This week Emily had a trip over to BYU (the cursed school that didn't accept her) for a German language festival. She and her friend Morgan had to make a DVD for the competition. Now, I don't know any German, but it involved library books, a pig hand puppet, a hammer, and a video camera. They had a great time making the video, and Emily only stayed up until 2 am the night before to finish the editing on it. The next day she left after school and headed out with some other students and was gone for about 24 hours. So Erik, Scott and I got a little taste of what our life will be like once Emily departs from school.
Over the last several months the senior year has seemed to suck up our entire family. Between hectic schedules, college choices, German exchanges, and other Senior stuff, our lives have been revolving around a certain 17 year old. Not that I have enjoyed the experience, I'm just wondering why the senior year has to last a whole year, not to mention the expense. Every time we turn around there is another $300 dollars having to go somewhere. So now we are in the final push, about three weeks to go, and in about 5 weeks she will leave for Germany for 3 weeks. Then it will be teaching her how to do her own laundry and off to Golden. Not that the rest of us are counting the months...
Well intentioned friends and co-workers have made several comments to me about how much I will miss her once she is comfortably ensconced in her residence hall...I smile and say, "We'll see...". The truth of the matter is I will miss her, but we could use a little break from all the hub-bub. Erik is counting the days until he is an only child and Scott is looking forward to getting his workshop back. (Oh yeah, that has been taken over and put on hold while we are doing the Architectural Design class this quarter) So we shall see...but we have to send her away to miss her....
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Happy as Lola
In two weeks I have a large celebratory BBQ planned for my little senior. The weather has not exactly been cooperating. I know what you are thinking..."You would think Allison would have learned from her wedding reception, and never scheduled anything in the yard during May ever again". Well...that may be true, but I have no control over when GJHS graduates the latest crop. Anyway, you would think that yesterday I would have had Scott busily raking, mowing and cleaning up in general. But the truth of the matter is that I detest yard work. Oh, I love being outside and doing things, just not attempting to grow, rake, or fertilize anything.
I do have my priorities, and yesterday was the day to get some relocating done for the animals. Which means, the big chickens needed a temporary coop erected, the baby chicks needed to have their coop cleaned and the run blocked off, the goats needed to get in the way, and Lola the lonesome pig needed a better shelter. Truthfully, anytime we have turned out with the goats she runs around the pen, goes in the goat shelter and takes a nap. I know, I know, I thought that was all taken care of with the camper shell and the straw bales. But, it turns out that pigs are just as capable of getting into mischief as the goats. Plus, their snouts are extremely strong. So the pigs began working on the bales of the camper shell almost immediately, then I purchased some cinder blocks to put the camper shell on (I know, this is a classy animal operation). Unfortunately, the pigs also can move the darn cinder blocks and finally about a week ago Lola managed to collapse the camper shell on top of her. I fixed it, but she refused to go in, and I mean refused! The temperature got down to 25 degrees, it snowed and still, on shear principle, she refused. I felt so bad, she was out there shivering in the cold, huddled under the trees...it was pitiful.
So this Saturday I convinced Scooter that the thing to do was to take an old Rubbermaid shed (you know the kind you get at Sam's club) that we had and relocate it to Lola. Now bear in mind that we have had this Rubbermaid shed for about 13 years. We actually purchased it while we lived on base, moved it over here and have been "storing" yard stuff in it. Now when I say storing, I really mean just opening the doors, throwing stuff in there and hoping our little snakes don't come slithering out because we disturbed them. So Scott and I dismantled the shed, and it turns out from all the yard stuff I had in there, I really should have a gorgeous yard. But we re-assembled the thing out in Lola's pen and threw in a fresh bale of straw.
