Maya Angelou

"I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh."
— Maya Angelou

"Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."
— Maya Angelou

Have you ever been so inspired by someone? Touched deep in your heart? Someone who heals your soul? One of those very few people for me is MAYA ANGELOU, singer, actress, teacher, author. I was introduced to her though the Oprah show. Thank goodness for that day. I've read her poetry and a few of her books. I try to watch her on TV each time she's on. I love to hear her speak. I love to hear her recite her poems. She is so smart. So spiritual. I am comforted just by looking at her and listening to her. I often cry because she effects me so deeply. I told my friend the other day that I just want to crawl into her lap and stay there. Be comforted, sung to, recited to and maybe even nap. I marvel at her and how she makes me feel. It amazes me even. It's so strange to have another human being whom I've never met have this effect on me. She is profound. She has so much to share. She is a life teacher. If you don't know who she is or have never read anything she has created or listened to her speak, please do so. Take a minute for yourself. Take her in. I hope she will have the same impression on you.

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things"
— Maya Angelou

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. "
— Maya Angelou

cardio check-up

ECHO: An echo cardiogram, often referred to an ECHO, is a sonogram of the heart. Also known as a cardiac ultrasound, it uses standard ultrasound techniques to image two-dimensional slices of the heart. It allows assessment of cardiac valve areas and function, any abnormal communications between the left and right side of the heart, any leaking of blood through the valves (valvular regurgitation), and calculation of the cardiac output as well as the ejection fraction.


EJECTION FRACTION: In cardiovascular physiology, ejection fraction (Ef) is the fraction of blood pumped out of the right and left ventricles with each heart beat. Healthy individuals typically have ejection fractions between 50% and 65%.

So, I had an ECHO recently to check on the function of my heart. I had been feeling very very tired recently and having trouble keeping the fluid off of my body. My Cardiologist, Dr. Olsen, decided to move up my ECHO to check things out. So far, so good with that! My "ejection fraction" was at 29%, which is good because the last ECHO also showed it at 29-30%, so it hasn't decreased. My pacemaker is doing a pretty good job of keeping my heart steady. Anything is better than 15%, which is how low it got before the pacemaker was implanted.

I mentioned that I was having problem with water retention, so they doubled my diuretic (80mg) and I ended up getting 6 lbs. of fluid off. Which was awesome!! I tried to get myself back down to my normal dose (40mg), but it didn't seem to be working very well. Now I am taking 60mg and it seems to be working. That could affect my kidney function, they might need to change that med.

My bloodwork was all pretty good as well. My cholesterol has improved with the helps of meds and fish oil. (Inherited that one, thanks Dad!) It's not really too bad, but with my heart already being at a disadvantage she wanted me to start on the meds to help. My Vitamin D level is very very low, so I will probably have to take something for that for a short while. My thyroid function was off a little more than usual also, so my general doctor, Dr. Taylor, will probably fuss with that med too. The consensus was that I was probably so tired due to the water retention, low vitamin D and thyroid. I am feeling a little better now, but still tired. Hopefully that will get a little better soon. I've started riding my exercise bike too, hoping that would help wake me up and improve things all around.

Soooo, that is the medical update on me. If I could get rid of all of the pea soup hovering over our valley I'd also feel a TON better! HA! Not gonna happen.

Our Year In Review

JANUARY

charleston, south carolina

FEBRUARY

california kids in vegas

MARCH

cassie...1st place in vegas

APRIL

girls weekend at the red rock

MAY

philadelphia, pennsylvania

JUNE

dinner with the allinsons

JULY

ole, ole, ole, ole, real salt lake

AUGUST

visiting with the Maroon's

SEPTEMBER

america concert

OCTOBER

ahoy matey

NOVEMBER

kristin's fundraiser

DECEMBER
christmas crazy

Katee and Twitch - Mercy

Antoher one of my favorite dances from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

Why?

Today I found myself watching The Talk and crying over the six lives that were lost in the shooting nightmare in Arizona. Also, for the others who were shot and potential lives that could still be lost. I'm sure there has been plenty of discussion about the incident over the weekend. Gayle King was talking about this morning on her radio show. Everyone wants to know "why?" That is what I was thinking. Why? Is it just because this individual had some mental instability? Was it provoked because of hate rhetoric within the political arena? No matter what the reason it is a tragedy.

On the mental side...Was this boy ignored? Did anyone do anything to help him? What is his family like? If others thought there was something wrong with him or were fearful of him, was there anything they could have done? The school that basically expelled him for his outbursts, did they try to help? Would any of this have even mattered?

