A Quick Update Because I Might “Slurp” One Day

Ever heard of  “slurping” your blog? I first read the term on a website I was using to create a family photo book of one of our vacations.  Apparently that website (and others) can “slurp” your entire blog into a hardbound book.  Because this blog is one of a few ways I use to journal our blended family’s escapades, I haven’t ruled out “slurping” it one day.  And so, since I am so far behind on posting, I figure I’d better include an update on each family member.  (The idea for this post also MIGHT have come about because I had a “senior moment” and forgot to pack my laptop–which has all of my pictures for future posts stored on it–for our return trip from Phoenix, thus requiring it to be shipped home.  Sheesh!  Since I can’t post any pics of past happenings yet, I will simply type a quick update of our family members).

Hub – Continues to be swamped with work, which is a good problem to have.  He has our garden planted and has even started to plant lone vegetables in other areas of the yard previously reserved for flowers.  I fear we will have an overabundance of fresh vegetables this year!

Kweenmama – I will start my second year of graduate school on Tuesday.  I finished my first year with a 4.0 gpa.  This summer is going to be crazy with school, kid happenings, family gatherings, a family vacation, and girls camp and youth conference with my church calling.  I am going to need a vacation from my summer vacation!

Squid – Has been accepted into the honors program at his university and will be moving into the honors dorms this fall.  He works as a peer adviser at the school, sometimes practices with the rugby team, and has rediscovered girls. 🙂

Huh – Has her own apartment in Phoenix, complete with a resident scorpion on her patio! (Ick)  She is looking at programs to get certified as a personal trainer.  Once she is certified and working as a personal trainer she will use the money earned to complete her degree in physical therapy.  She has a boyfriend (on this blog he will be called Rushing) who has an 18 month old son whom I met for the first time when Mack and I went to Phoenix over Memorial weekend.  Darling kid.  For blogging purposes he will be called Oh.

Juju – Recently moved into a house her mother bought specifically for Juju and the mother’s sister to live in.  She attends the local community college and is “between” jobs.

Mack – Found a design program at a local art institute and began classes in January.  If she stays on track, she will have her bachelor’s degree in fashion design in three years.  She works at a local ice cream shop and currently lives at home, but has set a goal to have her own apartment by November.  She has a boyfriend who is finishing up a degree in sports communication (or something like that).  For blogging purposes he will be called Wizard.

Shroom – Will graduate from high school this Tuesday.  He works at our local mall and plans on attending a university south of us in the fall.  It is within commuting distance so he is still deciding on whether or not he will live at home or seek housing at the school.  He is very much into mountain biking and video games right now.

Hoob – Is just completing her junior year of high school.  She has been chosen to be the President of the art club next year and is enrolled in the AP art class.  She has a busy summer ahead of her that consists of working part-time as a nanny, attending a week-long leadership camp, visiting her father in Phoenix for a week and a half, and attending girls camp and youth conference with our church.

Yawlin – Is completing the 6th grade.  It makes me sad to know I no longer have any kids in elementary school.  😦  He wants me to sign him up for tennis lessons and volleyball for the summer.  He also will be going to visit his father for a week and a half and will attend a week-long scout camp.

Momo – Our foreign exchange student from Japan has been staying with us since July and will return to Japan on June 27.  It will be hard for all of us to see her go, but especially hard for Hoob because the two of them hit it off from the start and have become quite close.  Momo has enjoyed her stay in the U.S. and talks about returning for university studies after she completes her senior year of high school in Japan.

Max (the dog) – Is still fat and lazy…and grouchy at times.

Okay, one more “task” completed.

Now I am going to go “slurp” a breakfast smoothie.

 

Update

I’m not going to feel guilty.  I’m not!  Blogging has to be put on the back burner.  Graduate school is tough!  It is time consuming.  I want to do my best, and so I let other things go.  Blogging is one of them.  I am not deleting my baby, but I just don’t know how often I will get to post–or visit the blogs of others.  And so, with that said, here is a quick update on our family:

Hub – Will celebrate birthday #48 on Thursday!  He is also enjoying the fruits of his gardening efforts.  Zucchini or spaghetti squash anyone?  He is counting down the days until Squid returns…

Squid – Will return from his two year mission for our church on the 30th of this month!  He has enjoyed his time in Uruguay and will miss the people, but he is looking forward to attending college and enjoying this new phase of his life.

