A new throne room

 Bart can't keep his hands off of his tools, and that means demolition and remodeling projects. He undertook our bathroom in our studio apartment in Provo and I love what he can do in a week.  We kept the layout of everything the same but  we tiled, painted, added a new ceiling with can lights, carved out some much needed storage and added bead board.

         Old Bathroom

Remodelled bathroom with new vanity, paint and tile.

Exposed beams, old red paint

              New can light, so I can see while shaving, tile to make the shower look pretty.

                                                   

   Old floor, with a few problems :) 

                               

New floor and a new toilet seat that isn't saggy and plastic.

      This real carrara marble vanity top and back splash was my best and favorite find on KSL.com



WalSmart

The other day Canessa left a shopping list for me.  My instructruction were to go to the store and buy the things on the list - very concise and to the point.  Naturally I drove to WalMart to purchase the necessary items.  Since I'm a snobby non-WalMart, WalMart shopper, I began my shopping excursion feeling somewhat aloof of those around me.  I sometimes like to watch the intersting people that are there, though I don't feel as though I am one of them.

Much to my chagrine, I soon found that instead of me watching everyone else, people began watching me.  Due to my lack of a plan (and a pen) I found myself walking from one end of the store to the other, over, and over again.  Apparently like things are not always located in "like" places.  I also learned that:

-There is fat free cheese, but it only occupies about 4 square inches of surface area.
-Just because something looks like it is gone, it doesn't hurt to bend over and look in the very back.
-WalMart employees don't know what Capers are.
-WalMart employees don't know what pancetta is.
-WalMart employees should not be asked for help.
-There are items placed on the top shelf and may not have a Great Value brand duplicate on a shelf below it.
-Men are not built for shopping.

-The latin lady with her daughters barking like dogs and chasing each other through the isles is better off than I am because she came and went in less than an eighth of the time that I was there looking for everything on my list.

After three hours walking up and down every isle at least four times I was finally on my way, horray!  Sadly - and I know nobody else has ever done this - just as I was pulling into the driveway, I realized I had forgotten apples and RAT food.

I may have used choice verbage at that moment - to go along with some choice verbage used in the store.

I am not WalSmart

Books

I have been reading a lot lately.  My teachers are throwing so much information at my class that I am swimming in books, journals, research articles and of course the "reputable" internet sites.  I am overwhelmed by all the reading and studying I am doing...EKG's, asthma, chest x-rays, heart and lung anatomy, medications, lung cancer, ALCS/PALS, COPD, ILD and a whole bunch of other acronyms that I won't bore you with. What I really wanted to blog about was that fact when my brain is overloaded with school/technical things it still has room for fictional novels.

Lately when I need a brake, I'll  read an easy children's novels that requires no brain power and can be read in a matter of hours (it usually takes me a couple days of on and off). I love being transported into another world.  I am grateful that I can read and I am grateful for authors who can write and are creative (because all my creative juices are dried up).  The two books I've read in January are both by Shannon Hales, the first was Princess Academy and the last was Book of 1000 Days. I would recommend either of them for easy reading and a fun fairytale.

I like reading because you don't have to worry about commercials interrupting :)

4 letters

Yes, we sold our house! After multiple offers and 1 failed contract, we were lucky (blessed) to sell our house in the "wrong" time of year and in a "bad" market. We are very appreciative of all our family members letting us use their furniture, duvet covers and artwork to stage the house. We are grateful for the MLS and the family that bought the house. 

Our first house has now come and gone. We learned alot about eachother and being "grown-ups" in that house, as well as house projects. Bart touched every single wall, floor, ceiling and inch of dirt in the yard, not to mention the roof and driveway.  I'll never forget the image of Bart pulling rock boulders across the grass on a "sled" with Shaun. Poor Shaun, he got drug into many house projects because he's young, single, and can't say no, it's suprising he is still our friend :)

We are currently living at Bart's parents, my parents and getting our apartment in Provo ready. We hope to be in Provo for the next 2 semesters while I finish my FNP program and then we will see where life takes us. Hooray!

AMAZING RACE

For those of you that don't know me, I LOVE, love, LOVE, Love, LOOOOVE the Amazing Race.  I think it is the greatest show ever to be seen on television. The show is captivating-it makes me happy, sad, angry, nervous (nervous enough to bite my nails) and excited.  Thus far I have never cried over the Amazing Race though.  The Amazing Race is a reality show, where you watch 11 teams of 2, race around the world, doing different challenges. Each week the last team is eliminated until only 3 teams are left to race against each other at the finale for the grand prize of 1,000,000 dollars.

Last night, after 17 "seasons" an all girl team won the million dollars-Nat & Kat, both anesthesiologists.  I personally wanted the second place team Brooke and Claire to win because they had more spunk and personality but I am glad the doctors won anyways.

There is a new Amazing Race starting February 20, 2011 titled "Unfinished Business" meaning they are having previous contestants (who didn't win) come back and race again.  My favorites to win are the cowboys.  They are funny and kind, plus they say stuff like a "deetur" instead of detour and "oh my gravy".

