Hide n' Go Seek

The Day Heidi's Blog Was Hacked

2011-07-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

It happens to just about everyone. You begin with a well-intentioned blog to keep your friends and family updated about your life and recent achievements. Then one day, it all comes crashing down. That's right. You have been hacked. You left your window open on your computer and SOMEONE, it really could have been anyone (from Nigeria or otherwise), comes along and hacks all of your personal, private, intimate information. They suddenly decide that they have the right to access your account, and the results are......... generally disastrous.

Maybe you know the hacker personally. Maybe you don't. But maybe it was just your husband wanting to say how much he loves and cares for his beautiful wife. Yep. Per my expert hackers opinion, I think that's very likely what happened here. Happy Hacking Honey!!!!

Heidi's Salsa

2011-05-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

The one consolation I have for MISSING the most EPIC ski season Utah has seen in my lifetime is that right now, in May, when it is STILL SNOWING in Utah, I am enjoying FRESH SALSA from my garden. Everything in you see here: Tomatoes, onions, and three types of peppers came straight from the GARDEN. No its not quite as good as a great powder day....but at least its something!

First Tri of the Season

2011-04-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Jentry and I took a little trip last weekend to Lake Mead for the first Triathlon of the season. We had a blast! The weather was perfect, Lake Mead was Beautiful, our Hotel was super nice and it was in Henderson, far from the Las Vegas Strip!

Both Jentry and I did very well, even though it was a tough course, with over 3,000 ft of climbing!

I won the 20-24 Olympic female division and finished 13 out of all the women. Jentry finished 4th in the male 25-29 Olympic male division!

Here's how the number added up:

Heidi: Swim: 28:38 Bike

1:26:28

Run

53:10

Total:

2:52:30.3

Jentry: Swim: 33:34

Bike

1:19:52

Run

46:46

Total:

2:44:19.2

We even got to go to the Cheescake Factory and Cafe Rio!!! We were excited about that :)

To finish off a great weekend, Jentry, who was worried that his study time had been lacking because of the trip, rocked his big Neuro Anatomy test on Monday morning with a 90!!!

Heidi's Missed Calling

2011-04-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

I think I missed my calling in life. I think I was REALLY supposed to be a Proffesional Dog Photographer. They make really good money right?

What Heidi and Jentry Do in Arizona

2011-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is what we do in Arizona when Jentry is not studying (which is not all that often)

Go Mountain Biking

Jentry catches some air at McDowell

If you look closely at this picture you can see that there really is snow in Arizona!

Me and the Girls (Brook and Amy) tearin' it up at Trail 100

Saw a Javelina on our Black Canyon Ride

The next week Jentry did the same ride and saw 2 huge rattlesnakes, glad I wasn't there!

Beautiful Sunset after our Black Canyon ride. Almost made up for the part where I fell down a ravine and into a cactus. Almost.

Heidi's Garden Week 1

2011-01-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is my Garden. It is made out of cinder blocks. Ghetto, I know. But I really like it.

Week 1 Activites:

Installing the watering system

Planted peas, onions, carrots, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and one tomato plant

Teenage Romance

2011-01-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

When I was first introduced to this place called Arizona last July, I thought,"Bleh, who could ever live in a place such as this." I had absolutely made up my mind that I hated it, did not want to get to know it better, and that I was just going to have to merely tolerate being here for the next 4 years.

This sentiment continued through the months of August, September, October, November and December.

Then came January, and I started having a funny feeling. I caught myself thinking, "Arizona might not be that bad." Alarm bells started going off in my head, "What! 'not that bad'?! You want nothing to do with this place remember?!" "Oh yeah, your right, I remember now."

But try as I may I couldn't shake that funny feeling I was having. The days grew warmer, but not too warm, and the sky was bluer and bluer everyday. I started to notice things about Arizona that I had never noticed before.

Then one morning,around Jan 16 I believe, I woke up, walked out my front door, and realized something;

I was in Love.

Desperately Infatuated.

Obsessed with everything from lizard tounge cacti, great mountain biking trails, The Pita Jungle, long road rides on the Arizona Canal, Foothills Library, Palm Trees, swimming in outdoor pools, january gardens, running at thunderbird park, the wildlife zoo, right down to those darn teddy bear cholla's.

In six months time I'm sure I will be hating Arizona again.

Then give it some more time and I'll take it back, and I'll be even more in love.

Then I'll hate it, then I'll love it, hate, love, hate, love.

Just like a Teenage Romance.

The Life of A Dog

2011-01-09T16:07:00.001-08:00

Not Too Shabby

Heidi and Jentry's Christmas Mayhem

2011-01-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Jentry and I took a whirlwind vacation to visit our families over the Christams Holidays, these were just a few of the hightlights!

Your a mean one Mr. Grinch!

Ho Ho Ho!

X-Country Skiing on Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful Winter Wonderland! We even encountered a Moose Trail and Mt. Lion Tracks!

Bowling with Jentry's parents.

Christmas Breakfast at Jentry's Grandparents

Opening Presents and Jentry's Brother's house.

Christmas dinner in Coalville with Dad, Julie, Grandpa and Chris

Late Christmas with all the Hewson people

By the End we were ALL exauhsted! But we had a Great Time! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mockingjay

2010-08-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK AND HAVEN'T READ IT YET

STOP READING NOW!

This is my review of Mockingjay, the final book in the popular HUNGER GAMES series.

I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite ever and this is why:

My biggest complaint is the lack of development and growth Katniss experiences. She doesn’t seem to have grown at all from the first book to the third. I guess I just expected her to be like Luke Skywalker going from naive farm boy to master Jedi, leader of the rebel cause. But Katniss just never seems to be able to figure herself out and decide who she is. She should have been able to see the rebellion was more important than her own selfish quest for revenge. She should have been able to feel more compassion for Peeta when he got all messed up in the Capitol. She should have been able to see it wasn’t Gale’s fault Prim died in the bombing. What upset me the most in the end was that she voted FOR the Hunger Games and then said it was for Prim. Prim never would have wanted that. It was pure selfishness on Katniss’ part.

However I am really glad she shot Coin in the end . Katniss was right, she was just as bad as Snow. Which brings me to my next complaint. District 13. At the end of Catching Fire when I found out there really was a district 13 I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. I imagined District 13 to be a bustling nest of zealous, passionate rebel activity. But no, District 13 was the worst possible rebel base ever. There were so calculated and reserved. Even Betee had more zeal than the citizens of District 13. I can see why they needed Katniss so badly to be the mockingjay. A rock could have been more inspiring than ANYONE in District 13. Then on top of that they let all the other Districts do all the work. I wish more of the story would have taken place in District 11. In Catching Fire when the Victory district 11 and the old man whistles rues tune and the rest of the crowd gestures to Katniss, it gave me goosbumps. District 11 seemed to capture the fire of the rebellion.

Now I have to give my two cents about Collin’s love triangle. I hate love triangles and have to say I couldn’t have cared less about who she ended up with (even though I felt we got to know Peeta better so I liked him a little more). I feel though, that she should have been happier than she was about who she ended up with. I felt like whether is was Gale or Peeta, either one of them at least deserved her happiness about being with them.

While I do have quite a list of complaints I actually thought it was a pretty good book. I like Colllin’s style of writing. She kept me on the edge of my seat and did not disappoint when it came to unpredictable twists and turns.

I also really liked the cast of characters. Cinna was my absolute favorite, his character was perfect. Haymitch and Peeta tie for second. Peeta was my favorite in the first and second, he showed the most promise of human nature, but I hated that he never completely recovered from torture. On the other hand I didn’t like Haymitch in the first book but he came such a long way and was almost noble in the third book, I love to see characters develop like that. I loved Fnick and Gale too, I wish they both would have had bigger parts in the books, they had so much potential to be great leaders. I am glad that Finick got his happy ending before he died though. And then there is Prim, to me she was really the symbol of the rebellion, she embodied everything good and pure, she had all the characteristics I wish Katniss could have found by the end of the book. I guess I can just hope Katniss will honor her sisters memory and aspire to obtain those qualities later in her life.