As soon as Lola went back in her pen, I showed her the new addition. She couldn't believe it, she walked right in, stood there and just stared! Then she started arranging her straw. I went out later to check on her and she was laying in the doorway, sleeping in the sun. She didn't even open her eyes when I went in and scratched her chin...just laid there and smiled. This morning I went out and she sat on her haunches, looked at me, yawned a few times and promptly laid back down! She is so happy, happy, happy that even Frank hanging around outside her gate doesn't even irritate her.
So it got me thinking, how would it be to have as much joy from the simplest things in life? How much better would all our lives be if a Rubbermaid shed and a bale of straw could make us happy? We all worry way to much, think to much and plan to much. So, I hope I can remember the smile on her face and remember what true joy really is.
I do have my priorities, and yesterday was the day to get some relocating done for the animals. Which means, the big chickens needed a temporary coop erected, the baby chicks needed to have their coop cleaned and the run blocked off, the goats needed to get in the way, and Lola the lonesome pig needed a better shelter. Truthfully, anytime we have turned out with the goats she runs around the pen, goes in the goat shelter and takes a nap. I know, I know, I thought that was all taken care of with the camper shell and the straw bales. But, it turns out that pigs are just as capable of getting into mischief as the goats. Plus, their snouts are extremely strong. So the pigs began working on the bales of the camper shell almost immediately, then I purchased some cinder blocks to put the camper shell on (I know, this is a classy animal operation). Unfortunately, the pigs also can move the darn cinder blocks and finally about a week ago Lola managed to collapse the camper shell on top of her. I fixed it, but she refused to go in, and I mean refused! The temperature got down to 25 degrees, it snowed and still, on shear principle, she refused. I felt so bad, she was out there shivering in the cold, huddled under the trees...it was pitiful.
So this Saturday I convinced Scooter that the thing to do was to take an old Rubbermaid shed (you know the kind you get at Sam's club) that we had and relocate it to Lola. Now bear in mind that we have had this Rubbermaid shed for about 13 years. We actually purchased it while we lived on base, moved it over here and have been "storing" yard stuff in it. Now when I say storing, I really mean just opening the doors, throwing stuff in there and hoping our little snakes don't come slithering out because we disturbed them. So Scott and I dismantled the shed, and it turns out from all the yard stuff I had in there, I really should have a gorgeous yard. But we re-assembled the thing out in Lola's pen and threw in a fresh bale of straw.
As soon as Lola went back in her pen, I showed her the new addition. She couldn't believe it, she walked right in, stood there and just stared! Then she started arranging her straw. I went out later to check on her and she was laying in the doorway, sleeping in the sun. She didn't even open her eyes when I went in and scratched her chin...just laid there and smiled. This morning I went out and she sat on her haunches, looked at me, yawned a few times and promptly laid back down! She is so happy, happy, happy that even Frank hanging around outside her gate doesn't even irritate her.
So it got me thinking, how would it be to have as much joy from the simplest things in life? How much better would all our lives be if a Rubbermaid shed and a bale of straw could make us happy? We all worry way to much, think to much and plan to much. So, I hope I can remember the smile on her face and remember what true joy really is.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
A Day for Grace
Ten years ago today I should have been sitting up in St. Mary's hospital, holding a little pink bundle, counting fingers and toes. Scott and I should have been marveling at little pink cheeks, comparing her weight to our other kids, and fitting a new car seat into our lives. We should have....but we didn't. I never got to hold her, I didn't even have the courage to go in and see her. I can still remember lying in the hospital recovery room almost six months pregnant and having a doctor I had never met running an ultra sound over my tummy and clinically informing that my baby had died.
We named her Grace June. I don't know if she had lived if that would have been her name, but when they gave us the paperwork to fill out, Scott and I hadn't decided on a name, and so we named her after Scott's Grandmother and the middle name from my aunt that died in infancy.
