Merry Christmas everyone! Hope your days are Merry and Bright! Just thought I would share a few pictures of my decorated apartment! This sure is my favorite time of year!
Tree and Stockings!
My mini nativity set.
I love this...wreath around the thermostat!
And my personal favorite.You know you're in Arizona...when it's December 6th and people are laying out by the pool.
You know you're PMSing...when suddenly you remember that your husband was hit by a car three weeks ago and is so lucky to be alive, so you burst into tears while cleaning the kitchen.
You know you are a teacher...when you come home from school at 8:00 every night just to sew someone's costume or make a list of all the things you have to get done tomorrow.
You know you are stressed out...when Sunday morning a cold sore appears on your upper lip only to be followed by one on your bottom lip Wednesday morning.
Here's to being alive! Cheers!
Just for a follow up on the Twilight review, here is a link my friend sent me, that I thought was so funny! I just had to share! http://www.ericdsnider.com/
For those of you who have not yet seen the movie, I suggest you not read on because I'm about to spoil it! However, if you don't care about it being spoiled and want to know my opinion, by all means, please keep reading. Twilight was BITTERLY disappointing. The acting was mediocre, the special effects silly, and the sexual tension...overwhelming. I will say that they did stick pretty closely with the book and didn't leave out too much. But good grief! The camera was all up in the actors business and the girl who played Bella had her mouth OPEN the entire time! I was really grateful by the time it was over. My friend and I both were just so bumbed about it. I should know by now not to go see the movies of my favorite books, I am ALWAYS always always disappointed. Tuck Everlasting, Ella Enchanted, Harry Potter, Sphere...the list goes on. In short, I would not recommend the movie Twilight...the Books are so much BETTER!
So I am sure that you are all starting to get tired of hearing about the accident but I just wanted to say a couple of things. More than anything I think this experience has brought to my attention the many blessings I have in my life.
Many times since the accident I have flashed back to that very scary moment when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a car traveling very quickly right at me. The only thing I could do was put my hand in front of me and the next thing I knew I was hit, in the air, and then lying in the street. I am not really sure what happened between hitting the car and finding myself on the ground. According to the police report, which I just received a copy of, I traveled about 25 feet from the point of collision. That is a long way. The gentlemen who hit me said,
"That was the worst five seconds of my life. I saw you go flying and I though you were dead."
My first thought is "Worst five seconds of your life? You didn't get hit!" But that really was the first blessing. The man was very kind and very concerned for my well-being. He fully cooperated with police and the insurance company and even came to see me in the hospital.
As I lay there in the street after the collision those first few seconds were scary. I really didn't know how bad I was hurt. I was laying in a very awkward position as I had no control over how I landed. But one thing struck me right off the bat. My head was resting nicely against my back pack. Of all the ways I could have landed flying through the air, I landed in such a way that my head was completely protected. Since that day I have talked with firefighters and people familiar with accidents and emergency response and I have learned truly what a blessing it is that I was not more seriously hurt. To get hit hard enough to fly 25 feet is a serious thing. I am told that it usually takes people weeks to months to be released from the hospital from something like that. Multiple fractures, head and neck injuries, are the normal. Yet I walked away without a single broken bone. Don't get me wrong. I definitely feel like I was hit by a car. I have many bruises and swollen body parts to show. But overall I am ok. Tell me that isn't divine intervention. I know that I am built solid but there is no way on my own I could have survived so well. I truly feel blessed that for whatever reason Heavenly Father protected me that day.
As I lay in the street my first request after calling 911 was that somebody call my wife Callie. She knew what was going on before the paramedics even got there. That is because she is so important to me. I feel so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. I knew how lucky I was to have her before this accident happened. However, since then as I have had to rely on her so much more I have really learned how wonderful she is and how much she loves me. She literally has waited on me hand and foot and done everything within her power to make me more comfortable during this time. She is my everything and I love her so much. She is such a blessing.
I am so grateful for wonderful friends. I study with a really great group of guys. Each one of them came to see me in the emergency room. They have all continuously called to check up on me and helped me so much. They take turns giving me rides to school and doctors appointments. They have lightened my load in school while I have been recovering. They have provided so much service and I am so blessed to have them as friends.