Not my favorite book ever, but I did like it a lot and would definitely recommend reading the whole series! The second book is definitely the best.

Heidi and Jentry's Fabulous Trip to Flagstaff

2010-07-24T14:28:00.001-07:00

With jobs obtained and houses unpacked and somewhat put in order, Jentry and I finally got some free time to do as we pleased. We were ecstatic to get out of the house (and out of the heat!). We packed up our toys and our dog and headed up north.

We spent two nights in Oak Creek Canyon just out of Sedona and two nights at Upper Lake Mary outside of Flagstaff. It was an absolute blast.

These were some of the activities we enjoyed!

Hiking Pump House Wash

Warding off the numerous skunks in the Oak Creek Canyon Campgrounds

Hiking the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon

Enjoying Egg McMuffins cooked on a Camp Stove

Windsurfing at Upper Lake Mary

Watching the thunderstorms roll in over Upper Lake Mary

Racing to set up our tarp over our camp before the thunderstorms hit

Playing cards and doing crosswords under our tarp during the thunderstorms

Going to the Lowell Observitory in Flagstaff

(where both Pluto and the expanding nature of the Universe were discovered by Percival Lowell)

Eating at Salsa Brava in Flagstaff

(delicious burn your face off mexican food!)

Exploring Lava River Cave

Eating at Miss Zips

(an adorable little diner in Flagstaff that serves aweseom burgers and fries!)

Now its back to the real world, starting work again on Monday :( But we really enjoyed our time off!

Lake Powell, Tabuli, Paint, and Cactus Trees

2010-07-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

Jentry and Heidi finally made it to Arizona! Well, actually we have been here over a week now but our stuff did not come until this past Monday and, today, Thursday, we finally have most of our stuff unpacked. MOST of it. Our new house is finally starting to feel like a home.

We have been pretty busy the last week and a half. It's hot here in Arizona, but surprising not unbearable. We are so glad our house has a pool, we (me, Jentry, and Bella) have been swimming in it pretty much every day! Anyway, here are few other things we have been up to.

1. Lake Powell

We broke our 11 hr drive to Glendale into two days and stayed overnight at Lake Powell. Well sort of, it was the KOA in Page. I think the rest of the people there thought we were crazy people with how much stuff we had. Not the most glamorous of camping spots, but we had fun grilling hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping out under the stars.

2. Tabuli

What the heck is Tabuli? Deliciousness, thats what it is. Parsley, tomatoes, mint, and spices, mmm mmm. Yesterday Jentry and I went the the Twilight Farmers market. I felt kind of bad dragging Jentry along, I'm kind of obsessed with Farmers Markets and am always dragging him to different ones all over. But, come to find out, Jentry secretly LIKES the Farmers Market. He seemed to be having a great time chatting with all the vendors as they fed us sample after sample. It was tough not to buy everything we tasted, it was all SOOOO good! In the end we left with Blackberry Lavender Sauce, smoked salmon straight from Alaska, and yes, TABULI. What a treat!

3. Paint

Before we moved into our house, Jentry mentioned to me that the land lord had said that it would be okay if we wanted to some painting. I thought to myself, "Why would I want to paint? I don't really want to put any sort of effort into a house that is not mine. No color can be so bad to make me want to paint a rental house!" Then we arrived at our new home in Arizona. Within the first hour we were there we had already decided to repaint. Luckily, it was only two walls and since our stuff had not arrived yet it was pretty easy. But it took a long time. We also painted all the baseboards in the house. And Jentry made me scrub the grout (pretty much the entire house is tile). Bleh. Grout scrubbing is the worst job in the world. I am never putting tile in any house I ever own.

4. Cactus Trees

In Arizona, the cactuses grow bigger than trees. We happen to have one such "Catcuts Tree" on our street. And it is full of holes. It is like the Bird Hotel. Like the Bird Belagio. There are birds running around all over the place. I love it. I like the cactus tree a lot too.

P.S. I know that there is one picture on her 3 times, in funny places, the computer is being goofy

Heidi is Inspired

2010-07-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today I read an article in Runner's World called

"A Magnificent Mile".

It was so incredibly inspiring.

It was about a women who, in 2007, started a 30 mile run to raise money to help women who were victims of the terrible violence in the Congo. Over the years people have joined her cause. Her run has grown and others have started events all over the country and they have raised a significant amount of money for Congolese Women. The money helps them to buy food and medical supplies and learn trades like cooking, sewing, and farming so they can support their families.

Last year this woman traveled to the Congo to meet the women she had helped and to do a 30 mile solo trek in place of her annual 30 mile run.

But when she got to the Congo her plans changed.

The women she met, women who were struggling to feed their children and get by, women who still lived in fear of violence everyday, these women wanted to know what THEY could do to HELP other women.

So instead of of 30 mile trek, she organized a one mile run. Forty seven Congolese women who had been victims of rape and violence themselves participated. They ran in the rain and the mud, in bare feet and their best skirts. And they sang and danced, before, during, and long after the run.

""Come let's run and dance for others!" they changed in Swahili as they circled around a woman squatting on the ground, poinding on a plastic oil can."

The run generated more than $47,000 to aid women in the Congo. This was such an amazing story about courageous, strong, beautiful women. It made my heart feel full. Even in the darkest, most disparged parts of the world, there is beauty, kindness, and love.

If you need to feel inspired, check out this article in the August edition of Runners World and then listen to ONE DAY by Matisayu and then I'll STAND BY YOU by the Glee Cast.

I promise you'll feel like you really can make a difference :)

Heidi Faces Her Greatest Fear

2010-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well know that my greatest fear in life is getting bit by a rattlesnake while running or hiking on the trail. People might say, "Really? This is your GREATEST fear?" Yes. It is my GREATEST fear, because out of all the things for me to be terrified of in life, being bitten by a rattlesnake has the greatest probability of actually happening.

To prove my point, just today I was running on the Bear Gutsman Trail in Kaysville and I very very narowly excaped this fear becoming a reality.

I was running down the switchbacks not paying much attention when I rounded a corner and there it was, a little black and brown guy with a rattle on his tail all COILED (yes he was COILED) up on the trail. I was moving fast and didn't have any time at all to think. I just lept into the air and hit the ground running as fast as I could. I heard him hiss behind me but I but did not chance stealing a glance behind me.

I am not really sure how I did not get bitten. I was awefully close and he was ready for me. It was kind of a miracle.

What I still don't understand is that Bella, my trusty beast who is supposed to protect me from such calamities, was about ten feet in front of me and she never showed any sign that she was even aware of this little guys existence. She did not run, jump, start, growl, or bark. She just trotted down the trail in her lackadaisical manner as if she had not seen, heard, or smelled anything out of the ordinary.

As for me, it took a long long long time for me to relax and it will probably be a long long long time before I will be able relax while running on a trail again, especially now that we are moving to Arizona, the land of the rattle snakes!

PS - I was going to find a picture of a rattle snake to put with this post, but it makes me sick to my stomach to look at them so you will just have to use your imagination!

Iron Girl - Lake Las Vegas Tri

2010-05-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

Swim

Bike

Run

Finish

Swim 15:01 T1: 4:15 Bike 1:06:51 T2 1:33 Run 24:32

Final Time 1:52:12

2nd in Division

47th of 645 overall

Team Blonde Runner Girls Brandy and Carolynn

Awesome job Ladies!

My Biggest fan and supporter

This was such an awesome event, I am so glad I got to be a part of it. It was so empowering to be there with so many other women to celebrate being strong, active, healthy women.

I owe all of this to my mother, who taught me to always be proud of being a woman and that as a women I am strong and I am powerful and NOTHING is beyond my reach.

Thanks Mom! I love you!

ACLS Inspires Me

2010-05-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Some people are inspired by music, some by art, others by architecture, or nature, poems, books, photography etc. etc. So what am I inspired by?

