An update.

I went to the doctor today to have the 50 allergy patch tests removed from my back and checked. So far I am not allergic to any of those 50. I return on Friday to see if any have a delayed reaction. I am still awaiting results on the blood work. Basically, no news yet on the cause of the reaction.

We are almost there...

Bennie Bunker - Mar 23, 2009

I have, officially, taken my last class ever as a student. For real. I will still be studying all week for a comprehensive examination covering my entire Masters program. I take the test on Saturday and then I get to wait 4-6 weeks for them to deliver my results. I can then shed the title of 'Full-time student' forever! Word. Now that I am super smart, here is what I've learned: 1. I have been to as much school as Brett and he makes way more money than me. 2. I just paid 20 grand for a piece of paper and bragging rights. 3. I still only use 2 and 3 syllable words. 4. They should give spouses a diploma as well. 5. I hope to never write another 10-15 page research paper for the rest of my life. 6. I'm not sure what to do on a Saturday now that I won't be going back to work to do homework all day. They say you only retain 20% of information received, so I'm sure there are one or two more things that I've learned but I can't remember.

It's been 8 days.

It's been eight days and my car is still in the shop. As frustrating as that is it gives us opportunities to do things like this:

to get us places like this:

and buy things like these!

Hey Poopyface!

"A Moment of Clarity

My husband's birthday was on Tuesday. My kids and I always give him awesome gifts (trio of black socks, ice scraper, fireplace tools), but this year's present was by far the best: we showed up to his work uninvited.

I always try to look my best when I visit corporate America; I feel that it is my civic duty to dispel the myth that stay-at-home moms dress like they've lost the will to live. Sadly, my favorite outfit (stirrup pants + man-sized sweatshirt) was in the wash. However, I did rejoice in the fact that I had a Friends (Season 2) haircut to show off to my husband's colleagues.

I got my hair cut last weekend. My hairstylist agreed to cut my hair into choppy layers if I agreed to invest in a hairdryer and a large circular brush.

"Your hair will look terrible if you don't style it," she warned.

I am what my sons' preschool teacher calls a 'bad listener.'

My kids and I were greeted at my husband's place of employment by an ivy-league business school graduate who runs five miles each morning. She was wearing high heels and a jacket with no arm holes.

"It's a cape," the woman told me.

After herding the kids into my husband's office, I went to the bathroom. When I returned, one of my children was writing "This is boaring" on my husband's dry erase board. The other two were shooting staples into the carpet under his desk.
"Surprise!" we screamed when my husband opened the door. He was happy to see us, but not so happy to find that someone had erased last year's earnings from his dry erase board.

"Sometimes I want to be that," I said longingly, pointing to the supermodels standing around the water cooler.

My husband came home from work later that evening to find me and the kids lying on the sofa, checking our scalps for lice. All of us were wearing some variation of stirrup pants.

"Danielle (one of the supermodels) said something interesting about you after you left," he told me.

I could only imagine.

"She said that she would give anything to have a house full of kids like you," he continued.

I stopped inspecting my daughter's head for microscopic insects long enough to count my blessings.

From a distance, the grass is always greener somewhere else. Despite the manure, I feel incredibly fortunate to be on this side of the fence.

We are all so blessed. "

I read this a few days ago here. I found it completely appropriate, manure included.

This has only happened to me one time before, with Tatum. I totally freaked and acted a bit irrationally. This time I decided to laugh. I actually couldn't stop laughing because my mom was totally dry-heaving. Lincoln had smeared poop everywhere. Face included.

I guess manure makes the grass grow greener!

Stick-to-itiveness Award goes to....

...my parents!
Happy 32nd Anniversary.

I love you both so much and I come to love and appreciate more as I have started my own family. Thank you for your examples of faith and the love you have and share. You are terrific parents and FABULOUS grandparents. I hope your day is the happiest at ate Happiest Place on Earth.

Call me lucky.

