Back to School- Ready or Not

Today was the first official day of school. I have been back to work since last Tuesday but it was nice to have students there today. Mostly I was getting tired of long meetings! I think I'm going to have some fun classes. It's amazing how quickly you can tell which students are going to challenge you a little bit and which ones are going to be really fun. The classes were really short today so I guess we'll see how great my students really are when I have them for the full 90 minutes. The day ended with a fantastic Hello Assembly. After the typical performances by the Cheerleaders, Dance Company, and SBO's we had a great multi-media presentation that I found so inspiring, I seriously had tears in my eyes at least 3 different times. I hope the high school students really listened to the great messages that were being shared.

I stayed late at school last night trying to make sure that I had all the little things ready and when I finally left I felt pretty good about beginning a new year. I decided to snap a few photos of my classroom since I thought it looked nice, clean, and organized. We'll see if it looks the same way after the assignments start piling up in the in-baskets. Oh how I hate Grading!

Typically after the first day of school I am exhausted but tonight was different, I felt pretty energized actually. I was on a roll today I actually packed a lunch, something that I don't think has ever happened, I was home fairly early and made dinner (also a pretty rare occurrence) and to top the day off I even went to the gym tonight which is something I haven't done for way to long. Let's hope I'm off to a great start!

My classes started at Utah State yesterday as well. I am taking two Psychology classes online and it looks like they are going to be pretty interesting. It's weird to go back to school as a teacher and a student this year, I hope I can keep up with it all. Thank goodness I am not the official cheer coach anymore:)

Goodbye/Good Riddance to my Gallbladder

About 4 or 5 years ago I became really sick during the summer. After having several tests done I found out that I had Ulcers and Gallstones. By the time the test results came back I was feeling much better. I wasn't sure which problem had made me so sick but at least I found out something. I was given medication for the Ulcers which must have healed but the gallstones were still a mystery to me.

Apparently those gallstones were just hanging out in my gallbladder and from time to time decided to remind me that they were there. Every few months or so for the last several years I would have a gallbladder attack. Out of the blue, usually in the wee hours of the night/morning I would wake up with the worst pain. It felt like maybe I was having a heart attack. It was a shooting pain in the upper right region of my abdomen and it hurt straight through to my back. The pain was absolutely miserable during the attack and would generally subside after about 2 hours or so. The worst part was that they almost always occurred during the middle of the night when I would much rather be sleeping and of course came at some of the most inopportune times like Christmas Day or when I had something big to do the next day. (it's not like there is a good time to be in pain though right?) Usually I would try to just endure the pain because I was pretty certain it was a gallbladder attack. A couple times I ended up going to the E.R. and sure enough as soon as I would get to the hospital the pain would start to diminish and I felt stupid for going in. The doctors usually would say the same thing that some day I would most likely have to have my gallbladder removed. Last December after an attack I went into the doctor that afternoon and the doctor finally recommended that I meet with a surgeon to talk about possibly getting it done. But I never followed through. It was mid school year and I didn't have the time to have it done so I never made the appointment. I should have known it was only a matter of time before it would happen again. Sure enough in mid July I had another gallbladder attack and endured it early one morning but when it occured again just a couple days later I had my mom take me to the hospital at about 4 in the morning. Luckily I was at my parents home at the time so my mom could give me the sympathy I needed. Of course the doctor told me the same thing so I decided I better just get the blasted thing out so I could quit having these attacks.

