the one about the pouring rain

The pouring rain, you ask? Well, it has been made clear to me lately that when it rains, it pours! That is not meant to sound negative, but in this update, every story has something to do with rain or pour. Plus, we have had so much going on lately, that.. yes. It does seem like when it rains, it pours!

I'll begin with rain/pour story #1. (Warning, this story is kinda long, so feel free to skip ahead.) As probably everyone knows already, I have some issues with my heart. I really hate talking too much about this but I have been having some problems recently and thought I would share. In January, I went in for my regular check up. My Doctor decided to take me off of my medicines because I had been doing so well. It was decided that the negative side effects of my medicine were not worth it anymore and as long as I didn't get pregnant, I was fine. The first few months were going well, but lately I have noticed things were changing. My energy was crap and my blood pressure and heart rate were getting high again. I got super sick with flu like symptoms during the first week of June. I went to my family doctor and she said I had a virus. I had been fighting a fever, aches, chills and all of that fun stuff. I started feeling a little better within 10 days or so, but still not awesome. I was up and down for a week or so, then i got really sick again. I was feeling awful and I knew it was my heart. Brett had called my cardiologist and made and appointment, but until then I was supposed to stay down and track my vitals. (Sure is handy having an EMT for a husband!) My appointment was set for Thursday July 1st. The Friday before, I could feel I was going down fast! I felt awful. I had a RESTING heart rate of 120-140. I had headaches, body aches and a sharp pain in the left side of my neck. We were super scared. We called the cardiologist and he didn't seem to concerned. He kept saying that my heart looked great in January when I had my last echo cardiogram. Well a lot had changed since then and I didn't feel like he was taking us serious. By Tuesday night, Brett was scared enough that he felt like we needed to go to the hospital. I didn't want to go to our local hospital because I knew they would just send me to SLC. We packed up everything, sent Quayd to my brother's house and hit the road. We got to SLC around 11:00 pm. When I got to the ER, there were several people there waiting to be seen. As soon as they took my vitals and heard my symptoms they marked my chart as "URGENT" and took me right back. I saw a Doctor right away, they started an EKG, blood work and a million other tests. I had a fever of 101.5. They did several different tests and scans on my heart and decided that except for the high heart rate, it looked good. They knew there must be an infection somewhere but didn't know where so they didn't dare give me an antibiotic. (BUG! What is with doctors and antibiotics these days?!?) They gave me some meds and IV fluids and I started feeling better. They released me the next day. I still had an appointment with my cardiologist on Thursday so we just got a hotel room and crashed. When I went to the cardiologist, he was a total jerk to me! He made me feel like I was wasting his time. Don't get me wrong, I was glad that he said my heart looked good but he didn't even take the time to listen to everything that had been going on. He pretty much told me that I was old and fat. OLD???? I am 31!! Fat??? Yes, but had he looked at my chart and cared a little bit, he would have been impressed to see how much weight I have lost since I last saw him. He adjusted my medicines and sent me home. He was a huge ass! We drove home and I was feeling worse than ever. On Friday, I went back to my family doctor and she said that it was obvious that I had a terrible sinus infection. I had a fever of 102 and she gave me an antibiotic. I have been feeling better, but my heart rate is still high. I still have body aches and I just don't feel that great. I guess it will just take time. Whatever. Anyway, I can't end this story without telling about the HUGE outpouring of love I felt during all of this. I have such great family and friends and they were right there, bringing us meals, stopping by bringing treats, visiting, calling and texting and it seriously meant the world to me! My pal Cara let me borrow her New Moon movie so I could get all caught up before I go see Eclipse. She also brought me some popcorn, licorice and these fun vampire teeth!

Love it! Thanks Cara! We had tons of fun with these!

Ok, rain/pour story #2. It was the Annual Galley family camp out this last weekend and it was a blast, as usual! We had a huge turnout and I love being around this great family. We were able to go river rafting on Friday morning, and even though I wasn't feeling great, I still had a great time. (There was on incident that happened that kind of put a damper on the weekend, but I am saving that for story #3.) The weather wasn't totally cooperative. It rained and poured almost the whole time. Oh well. Nothing can ruin our camping spirit!

