Oh Dear - It's Been A Year!

365 days ~ Of course things have happened! (and some pretty big things too). SOOO, I'll try to update with the basics:

************Disclaimer: I should have probably labeled this post "Jaw Surgery"*************

1. Skyler got into PT school at the UofU. This is where we left off with posts last April. Now, Skyler is finishing up his first year of PT school with "only" 2 more years to go. He is SO amazing at this stuff. His brain is a sponge and he's constantly teaching me (or trying to) about the interesting things he's learning. Keep up the good work Sweetie!!

Here is Skyler with some of the lovely ladies in the PT program with him. I felt like a GIANT next to them!

2. One of my BFF's from AZ, Lauren, got married. Skyler's parents flew us down to AZ so we could be there for the wedding. Thanks mom and dad Nelson! I got to be a bridesmaid for the very first time and we got to spend time with family, including new little baby Levi.

Skyler and I at Lauren and Daniel's wedding reception

Hanging out with family after Levi's baby blessing

3. I had my jaw surgery!! Recovery was one of the most miserable things I've been through, but I am SOOO happy with the results I would do it again in a heartbeat (I say after enough time has past to forget how horrible it was LOL)

Day Before Surgery: Last pic of me with "old" jaw

Here I am with my good friend the Jaw Bra I was so swollen I couldn't close my lips

My friend Jeri came to visit me. She said I wasn't very nice, but I'm pretty sure I can blame it on the drugs. I hardly remember her coming by - and yes, I am smiling in this picture....

The swelling was pretty extreme, but the bruising wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm smiling as big as I possibly can in this pic. It seems silly now, but I was SO worried that this was my new face...

I went back to work and school the week after I had this surgery. I would not recommend that! The second week was the hardest part of the recovery as Dr. Egbert removed and re-applied the rubber bands here and there to fine tune the jaw placement.

Part of the fun experience was having my jaw banded shut completely for the first week after surgery. Then slowly I was able to start eating soft things a.k.a. mashed potatoes.

Here I am enjoying a heavenly discovery - Gerber's peach baby food. Next to the discovery of instant mashed potatoes which I was able to suck through my teeth, this was the next best thing.

I didn't loose my sense of humor [completely] in the experience

Little by little the swelling continued to go down and I started looking a little more normal.

Here I am, first time in makeup since the surgery. I waited just over 2 weeks to wear it again.

The before-and-after shots are pretty cool I think.

Okay, that took forever to post those pics and I probably need to go accomplish something like cleaning or laundry. More on the rest of our lives to come................

Going-ons

So I feel like a bad wife - Some of the most exciting news that could happen right now, happened and even though any one who's going to be reading this probably already knows, I still have to post it...

***SKYLER GOT INTO PHYSICAL THERAPY SCHOOL AT THE UofU!!!!***

I know this is a several-months-belated post topic but I am so proud of him and excited for him and what this means for us as a family. He amazes me every day and I know that he is going to be amazing as a PT. I don't think I know of anyone more personable and intelligent than he is and I am constantly being told from everyone who meets him what an inspiration and example he to them.

He starts the first semester of PT school in May, just as I start my last semester of nursing school. It's going to be a wild summer!

As far as what else is going on, Skyler is still with the Boy Scouts, but we'll see how much longer that is going to be. I'll have a new calling to post about in another week or so, and then I'll need all the help I can get because I'm going to have no idea what I'm doing :)

I have my jaw surgery scheduled May 9th. I'm terrified/excited. It's going to be weird to be able to close my mouth comfortably around my teeth and to be able to bite into something and actually bite it off, rather than having to tear it apart and then to be able to chew food with my teeth touching where they're supposed to, rather than just a few places in the back...I can hardly imagine...

I just got my school schedule for the summer and prayers have been answered - we are going to be able to go on our stake Pioneer Trek. We still aren't sure if we are actually a Ma and Pa or if we are going as alternates a.k.a. big brother and sister. It seems like they're needing us as an actual Ma and Pa since one of the other couples is officially unable to go - I don't know. We need to figure that out.

The other day we went out for 1/2 off Sushi rolls at Ginza with some friends from nursing school and their hubby's (Except for Sharon, who's date was her adorable little boy).

I can't stand seafood of any kind what-so-ever, but I went for the social value :) Skyler, on the other hand got a smoked salmon roll and was in heaven. Jonelle got these pretty looking dishes below. I love how sushi looks, so even though I wont eat it, I find it fascinating to watch others eat it. Weird, I know.