Huh – Spent the summer with us but is now back in school in Arizona.  She recently sent me a text letting me know she had just killed a scorpion in her dorm room.  Oh my!

Juju – Is attending the local community college while living with us.  She works at a Thai restaurant and is looking for an apartment with her cousin.

Mack – Her plans to go to design school in California have been put on hold.  With FIVE of us attending college this school year we thought she would get more student financial aid than she did.  She/we can’t afford the short-fall, so she is working and saving money while taking online courses for her general ed.  She is considering being a nanny in New York for a year to establish residency there and then attending a design school in New York and paying the resident’s tuition instead of the much higher tuition charged to people from out of state.

Shroom – Just celebrated his 18th birthday and is enjoying his senior year of high school.  He has discovered rock climbing and tries to do it every chance he gets.

Hoob – Recently did some house-sitting for the neighbors across the street while they were out of town.  They forgot to get the garage door opener from her when they returned and so Hoob sat at the window of her bedroom and made their garage door open and close while the two teenage daughters were in the front yard.  Freaked them out!  🙂  My daughter is such a prankster!

Yawlin – On his own organized the fellow members of his scout troop to make cookies for their scout leader who had fallen at work and had broken a few ribs.  He makes me proud!

Momo – As the newest “member” of our family, Momo is enjoying all things “American.”  We took her with us on our family vacation and she “got” to try all sorts of roller coasters.  Hoob includes her in activities with her friends and so she has enjoyed some of the high school football games, bowling, the game of  “Spoons,” face-painting, and jumping on the trampoline.

Max – The dog is still fat and lazy.

Maybe one day I will post pictures of some of our summer activities.

One day.

Maybe.

Until I post again…Chau.

 

Stupid Party

I tried to stay mum.

Why get people all worked up and worried?

But, when my Relief Society President started to “hear things” about my health and gave me a call, just to check on me, I ended up telling her everything that has been going on, starting with my first black-out period four weeks ago and up to the continuous dizziness and pressure in my head that I experience now.  I told her that I was waiting for the results from an MRI and a Holter Monitor. 

Waiting for test results can be a little scary.  My imagination worked over-time on what could possibly be wrong.  I told my Relief Society President that the reason I hadn’t told many people about what was going on was because what if it turned out to be something really trivial and stupid????  Why get people all worked up over something stupid?

She replied, “Well, lets hope it is something stupid.  If it is we will throw a party and celebrate that it was something stupid and not serious.”

Yeah.  I want to throw a stupid party.  I really do.  What a better way to celebrate after being worried for an entire month!  A stupid party could be a lot of fun!

My MRI and Holter Monitor tests both came back clean.  They show nothing seriously wrong.  Whew!

But, it is still a guessing game as to what is going on.  The neurologist suggests that maybe it is “migraine with aura.”  My MRI shows that I have experienced migraines in the past.  Whoa!  I never knew I’d had a migraine.  I’d heard of them.  Two of my daughters get them occasionally.  But I had never experienced a major headache.  According to my neurologist, it is possible to experience a migraine and not feel any pain.  Whoa, again!  Really?  Weird.

I’ve been put on two different migraine medications to see if they knock out my symptoms.  If they do, then we have discovered what the problem is and I am throwing a stupid party.  If the symptoms continue, then I guess it is back to square one on trying to discover what is going on.

I’ve  only been on the meds for one day and I am dizzy as I type this.  I know I need to give it time, but I am really tired of feeling lousy.  Here’s to hoping the symptoms disappear and I get to throw a stupid party in the near future!  I can’t wait to get back to posting boring family stuff, instead of updates on my health.

Any ideas on what would make a stupid party fun?