Quality Chest Compressions and Advanced Airways.

Its weird. I know. I can't help it.

I went to my ACLS renewal class this week and talking about the pulseless v-fib/v-tach and bradycardic algorithms all day got me so excited that when I got home I couldn't shut up about it for like three hours. And three days later I am still talking about it. Poor Jentry. He puts up with a lot.

When I was 15 years old I took my first BLS class. I remember thinking, I hope something never happens while I am around, I don't think I could ever do this to a real person.

Eight years later, even though I use BLS and ACLS skills a lot in my job, I am dying to use my skills in the outside world. Don't get me wrong I don't go around hoping someone will keel over or get in a car wreck, I just know these things happen and I go around hoping that one day in the right place at the right time.

I just can't explain the feeling that you get when something goes wrong, and for a moment you panic, but then your head clears and you know exactly what to do. Or when you are drilling into the medial tibia with the I/O drill or delivering a shock. But the best feeling is when the patient comes back, and then they wake up, and then when they get well enough to leave the unit. It truly is amazing, and humbling. A lot of times it doesn't end up that way and thats hard, but then you can honestly say you did everything you could.

Please don't think I am morbid. I am not. I just love what I do. I am so grateful I have a job that has given me the skills and knowledge so that I can help people.

Heidi and Jentry say Goodbye For Two Years

2010-05-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today Jentry's brother Dallin is leaving to serve an LDS Mission in Costa Rica. Last night we had the privilege of being present as he was set a part and given a beautiful priesthood blessing by our Stake President. Then we went to Dairy Queen (of all the great places in the world - - Dallin's choice) and got to spend a little quality time with him before he departs for two years.

We like Dallin. We will sure miss him. But Costa Ricans are lucky to be having him around. Serving a mission is all about sharing Christ's Love with his children (according to Heidi NOT the officialness of the LDS church). Dallin will be a great missionary. He loves people and he works hard.

In Dallin's own words: SEE YA IN TWO YEARS!

Heidi Learns an Important Lesson

2010-05-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

WARNING: While multitasking is an important skill, making your BREAKFAST should not be one of your "multi" tasks!

This morning I thought I would get a jump start on cleaning by straightening up the living room while toasting my bagel. When I finally returned to the kitchen after straightening, my bagel was burnt to a crisp. :( Sad days for me. Luckily, I had another bagel. I popped it in the toaster oven and decided this time I would stay close to my breakfast and do some dishes while it cooked. Turns out proximity to your cooking breakfast does not guarantee you can keep it from burning. :( My bagel was burnt again. Unfortunately I had no more bagels so I just had to suck it up, slather it with cream cheese, and choke it down.

Sad Sad Sad days.

Weathering the Storm

2010-05-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went running in a giant storm. And I liked it. . .sort of. Why did I do this? Well. . . it wasn't storming when I left my house. I had gotten home from work and for whatever strange reason I felt great, which is a rare rare occurrence. I decided to take advantage of this and get in my long run for the week. It was a little drippy when I started, but a little rain never hurt anyone. Right?

The majority of the run was beautiful. The temperature was perfect. It rained off and on, sometimes it rained pretty hard and I did get wet, but the wind wasn't blowing and it wasn't cold enough that I couldn't stay warm from my own physical effort. I watched the sun go down and was entertained by Bella trying to splash through all the puddles.

In one word, it was

BLISSFUL.

Oh how quickly things can change.

I was on my way home, about ten minutes from my house. It was getting very very dark. All of a sudden the wind started to blow and the sky opened up and HAIL started pelting down on me. The bad news was (no, I haven't even gotten to the bad news part yet!) the wind was blowing in my face and the hail was pelting my eyes out. Bella started running BEHIND me so I could block her from the storm, I felt bad I had taken her with me. To make things worse I was back on Main street and it was unusually busy for nine at night. I was running into the traffic so the cars headlights were blinding me. There wasn't much room on the shoulder and I was really nervous the cars wouldn't be able to see me.

In one word, the next 10 minutes were complete MISERY.

I was soaked to the bone, freezing, and I couldn't see a thing. I just wanted to quit. But I knew the only way I would get home, was to keep going. So I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and I did keep going. After what seemed like forever, but was really only ten minutes, I did get home. And it was warm and safe and Jentry had a big plate of warm bacon waiting for me. I was so HAPPY.

I really enjoyed this little experience. Well. . . I'm not sure if enjoy is exactly the right word, because I wasn't really enjoying myself at the time, but you will see what I mean.

One of the things I love about running is that pretty much everything about it can be related to the Gospel and Spirituality. I do like to have runs like this occasionally, because it strengthens my testimony of my Heavenly Father and His LOVE for me. This experience reminded me that no matter how bad the storm of life may get, even when it's dark and cold and windy and hail is pelting me in the face and care headlights are blinding me, no matter how miserable I am, no matter how much I really want to quit, if I just focus on putting one foot in front of the other like I did when I was running, and have faith, Heavenly Father will lead me home to his presence. And it will be warm. It will be safe. And there will be a plate of warm bacon waiting for me.

Maybe.

Okay i'm not sure about the bacon part, but the rest of it I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW is absolutely TRUE without a doubt!

Heidi and Jentry and the Spring Sprint Triathalon

2010-04-28T14:35:00.001-07:00

before

This past weekend Jentry and I participated in the Kearns Spring Sprint Triathalon. We had a very good time. I was extremely nervous, not really about racing, but about being cold. Silly, I know. But I was making myself sick all the way up untill the start of the race trying to decide if I was going to throw on my jacket for the bike ride and wondering if I would regret not wearing my biking gloves. All my worrying was in vain. It was beautiful, the perfect tempurature. I did not get cold at all!

We started the race by swimming in the Oquirr Park Aquatics outdoor Olympic pool. It was a 400 meter swim. I didn't swim great but I was still the second lady out of the pool so I didn't feel too bad. Then we hopped out of the pool and ran up the hill to the parking lot where the trasition area was.

We got on a bikes and road North, up a really big hill! But like I said the weather was really beautiful so even though I couldn't breath I was really enjoying the ride. Finally the hill crested for real and it was flat for a little ways. Then the course went east and we got to come down the really big hill. I hit 34 mph on my bike, the fastest I have ever gone before! I decided I did not want to go any faster, so then all these guys started flying past me. Some crazy guy even yelled, "Go baby go!" at me as he flew by. We reached the bottom of the hill and turned back towards the Aquactics center. "Oh good I thought to myself, it should be pretty flat from here on out," I thought to myself. WRONG. There was a second climb, this one even longer and steaper than the first. The beautiful weather and scenery could not distract me from my misery anymore. Luckily about half way up the hill I found a buddy to climb the hill with. If it hadn't been for her motivatin me to keep going I probably would have been going so slow I would have just fallen over and given up.

Finally, the 12 mile ride was over and we got into our running shoes and started up yet another hill for our run. But the run was pretty enjoyable actually. It wound through some very pleasant neighbor hoods and had a nice variety of ups and downs. And I just couldn't stop thinking about what an incredibly nice day it was. When I rounded the corner and the Olympic Oval came into view I couldn't believe it. I though, "I can't really be that close can I?" I kept thinking I was being tricked and that the course would vear off in another direction. But it didn't, the course brought me down a grassy hill and right up to the oval. I really was that close. Then I saw Jentry. Wait a minute, "When did you pass me?" I yelled. "On the bike, down the hill, I yelled at you, didn't you hear me?" I yelled back. Oh, so it wasn't just some crazy guy yelling at me. What a relief! The last couple hundred meters was on the track at the Olympic Oval, and then finally I crossed the finish line and was done! Yay!

Jentry and I did pretty well considering it was the first race of the season! Jentry came in 18th overall with a time of 1 hour 13 min and I cam in 80th overall, but 13th out of the women with a time of 1 hour 22 minutes.

And once again it was a gorgeous beautiful day!

after

Jentry Teaches Bike Maintenance

2010-04-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Embarrassingly enough, before yesterday I did not know how to change a bike tire. Correction, I did not REMEMBER how to change a bike tire.

