Abby, Laughing

I've decided that probably the best thing on the planet is listening to Abby laugh. When something strikes her funny (especially at bedtime) we can easily spend the next fifteen minutes laughing hysterically and not be able to stop. Tonight we were reading the story, "Baby Farm Animals" and I would stop on each page and ask Abby what the "baby" for each animal was, pig - piglet, duck - duckling, etc. She is a smart kid and was getting most of them right...until the goats. I asked what a baby goat was and she said, "I don't know, a goatie?" I couldn't help it - I burst out laughing, which made her laugh, which made me laugh harder. Finally, ten minutes later we were calm enough for prayers and our nightly ritual of calling Blair to say goodnight. So, when I told her to tell her dad what baby goats were...it all started again. Blair was laughing as well and I believe that is the perfect way to end the day! I didn't take a picture of her laughing, but this one is pretty close....

This is Abby on the teacups at Disneyland, and again...laughing hysterically! She is great for entertainment as well as eight million other things that I totally love about her. We are blessed and lucky to have her!

Halloween 2007

Well, another Halloween has come and gone and yes, I am feeling the FULL effects of it tonight! It's not good when Halloween falls right in the middle of the last week of the clerkship! Yikes! So, after non-stop Halloween fun yesterday, it was one of two final exams before the clerkship is over. Tomorrow morning is the last one and then a short break until Monday morning when 15 more students start the rotation. Again, yikes! But I digress....the real story was how fun Halloween was! I sincerely tried to convince Abby to be something "easier" but no, my independent little girl would not be dissuaded...she wanted to be an astronaut! And, as I tell her all the time that girls can be WHATEVER they want, how could I say no? Doesn't she make a GREAT astronaut?





After her fun Halloween party at kindergarten, Blair brought her to work where we had a quick lunch and then she got to trick-or-treat to all my friends in the Dean's Office. We then set off for an entire evening Halloween tour of our friends and family. I think she got more than enough candy for a five-year-old! All in all, it was pretty spectacular and now she is sleeping soundly, probably dreaming of all the candy we've safely stashed in a giant bowl in the kitchen. I can only imagine what she will want to dress up like next year!

Fourteen Hour Escape

As many of you know, Blair works nights and I rarely see him except late at night and on Sundays. We were lucky enough to have a chance to escape to Park City last night and even though our little escape only lasted 14 hours, it was great! My parents were kind enough to tend Abby, even though she has an icky cough.

This is how Deer Valley looks at 7:30am, as we left this morning.

My parents were even nice enough to meet us at 10:00am and bring Abby to her soccer game. This was the last game until spring, so it was not to be missed, even with an icky cough! And, of course it turned out to be quite monumental as Abby scored her first goal! Wahoo!

Here she is, looking very pleased with herself after scoring the goal!

Abby and I celebrated her first goal by going to "Boo at the Zoo" (wait, did someone say she has an icky cough?!?!) with 40,000 other people from Salt Lake. Yes, literally 40,000 people! Check out the crowd behind Abby - that's how it looked throughout the ENTIRE zoo!

Here is Abby, just happy to be out in the somewhat hazy sunshine

And, to round out her busy day she left Blair a few messages on the sidewalk, so he would know how much she loves him.

So, despite a 5-year-old with an icky cough (who is now sleeping soundly, having had some cough syrup before bed), we managed to have quite the exciting few days! I guess life isn't made up of just a few spectacular experiences, but taking advantage of the small, yet very nice experiences that manage to come your way. At least that's what we're learning! Good night, all!

Cancer Survivor!

As I was driving home today, it occured to me that it's almost the end of October...yeah, I know - I'm not too bright and life seems to be moving WAY too fast to have any kind of proper reflection on anything. The end of October should mean Halloween, fall leaves, putting away summer clothes, etc. etc. And, it does -- as well as something else for me. It was exactly this time nine years ago that I was diagnosed with cancer. Yes, I have been a cancer survivor for NINE years! Pretty cool! I had my yearly checkup with my oncologist a few weeks ago and it felt AMAZING to just sit in the office and chat with her. I am grateful beyond belief to have been given the past nine years. Cancer taught me a lot of things - like life is too short and you should definitely spend more time DOING stuff and not CLEANING stuff (yeah, I'm trying to balance that out now, as having a clean house is a good thing!) I've learned compassion for all types of people in all types of situations. I learned my body could heal and do amazing things, like run the half-marathon just a year after treatment. I've learned to appreciate little and big things. Cancer heightened my curiousity about anything medical and that helps me SO much now at work! Blair might tell you that it's a tad annoying because I love to try and diagnosis stuff! The fact is, just working in the hospital is fun for me and surprisingly doesn't scare me because I know that the people there are just dealing with whatever situation has presented itself in their lives and trying to do the best they can. And, the sweetest part of the past nine years was the chance I didn't think I'd get...the chance to be a wife and mom. After cancer, I was just grateful to be here and then I received the greatest gift ever...Blair. And then a year later, Abby. Could one person be so blessed?

So, anyway...that is my rambling gratitude-ness tonight. I've included a picture taken during treatment with NO HAIR! I'm with my friends, Laurel & Melanie out for a fun dinner - and would you believe that I actually went on a blind date like that? Yep - no hair and all! I'm not sure what that says about me, but at least cancer didn't take away my sense of humor...might have even sharpened it over the years! Good night, all!