Not even rain/pour story #3. Brett, Quayd and Finn headed up the mountain for camping on Wednesday night. I needed to stay and work another day, so I rode up with Talia Thursday night. It was so nice to get there and have camp all set up! Brett and Quayd did a great job. After we ate dinner that night, we were all chatting around the camp fire. Brett started playing around with some of the teenage boys. Not sure how it started, but they started having a fly swatter war. Some how, Brett stepped back in a hole and hyper-extended his knee. He was in a lot of pain but said it would be ok. By Friday afternoon, he was about to pass out from the pain. He decided to head to town and go to the ER. The ER doc said he tore a contour ligament and that he needed to see the ortho specialist. He said it would most likely require surgery. The Doctor put him in a brace, gave him crutches and sent him on his way. Brett made an appointment for Monday (today) at 4:30 with the ortho guy. We weren't sure what a "contour ligament" would be, so when he got back to camp, we googled it. (Yes, we had Internet on the mountain. Talk about "roughing it!") It is either the ACL or the MCL. Both are very bad. We decided to wait and see what the doc said on Monday. We went to his appointment and were told many different scenarios of what it could be. All sound pretty bad. Brett has to have an MRI of his knee so the doctor can see exactly what is going on, then we will go from there. I keep reminding Brett that he is not as young as he used to be, so playing with those teenage boys was probably not his best idea. Actually, he is suffering enough with the pain, so I have tried to keep my mouth shut. So when it rains health drama at our house, it pours!!!

Rain/pour story #4. A few weeks ago, Brett had to teach a HAZMAT class in Price. He had already been in Denver for a few days for work then 3 more days in Price. I had been feeling crappy and stressed and I just needed my hubby. Quayd and I packed up and drove there so we could spend the weekend with dad. we ended up staying an extra day and we had a great time! Brett was teaching with his friend Todd and his family ended up coming down too. One night while Brett was teaching, Todd's wife and I took Quayd and the other kids to Toy Story 3. The next day when Brett was finished teaching we went to the wave pool.

The waves were seriously pouring down on everyone! It was so much fun!

We were lucky enough to get to go boating with my brother and his family on July 4th and 5th. That brings me to story #5. We packed a nice big lunch, bought fishing licenses, caught night crawlers and got all ready for a fun day on the lake on the 4th of July. We were there for a couple of hours and guess what? It started to rain! And when it finished raining, it started to pour! We tried to stick it out for as long as we could, but we were freezing! We had caught several nice fish. We thought if we just cruised around the lake for awhile, it might clear up. We had been going pretty fast for awhile when we realized that our fish basket was still hanging off the side of the boat. We stopped pulled it in and it was empty. :( All of our fish fell out the bottom. It was raining even harder, so we packed up and went home. Empty handed. Because of the long holiday weekend, we packed a new lunch and headed out the next day! It was perfect! We caught lots of fish (and even came home with them!) and cruised around on the lake for hours.

The tooth fairy is responsible for rain/pour story #6. She has been hitting our house so hard lately, it seems like it is raining tooth fairy magic! Quayd is at that age where he is losing tooth after tooth after tooth.

It seems with each tooth comes less drama! Quayd used to freak out when it was time to pull a tooth. Last week, he lost one while eating a ice cream cone and it was never retrieved. He lost another last night and he came to me and asked me to pull it. The tooth fairy has brought "scratch and win" lottery tickets for the last two teeth lost. He thinks they are so cool. :) He is getting so big! I love and hate it!

So I guess that does it for my "when it rains it pours" blog. Kinda hokey, I know. And very long. Sorry about that. Once I finally take the time to sit down and blog, the word seem to just pour out!

the one about SENDING someone to jail

How ironic that my last post was about spending the night in jail, and after the events of today, I think I am responsible for SENDING someone there. Maybe not jail, but detention anyway. And I guess I am not really responsible since I didn't commit the crime, but.. well... How about I just get to the story?

It was 5:00 and I was just getting ready to close the store where I work. Danette was there helping me close and Brayden, Quayd and Amelia were there because we were getting ready to go to the Rec. Center for a St. Patty's day activity. I had my back to the back door and Danette was facing me so she could see out the back window. All of a sudden she yells, "Those boys just got something out of your car!" Right then I heard my car door slam and I turned around and saw two teenage boys walking away from my car, and they had something with them. I ran right out the back door and started chasing them.

(If you aren't familiar with where I live, I am sorry for the names of businesses and all of the confusion. For those of you who are familiar, this part will help you visualize it all.)