My mom, who always taught her girls to be self sufficient, showed me how a long long time ago.

Unfortunately if you do not practice your skills you lose them, which is what happened to me. All I rememberd is using some kind of funny tool and then listening to the tube to see where the air is coming from.

This knowledge did not prove helpful to my on Monday when I got two flat tires on my bike ride.

Last night I decided it was time for me to become self sufficient again.

Jentry showed me how to change the first tire. Then with a little bit of helpful guidance changed the second.

Honestly, not too hard.

Now I can make my mother proud again. :)

Heidi Likes Flowers

2010-04-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got mad at Jentry for something I shouldn't have been mad about. I wanted him to put the bike rack on the car so I could take my bike for a ride in Bountiful yesterday. He forgot to do it, so heaven forbid, I ended up putting it on myself. This was no big deal, but I am silly, and I was mad. Did Jentry get mad because I was mad about something I shouldn't have been. No He didn't

He bought me these beautiful flowers on his way home from work. And he came to rescue me from my tragic bike ride, on which I got notONE, but TWO flat tires.

He didn't complain one time.

He is wonderful. I'm so blessed to have him.

Heidi and Jentry and Bella Enjoy a Spring Day

2010-04-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

A Picture is worth 1,000 Words

2010-04-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

Heidi and Jentry like Nachos and Friends

2010-04-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jentry and I had our good friends Emily, Joe, Camille, Carson, and Kambree over for Nacho/Game party.

It was really fun.

I forgot to take pictures :(. I know the blog is seriously lacking pictures as of late and its seriously making me sad.

Anyway, back to Nachos. Jentry and I LOVE nachos. So does Camille. Actually our first Nacho party was inspired by Camille and I reminiscing about how much we loved school lunch, especially super beef nachos. MMMmm, some of you reading this may know what I am talking about. Anyway, not only do Nachos make an awesome school lunch, they are the PERFECT party food. Everyone just brings a little somethin', no one really has to cook anything, AND everyone can make their own however they like them! For example. . . I like to make mine with lots of black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and salsa, while Jentry likes to go EXTRA HEAVY on the meat and cheese.

After we all savored our delish Nachos, we settled in for a rousing game of Settlers. Props to Emily, she had never played the game before and she came VERY close to winning! I on the other hand must have some very rusty Settlers skills, because I ended up with only four points total when the game ended!

(From left to right: Jentry, Camille, Carson, Joe. Ha ha, just kidding, we only wish we were cool enough to have a GIANT Settler's board)

Kambree was really cute, she and Bella entertained each other pretty much the entire night. They were so funny!

In summary: Nachos+Friends+Games= Awesome Saturday Night :)

Bella Loves to Run

2010-03-24T17:43:00.001-07:00

I read this in my running magazine this month, it reminded me of my puppy Bella, she is my Faithful running buddy!

What Dogs Teach You About Running

Keep your nose open to possibilities. If you get an intriguing whiff - or view - stop and take it in, because it may not be there tomorrow!

There is never a bad time to run

Running is best done in packs, or at least in pairs

The mere sight of a pair of running shoes should make your tail wag

When you get too hot, let your tounge hang out a bit

Squatting by the path is acceptable

Jentry's Advice

2010-03-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Jentry says funny things sometimes. Okay A LOT of the time. (Just one of the many things I love about him) The funniet thing is that what he says is sometimes true!

The other night Jentry told me that a HUSBAND should be like a GOOD BRA:

Always supportive and uplifting!

Such Wisdom :)

Dream Big

2010-03-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band play this song, its called Dream Big. It is my favorite song. Although "Rayn Shupe and the Rubber Band" just recently made it famous, its been around for a long time. Ryan first played it in his local band, the Salt Licks. They wrote and played that song before any of them were ever famous and I remember listening to it when I was eight years old.

Anyway, I think this songs gives some really good ADVICE, and MY advice is that everyone should take THAT advice.

I think for a while I had forgotten that. When I was in high school I had BIG DREAMS. I wanted to go to medical school and be a doctor. Then I went to college, and my mom got sick and she died. I decided I didn't want to be a doctor anymore. I wanted to have a family and be there for them like my mom was there for me and my family.

Although I knew that having a family was a noble choice, I felt like I had given up my DREAMS. Throughout the years I would I think about that. Although I love my life the way it is, for reasons I can't explain I felt ashamed. I felt like I had abandoned that motto DREAM BIG.

Fast forward four years. In January I had the most incredible opportunity to go to Guatemala and provide medical care to the people there.

After we got home I was flipping through some stuff that I had from high school and I read something.

It made me laugh.

And then it made me cry.

This is what I read:

Q: What do want to get out of your education? A: I want to study hard, graduate from high school with good grades, go to Nursing School, then go to Medical School and become a Pediatrician, so then I can go to Africa and help people.

Well. . .I DID study hard and get good grades. I DID go to Nursing School and now I'm a nurse. No, I am NOT a doctor, and everyday I am glad I am not a doctor. No, I did NOT go to Africa, but I DID go to Guatemala and I did help people who needed it.

THAT was my Dream. Not to be a doctor like I thought, but to help people in need. Things did not happen how I imagined they would. But I DID it! I accomplished my DREAM. I had been working toward it all this time without even knowing it.

And THAT feels good.

So, My Advice? DREAM BIG, please!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things . . .

2010-03-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Pomegranites - My favorite food and its so so good for you! Did you know you can get them already seeded at costco? You pay a little extra, but so totally worth it!

Franciscos Mexican Resturaunt - Just down the street from my house, Never crowded, the cutest waitresses in the world, and The BEST chicken nachos you will ever eat in your life!

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Body Wash - smells wonderful, works great!

My I-Pod Touch - Is there any thing It can NOT do??

Nike Dry fit Cotton Tees - Seriously the most comfortable article of clothing I have EVER worn. My netbook - Super convenient and way faster than my old dinosaur laptop.Butter - You can make anything taste good if you cook it with enough butter, you just have to cross your fingers it won't clog all your arteries!

Debore's Shoe Store - Also locally owned and this guy will help you pick out the most comofrtable running shoes you have ever ran in!
Studio 5 and Good Things Utah - Okay, I know its corny, but these two shows really do inspire my creative side and have given me some of the best ideas I have ever had.

The Library - Hundreds of Books about anything and everything, and I get to read them ALL for FREE!
Public Transportation - I just feel environmentally responsible when I use public transportation and the people watching is awesome, although I have to admit I wouldn't love it as much if my work didn't pay for my pass.

Reusable Shopping Bags - Again we have the feelings of environmental responsibility, plus Jentry doesn't get mad at me for saving all the plastic bags!Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwhiches - Delicious, without all the guilt!American Eagle Boyfriend Jeans - Most Comfy jeans ever

Maurices - My favorite clothing store

Happy Birthday March!

2010-03-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

March is the best month for having a Birthday. I know a lot of really great people who born in the month of March!

Lets start with. . .

My Grandma Rhea, March 12, Happy Birthday Grandma!
My Uncle Jay, March 4, Happy Belated Birthday Uncle Jay!
My Sister in Law Jenn, March 6, Happy Birthday today Jen!
My Sister in Law Alyssa, March 7, Happy Birthday tomorrow Alyssa!
Jentry's Grandpa, March 8, Happy Birthday in 2 days Grandpa Lloyd!
Our good friend Bret Bigler, March 13, Happy Birthday Bret!

My Cousin Brian, March something, Happy Birthday some day in March Brian!
The first Best Friends I ever had, Chrissy Pace March 15 and Ashley Nelson, March 9, Happy Birthday Chrissy and Ashley!
My two friends I swam with when I was littler, who were actually born on the same day I was,
Ana Agy, March 31, and Kim Clark, March 31 Happy Birthday Ana and Kim!
Family friend Greg Brown ALSO March 31, Happy Birthday Greg!

And finally Me, March 31, Happy Birthday Me!