The Tree

So, I had a great idea a few weeks ago. Because my Grandma is selling her house and surrounding property, I thought it would be cool to have an entire family picture in front of her tree. She has a HUGE walnut tree in her front yard that we've all spent time climbing, "riding" the low lying branches like horses and just generally enjoying how beautiful it is. So, Sunday was it - we were all there (with the exception of Cole, who will be born to Mandy & Tony in a few weeks!) and here are some pictures to illustrate...

Some of the branches...

A few "shadows" waiting to get their picture taken...

A view of my Dad's garden....

And, I guess a post wouldn't be complete if I didn't include something cute from Abby, so this is the scarecrow that she made at daycare...isn't it cute?

My Husband - The Survey

My friend, Laurel "tagged" me to fill out this survey about my husband, so....lest I stay "tagged", here goes:

What is his name? Blair Richards Randall (all last names, actually)

How long have you been together? Well, we've known each other since November of 1985. Yes, we are old and it took a L-O-N-G time to get together! We started dating in November of 2000, were engaged in March of 2001 and were married June 11, 2001.

How old is he? 43 - and very handsome for an older man!

Who eats more? That is not a nice question, because the honest answer would be ME!

Who is taller? Oh, that would be Blair...by quite a lot.

Who sings better? Honestly? Probably Blair. But I do more singing in the car. I tend to quiet down if Blair is singing, though because he's good!

Who is smarter? Definitely Blair. I like to think I'm smarter, but he has a really good "world view" and tends to be right most of the time. Yes, I just wrote that for the whole world to see!

Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. It takes quite a lot to make Blair angry (and I know exactly how to accomplish it, not that I'm proud of that).

Whose does the laundry? Most of the time.....Blair. I can do a bunch on Saturdays, but Blair is more consistent during the week.

Who does the dishes? Again, Blair...most of the time.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Weird question, but Blair does. Always has.

Who pays the bills? Me. If I got hit by a mack truck, I'm not quite sure Blair could make sense of how I've arranged everything. Method to my madness, though!

Who mows the lawn? Uh, the lawn care company? The nice part of owning a condo!

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me...although Blair is famous for his goulash, pies, brownies (these are especially yummy) and beef stroganoff. He made this while we were dating and I thought "GAME OVER!" Men who can cook ROCK THE PLANET!

Who drives when you are together? Uh, that would be me. Control freak. All the time.

Who is more stubborn? That would be a tie, I think.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Probably me. Contrary to popular belief, I don't like to fight...just discuss stuff! And, I probably started the "discussion", so I should be the first to apologize!

Whose parents do you see the most? Probably mine, although both our parents live close enough that we see them pretty regularly.

Who kissed who first? Blair kissed me, but WEEKS after we started dating! I was oh, so very ready when he made his move!

Who asked who out? Blair called me after I ran into his Bishop at my Aunt Penny's Open House and suggested we meet for dinner. We did.

Who proposed? That is a tricky one...because the initial conversation was about possibly starting a business together and I asked him how he thought that would be -- working together every day when we didn't even see each other every day at that time, and he said...."Well, I picture us doing that married." And, I quit breathing for about 30 seconds! Discussion went from there and the rest, as they say, is history! I got my ring a few months later.

Who is more sensitive? Blair, but you would never know that. He is quiet, but has a heart as big as the world.

Who has more friends? Well, if our wedding reception was any indication...both of us. We got married "older" and had more time to accquire friends! Most of who came to celebrate with us and most of whom we are still in touch with, along with more we've added in the 6 years we've been married.

Who wears the pants in the family? Me. Yes, I can admit it. Let's just say that I'm trying to give up my control issues, but it might take until I'm 95!

OK, I'm officially "un-tagged" now - thanks, Laurel for such a cool challenge! It was fun thinking of all those wonderful things about Blair. He's one of a kind and I'm blessed and lucky that he chose me!

The Last Pumpkin Harvest Day

The pumpkin patch



Some of the beautiful pumpkins...



All lined up, ready for the kids!



Abby, loving the pumpkins!



Packed up, Pumpkin Harvest Day is over.

In my family, Columbus Day is really "Pumpkin Harvest Day" and has been for more than 25 years now. In fact, Abby argued with her teacher this morning, telling her that "No, it's not Columbus Day, it's Pumpkin Harvest Day!" We've taught her well. My dad has a HUGE garden and uses much of it to grow pumpkins, which we all harvest on Columbus Day and then cart over to my parent's house to distribute to anyone who would like one. We always hand out "pumpkin certificates" and the world pretty much shows up for a free pumpkin. As my grandma is selling the property, this year was our last. And, it was truly celebrated by all who were there! I hope you can tell by the pictures how truly beautiful my dad's garden is. I can only hope that some of that gardening talent has rubbed off on me and someday when we have enough room, we can have a garden as well. I am not a good one for endings and this feels like SUCH an ending! My mom assures me that we will have more fun family traditions and I hope so, we have been blessed over the years with such a fun way to spend a holiday. Abby is excited to start carving her pumpkin...we'll have to hold her off for a few weeks until Halloween. Happy Pumpkin Harvest Day, everyone!