I started watching Amazing Race in 2004, when season 5 was airing and since then I have been obsessed. Every Sunday night I watch Amazing Race with my family...or sometimes without them, either way I am eagerly sitting on the couch waiting for the next episode.  I would love to be a contestant/team on Amazing Race because I think that Bart can do anything and I like to travel. BUT the jet lag would definitely catch up with me and I might turn into one of the mean contestants that no one likes...lack of sleep and food does that to me. Wouldn't it be terrible to be the first team to be eliminated? After you've made it through the application process just to get eliminated the next day...

My all time Amazing Race favorites are the Beauty Queens. Miss California and Miss New York, who met at Miss America. They Came in 4th place for Season 10 and then 2nd place the All Star season 11. I love them because they are strong team, all girl, talented and worked well together.

Am I crazy to like a TV show so much.?. Does anyone else love the Amazing Race and if not what shows do you like?

Terrible idea

I wanted to be festive and cute but it backfired and now I am grumpy.  Most people have a cute holiday background for their blog, so I tried to do the same thing. I found a background (not the one that is on the blog now) and I copied and pasted and read the directions.  Everything was fine until I wanted to change my font color to match...(shouldn't be hard I've done it before). My layout tab that is supposed to be somewhere on this blog is GONE. It's not by the design tab or the setting tab. I even clicked on the "help" button and read all the instructions. So now I can't change my font colors from red, black and blue which means that I have to find a background with those colors. BLAH.  I want new colors, what's the point of changing the background if you can't change colors?  If anyone knows how to fix my problem, please, please, please let me know. How bothersome.

GANDOLFO'S

This is my new favorite place to eat! I hope that each of you have a Gandolfo's near by because the sandwiches are delicious, huge-which means you can share and save money, and much better than ordinary sandwiches. They even have potato salad (which Bart loves ) and a broccoli salad, if you want something different than chips.

Bart and I usually go to the Gandolfo's on 2100 S. 700 E. for a few reasons. 1st-I have found coupons that come in the mailers for this specific Gandolfo's, which are a buy one sandwich get one free. 2nd-It's close to the dollar theater in Sugarhouse and lastly, Nick works there. Who is Nick, you ask?  He makes the best, biggest sandwiches and even creates his own that aren't on the menu. He now recognizes Bart and I and will just tell us what he is making for us. Plus he usually give us something for free-like cookies or a drink.

If you are interested in going to Gandolfo's make sure you go to citydeals.com. Citydeals is like a groupon or ksl deals. They have a 50% off at most Gandolfo's in Utah.  It is a 25 dollar certificate that you buy for only 12.50!  I love getting a deal.  On this particular deal you have a year to use it and they will give you credit for unused portions.  Make sure you read the fine print so you know what the details are. My certificate came in about 3 days in the mail and I had no problem using it.

We would love to go with you to Gandolfo's-just let us know!

October is a great month...

          Because of this

                                                            

   and this

                                                                       

   and this

I'm so happy that I married my sweetheart. Thanks to all our family and friends who have supported us.

Have you read this?

The prize doesn't always go to the most deserving....

                                                                   Irena Sendler

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most though had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Recently, Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected. However, Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming and Barack Obama won for a speech on peace.



My grandma sent me an email with that story attached.  I am touched by all of the unknown bravery and unselfishness that the world has to offer, as well as,  good people.  I think Irena is one of my new hero's and I appreciate her example.

Medical Advice

 Three years ago I worked for a plastic surgeon. During my time there I learned that if you have any size or shape of pigmented lesion (aka a mole) around  the periphery of your hands or feet, or on your soles or palms they needed to be removed. The reason you ask? Because they have a greater likelihood of being preCANCEROUS and no one likes cancer.

10 days ago I finally made an appointment to go and have my moles removed from Dr. Fairbanks. Bart had been bugging me to get the mole taken off my left big toe.  The mole didn't bother me and I figured not many people even noticed it but Bart kept telling me to get it taken off. Well, 3 hours later, 4 moles removed, 4 shots to my big toe and lots of sutures later I hobbled out of the office. Dr. Fairbanks had to do a skin flap in order to close the incision which is why I have so many sutures. Yes, the shots to my toe hurt and I wanted to jump off the table.

Seven days later my pathology report came back from the lab and guess what?  Both of the moles on my hand and foot showed ATYPICAL cells which means that those mole were precancerous and could have eventually caused melanoma. But since I had them taken off I am fine and don't have to worry.

Moral of the story, each of you need to look at your own hands and feet and then tell/look at all your family and friends hands and feet. Even if the mole is small and looks like a freckle it is better to be safe than sorry.



The worse part of the entire experience is NOT hobbling around or needing to wear socks and athletic shoes, or cleaning my sutures twice a day rather it's the fact that I can't get a pedicure for 6 WEEKS. AHHHHH