Jentry and His New Shoes

2010-03-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw my husband more excited than I have seen him in quite a while. As many people know he is quite a raquetball fanatic. He is quite a player too, and I'm not just sayin cause he's my husband, he really is VERY good! Anyway, yesterday he recieved a much anticipated package which contained:

A new RAQUET

New BALLS

A new GYM BAG (which was FREE :))

And

New RAQUETBALL SHOES

He was SO happy. And I was Happy because He was Happy. Except now He will just be able to beat me better when we play. Dang.

Why Heidi Loves Her Job...

2010-02-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is what I did yesterday at work and this is why I love my job:

Hung 10 L of NS

Gave 6 units of packed red cells on the rapid infuser

Put in one IV

Placed a gastric tube

Assisted with an intubation

"Played" with (technically the word is TITRATED) a dopamine drip to stabilize my patients BP

Pariticipated in ROUNDS

Did two minutes of CPR

"Shocked" a patient twice

(technically the word is DEFIBRILATED)

Hung 3 more Liters of NS

Drew 3 sets of Labs and one Blood Gas

Watched Team USA score 4 goals against Finland during my 15 minute lunch

Administered 4 Liters of GoLitely and 1 Fleets Enema

Dealt with the aftermath of the GoLitely and fleets

Got 6 warm blankets for patients

Bused 2 "Tables"

(technically bedside trays)

Changed 4 sets of sheets

Helped my 2 patients bath

Turned my patient 6 times

Assisted with an Endoscopy

Bladder scanned my patient, who had over 1 Liter of urine in his bladder

(YIKES can you imagine?)

Put in a Foley Catheter

and did it ALL while SMILING and keeping my white top SPOTLESS!

P.S. Last week I put in an IO, meaning I drilled into a bone so we could infuse fluids and vasopressors. . .which is about the coolest thing EVER!

Heidi and Jentry have a Happy Valentines

2010-02-16T16:33:00.001-08:00

Jentry brought home some beautiful flowers for me, he knows daisys are my favorite!
We hung out, watched the Olympics, and had delicious crab legs and home made potatoe chips for dinner. We also exchanged gifts. Jentry got me a bike pump and a case for my netbook and I got Jentry a new pillow. Yes I know, we spoil eachother! (More like Jentry spoils me. I got a new pillow too because I thought it would be stupid to just buy one pillow!)

We LOVE being in LOVE!

Hope you had a Happy Valentines Day Too!

Heidi and Jentry Host the Opening Ceremonies...Party

2010-02-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

Yay! The Olympics are here again. I love the Olympics, they make me so happy! Jentry and I hosted a little viewing party of the Opening Ceremonies the other night. It was really fun. If you weren't able to watch it, its totally worth it to find some clips on YouTube, they did an amazing job!

Our party was pretty amazing too complete with our own Torch...

Gold medals

Vintage Olympics posters, which are pretty darn cool...

And Olympic enthusiasts. . . at least one anyway.

Oh and don't forget the Canadian and American flag Brownies, delicious!

GO TEAM USA! WE WILL BE ROOTING FOR YOU!

PS Did you see the hats the Americans were wearing and the Canadian's Mittens? So So So cute!

Jentry Gets a Secret Admirer

2010-02-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jentry came home to find that his computer had been completely covered in Post its. Not only that, but each Post It had a LOVE NOTE written on it! Neither of us knows how this happened. He must have a secret admirer. The only thing I can't figure out is, if I was home all day, how did she get in here without me noticing?

Heidi and Jentry go to Gautemala

2010-02-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

This is the home of Byan Buchanan, the founder of Jungle Medic Missions, where Jentry and I along with 10 other team members from utah stayed during our medical mission to guatemala.

This is the one room ER on the first floor of the house where Bryan does anything and everything from delivering babies, suturing cuts and preforming minor surgery.

This is Bryan's ambulance. Jentry and I had the opportunity to go with Bryan on a call to a motorcycle accident. It was crazy! It is amazing to see the things that Bryan can do with such limited resources. Everything he uses from the high tech computer communication system right down to every strip of gauze has to be donated from somewhere.

Did I metnion that Guatemala is BeautifuL?

In the mornings we would hop on Bryan's school bus with all our medical equipment and travel to some of the most remote villages in Gautemala.

Here is the bus at a village all set up and ready for clinic.

Over 3 days of clinic our team saw and treated 700 people who otherwise would have NO medical care at all. To us it may not seem like a big deal to get some vitamins, have some skin cream applied, and recieve some tylenol, cough medicine, or tums but to people who live in the remote villages of Guatemala, it is a huge blessing.

This is a typical house in a jungle village. Thatched roof, plank walls, dirt floors, and just one room for a family of anywhere from 4 to 10 people.

They cook sleep and eat all in the same room. The girl here is making corn tortillas. The typical diet of a villager is three corn tortillas and black coffee for every meal. They do not know how to grow anything but corn and are not educated enough to know that the lack of variety in their diet is causing them to be malnourished.

Jentry had fun playing with the kids, he even taught them how to play paper rock siccors.

They also loved to have their picture taken and then be able to look at themselves on the camera. We had a lot of fun with them.

Now I know you are starting to feel a little sorry for us, but before you do just know we did a little more than work work work!

We also

Visisted a hot springs and jumped off a hot waterfall

Visited some ancient Mayan ruins (Tikal aka the "forset moon Endor")

And flew through the jungle canopy on a zip line tour!

We had a lot of fun but also worked very hard. Guatemala is an exteremly poor nation and the remote villages like the ones we visited are even poorer than the general population. If you would like to learn more about what you can do to help, or if you just want to see a little more about what we did please visit www.junglemedicmissions.org

Life is good, smile

2009-10-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Jentry got into medical school.

We sat on the couch,

drank sparkling cider,

and ate cranberry white chocolate chip cookies.

Yay.

CALIFORNIA here we COME!

2009-09-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Jentry in a classic car

Me on the Beach

Yet another successful california adventure!

SDR-TRI

2009-09-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

Before . . .

Swim 400 M, Bike 9.7 Mi, Run 5 K

After . . .

Yay! We are still alive and Smiling!

Anniversary

2009-09-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

I know that our anniversary was over a month ago. . .August 3rd to be exact. . . But I didn't have time to blog about it because we were doing THIS

5 Things I love about Being Married to JENTRY

1. He takes me on tons of crazy cool adventures which include but are not limited to hiking, canyoneering, rockclimbing, mountain biking, and boating, and we have a blast together!

2. He puts up with me when I am grouchy, which is quite a lot, and he is hardly ever grouchy himself

3. He supports me In all my goals, ideas, and projects, even when they are a little goofy

4. He is kind of goofy himself which never ceases to make me smile

5. He thinks I am beautiful and tells me that, even when I have stringy lake hair

Here is to two wonderful years past and many more future ones!

Interviews...

2009-08-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for medical shcool interviews...and Jentry already has two scheduled for September;

Touro University (an osteopathic medical school) located Vallejo CA, right between Sanfrancisco and Napa Valley

and

Midwestern University (also an oteopathic medical school) in Glendale Arizona, right smack in the middle of the desert! BUT this school has a pass rate of 98% on the boards!

I am so proud of my Husband . . . please wish him lots of luck!

First Half Marathon

2009-08-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

Today I ran my very first "official" half-marathon. Jentry and I ran in the first annual Hess Cancer Foundation Legacy Parkway Bike and Run. It was a pretty cool race, they shutdown the whole legacy parkway and we ran on the road. I can't really say that it was fun; it was hot, there was no shade, and I though I was going to die! But it did give me a really good feeling of accomplishment when we finished. Our final overall time was 2 hours and three minutes. Not too shabby!

0100

2009-04-13T00:35:00.000-07:00

its one am. Its quiet. I'm sitting here thinking ALL the patients are sleeping soundly...hmmm...how nice.

I should know better than that.

Sure enough not 30 seconds after thinking this, I have an escapee.

"Mr. So and So, what are you doing?"

"This is not where I go to school."