Today was my due date, and even though I know that babies usually don't abide by a calendar, it's the date that I hold on to. Even though I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of both babies that I lost, the respective due dates are the hardest, February 15th and April 12th. Our first baby would have been 19 this year, and our little girl would have been 10. Missed birthday parties, blessings, baptisms, first days of school, dance recitals and Christmas mornings. Instead I have a little satin box with a few mementos from the hospital and a certificate of her birth. She was too little for her footprints to go on the certificate, right at a pound.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I haven't enjoyed or that I am not grateful for the children that I have, obviously from previous posts on this blog my children are an enormous joy in my life. But I miss the rest of my family. Maybe if I had been a little stronger, I would have tried again. I couldn't do it though, the fear of losing another child made Scott and I decide that even money would have to be good enough. Days like today though are pretty tough, I hope I get the rest of my children for the eternities. I hope...
I don't obsess about our loss, but I think at ten years our little girl deserves some acknowledgment.
We named her Grace June. I don't know if she had lived if that would have been her name, but when they gave us the paperwork to fill out, Scott and I hadn't decided on a name, and so we named her after Scott's Grandmother and the middle name from my aunt that died in infancy.
Today was my due date, and even though I know that babies usually don't abide by a calendar, it's the date that I hold on to. Even though I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of both babies that I lost, the respective due dates are the hardest, February 15th and April 12th. Our first baby would have been 19 this year, and our little girl would have been 10. Missed birthday parties, blessings, baptisms, first days of school, dance recitals and Christmas mornings. Instead I have a little satin box with a few mementos from the hospital and a certificate of her birth. She was too little for her footprints to go on the certificate, right at a pound.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I haven't enjoyed or that I am not grateful for the children that I have, obviously from previous posts on this blog my children are an enormous joy in my life. But I miss the rest of my family. Maybe if I had been a little stronger, I would have tried again. I couldn't do it though, the fear of losing another child made Scott and I decide that even money would have to be good enough. Days like today though are pretty tough, I hope I get the rest of my children for the eternities. I hope...
I don't obsess about our loss, but I think at ten years our little girl deserves some acknowledgment.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Times, they do be a changin'
I have some pretty random songs on my ipod. You can listen to anything from Johnny Mercer to U2 to Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack. Anyway, the other day we were driving along listening in the truck when an old Ray Stevens song came on, “It’s Me Again, Margaret”. I was singing along, laughing to myself when I noticed the confused looks on my children’s faces. Then I realized that my children did not know what a prank call was, they also didn’t know what the sound was at the end of the song, when he mimics a rotary dial phone. Kind of sad, in the day of digital and caller ID, prank calls have gone the way of the Dodo. On the other hand, I also had to explain what the song “The Streak” was, so it wasn’t a total loss.
What's In a Name?
Yesterday at work I received a customer complaint that I needed to respond to. I called and left a message for the lady, and waited for the return call. Usually I can tell the generation of people that I am going to talk to by either the area that they live or sometimes by their names. For instance there aren’t a lot of 20 year old Henry’s or Erwin, or Geraldine’s. But when the woman called me back I was surprised when she introduced herself on the phone as Mrs. Wayne Patterson. That got me thinking, because I am pretty sure I have NEVER introduced myself as Mrs. Scott Dederick. I have been called Mrs. Dederick, but never Mrs. Scott Dederick. That custom is from a time very long ago, and for that I am glad. But… I have decided that you all can now call me Mrs. Scooter, and you can start referring to my husband as Mr. Allison Dederick.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
And the decision is....
I know you have all been anxiously holding your breath...
So obviously, the campus tour went pretty well. I'm not sure if it was the talk of academic standards, the placement rates, or the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls (just kidding). But she really liked it, it is the closest one to home, and honestly one of the best engineering schools in the country. In the 7 from her tour group, there was only one other student from Colorado, the rest had all traveled pretty far just for the campus visit. They talked about how they didn't have an English department, or history, and if you were looking for a party - Boulder was 20 minutes north. Maybe it was because she was one of the students selected to fill one of the 850 spots available, that over 12,500 students had applied for this fall. So...there it is...
