with me)

The pictures we got he had fallen asleep, but I did get to see his eyes! That's rare for me

(He has Carly's nose, and Kevins eyes...but thats just my opinion. Seriously, how could you not just love that face??!)

(I could stare at that perfect face all day if they would let me. He makes the funniest faces, and has the CUTEST sneeze)

(Here's the brand new mom, she looks flippin awesome for giving birth 12 hrs before this photo. I had the camera ready to go in my "costume" (Pink hoodie over my head and all) so I could capture her reaction. I was just glad she remembered what "code pink" meant or I would have looked like an idiot. Oh, and you can kind of see Owen's eyes opened in this picture.

Wow, I am in a phase of life where I am in love with little babies. So if any of you out there with babies needs a nap or a break, give me a call and I will be there to soak in some baby-time!