Right okay...

Anyway, I sort of abandoned my blog for a little while...but I'm back and I'm going to try (again) to be more consistant. But I better go now, before I have anymore patients trying to escape!

Crazy

2009-03-03T08:31:00.001-08:00

I asked Jentry yesterday if he ever thought I was crazy.

His response, "sometimes."

"Well like when?" I asked.

"Well, nothing really comes to mind right now, so I guess that's a good thing."

His answer satisfied me.

We drove down road in silence for a few minutes and my mind wandered to other things.

"Oh," I interjected into the silence, "I tried that chocolate* we bought at the store today."

"Oh yeah? Was it good?"

"Yeah, It tasted like dirt. But really good dirt, you know?"

Jentry said nothing, he only gave me a long, meaningful look before looking back at the road.

*endangered species chocolate, EXTREMELY DARK. Purchased at Whole Foods Market. 10% of proceeds go to help endangered species.

I love Utah...

2009-01-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

TODAY. Its peaceful, beautiful, snowing, and there is a sheep living in my backyard/field. Honestly I love Utah, I don't think there is a better place for outdoor recreation and it is beautiful. But the Salt Lake Valley? I have recently realized that I hate the valley. Visits to the costco zoo, stoplights, and a week of inversion and freezing rain have recently convinced me of this fact: I really miss rural living. The catch? Rural areas don't host major healthcare centers, which are a major facet in mine and my husband's careers. Jentry and I discussed this the other night and this was the result of our conversation:

5 Places I REALLY REALLY want to live

5. Logan, Utah

Pros: Rural, but big enough to support a Walmart and a few places to dine out, Beautiful, close to Bear Lake, relatively close to family, good recreational opportunities.

Cons: Suffers from inversion, No major medical Center, however, Jentry and I decided the U should open a satelite hospital there to serve the Northern Utah and Southern Idaho small towns and foster rural physicianship.

4. Park City, Utah

Pros: Most potential for reality, beautiful, lots of snow, 3 world class ski areas, lots of outdoor rec, right smack dab between our two families, has a Walmart that is not overcrowded, outlet mall, close enough to feasible commute and work at the U hospital or Primary Children's.

Cons: Commute over Parley's, cost of living, lots of developement

3. Flagstaff, Arizona

I don't know that much about Flagstaff , except its in the mountains and I went there once and really liked it. Also its in Arizona and they have good produce there, probably my main reason for wanting to live there!

2. Durango, Colorado

Again, I don't know much about Durango other than I really want to live there. I went there once and I really liked it! I know it is beautiful, it has a Walmart, there is lots of outdoor recreation, and there is a car named after it. I don't know if there is a large medical center there, but feasibly there could be. But it is very far away from family.

1. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Do I really need to say anything about why Jackson is my number one pick? I think If we really did get to move there I would probably die of happiness before we got there. Just to humor you I will go through the pros and cons

Pros: Grand Teton National Forest, 2 Large Ski areas, Beautiful, small, really cool, need I go on?

Cons: No large medical center, but I think I could make a good case for opening one there, I don't think they would have any problems with staffing. Kind of far from family, but closer to sister and all of them would want to come visit us all the time!

Meet Bella Marie!

2009-01-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

And then there were three! Lloyds that is...

Name : Bella Marie Lloyd
Age: 8 weeks
Color: Whitish yellow
Eyes: Brown
Wght: 12 lbs
Hght: 14 in

Favorite Things:
Walmart Duck that quacks
Tennis Balls
Petco Treats
Sitting on mommy's lap and chewing leash

Least Favorite Things
Green Squeaky Football
Green brush
When someone is standing on the opposite side of the baby gate

Bella was born on November 29, 2008 and joined her new family on January 24, 2009. She is a gorgeous yellow/white labrador retriever and is so sweet. Jentry and Heidi are so excited to have her in their lives!

Husbands are wonderful!

2009-01-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, mine is at least!

The last few weeks I have been complaining to Jentry about how I really, really need a vacation.

The house has been a never ending project since we moved and I've been working a lot and work has been really crazy stressful. I keep hearing this commercial on the radio about the Sandals vacation spa and resort in Jamaca. Its terrible, I have to turn it off everytime it comes on! And the other day I realized I have not taken a real vacation since August! That is way too long ago.

Well my wonderful husband, instead of becoming irritated or frustrated with my constant murming, shows up on wednesday evening with a bunch of roses and whisked me away to Logan for a little get away!

We enjoyed some fine dining (if the olive garden counts!), a luxury sweet at the anniversary in, and some time away from all the chaos of life. He had planned on taking me snowsheoing (my favorite) the next day, but plans were foiled by that aweful freezing rain! Nonetheless it was so good for my soul just to get away for a little bit!

Jentry you are wonderful and AMAZING, I love you!

Rising up and Above

2009-01-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I saw blue sky.

Real blue sky, and I felt the Sun.

I had forgotten how warm the sun was when unobstructed by particles in the air. I bathed in the delicious warmth every time the Mueller Park Trail turned south to receive direct sunlight as I snowshoed my way up, out of, and above the muck. It was a gorgeous, beautiful, peaceful day.

I'm so glad my parents taught me to appreciate the outdoors and introduced me to activities I can engage in to get myself out of the valley and the bad air! When I reached my final destination, Elephant rock, I turned to look westward. I had gotten high enough to see the Oqquhirs for the first time in SEVERAL days.

And between here and there was a thick, brown, hazy cloud engulfing the city. It kind of made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Okay A LOT! Yuck . . . so if you are reading this and live in the valley, Please, please, please DO NOT RUN OR WALK OUTSIDE because all that thick, brown, haziness will be going in your lungs...and you will be lucky if you only loose one!

The 10 Best Things about our New Diggs

2009-01-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

1. We are the ONLY people who live here

2. Covered parking...bless the man who invented carports!

3.Dishwasher+Garbage disposale = no more smelly kitchen

4. Thick soft carpet in the family room...oh how I have missed laying on the floor

5. Mudroom/laundry room...no more jumping over heaps of laundry while cooking dinner!

6. Blue Shutters...they are adorable

7. The sheep who lives in the back yard, makes me feel more at home :)

8. AWESOME running trials right out my front door!

9. Getting to watch a gorgeous sunset every evening from the large family room windows

10. Jentry here with me and we are VERY happy!

How ccould life get any better?

Christmas Warmup

2008-12-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Our family Christmasing got started on Sunday this week with a little get together at Grandma and Grandpa Lloyd's house. It was the perfect thing to get us all in the right mood for Christmas coming up this week! Grandma and Grandpa decided they wanted to pass down some of their Christmas traditions to the younger generations, so they gave each of their children and grandchildren an item that they have loved and cherished and has helped them to celebrate Christmas for many years. Jentry and I received a set of beautiful porcelain angels that have adorned Grandma and Grandpa's fireplace mantle for over 10 years!

They are sweet and simple. I really feel like they help bring the peace and joy of the Savior's birth into our home, which is they real gift we have been given! Thank you so much

Grandma and Grandpa Lloyd!

Bottoms Up!

2008-12-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

We have all heard that you should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry...only bad things happen then! But what about going grocery shopping when you are thirsty? Well now I can tell you.

Your shopping cart will consist of :

2 16oz. flavored water beverages
4 2L bottles of soda
2 bottles of sparkling cider
1 carton of OJ
1 jug of milk

And you will resist the urge to go for the giant jug of apple juice and go for the laundry detergent instead (don't worry, i did NOT drink the laundry detergent)

Gloomy

2008-12-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

Today is an aweful, gray, and gloomy day. I apologize for my pessimism, I really do, but I just can't help it. I had to drive all the way down to Walmart this morning to buy eggs (because we've been out all weekend!) and muffin paper cups (what are those called anyway?). The roads were slushy and the parking lot was even slushier, I got that nasty gray slush all over the bottom of my jeans because they drag on the ground because I am so short. GRRR!