Last I am so grateful for each of you. I am grateful for those that have prayed for me, that have checked up on my progress. I have truly felt your strength and am so grateful.
I am recovering pretty well. My goal is to be walking (or limping) without crutches and without my protective boot by Thanksgiving. While this has been a terrible experience in some ways I am grateful it has happened. I have learned so much from this experience and appreciate so much the blessings that I enjoy.
Randon
When I came home today, Randon says, "Oh! Check this out!" He pulls his shorts up and reveals this horrible purple thing you see before you! I gasped. It has been bruised for a while now but it didn't get this bad until just today! Holy Cow!
Here is Randon's list: My Sweetheart, Rainy Days, Cheese, and (my personal favorite) Buff Guardian Angels.So as the days have gone by we have both reflected again and again how lucky Randon really was. We just keep saying, "Holy Cow you were hit by a car Thursday!" or "I can't believe I got hit by a car on Thursday!" We are just so grateful because we know it could have been much worse. Oh hooray for the tender mercies of our loving Heavenly Father! So here's an update; Randon has been in a significant amount of pain (of course....duh he was hit by a car). His foot and ankle have swollen until they look ready to pop and have turned a nice purple color. He stays on his back most of the time with his foot elevated and iced. It's hard for him to get around our small apartment on his crutches. He couldn't really sleep last night because his ankle and foot were hurting so badly and the percocet didn't seem to really be helping much. Needless to say we are both a little tired today. We called some friends from the ward and they came and gave him a blessing this morning. He says he feels a little better now, which is good. (Hooray for the Priesthood!) We are looking forward to a visit from his mother and grandmother tomorrow. Thank you all for your concern and prayers.
So I got a call at work today that every wife dreads.
Woman: Is this Callie?
Me: Yes
Woman: My name is Amy and I'm with your husband. Now don't panick...
(Are you kidding me? As soon as someone says that, what is the first thing you do? PANICK!)
Me: What's wrong?
Woman: You're husband was hit by a car.
Half an hour later I was at the UMC Emergency Room with a very banged up Randon. However, until I got there it was such a terrifying 30 minutes. I didn't know what to expect or how he was or anything.
So here's what happened... He was walking in a crosswalk and a man was making a left hand turn (going REALLY fast) and didn't even see Randon there. Randon says he saw the car but it was too late. The car hit him on his left side, threw him in the air, and hit him again. (If you think Randon looks bad, you should see the car.) He landed about 20 feet away on his back. Thankfully he was wearing a backpack and it caught the brunt of the blow. He had no head, neck, or back injuries. His left side is pretty beat up. His leg is really swollen and purple, his ankle is really swollen and sprained (he's on crutches), and he has really bad road rash and a bump on his elbow. No broken bones, no internal injuries. We were at the Emergency room for about six hours, when they FINALLY let him go home. Oh boy, it was a long emotionally draining day.
The silly thing is, about eight people started crossing the crosswalk before they were supposed to. Randon dutifully waited for the green light (becuase he knows how crazy Tucson drivers are) and HE got hit.
I am just so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. I know that pedestrian accidents are very frightening and often fatal. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who helped my Randon get home in one piece.
The whole group!
So I saw this fun thing on my friends blogs. You can upload a picture and try different hairstyles. Fun huh? Which one do you like best? If you want to try, here is the link http://www.taaz.com/
My personal favorite...although I think they are all silly and I like my hair the way it is now. :)
I've always wondered what I would look like with red hair and green eyes.
Mmmm....Not so much.
Oh dear....Okay so Thursday the 25th I went to Mesa to go with Dena through the Temple for the first time. It was sure neat to be there with her. I sat next to Meagan and we both peeked over heads to watch Dena from time to time. A lot of family and friends came. My Parents, Jacob, Me, Meagan, Cara & Alan, Michael & Kim, Jill, Amanda, Aunt Alayne, Leanne Hancock, and Jacobs Parents were there. Also, before I went to the temple I got to spend a few hours with Randon's family. I was nice to see them even though it was so short. I can't wait until Christmas when we can spend more time together. Anyway, Dena, Jacob and I drove back to Safford that night. It was kind of a late nighter, because when we got there at around 12:30 we visited with Leslie and Matt until about 2:30....TOO LATE! We all payed for it the next day, but it was fun. So anyway, here are a few fun/ funny things that happened while I was there.