I spotted them behind Curves and I could see they had something.... I couldn't see very well until they turned around when they thought they were being followed. I knew exactly what it was.... MY PURSE!!! I started screaming at them to drop my purse!! (I added a few extra words in there though that I will not repeat... your welcome Grandma Galley!) I was running after them and they crossed Vernal Avenue to the parking lot behind Gale's Office Supply. I made it to Wells Fargo and knew I would never catch them. I didn't have my phone with me so I turned around and ran back to work to get my car, my phone, or something!!! I didn't really know what I was going to do. Before I turned around though, they were getting to that weird little alley way behind Mr.S and The Sage Motel. I got back to the shop and Danette was just getting in her car and yelled for me to get it. We took off towards them, and I called dispatch. We figured they were gonna come out somewhere by the Catholic Church, so we headed that way. Sure enough, we ran right into them. I was on the phone with a very nice man and I was able to tell him a very good description and exact location of me and the kids. He got an officer on the way and we didn't let the two kids out of our sight. We didn't want them to think we were following them though, or we knew they would run. I couldn't see my purse anymore, so I am guessing they ditched it somewhere. Anyway, we followed them to the North Office building of the hospital and they walked into the north entrance. I was still on the phone with dispatch and he advised me to stay outside and wait for an officer. Danette hopped out of the car and ran in after them. They were way fast, and they went up the stairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she heard the door shut upstairs. She was worried that they would walk through to the hospital and get away and we would never see them again. So she came back out, got in her car and drove around to the other entrance/exits of the hospital to watch for them. By then, 3 officers had shown up. They asked me for a description and they all took off into the building. I had called Brett and he showed up so he headed in the building too. Danette came back around and said that she had not seen them come out yet and pretty quick, here came the 2 kids in handcuffs!! Yay! They sat them down outside the building and started asking everyone questions. The kids were so mouthy, disrespectful and RUDE! I feel so sorry for them! How sad that they are starting a life of crime at ages 15 and 17. They were saying awful things to Danette and I and calling us liars. Of course, the cops totally believed us but it was still kind of hard to sit through. They searched them and they had nothing of mine. I had $60 cash in my purse, a $25 Maurice's gift card, a debit card (yes, I cancelled it already!) and just other typical odds and ends that we all carry in our purses. I don't know if I will ever get it back. Really, it all could have been much worse. Pretty much everything in my purse is replaceable. It was a new purse, and I loved it!!!! But it was just a purse.

The kids were taken away and will probably get nothing but a slap on the hand. I hope they can learn from it all. I am really not all that mad at the boys, I just feel kind of violated. I can't begin to express my gratitude for my Sister-In-law and her quick thinking, for my husband and Cory who were ready to fight the little punks! And for my brother and Brayden and Quayd who spent ALL NIGHT searching the dark alley ways, bushes, trash cans, dumpsters and everywhere else we could think of to look for my purse. Also to the officers who responded so quickly and who could have NOT done a better job!!! And of course to John at dispatch who helped keep me calm and who got everything set up to find the little punks.

It all could have been SO much worse!!! Tonight, I am home safe with my husband, my beautiful son and our pets. Really, that is all that matters. Nobody is hurt, just a little shaken up.

Crazy.

the one about going to JAIL!

I spent last night in jail.

So did Brett, my brother and Brayden.

We got there around 9:00 pm and got home around 8:00 am. It was MISERABLE, loud, uncomfortable, hot and the food was not only cold, but disgusting. I can't believe I really spent a night in the CLINK!

But at least we got these sweet T-shirts as a souvineer!

Ha Ha Ha!! Did I freak you out??? Our county just built a new jail and it will be opening up in the next few weeks. They held an open house yesterday for people to come and tour the facility and learn how it works. You could also pay $10 for the chance to spend the night. Brett, Brandon and Brayden signed up weeks ago to stay all night. I didn't really think I wanted to stay until after I toured it yesterday with Danette and the kids. I thought it was very interesting and I knew they were gonna have games and stuff, so I changed my mind. I decided to show up at check in time and see if they had room for me. They let me right in and it was really pretty cool! We took lots of games and snacks and we stayed up really late! We were able to wander the jail and get a more detailed look at how things operate. It was super fun, however, the actual SLEEPING was not pleasant at all! The lights never go off and they never turned down the heat! I HATE being hot at night! It was a pretty miserable night as far as rest goes, but other than that, it was pretty fun! Brett and I shared a cell. We grabbed an extra mattress and made a nice big bed on the floor.

Here are a few pictures from the tour we had taken earlier in the evening with Danette and the little boys.

Brandon and Brett taught Brayden and I how to play poker.

The sheriff came around from block to block and we played BINGO! and we finished off the trip with breakfast. It was a great experience. One I won't soon forget, and one I hope NEVER to live again!!!!

the one about the SuperBowl and my sister

I gotcha with my title, didn't I? I don't have a sister. Well, a real live biological sister, that is. I do, however have my Brynn. She is my sister-in-law and one of my very best friends. We are married to brothers, and both of us will argue that we each married the best brother! And we will agree that we are thrilled that we didn't marry the other brother, Cory! HaHaHa!!! Neither Brynn or myself have sisters, so we decided years ago that we would just be each others adopted sister. We have also adopted our husbands' sister, Talia, as one of our sisters. The three of us are so happy to have each other and we share such a special bond. I don't know what I would do without these girls.