On a side note, Emily is currently available for adoption to any family that would like to pay for this portion of her life...anyone...OK. I guess we will get that figured out to!
GO OREDIGGERS!!!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dog Training
I have always been impressed by people that have dogs that do tricks. Run and fetch, sit, roll over, and shake hands. I however, have never had one of those dogs. Oh…I’ve had lots of dogs, but training them is something I have never figured out exactly how to do. Usually the dogs I get come from the shelter, and whomever had them first got them to mind their manners pretty good, however, a few months with me and they generally forget any training they previously had.
Now this is not to say that there is no dog training going on at our house, quite the contrary actually. My dogs have managed to train us very well indeed. They have trained us about when they want to come in the house or go out…at all hours of the day or the night. They have Scott trained to feed them anything he has on his plate at soon as I go out of the room. They have us trained to let them sleep wherever they want to, and buy them lots of doggie treats when we go to the store. They have us trained to pick up all their toys that get scattered all over the house, and purchase them new ones on a regular basis. My dogs are even good enough to train my Mother, and get her to do what they want. So before you judge my dog, you really need to appreciate how well they have all of us trained.
Now this is not to say that there is no dog training going on at our house, quite the contrary actually. My dogs have managed to train us very well indeed. They have trained us about when they want to come in the house or go out…at all hours of the day or the night. They have Scott trained to feed them anything he has on his plate at soon as I go out of the room. They have us trained to let them sleep wherever they want to, and buy them lots of doggie treats when we go to the store. They have us trained to pick up all their toys that get scattered all over the house, and purchase them new ones on a regular basis. My dogs are even good enough to train my Mother, and get her to do what they want. So before you judge my dog, you really need to appreciate how well they have all of us trained.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Witch Doctor
Last Friday Scott and I took our children to a Witch Doctor in Salt Lake. OK, she wasn’t a doctor. Anyway, I don’t believe that traditional medicine has all the answers, so I was willing to give this a try. Heaven knows I’ll take anything that will actually help with my children. Emily with her sore joints and Erik with his issues. So a guy at work recommended this place that uses Biomeridian currents at various acupuncture locations to determine nutrient issues that might be helped with supplements. That lovely HRA at work will pay, so we headed out.
The testing is done while the patient holds a brass cylinder hooked to a computer and the tech places, what looks like an ohm meter at various acupressure points on the feet and hands. The little computer throws up a graph and the technician says things like, “That’s the renal system. That’s the respiratory. That’s digestive, oh it looks really bad.” After checking both of my children, they gave us the results.
The fact that my children are not currently in ICU is amazing considering how absolutely awful their results were. Plus, the idea that social services hasn’t come and removed them from my care is another miracle. Apparently, not making my son choke down vegetables, allowing him to eat Tostino’s Pizza, and white bread has lead to severe problems. My daughter will be lucky to ever bear children, and my dog hates me. (Alright, I made the last one up)
For Erik the recommendations /demands were that we immediately cease and desist any and all processed foods, begin eating only vegetables and beans, consume no dairy and take approximately 30 supplemental pills a day. That went over very well.
For Emily, room darkening shades and googling PCOS for all the symptoms associated with it. Not to mention never consuming birth control pills (honestly the nurse practitioner said, “Well, you don’t need birth control since you don’t have a husband”…uhmm…I’m not sure where she thinks babies come from, but if she thinks it requires a marriage certificate she might want to re-educate herself). Don’t worry; Emily has no plans for oral contraception so I have no idea why that even came up.
Later, the same nurse practitioner informed me that soda was from the devil and got mad at Erik because he didn’t know who Paul Revere was…I can’t make this up. Meanwhile the acupressure tech was busy giggling at Scott and touching his knee repeatedly. It has taken me several days to deal with the condescension and guilt they heaped on me and the absolutely bizarre experience in general. It seemed like such a normal place to go.