Even though it was 10:00 in the morning Wamart was still a zoo, and I detest crowds. I battled my way around the ginormous supercenter for 45 minutes to find what I needed, then stood in line for another 20 while stray children tried to climb in my cart, and when I finally got to the cash register....I realized...I never grabbed my wallet and put it in my purse!

Shopping attempt: foiled!

Then I drove all the way home grabbed my wallet, went to the Albertsons just up the street and payed 12 dollars more for the same items! The worst part of all of this is that it is raining, and the rain is melting all of the beautiful Christmas snow!
Oh Bother!

Later that day: I have mostly recovered from my earlier pitty party thanks to a papa murphey's Hawaiian pizza now in my fridge, warm fiber-one banana nut muffins, and the fact that the rain has turned to snow again. I apologize for earlier and I hope my gloominess didn't rain on anyone's parade!

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

All of my life I have watched other people doing cute, creative, and artistic things. I have always coveted their ability, resigning myself to the fact that I was not born with these talents. Recently I have decided that I am going to try and overcome my creative "dis" ability. You can do anything if you put your mind to it right? So I have been poking around websites and magazines, undertaking projects that seem like they wouldn't be too difficult....some of them have turned out alright, while other undertakings have gone slightly awry. Anyway last Monday night one of my Co-workers brought us some Santa Clause Christmas cookies to work. They were absolutely adorable! Now you see, not being able to make really good looking christmas cookies has always been one of my great disapointments in life! I know thats not really the point of making christmas cookies, they're to eat not to look at! Thats what I have always told myselft, but I've always had a secret desire to make christmas cookies that look like they belong on the cover page of the december issue of Better Homes and Gardens! So instead of devouring my santa clause sugar cookie, I spent a few hours studying it and going over possibilites in my mind. I decided that maybe I had a shot, so last night Jentry and I went over to his parent's house (my kitchen is nowhere near suitable for such an undertaking!) to do some baking and docorating. It was a lot of fun, group christmas cookie making has not been a part of my life for a few years and I had forgotten how enjoyable making Chritmas cookies could be, listening to christmas music and having fun with your partners in crime!

I was also VERY SUPRISED and PLEASED with the end product of our endevours!

I told Jentry he could decorate his cookies however he wanted to. He did not take the invitation lightly....he came up with some very interesting creations!

People often ask me if I have any children and my response is always, no, I have a HUSBAND, and that is quite enough! Do you now understand what I mean?

Yay for Christmas cookies and ingenuitive thought!

OH Christmas tree, OH Christmas Tree....

2008-12-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

Yay! We finally got our Christmas Tee! Unfortunately this year we were not able to go up in the mountian to cut a tree, but our trip to home depot was ALMOST just as exciting! I found that if I walked in between the tightly packed rows of Christmas trees in the lot (where I wasn't supposed to be) I felt just like i was in a real forest! A very, very orderly forest, where the trees grow in order from smallest to largest and grouped themselves according to type! Anyway, this year Jentry and I decided to go against the stereotype that bigger is better, and we picked the smallest little tree we could find! It was a marvelous idea because we didn't have to worry about tying the tree to the top of our car, we just stuffed it in the trunk! We also didn't have to worry about chopping any of it off to fit through our front door! And it suits us just perfectly :)

Here it is, our petit Christmas tree!

Jentry, is so good to me...he did all the hard stuff like cutting of the bottom branches so we could water the tree and then stringing all the lights on the tree ! (I had attempted the latter, which did not turn out well!!!)

Me and my little Christmas tree! See how cute we are together? I loved it because it was so easy to decorate, no hard to reach spots at all!

The tree turned out to be a beautiful little christmas tree, full of light, to help remind us that Christmas is about light, the light of Christ, and about filling our lives with the light of Christ and Sharing it with others, no matter how big or SMALL we may be

Mountain Bicycle Bobsledding

2008-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

So last month, I mean clear back in October, when we had our little snowstorm here in the Valley, Jentry and I decided we that we would try our hand at pioneering a new sport...because regular old mountain biking just wasn't exciting enough. Imagine yourself riding your mountain bike down a steep winding bobsled course. Now add large rocks, logs, and hanging trees and imagine that the bobsled course is six miles long! Now THAT sounds exciting!

Ahh, here we are so unsuspecting at the bottom

The Fall Colors were amazing!

It wasn't so bad going up, just a lot of work cause our tires kept slipping in the snow. Here is Jentry at the top.

Our Bikes, looking a little out of place, where are our skiis?

Me, not so happy about all the work...and my feet are wet.

And we start our way down...doesn't look so bad right?

Here is where it gets a little tricky....

Yikes!!!!

The Fall colors still beautiful, however I did not get to enjoy them very much because I was concentrating too hard on not riding my bike of the side of the mountain!

Whew! Here we are, somehow safely at the bottome!

First 4Runner adventure

2008-12-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Jentry and I took a little drive up Farmington Canyon. It was our first offroading adventure in the 4Runner and it was a breathtakingly beautiful evening!

2&0 GO UTES!

2008-09-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday our beloved Utes pick up their second win of the season. The week before they pulled off a huge upset by beating Michigan in Annarbor by 2 points! Those boys do know how to make things exciting! I was a little nervous as we headed to the game on saturday evening, because even thought they always show up to play for big games, sometimes I think they forget how to play agianst teams who aren't as good as they are. My anxiety heightened during the first quarter because the unlv rebels scored on the first drive, and although the Utes were able to match the rebels score for score, they were NOT playing like themselves at all! The first half ended tied 14-14. Well someone must have delivered an outstanding pep talk in the locker room because the boys came out to play in the second half and never looked back. We yelled, screamed, whooped, and hollered our way through the rest of the game, with the friendly, obnoxious, drunk we were so priviliged to be sitting next to. The game ended with grins, hugs, and lots of high fives for all! The Utes picked up their second win 42-21 against the Rebels. We all got to celebrate after with fireworks, slurpees, pizza and the office, we couldn't have asked for a better night! The Utes are now ranked 22 in the nation, its the first time they have been nationally ranked since their outstanding 2004 BCS busting season.

Dave, Matt, Jentry, and Megan. We had a pretty lively little cheering section up there in row 41!

Me and my baby....AWe...PReciOUs!

The boys coming out to warm up after an inspiring Halftime pep talk

The band once again dazzling us with their talent, how do they march around and play their instrument in those ridiculous outfits?

The 3 things Heidi Loves more than the Olympics

2008-08-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Jentry was QUITE offended that in my last post I ranted and raved about how much I love the Olympics and that I said I loved Micheal Phelps, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Luiken, Misty May and Kerri Walsh. But if you read closely I wrote, "there is ALMOST nothing I love more than watching the Olympics," (emphasis added) and that is because there is ONE thing I love more than the Olympics. Well actually 3 things now that I think about it.

#1-Jentry, my Husband and the love of my life! I love him more than anything else in the WHOLE WORLD! Even more than cookie dough ice cream and the Olympics, together, and that is saying something! With Jentry it is never a dull moment he has a great sense of humor and a sense of adventure that matches it. He is smart, but not egotistical (okay maybe just a little, but not too much). He is layed back about most things, but very motivated about school and personal achievment. He is handsome and can be romantic, but is still a little bit nerdy which I find VERY attractive! He is the friendliest and most personable person I have ever met. He loves the outdoors and being active, just like me! It is the most wonderful thing that we can share the things we love to do most TOGETHER like hiking, running, camping, biking, rock-climbing, etc. etc. He is always there to support me and he always pushes me reach my goals and keep achieving. He is all boy, he loves motorcycles, cars, tools, sports, and being dirty and hates everything that could be considered girly, but somewhere under his hard shell of manliness and masculinity I know he has feelings and emotions! Pretty much, all in all, he is my BEST FREIND

#2 - My FAMILY. My family is the best and coolest family there ever was! They have loved and supported me for 21 years now. I know it hasn't always been easy but they have stuck with me through thick and thin! They have done more for me than I could ever thank them for. As a family, we do some pretty awsome things like taking trips to Alask, the San Juan islands, the boundry waters, mesa verde, the Grand Canyon, and way more places than I could name. We love to go skiing, hiking, boating, canoeing, mtn. biking, and pretty much anything that is narly and adventerous! Oh and for any of you who are wondering all my Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins are also included, cause they are pretty awesome too!