1. Grandma Carpenter Pamper Session:
For those of who don't know, this is my great-grandmother and she is turning 100 in December. She is still up and about and still as sassy as ever! I sat down to fix her nails because she had chipped them and they were driving her crazy! And Jacob (who is a massage therapist) rubbed her poor purple legs. Here are some Grandma Carpenter funnies while we sat and pampered and chatted.
*She told us she bought a hospital bed so she could elevate her legs at night so the purple goes away. She said, "I want to look good in my coffin." And I laughed and said, "Grandma, they wont' be looking at your feet." She said, "You never know."
*Dena came in and Grandma said, "I wish I had another limb for you (to pamper)....unfortunately I do, between my teeth." (Talking about her tongue). "But I never gave anyone control of it. I wish I had. Sometimes it just feels like it's on a swivel!" She then proceeded to tell us stories of her untamed tongue and how it gets the best of her.
*She said she recently went to the Dr. and found out she weighs 110 lbs. She said, "A hundred and ten! Bleh! I told him his scale was wrong...he just laughed at me." So then we laughed.
* We asked her to tell us about Grandpa Jim and how they got engaged. I'm a little hazy on the details but I'll do my best to tell the story. So I guess Jim (Grandpa) was the water boy for one of the sports teams in their school. But he had to hold the bucket and pump the water at the same time and it was hard for him. So she said that she went out and helped him with it one day. When she got home her uncle taunted, "Thelma's got a boyfriend." She said that Jim got really red and ducked his head down and then she said, "And I did indeed have a boyfriend...One night (a while later) he walked me to my front porch and said, 'Thelma, I want you to be my wife' and I thought, you crazy fool! I'm young and havin' fun...I was dumbfounded. I finally said okay just to get rid of him! Four years later we were married."
*Then she told us about her original wedding ring. She said it was $1o! She told us that Grandpa gave her a diamond a few years later for her birthday. One day she was washing a quilt in a tub and she lost the diamond. She gave the ring to Leona (her daughter) eventually. But I guess, recently, her neighbor was going to the jewelry store and Grandma decided she wanted to go too and get a wedding ring. So she did. She said, "The lady asked me my size and I told her. But she said we should do it a little bigger." She then held up her hand so we could see how big the ring was on her finger and said, "But it's too big, so my judgement was better, puh! A hundred and seven dollars and ninety-one cents!"
She said a lot of other funny things but I can't remember them all. We just sat there listening and laughing. She is so lonely since Grandma Udall died. I know she can be ornery but I love her and I was glad to visit for awhile.
2. I got a non-permanent perm (as you can see in the pictures with grandma). Leslie just started beauty school so I went to be experimented on! It was funny! I had the poofiest fro ever! It was really cute the second day though!
3. Dena's Bridal Shower- So much fun!
The Girls (Lela, Charlotte, Dena, Tawny, Cara, Mom, Callie)
Krissa and Me
Krissa and Chelsea (There was a pic of me and Chelsea but I looked doo doo,
New Glasses! I love them!This is one of my very good friends, Laura Phelps. She and her husband are in our ward and she is in Young Women's with me! We have a blast! Anyway, today Randon was gone studying all day so after I cleaned the entire house, exercised, and did my laundry, she came over to play! I did her hair and make up and it was lots of fun. Don't get me wrong I think she is beautiful, sometimes it's just fun to play dress up! Super cute! I love this girl!
Before
Okay so this week was my first week of school. Holy Cow it was long! I was so exhausted by the end of every day that I would fall asleep on the couch at like 9:00 while watching the Olympics. But it has definitely been interesting. I have a lot of new students and a lot of old students, but they have all taught me some new slang I thought I would share...
Blowing out the candles!
Stacy, Pat, Chris, Melanie, and Randon
Meagan, Johnny, Brittany, Phil, and Christina
Close-up!