Alrighty then, it wasn’t a complete waste of time, I did buy a bunch of supplements. But honestly, witch doctor, you lose a lot of credibility when you start talking about things you don’t really know about. For example if you don’t know how dark Emily’s room is, don’t assume that ambient light is responsible for her not sleeping. Also, since you don’t have any clue what I do for a living, don’t proceed to lecture me about water quality…huge mistake. Probably the biggest mistake they made that will keep me from returning is assuming that I was LDS (I gave no indication if I was or was not) and proceed to lecture me about Heavenly Father’s creation and plans for my family. Truthfully, I do judge a lot of books by their covers, before people begin to tell me how to eat and what to do, I take a good hard look at them and the other people that appear to be regular clientele in their office. Being overweight, pasty white and wearing styles from 1980’s doesn’t bode well for them.
Overall, we will try the supplements…I already bought them. We will attempt to eat better and cut back sugar from our diet, but don’t expect me to return there. I am going to try to not confuse the message with the messenger. I can manage mother guilt all by myself; I don’t have to drop a grand to have them give it to me. But what do I know...I didn't realize Satan was responsible for Mountain Dew...
The testing is done while the patient holds a brass cylinder hooked to a computer and the tech places, what looks like an ohm meter at various acupressure points on the feet and hands. The little computer throws up a graph and the technician says things like, “That’s the renal system. That’s the respiratory. That’s digestive, oh it looks really bad.” After checking both of my children, they gave us the results.
The fact that my children are not currently in ICU is amazing considering how absolutely awful their results were. Plus, the idea that social services hasn’t come and removed them from my care is another miracle. Apparently, not making my son choke down vegetables, allowing him to eat Tostino’s Pizza, and white bread has lead to severe problems. My daughter will be lucky to ever bear children, and my dog hates me. (Alright, I made the last one up)
For Erik the recommendations /demands were that we immediately cease and desist any and all processed foods, begin eating only vegetables and beans, consume no dairy and take approximately 30 supplemental pills a day. That went over very well.
For Emily, room darkening shades and googling PCOS for all the symptoms associated with it. Not to mention never consuming birth control pills (honestly the nurse practitioner said, “Well, you don’t need birth control since you don’t have a husband”…uhmm…I’m not sure where she thinks babies come from, but if she thinks it requires a marriage certificate she might want to re-educate herself). Don’t worry; Emily has no plans for oral contraception so I have no idea why that even came up.
Later, the same nurse practitioner informed me that soda was from the devil and got mad at Erik because he didn’t know who Paul Revere was…I can’t make this up. Meanwhile the acupressure tech was busy giggling at Scott and touching his knee repeatedly. It has taken me several days to deal with the condescension and guilt they heaped on me and the absolutely bizarre experience in general. It seemed like such a normal place to go.
Alrighty then, it wasn’t a complete waste of time, I did buy a bunch of supplements. But honestly, witch doctor, you lose a lot of credibility when you start talking about things you don’t really know about. For example if you don’t know how dark Emily’s room is, don’t assume that ambient light is responsible for her not sleeping. Also, since you don’t have any clue what I do for a living, don’t proceed to lecture me about water quality…huge mistake. Probably the biggest mistake they made that will keep me from returning is assuming that I was LDS (I gave no indication if I was or was not) and proceed to lecture me about Heavenly Father’s creation and plans for my family. Truthfully, I do judge a lot of books by their covers, before people begin to tell me how to eat and what to do, I take a good hard look at them and the other people that appear to be regular clientele in their office. Being overweight, pasty white and wearing styles from 1980’s doesn’t bode well for them.
Overall, we will try the supplements…I already bought them. We will attempt to eat better and cut back sugar from our diet, but don’t expect me to return there. I am going to try to not confuse the message with the messenger. I can manage mother guilt all by myself; I don’t have to drop a grand to have them give it to me. But what do I know...I didn't realize Satan was responsible for Mountain Dew...
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