#3 - My FRIENDS. There is a quote that says, "there are many people who will walk in and out of your life, but friends are the ones who will leave footprints on your heart." There many sets of footprints that have been left on my heart. There have been so many people who have been wonderful examples to me, who have supported me through my trials, and who have helped me become the person that I am. There have been to many to name them all, but if you are reading this then know you are probably one of them, and know that I love you and that I am greatful for your friendship.

Okay so that turned out to be a lot more mushy gushy than I planned, but know you know, there ARE a FEW things I do love more than the Olympics!

2008 Bejiing Olympics

2008-08-19T14:15:00.001-07:00

For the last week and a half my life has revolved around the event I have waited for ALL summer -- The OLYMPICS! Lets face it, there is just about nothing I love more than the olympics.

I LOVE Micheal Phelps. I loved every minute of watching him win 8 gold medals.

I LOVE Shawn Johnson and Nastia Lukien. I have loved watching them compete and win medals in the team, all-around, and individual competitions.

But mostly, I LOVE MISTY MAY and KERRI WALSH and I am going to enjoy every minute of watching them win a Gold Medal tonight in their final match!

Go USA!

Sweet Summer

2008-08-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, its August 19 already! Summer has come and in such a flash! Here is a quick (or not so quick) update of what Jentry and I have been up to this summer!

June bagan with turning in Jentry's medical school application to AMCAS. He decided to apply to 11 schools: the University of Utah, Drexel University (philidelphia), Albert Einstien University (New York), Medical College of Wisconsin, Ohio State University, Tulane (New Orleans), Meharry Medical College (Nashville), Medical College of New York, St. Louis University, Rush (Chicago), and Creighton University, Nebraska.

I started work as an RN (with a temporary liscence) at Huntsman in the Special Care Unit on June 6 and have been loving it ever since!

At the end of June Jentry and I, with 10 other teamates, ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay. The race begins in Logan and ends in PC each of the 12 team members runs 3 legs that are between 3 and 8 miles. The race hot, grueling, and totally fantastically awesome!

Over the 4th of July Jentry and some of his friends from work went to Zion National Park on a canyoneering trip. They had lots of fun doing Keyhole canyon and the famous Subway. Unfortunately I was unable to join them because of my work schedule. But I was able to make it up to Henefer to join in the festivities with some friends there! It was a blast!

Mid-July Jentry and I were both able to take some time off work and go to Jackson Hole for a week with his family. We got to stay in a luxurious cabin tucked nestled right up against the Targhee National forest. We did plenty of Hiking, biking, and motorcycling. The highlight of the trip for me was the day Jentry and I spent in Grand Teton National Park hiking up to solitude lake. It was one of the most beautiful and amazing hikes I have EVER been on!

They day after we arrived home from Jackson, I sat to take the NCLEX (nursing boards). It was totally terrifying! A few days later I recieved word that I had passed. Hooray! Now I am a real nurse with a liscence!

At the end of July Jentry and I finally got what we have been dreaming of - A barbeque Grill! It is not much to look at, but it makes some mean burgers! Now we are able to have friends over for backyard BBQ's!

We also made another addition to our household, a green susuki 250 motorcylce. Once again, not much to look at, but gets 90 miles to the gallon and has been a lot of fun! Don't worry, we wear our helmets!

On August 3, Jentry and I celbrated our 1 year anniversary! Time has flown by so fast! To celebrate the occasion we drove up to brighton on our motorcycle and enjoyed a picnic at solitude lake.

The arrival of august also meant it was time for the annual Dam Jam. It was a total success! Jentry and I were able to go up and camp for a few nights. Jentry enjoyed lots of jamming with my dad, grandpa, and lots of new friends. We also got to sneak up to the lake for a few hours and enjoy some waterskiing and wakeboarding. I really enjoyed hanging out with my dad, sister, sadie, grandma, grandpa, aunt linda, uncle jay, and cousin nikki. It was a great time!

So no Jentry and I plan on getting in as much bbqing, swimming, rock climbing, and hiking as we can before the weather gets colder!

How does your Garden Grow?

2008-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Since school has been out and the excitement of graduation has died down, I have decided to pick up a few new projects (one of which is this blog) and another is a container garden! Thanks to some generous graduation gifts I was able to go down to home depot and get some pots, garden dirt, and pick out a few plants! So I'll introduce you to the new member of my family!

From Left to right: Carrots and Spinach (hopefully they will sprout soon!) and cucumbers

From Left to right: Chives, Parsley (again waiting to sprout) cilantro, basil, and oregano

And Two tomato plants!

As you can tell, I am very proud of my garden!

Goblin Valley

2008-05-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

The week after graduation, Jentry and I took off to spend a few days in one of my family's favorite places, Goblin Valley! We were accompanied by Christina, a friend from nursing school, and her husband Thane. We all packed the four of us and all our camping gear into the ford focus and headed down to Goblin Valley. It was a pretty cramped ride, but we made it alive! After arriving at Goblin Valley State Park and setting up our camp we spent several hours exploring Goblins. We hiked, climbed, and shimmied our way through the unique sandstone formations.

It was Jentry's first time visiting Goblin Valley and he thought it was extremely cool! The next day we hiked the Bell canyon little Wild Horse Canyon loop. Little Wild Horse Canyon is one of the neatest slot canyons in southern Utah and again we found ourselves hiking, climbing, shimmying, squeezing, and even crawling at times! It was well worth the effort.
On our final day we packed up camp and then ventured 30 miles out on a dirt road (trying to avoid sand, rocks, and yes, even cows!) to Horshoe Canyon trail head. This canyon has some of the best preserved Native American art and artifacts in the country. The highlight of the hike was the famous Grand Gallery at the end of the trail. The hike back to the car was hot and sandy, but we finally did make it. Then we packed ourselves back into the car and drove home. The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time. It was the perfect start to summer!

Graduation Day

2008-05-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well this is it! It's finally here...graduation day! I am sitting here watching the snow fall outside my window (it just won't stop!) anxiously awaiting 5:00 to roll around. I've still got a while, is only 8:00 am. It's funny...I don't really feel any different...I don't really feel any smarter...and don't tell my patients, but I honestly don't feel qualified to be graduating from nursing school! But when I truly think about how much I have learned in the last two years....HOLY SMOKES...I guess I do really know a lot! And I will look back on this day in three months and then I will be able to see and I will say....GEEZE, I really have come a long way!

So I have finished all classess, papers, and tests (except the BIG one) and Jentry finished his Final of Death (O-CHEM final) last night and school is officially over! So what now? Well we are going to take the weekend off and mill aroud: Party it up at Rockport friday night with friends and fam, go support Dad and the NS Braves at the State Softball tournament on Saturday, maybe throw in a little rock climbing. Next week we are going down to goblin valley to play and celebrate a little with the CON class of 2008. Good times.

Upon return I will go back to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital (where I have been working for the past year) and I will cover nuses' aide shifts untill grades and diplomas are posted and then my Temporary Liscence will be valid. Then I can start orienting as a REAL NURSE! I will probably orient for about four weeks and then I will be ON MY OWN! Scary to think about, and very humbling! I will be working in the Special Care Unit at Huntsman. It is a six bed step down ICU. It is a good place for me to start out because I am familliar with the unit and I feel comfortable there, but it will still offer me challenges but not be too overwhelming!

Right now Jentry is planning on sticking with his job as a tech in the angio department at Intermountan Medical Center. He took the MCAT two weeks ago and is awaiting his score. He will start submitting applications to medical school in June. He is taking the summer off from school, but will go back in the fall to finish his Spanish Major. He will also keep translating at primary children's once a week, a volunteer position that he absolutely loves!