I love St. Patrick's Day. After all it is a holiday. When I reminded Ben on Monday night that the following day was St. Patrick's Day. He asked me what that meant. Now Ben has a full understanding of the holiday, but he wanted to know what that meant to me and in turn him. Like, would he be asked to dress up as a leprechaun or maybe construct a giant rainbow with a pot of gold(maybe next year), or just wear green. He wanted to now what his role would be in the next day's festivities. I think he thinks I crazy, especially when a holiday rolls around. I was raised this way. A holiday is not worth celebrating if it's not over-the-top! Tatum loves holidays too. The anticipation just kills her.

Bennie Bunker - Mar 18, 2009

Tricia is exactly the same way...any holiday is worth celebrating...I had my clothes laid out for the next day, she woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. While doing so, she noticed that I didn't have any green and made me go switch out my work shirt before going back to bed. Then, Tricia had the two kids wake up to find Shamrock footprints leading to a green basket and everyone got a little green prize in it. This was followed by green milk, green eggs, etc. The two kids were decked out in all green and Tatum paraded around my office handing out green cookies to 'the ladies'. You gotta love it.

She wouldn't eat the green eggs.

Lady Leprechaun GoGo bought the kids St. Patty's Day shirts and socks. Tatum got a pair of sandals as well, it took a whole lot of coaxing to keep her from wearing both at the same time.

I'm lucky indeed.

Yep, they weigh the same. No, they are not twins. 2 years apart. Lincoln otherwise known as Monster Baby!

Just a close up of the war wound inflicted by none other than the angel sitting behind him.

A little update

I went to the doctor on Friday, and he doesn't seem to think the allergic reaction is a result of TSS. I have a number of labs set-up mainly blood work and also an allergy skin test. Next Monday I go to the dermatologist and they will put a series of patches on my back. On Wednesday I return to have them checked and return again Friday to have them removed. It is a 5 day test, and I CANNOT get the patches wet. Seems as though I will be washing my hair in the sink.

Mommy they are so hung-er-ree

The kids and I went to feed the ducks on Friday. Tatum loved them, if I would let her she would be in the water with them. She fed them a whole pack of hot dog buns. She was so excited because the last time we went to the duck pond it was a Saturday and they weren't hungry, the bread just got soggy. You can't go to the park to feed the ducks on a weekend. Anyway the ducks were fighting over the bread and Tatum couldn't have been more pleased. "Mommy they are soooo hung-ger-ree!"

Lincoln was not so fond of the ducks, he clung desperately to my shirt and wanted nothing to do with getting down.

When it was time to go, he was blowing kisses, I think he was just relieved we were leaving!

Tagged

Tagged in Facebook: my responses


1. Married. Happily. Almost 7 years.
2. Two fantastic kids. Tatum (3 years). Lincoln (1 year). I want more.
3. Jobs in college included but may not be limited to: Dry-cleaner, Taco Bell (3 LOOOOONG hours), bartender at Pf Changs, Office work at BYU International Study Programs Office, Barnes and Noble Manager, and student.
4. I changed my major only 4 times and one of the major things that kept me in school was Study Abroad.
5. Every time I left the country I came home with orange hair.
6. This one is taken from Jill's, probably won't be going to Cuba again. 10. I’ve been to Cuba-BYU was an accessory to that crime- and despite what Michael Moore says, I would not like to be hospitalized there (although I had a colonoscopy in Honduras, so never say never). For the dignity of everyone involved, I will omit the part where we put on Che hats and pretended to be communists. Although I didn't have a colonoscopy (that's Jills) I did go see a doctor for a stomach bug in the Dominican Republic, not a fun experience.
7. I carry pepper spray on my keychain.
8. I am very competitive. Ben and I had our first and only fight over a game of Monopoly.
9. I have MarthaStewart.com bookmarked.
10. Love to blog. I have 5 blogs, 4 of which are accessible to the public.
11. Once did a sword dance at a belly dance showcase.
12. Currently training to run a half marathon.
13. I want to go back to school.
14. Freshman year of college was voted "Most Likely to receive the most engagements'" which only meant that I was most likely to have a lot of failed relationships.
15. Dated Ben for 4 months and was engaged for another 4 months.
16. I love birthdays, especially mine.
17. Halloween is my favorite holiday.
18. I have Type I diabetes and self administer 4-5 shots a day.
19. I am a Disneyland freak.
20.Boardgames. (Except Monopoly) Ben and I spent almost a whole weekend at a beachhouse in Florida playing Settlers with some friends.
21. I check EBAY everyday
22. My family is my life.
23. I miss my brothers.
24. I am happy to be back in CA.
25. I wake up most days and can't believe I am living my dream.