The possible mental issues set aside I am so saddened by the anger and unreasonable rationale that seems to go hand-in-hand with both political parties these days. We are headed down a dark path. The hate is building and it's disheartening. Words are powerful and they are being slung around without a thought of their possible consequences. It only takes one "unstable" person to jump on these band wagons and carry out unthinkable actions. Both sides are so dead set on "their way" that there is no calm reasonable thought process to do what is right for all. Who cares who's idea it is? Who cares if it follows one side more than the other. There has to be a happy medium! It's ok to disagree. It's ok to debate. But, it's how you go about it. It's how you express it. Don't add flame to the fire. Don't belittle and berate. Don't tear others down in the process. Be respectful even if you don't see eye-to-eye. Don't wish hate and hateful actions on others. Don't say things or conduct yourself in a way that can cause ill effect. THINK! Times have changed. We have evolved. There is a lot of talk these days about returning to the ideas, ways and foundation of our founding fathers. Think first before you go there completely. There are great ideals there that should be a starting point, but let's not forget that those same men thought that women shouldn't vote and black Americans should be slaves. Evolved! We have evolved. Let's use some of those foundations to set the future. Let's re-evaluate the laws and rights based on our current lives and world we live in.

Stepping down off of my soap box now, and getting back to what matters most...those families that no longer have the loved one in their life because they were taken on that day by this sick individual.

Christina Greene (9)
Gabriel Zimmerman (30)
John Roll (63)
Dorthy Murray (76)
Dorwin Stoddard (76)
Phyllis Scheck (79)

Usless Information

My friend Stephanie has these great useless and random facts on her blog and they crack me up everytime I read them. I thought I would post some here...hope you get a giggle out of some of them. Or they just might make you say hmmm.

*Cockroaches can live for 9 days after their head has been cut off*

*A car traveling 100 mph would take more than 29 million years to reach the nearest star*

*In Cleveland, Ohio it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting license*

*The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites*

*Whitby, Ontario has more donut stores per capita than any other place in the world*

*Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none containing the letter "E"*

*No president of the United States was an only child*

*Apples are more effective at keeping people awake in the morning than caffeine*

*Mosquitoes have 47 teeth*

*Most lipstick is partailly made of fish scales*

*Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult*

*During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 lbs of food, the weight of about 6 elephants*

*Dolphins sleep with one eye open*

*A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.*

*Did You Know, Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants*

*Did You Know, The cigarette lighter was invented before the match*

*Did You Know, 40 percent of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals*

*Did You Know, TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard*

*Did You Know, Butterflies taste with their feet*

*Did You Know, Coca-Cola was originally green*

*Did You Know, Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury*

*Did You Know, It is impossible to lick your elbow*

Elephant urine is corrosive enough to eat through metal*

*The people of Monaco are not allowed to enter, much less gamble at, the famed Casino de Monte Carlo*

*In Fresno, CA it's against the law to annoy a lizard in a city park*

*In Glendale, CA one may not take his or her dog on an elevator with oneself*

*You aren't *supposed to take more than $10k in cash with you on an airplane without notifying the authorities*

20 Things to be happy about...

1. pajamas at breakfast

2. moderation

3. teakettles

4. brand new notebooks

5. pachyderms

6. fruits to smell: strawberries and apples

7. roast pork

8. the ketchup that collects at the lip of the bottle

9. holding your breath through the tunnel

10. snow angels

11. new set of watercolor paints

12. stilt-legged wharves

13. Alaskan king crab

14. doing your own thing

15. allowances

16. skit night at camp

17. wall storage systems

18. apple beer

19. the first week of school

20. BLT's

Done it and To be done

In 2010 I...

turned 39
went to Charleston, South Carolina
made at least 10 cakes
went to Vegas 3 times
got a $250 parking ticket
cooked some awesome food
visited California
attended 3 weddings
grew 6 different herbs in my backyard
traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
had my finger poked at least 24 times
heard Greg Mortenson speak
saw the Liberty Bell
found the greatest food mecca "The Reading Terminal Market"
grew red and yellow tomatoes for the first time
stood at the bottom of the "Rocky" infamous steps
traveled to Colorado with my parents
toured my Dad's high school that was built in the 1800's
enjoyed our Salt Lake Real season tickets
met my Dad's high school wrestling coach
ventured into New Jersey for 2 days
read over 25 books
learned my niece had Hodgkin's Lymphoma
volunteered for the Salvation Army
lost one of my favorite singers "Teena Marie"
got a Nook

In 2011 I will or hope to...

turn 40! whew!
go back to New Jersey
hang with the Maroon's
plant a garden in the backyard
visit the White House
get a hair piece or extensions for the balding part of my head
tour the Smithsonian
have an Oprah season finale party
see the Jersey shore
take Manhattan
see a broadway musical
gape at the Statue of Liberty
say a prayer over Ground Zero
ride my exercise bike at least 3 times a week
eat something from Carlos' Bakery
volunteer throughout the year for the Salvation Army
see my niece beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma
visit California friends and family
be healthy (even for me)
meet Nick Rimando
spend time with friends and family

Family Holiday Brunch

Christmas Bliss