"I'm Ready for My Close-Up Mr. DeMille"...

...My really, really, close-up!
Today I had my first ever MRI...and hopefully, my last. It was a consecutive, repetitive, symphony of a Jack Hammer...if your upstairs neighbor was jack hammering his floor, a doorbell that didn't ding...only donged, a sewing machine ...no, a sweat shop full of sewing machines, and a cruise ship horn...if you were standing 2 feet from it. Oh, and "easy listening" >yeah, right< tunes playing in the background. That wasn't the bad part though. The really bad part is, I'm kinda claustrophobic. Oh I had flashbacks of playing hide-n-seek at Kristie Nebeker's house, and hiding under her bed, then having Kerrie Nebeker slide in after me... pinning me between her and the wall...I remember freaking out! Telling her to "get out get out get out!!" Not pretty.
So, here I am today, going into this little opening of a tube, with a giant head set and a cage over my face, and I'm told I can't move for twenty minutes, then they'll pull me out, shoot me with dye, and put me back in to finish my concert series for another ten minutes. I closed my eyes and said to myself  "puppies, waterfalls, green grassy meadows..." All the while trying not to hyperventilate...or sneeze...or cough...  or something else ... Actually, when I started going into the "tube" and I felt like I was going to lose it, I asked Heavenly Father for help. You know, that's the wonderfulness of our Father in Heaven...He hears your prayer (or inwardly, freaked out cry for help), He knows you're in need, and He answers. In all honesty, I was calm throughout the entire process. I love our Father in Heaven.

                                                                        The Tube

...yer diggin' the polka dot gown, aren't ya?

"...puppies, rainbows, waterfalls..."



L.O.V.E. Letters

I received a love letter today. It began:

Dear Mrs. Williams,
We are pleased to inform you that the results of your mammogram performed October 7, 2011, are normal.

.....doesn't get much lovelier than that! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you are over 40, and I know most of my thousands (insert sarcasm here) of readers are, get a mammogram. If you are my daughter, daughter-in-law, step-daughter, step-daughter-in-law, a girl friend, or a stranger that I've never met...do your monthly breast self-exam. Know what they (your breasts) feel like so if something feels different you'll be able to tell.  How many times did I use the word breast (and not once did I use the term boobs) in this post? Here's to hoping all your letters are love letters. ~K.

fall

It was kind of a blustery day out today. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay inside curled up in a comfy chair with a cup of cocoa and the newest issue of any design magazine. But I was out doing errands and as I drove home from Trader Joe's, a gust of wind picked up the leaves and swirled them across the road. It was really pretty. I think I love fall not only for it's present beauty, but for fond memories from the past, like:

• school starting
• butterflies in my tummy for the first day of school (I still had those for my kids first day)
• the smell of the furnace kicking on for the first time
• leaves changing in the mountains
• finding the prettiest leaves to take to school
• shopping for new school clothes
• the waxy smell of a new box of crayons
• football games
• shopping for a Homecoming dress
• my first kiss
• bon fires
• trick or treating
• sorting out Halloween candy in piles from best (Milky Way bars) to ickiest (root beer barrels)
• getting a new tray of Prang watercolors at school
• my mom making oatmeal in the morning
• the smell of chocolate drop cookies baking when I came home from school
• the sound and smell of school buses passing
• the "regular-ness" of knowing the seasons will fall into place
• the crispness of the air
• watching the World Series on TV
• not knowing who's in the World Series, but being with your friends so it didn't matter
• wearing sweaters
• ...and boots
• the cool mornings when you wear a sweater and the warm afternoons that you wish you hadn't
• the crunchy sound of leaves under your feet
• making caramel apples
• The ward fall bazaar
• That last really warm day that you can be outside having a picnic

What are some of your fall memories?

An Ounce of Prevention ...or My Mammogram, a Smashing Success!

I just got home from the Carol Milgard Breast Center. I had my not so yearly mammogram done. It was quick. It was painless. And they gave me a free drinking cup!

I had lunch with a friend and then we went together and had it done. It's just one of those things that I kept putting off, and she kept putting off. So together, we motivated each other to get it done! How about you? Have you had a mammogram lately?

Couldn't we all be a little more...?

Our Fabulous trip to Utah

 We were able to make a trip to Utah over Conference weekend. We packed alot in our 4 1/2 day's there. Here are a few highlights.

With dear friends Heather and Bob, at General Conference


After the morning session, on Temple Square.

cousins Gracie, Coleman, Ella, Hudson and William at dinner.

We were able to see all 5 grand kids from my side...

...and 5 of the 8 from Ron's side.

cousins Logan, Tyler and Landon having breakfast

Nathan and Bryce with Grandma Kathleen and Grandpa

We took a ride up American Fork Canyon to see the fall leaves....Beautiful!

Of course, seeing our children and grand babies, attending conference and listening to the Prophet and Apostles speak to us were the highlights of our trip. But we squeezed in a whole lot more. We had dinner with the kids, breakfast with my sister and nephews, got my hair cut (bless you Janika!) took flowers to mom and dad's cemetery, watched Dumbo, Rio, and Conference on T.V. ...went to a (sort of) soccer game, and a (sort of) pewee football game, helped ready Erin and Ben's (huge) lot for grass, by raking and picking up rocks - I totally had flashbacks from 1975 picking up rocks (boulders) from the lot my parents built their house on. Ate yummy baked oatmeal and homemade rolls, slept in three different beds (thank you Shannon and Erin!), went birthday shopping with a 7 year old, and laughed my head off at our 2yr. old grandson who said "hey baby!" to me. We drove up one of the beautiful canyons of Utah to see the fall foliage and got a mini botany lesson on quakies from my son-in-law Ben. I never cease to be wowed by the beauty that Heavenly Father has created simply for our pleasure! We are truly blessed.



31 day Challenge

I've been reading some of the 31 day challenges that people are committing to for Oct. Call me a joiner, but I think I'll  jump on  run after  flag down the next  get aboard that bandwagon and try a challenge I've been meaning to attempt for a while now. Some of the challenges that bloggers are taking on are profound and include such feats as giving up caffeine (don't have THAT to give up), being more consistent with their children (great concept, 25 years too late),  photographing their wardrobe each day --what?? (my photo's would be 26 day's of jeans and a white t-shirt/ 5 Sundays of dresses), vacuuming every room, every day (are ya kiddin' me??). I have decided to take on something much more aggressive and both physically and mentally, and let's face it, emotionally challenging. I am committing to go without candy for 31 days. Why would I do that in the month of greatest candy-temptation?? I have no answer. But I will confess to you right here, right now:   I'm Kathy, and I'm a candyaholic.

PROOF

It started out innocently enough...

I told myself, I'm just in it for the pretty colors...

but then it got out of control...almost taking on a life of it's own...

I was hiding the "good stuff" behind healthy snacks...

...what's next, hiding Snickers bars in the toilet tank??

this is just the stash from my art room.

 (Don't even get me started on my pantry supply)

Then one day I found myself sneaking Dove dark chocolate

from my husbands office, without him knowing.

So before there's an intervention the likes of which Lindsay Lohan

should see, I'm taking my 31 day challenge to exclude C.A.N.D.Y.

from my daily, hourly, sometimes minute to minute diet.

This begins October 1st. I'll be reporting soon.

If this doesn't fly, I may have to check myself into the

Betty Crocker Clinic.

Wish me luck.