" You say it's your birthday...."

After 4 days of heavy antihistamines to keep any possible reaction from reoccurring I celebrated my big 29th birthday! I love birthdays, I love my birthdays.
I woke up to a wonderful birthday surprise. Eggs Benedict and cupcakes in bed. Ben started his morning at 5:30 am to make breakfast before he was off to work. I even got to open my presents before he went to work! Tatum was so excited to help.

Ben with my birthday morning surprise!

Ben found me this cute earring tree, with these awesome earrings and the ring. Oh and you'll never guess what else, a ballroom dancing instructional dvd. I have been begging him to take lessons with me for a long time, and he compromised and said he would be willing to try out the dvd.

Yes, he made these.

"Owl always love you" too Ben!

An Owl at Disneyland, perfect.

I went to Disneyland on Wednesday, March 4th with my mom and the kids. We got rained on. We didn't stay long, just about 3 hours, but long enough to enjoy a few rides in California Adventure. One of the presents from Ben was an owl shirt which I wore that day to Disneyland so Tatum was insistent she wear hers. My mom such a trooper, lugging around kids in the rain, for me and for my kids. Thanks mom.

We had a small break from the rain.

We made it home just in time to make it to Tatum's soccer practice.

Fueling up on birthday cupcakes before practice.

I have left Tatum overnight thrice. Once on our 5 year anniversary for one night, she was one week shy of her second birthday. The second time I left her overnight, it was three consecutive nights when I went into labor with Lincoln, she was 25 months old and for one nigh on Thursday, March 5th. Thursday was the first and only night so far that Lincoln has been left overnight.
Ben and I went to Anaheim and stayed here:


No kids. Thanks mom and dad. We went to Outback for dinner, watched The Office, and slept in. Then, we went to Disneyland. Yep, twice in one week. We went without the kids. It was SOOOOO weird. We didn't even go to Fantasyland or Toontown. We went on the big kid rides, we had no lines. We went to both parks. Disneyland is a whole different experience without kids. I felt like I was in high school running around with my boyfriend.

Ben, wore this shirt to Disneyland ( I think it is his favorite),and you can't believe how many quizzical looks his shirt got. They just couldn't figure it out.

You know what made the day even better, the kids were angels for my parents. They napped, they ate, they played at the park and had ice-cream cones and I don't think they even missed us. We made it home before bedtime on Friday. Thanks mom and dad.

So long!

Primary and Cub Scouts

Yep, my new calling--PRIMARY!!! I am really excited to be serving in the Primary, I loved the Young Women's Organization but I am excited for something new. Second Counselor. Which also means Unit Commissioner in Cub Scouts, not sure what that means quite yet, but excited nonetheless. My main responsibilities will be the Senior Primary and Cub Scouts.

Don't be jealous, of these stylish duds!

