The Rest of December

Even though most of December was mostly occupied with other things, we did manage to participate in a few of the Christmas festivities. We had a toned down version of our annual Eggnog Bash. This is one of the few parties that we do each year with just a small group of friends from our law school class. I made toffee for the candy exchange. It was a big hit. While we were talking with our friends we also realized that we have now all been friends for nearly a decade. You know what they say about time flying . . .














In the week leading up to Christmas, I saw A Christmas Story at the PTC (aw . . . so nostalgic) and went to the WLU Christmas Party, Mike and Kim's Christmas Party, and Daisy's 40th Birthday dinner.

For Christmas, we were back in Idaho. Grandma was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve so we were able to celebrate at home. We woke up early and opened presents with Grandma and Grandpa before heading to Rigby for Christmas morning with Mom Dena, Jayde, Jordan, Ryan, Daniel, Brittany, Dustin, Bradley, and their new dog Tiny.
Santa brought us a Wii. It will be the first gaming system in our house.




We had Christmas Dinner at Uncle Dennis and Aunt Brenda's

and stopped by the farm to see Zach on our way home.
The next night, we celebrated Bug's birthday at Dad's house in Roberts.


Jayde, Ryan, Rod and I made a second trip to the Ririe Bar that weekend. It was fun (but sometimes awkward) to run into old friends.

We made it back to SLC just in time for our annual New Year's Eve Party.

November (in Short)

This month, I had a mediation, several depositions, and a hearing at work. Rod was also out of town nearly every week for work. When we were home, we spent so much time at fundraisers and award dinners during the week that most of our weekends were spent hibernating.

The first weekend was the annual Women Lawyer's Retreat at Deer Valley. I stayed overnight on Friday and shared a condo with Cheryl. We ended up hosting the after party. When lady lawyers let loose, it really gets crazy! :)

Saturday night, Toddy introduced me to the joys of Wendover. It was a lot more fun than I expected. I spent most of the night playing video poker and being confused by the craps table. Does anyone really understand how that game is played?

The next week I spent preparing for my mediation, but I managed to fit in a night at the theater--the PTC version of Is He Dead? was hilarious--and the Utah Aid's Foundation Red Party Fundraiser. The Fundraiser was a blast. Everyone was dressed in crazy red outfits. I had my palm read (by someone who clearly was not psychic) and got asked for my phone number by a guy selling boas in his boxer briefs. HA!
My mediation was in San Francisco with the famous Tony Piaza. The first night there, the second Sunday in November, my friend Ryan and his friends showed me around the Castro neighborhood. They introduced me to a very hip bar, The Blackbird, and one of the top five best drinks I've ever had, the Early Bird. It has St. Germains, an elder flower liquor, in it. Yummy! I also could not help but check out the macaroons at Hot Kiss.

The next day, Piaza helped us get a fantastic result for our client. We were finished by midday and spent the rest of the day celebrating. What trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip to Fisherman's Wharf? Then we wined and dined, finishing the night with jaeger bombs at an Irish pub.

Back in Salt Lake, on Tuesday, we took dinner over to Keli and Dave to see their adorable new son (little A). He was just a few weeks old and SO tiny.
The next night was a bit nerve-wracking. I was a pupilage group leader with Judge Kate Toomey for Inn of Courts, and our topic was dress, demeanor, and candor in the courtroom. We did "No Exit: A Judges Hell." It was basically a day in the life of a judge with lawyers behaving badly. Think lawyers dressed in short skirts, tank dresses, birkenstocks, etc., badmouthing each other and disrespecting the judge. It was quite entertaining, but a lot of work.

The next night, Thursday, was the FBA awards dinner. I had the honor of presenting the Pro Bono Award to Holland & Hart and the four attorneys that accepted and won a case through the FBA's Pro Bono Appointment Wheel. The case involved a constitutional challenge to a sex offender registry statute. The Court found that certain portions of the statute were unconstitutional, and, while the case was on appeal, the Legislature amended the statute to remove the disputed language. I was proud to be a part of the appointment wheel and all of the good results it has had during this last year. The awards dinner is one of my favorite legal events. It is so fun to see so many of my friends in one place. The honorees are always very inspirational.