Early last Friday morning, Brynn's mom, Wendy, passed away. I feel so bad for Brynn. She is very close with her mom. Wendy has had many health problems and has really struggled over the years. Brynn has done everything possible to help her mom. Wendy passed very unexpectedly, but also very peacefully in her sleep. Brynn's family is doing quite well considering the circumstances.

Friday evening, my mom and I took dinner to Brandon and Brynn. When I left, Beau'D wanted to come home with me and play with Quayd. We decided to go swimming at the rec. center. After swimming, we took Beau'D home and Brynn invited us to eat dinner with them. It was so nice. The next night, Saturday, there was a UFC fight on pay per view so Brandon invited Brett to come watch it with him. I wasn't to interested in the fight, so I went to see my Brynn. When I got there, she was working on a project for the funeral. She was doing some photo collages and she was having a creativity block. I was excited to get my hands on something crafty, and I think she was happy for the help. We finished the project and it turned out very nice. Once we finished, she was just spent. I could see it in her face. She looked at me, sighed, and asked if I would come lay by her in her bed and cuddle. I was happy she asked! We went in her room and got the bed all ready. Just as we were getting comfortable, the guys emerged from the basement because the fight was over. No cuddling for us. :( We stood in the kitchen and visited and decided to get together for the Superbowl the next night. We made food assignments and invited Brett's other siblings, his mom, and Brynn's dad. Sunday afternoon, we headed over to Brandon and Brynn's. Three nights in a row! Of course, Brynn and I were not into the game at all! SO here are some of the things we did instead. Brynn read a book. We watched Twilight. We made a bed on the floor and got our cuddle on! Ran to the store. We had LOTS of delicious beverages! We ate things that were NOT on our diet.

I waxed Brynn's eyebrows and face, and I gave her a pedicure. It was such a fun night!

The kids had a blast running around, eating non-stop and making a huge mess!

Brynn's dad, Tom, was right in the middle of all of the kids!

Brycen rolling on the love sack.

Sweet Little Kelby. He is such a good boy!

The boys of course watched the game, but they also had some type of wrestle mania thing going on.

Talia's boyfriend, Chance (in the darker colored shirt) and his buddy Pat (in the red).

Beau'D trying to referee Brandon and Chance.

They were also having wars with a marshmallow gun, drank LOTS of delicious beverages, ate lots and lots of food and made a huge mess!!! After the game, everyone cleaned up, I washed all of the dishes then we headed home.

We have had a blast with Brandon and Brynn and their family the last few days. My poor little Brynn. I feel so bad for her. I feel bad that we have been at their house everyday for the last 3 days and we have made mess, after mess, after mess! But we have cleaned it all up and we have sure had fun together. I guess that makes it worth the mess, right?

the one about ROCK BAND!

We totally love playing Rockband. Its one of our favorite games on the Wii. On Christmas Day night, we went to Brett's brother Brandon's house and played for hours. Brandon and Brynn have a huge projection screen TV and it is so fun for the Wii. The pictures didn't really work, but see that huge white space behind Brandon??? Yah. That is the screen. You can kind of see it behind Quayd in this picture.You totally feel like you ARE the Rockband. Of course we are good enough to really be a band, but, whatever.

This is Brett and his crazy brothers!
Brandon rocking the whammie! Brett on drums and me on the vocals!
Me, chillin with Finn.

the one about our gingerbread house fiasco

We had a terrible gingerbread house tragedy this year. About a week before Christmas, Quayd was invited to go with Brayden and Brennen to make gingerbread houses at their grandma ReAnn's house. I had to buy him a kit and a few other things. Quayd LOVES ReAnn. She is kind of his adopted grandma. He was so excited to be invited. ReAnn picked him up after school and he was still gone when Brett and I got home from work that evening. We decided to take advantage and do a little Christmas shopping. We took Brett's car, so mine was in the driveway. When Quayd came home, he saw my car and thought I must be home, so he came home with his project that he worked so hard on. He got scared that nobody was home and somehow, he dropped his gingerbread house and, you guessed it... it shattered. He ran to my brothers house crying and Uncle Brandon settled him down, then brought him back to clean it up. Shortly after that, we got a phone call learning all about the terrible event. Quayd was seriously devastated! It broke our hearts, so we bought another kit, and hurried home to help him make another. (Not without stopping at Cafe Rio first!) I needed to hide some stuff and wrap some other stuff, so I couldn't help. Darn. ;) Anyway, dear old dad stepped in and saved the day. They did a great job, and with no help from control-freak OCD mom!!! I guess I will let them do it alone from now on!!!