Bennie Bunker - Mar 2, 2009

The average Paramedic will make around $16 per hour. There were 5 paramedics at our house Thursday night. I will explain the way that things transpired: For as long as I have known Tricia, she has had occasional breakouts of hives. Her entire body will become very red and itches uncontrollably. There isn’t much to be done for hives except to take some Benadryl, take a cold shower to try to minimize itching and wait for the miserable few hours to be over. We have never known the cause of these hives and they are borderline impossible to track as they are usually caused by a food allergy (mostly nuts or fish). Within the last year or so, these hives have come to be more frequent and more extreme in nature. She has had these episodes for four months in a row now, each time becoming more extreme. Such was the case last night. Tricia was at a friend’s house for a relief society dinner. She felt the hives coming so she excused herself and drove home. Immediately, she took two Benadryl and hopped in the cold shower. I tossed up a quick prayer (as I usually do when she begins to have these episodes), asking for it to end quickly. After a few minutes or so, I went in to check on her. She was completely red, head to toe and scratching as frantically as she could. She said that her eyes and lips were numb and itching along with everything else. She was complaining that she was not feeling ‘right’. Immediately, we checked her blood sugar levels as she is a Type 1 diabetic. Her levels were at 70 which is a tiny bit low but not quite enough to be feeling really weird. She then started complaining of heavy cramping, stomach pains and dizziness. She got out of the shower and sat on the toilet. She had diarrhea and began to vomit. I have looked up Hives on WebMD a hundred times and I find the same things every time. I felt like I should look it up again. As I did, I found a little sentence talking about bee stings and insect bites and some the symptoms that can be associated with being allergic to these things. It is called anaphylaxis. On a whim, I quickly type Anaphylaxis into the WebMD search window. I didn’t have time to read everything, but I was immediately drawn to the following paragraph, “Anaphylaxis may begin with severe itching of the eyes or face and, within minutes, progress to more serious symptoms. These symptoms include swallowing and breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, hives and angioedema (swelling similar to hives, but the swelling is beneath the skin instead of on the surface).If you have symptoms of anaphylaxis, seek emergency medical attention immediately. The condition can quickly result in an increased heart rate, sudden weakness, a drop in blood pressure, shock and ultimately unconsciousness and death (WebMD).” As I read this, my entire world turned to slow motion. Symptom for symptom, Tricia had measured up. I knew that I had to get her to a doctor immediately or she would stop breathing. I ran into the bathroom and told her to get her clothes on because we were going to the Emergency Department. She said that she was feeling weak. As I attempted to help her stand up, she passed out. I was able to catch her fall and I began to yell at her to wake up. She did, but was becoming incoherent. I stood her up and tried to get some clothes on her when she passed out again…this time crashing into the bathroom sink and mirror. This is where I panicked. I screamed for Tricia’s parents to come help me. Tricia regained consciousness again but was completely incoherent. She could not hear anything, she couldn’t talk and she had no ability to stand or move on her own. We dragged her into the hallway trying to take her out to the car. I ran to start the car while Susan called 911. The car was running and I tore back into the house. It was clear, at that point, that we weren’t going to get her there in time. She was grasping for air and having a very difficult time breathing. David was performing light resuscitation breathing on Tricia to allow her some air (full blown CPR would have cracked her ribs and the paramedic on the phone instructed us to not do that). Susan gave me the phone so that I could fill the operator in on the details leading up to the event while David continued the breathing tactics. Paramedics were on the way and Susan ran out to greet them. Under David’s direction, I ran to get the oil for a blessing. I could hear the paramedics on their way in so I knew I had to act quickly. I put the oil on her head and had time for the most simple priesthood blessing that I have ever issued. “Tricia, I bless you that you will recover” was all that I could get out before the paramedics were on the scene and took over from there. There were five of them and I was unbelievably relieved at the very sight. They checked vitals and got her some oxygen. I gave report to the EMT. After she had stabilized a bit, they put her on an ambulance to take her to a hospital. Susan made it clear that she was to go to Loma Linda and not Redlands hospital. I continued that very line of thinking and didn’t allow them a choice. I hopped in my truck to meet them at the ED. I remember praying while I drove and as I did so, I recall a very cluttered and nervous mind becoming very clear and peaceful. I recognized that I was calm. I know that Heavenly Father was telling me that everything was going to be just fine. It was. Tricia recovered quickly and we were discharged at about 1:30am. A paramedic, on average, will make about $16 per hour. It is impossible to quantify in hourly wages what a person should make to perform life-saving functions, but I am now confident that they should make far more than they do. I am so thankful for the ones that were at my door just a few short nights ago. These were, easily, some of the scariest moments in my life. I know that Heavenly Father allowed David, Susan and I to think clearly during these crucial minutes. I know that, although only one line long, the priesthood blessing was what God wanted to be said at that time. I know that Heavenly Father let me know that everything would be fine. It seems like, sometimes, we feel that we aren’t being watched over very closely…but I know that we are. This whole experience has been completely surreal and almost seems like a bad dream. It has helped us to appreciate each breath a little bit more. Without getting into all the boring details, we feel like we have a good grasp on its cause but don’t want to throw out a bunch of rumors until we get an actual diagnosis from a doctor in a few weeks. In the meantime, we have been prescribed an epi-pen which is to be used if she begins to have another similar episode.