After such an exhausting week, we wanted to spend the whole weekend in bed. And we did, literally. We bought a new tempurpedic mattress. And we were so excited about it, that we made Digiorno and cut and bake cookies, rented a movie, and ate and watched the movie on my laptop in our bed. Ha! Yes, we are easily amused. Here is a pic of Rumba helping me break in the bed (by walking on it for 10 minutes).


The next week was Thanksgiving, which we spent in Idaho. We spent most of our time with my mom, who came all the way from Denver, and grandparents. We had such a good time. Grandma was feeling better than I had seen her in a long time. We spent a lot of time playing Rummikub and with Zach, my new little (second) cousin.







I also started a project that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I videotaped my grandparents talking about their lives, their courtship, and their children. I filled one 90 minute tape before the battery ran out. I just hope that I get a chance to finish it.

After Thanksgiving at Grandma's, we had dessert/late dinner at Mom Dena's house.
The next night we had dinner at Dad's. I took advantage of the good light to get a few pictures of Riley and Dustin playing in the yard.



On Saturday night, Jayde, Ryan, Rod, and I did a very lonely pub crawl in Rigby, before ending up at the Ririe bar. Who would have thought that the Ririe bar would be the happening place to be? Ririe is half the size of Rigby and Rigby is a one stoplight town. Too funny!

Not to sound too cheesy, but this month presented so many opportunities for giving thanks. We are truly surrounded by so many wonderful friends and family.

Hello Again

How do you find the words to describe your greatest fear? That is the question I have been struggling with for the last few months. Not knowing exactly what to say, I chose not to say anything. Only now, after enough time has passed and the situation has improved, can I even talk about it.

Last December, my Grandma was hospitalized. This is not an uncommon occurrence. In the last three years, she has been in and out of the hospital dealing with various immune system issues. But when my grandpa called on a Thursday night and told me to come home, I knew this was not the usual hospital visit. I made it in record time, but by the time I got there, Grandma was having trouble breathing on her own. Before they put her on a ventilator, the doctor asked me and my Grandpa a question that I was completely unprepared for, "How far can we go?"

Over the next few days, I rarely left her bedside. Even though she was completely unresponsive, I kept talking to her, hoping that she could hear me and that it was helping her. I was so worried that she would wake up alone and be scared, not knowing what was going on, so I just kept explaining over and over what was happening. After a few days, the doctor said that we needed to get her off the ventilator, or we might not be able to. It took almost two full days for the sedatives to wear off. But when she finally woke up . . . the relief I felt was indescribable.

Because the doctors were worried that the narcotics she took for her pain had somehow contributed to the sudden drop in her her heartrate that resulted in her condition, they would not let her take any of her pain medications. She was in constant, unbearable pain. Just the week before, we had spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with her. She was feeling better than I had seen her in years. How could her condition change so dramatically in just a week?

As strange as it may sound, this experience has made me realize how truly lucky we are. My grandparents have been such an important part of my life. I am closer to them than most people are with their parents. They have been a constant in my life. When everyone else left me or let me down, they were there for me. I credit them with so many of the successes in my life. Without them, my life would have turned out much differently. Since my grandma first got sick three years ago, I have called her every day. There are very few days when we haven't talked. I cannot imagine a world without either of my grandparents. I love them so much.

Watching my grandpa take care of my grandma through all of this--not just this hospitalization, but over the last three years--has made me realize just how strong my grandparents' love is for each other. I am surer than ever that it is their good example that has led me to Rod. And Rod, wow, I didn't think I could possibly love him any more than I already did. But when I called him to tell him what was happening, he dropped everything to fly home, drove straight to Idaho, and stayed with me the whole time. I was overwhelmed with my love for him. He is an amazing man, who I don't deserve.

It was also very difficult to watch the families in the ICU waiting room. We became friends with many of them after spending so much time together during the week. A surprising number of them were there for young family members whose prospects of surviving were less than optimistic. I felt selfish when Grandma started to recover as the other patients died or took turns for the worse. Here they were, mourning a life unrealized, when my grandmother had lived a long full life and was making it through. My guilt was tempered, though, by the realization that no matter what obstacles we overcame this time, it is only a matter of time until something else happens.

This experience has forced me to take a closer look at life. It is short and unpredictable. I have been spending more time with my family. And I finally got up the nerve to ask my job for a leave of absence. I will be spending three months traveling through Africa, a trip I have wnated to do for a long time.

Thank you to those of you that are still checking this blog. I have been surprised by how many people have asked me about it. I hope to do better at updating.