Skyler and I have been doing P90X. We started December 27th and with only a few weeks here and there putting us off schedule, we are almost done now at week 13 of 14. I'm really proud of us for sticking to this. It's gotten harder near the end where we know all of the videos and exercise moves. The yoga video is the hardest, mostly because of how long it is. On a few of the nice days we've had we've replaced the yoga for running - not exactly equivalent, but a much enjoyed break. And for the dessert/sugar junkie I have always been I am proud to say that I can now turn down a dessert with no remorse (well, almost none). I do love the feeling that exercising gives me and I've liked trying new exercises - Kenpo is probably my favorite video and Plyometrics is Skyler's.

Last Wednesday I got to try another new exercise (again, with my nursing schools buds). Katie, Jonelle and I took an antigravity yoga class. Jonelle was the one who introduced us to it, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Here we are doing Monkey Pose - It was kind of a head rush, as you can imagine.

Maybe when we're "done" with this P90X routine, I can get Skyler to let me post some before's and after's...we'll see.

Mmmmmm

As usual I should be doing homework - but this wont take long!

I just discovered my new favorite "dessert." It's kinda healthy, but still hits the sweet spot. It's SUPER easy and quick, plus it's really simple to double/triple/quadruple the recipe, so I had to share:

Warm Apples with Cinnamon

1. Slice 1 Golden Delicious apple (or any apple, really - I used Gala)
2. Combine in saucepan with
~ 2 Tbsp apple cider (I used apple cider vinegar which gives it a little tang)
~ 1 tsp brown sugar
~ A pinch (or to taste) of cinnamon
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the apples are tender
4. Serve with a dollop of vanilla yogurt (Greek yogurt would be amazing with this!)

So, I may be the only one extremely excited about this discovery - if you know me you know I'm a 1-2 apple a day kinda girl - but go ahead and try this out and tell me if you love it as much as I do!

Life as a scout master

This is doughnut falls, a favorite to hike. Nice safe and close, except the time one of the scouts tried to throw a rock at a bull moose. He was stopped in time.


These are the diamond fork hot springs. Another favorite hike. Each pool is a different temperature and can be drained or add cold water to it. We go during the day because at night they are full of naked BYU students. Its a good 3 miles in and 3 miles out but worth it.


This is scout camp in Idaho. Since I have been scout master I have had one aspergers, 3 autistic, one bi-polar and one down syndrome scout. So I get to do most of the activities with the boys to make sure they don't drown. We just earned the canoeing merit badge in this picture. I went out and flip, drained and got back in the canoe 4 times. I also signed up for the mile swim but you had to swim a half mile to qualify. I swam the half mile and felt accomplished enough and didn't swim the full mile.


Oh the adventures of the wilderness survival merit badge. I went out and stayed with the boys to keep an on a few of them who have handy caps. The boys made the shelters out of wood but I just tied a rope between trees and hung my poncho over it. But when I went to crawl into my bag the biggest wolf spider I have ever seen was there to greet me. I had some fun dreams that night.


Candy and Twelve year old boys. Ya


This young man didn't want to bring his scout shirt to camp. So he got the loner and had to wear it to all the meetings. He now brings his scout shirt.



He walked head first into the rock. So I told him to move it. I didn't think he would take me seriously.

I don't know how to move the picture the right direction. But this is little wild horse canyon. It was a great slot canyon hike. It flash flooded a few days before so we had some water and debris to deal with. Great hike, 11 miles but I recommend it. There were a few parts we had to shimmy up the canyon to be able to keep going.


Little wild horse canyon.


Just before the hike. You can't see them but the bugs were horrible.


This is goblin valley. Each of the mushrooms is about 6 to 14 feet tall. We played capture the flag here for hours. I deam it the worlds best capture the flag arena anywhere. We used about 200 feet of rope as our boundary line and you could run on top of the mushrooms or between them. It made me want to go home and watch labyrinth.


We eat good, breakfast burritos. oh-ya. I just happen to be cooking, it is usually the boys. But if I am going to eat it. I help.

For the Metal Working Merit Badge we made knifes. We went to Lyndsey's step dads work where he is a sells rep for ESAB welding. The boys had to Mig, Tig, Plasma cut and Torch Cut. We the made the knives out of 18-8 stainless flat stock, a ax handle and epoxy. It was a blast.

We also made home made snow shoes. We used emt conduit, construction fencing, zip ties, string and rope. We then snow shoed into a cabin. One of the boys complained because he was sinking about 3 inches in the snow. So he took them off and then sank to his waist in the snow. So we found out these actually worked. I was surprised because I just made them up from extra junk I had laying around at work.