So last Monday on August 10th I had the surgery. I had it done in Logan so that I could be at my parents house for the recovery and they could take care of me (there's nothing like a mom when you need some TLC). I went into the hospital at 10 am and left around 6:30 in the evening. I felt bad having my mom take a day off of work, especially since she had taken some days off the week before to help Jessica move. I told her she didn't need to and I could just have my dad pick me up when the surgery was over. Good thing she didn't listen to me and took the day off anyway because as I was coming out of the anesthetic it was pretty rough and it was so nice to have her there to hold my hand and give me the support and help I needed. I love my dad but he just wouldn't have treated me the same, I don't think he would have held up the bag for me while I was throwing up or helped me to the bathroom (that would be awkward). I took my Grandma Reese to the hospital with me that morning because she had an eye appointment and my mom was going to take her home after the appointment but she insisted on staying with me as well. She was a trooper and stayed the whole time with absolutely nothing to due but wait. It was nice having her there as well and she took good care of me that night and the next couple days at home. The surgeon told my mom when he was done that my gallbladder was really infected and there were several stones, one that was quite large that he had to work extra hard to break down so he could remove it. Luckily he didn't have to move to an open surgery. It made me feel good to know that the surgery was really necessary in the end. It was done laparoscopic and I have 4 different incisions but they're all quite small. Unfortunately I don't think there will be any wicked scars that I can show my children someday:) It took a good two days of rest but by the third day I was feeling much better. Good thing because I really only gave myself one week to recover before I have to head back to school. I'm still sore but I'm hoping that will go away soon. All in all it hasn't been too bad. Good Riddance Gallbladder!!!

So Long Statistics

I've finally decided that it is time to head back to school and work on a Masters Degree. It took me awhile to decide what kind of degree I wanted but I think I've decided to go for a Degree in School Counseling. I figure this way it will expand my horizons a little bit and if I get tired of the classroom, which hopefully won't be for awhile yet, then I will have another avenue. I was really hoping to start the program this fall but unfortunately a few pre-requisites have gotten in the way. So in May I started a Statistics 2000 Class. I was totally dreading this class and it could be one of the reasons I have put off starting a masters program for so long. I decided to take an online class through Utah State so that I could work it around my schedule a little easier. I have not had a math class since my senior year in high school when I took Math 1050 concurrent enrollment. I never was too bad at math but I knew that math would be a lot different in College than it was in High school. After the first assignment in the class I wondered what I had gotten myself into and was seriously contemplating dropping the class. Especially since it took me about 9 hours or more to do one assignment. I even had to work on an assignment while in Palm Springs with friends over Memorial weekend. This class really interfered with my social life but somehow I became committed. I kept plugging away and I actually was doing really well on the assignments which was boosting my confidence and helped me to endure. I don't think that I have ever read a textbook more thoroughly. I rarely read any textbooks while I was working on my bachelors and I somehow got through ok but it wouldn't slide in this class. The textbook for this statistics class was really my only source of information since there was no classroom lecture. Luckily there was a discussion board online so we could post questions and answer questions with other students. Needless to say I took my final on July 31st and I was so excited to have that Stats class over with and the best part was that I got an A- in the class. I needed at least a B so I was especially thrilled to do better than I expected. Yeah Me!

This fall I am taking 2 psychology classes and I am hoping that they will be a little bit easier. If any of you would like to contribute to my education fund donations are gladly being accepted! Unfortunately I think the Richard L. Nielsen Scholarship fund has run out:( I can't imagine why?

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen

One of my favorite guy friends from high school got married on Thursday July 30th. It was so great to be a part of Grant and Nicolee's big day. They were married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. Nicolee looked so beautiful and her dress was gorgeous. Grant looked very handsome as well. They had a wedding dinner at Cafe Sabor in Logan that night and then a reception on Friday night. It was nice to catch up with a lot of old friends at the dinner and reception. So many great memories with Grant and the gang.

It was also fun to see Dave at the temple ceremony, another one of my favorite guy friends from high school and his fiancee Lindsay. The number of my single friends from high school is really dwindling now, but I'm holding strong or should I be worried:)

MLS All Stars

On Wednesday July 29th I went to the MLS (major league soccer) All Stars game with Ramsey, Ashley, Griffin, and McKelle (Ashley's sister) at Rio Tinto Stadium. Ramsey and Ashley wanted to take Griffin to a game before he moves to Colorado so I decided to tag along.

The boys

The Girls

Of course we had to pose for a couple more shots after the game. Too bad the All Stars lost to Everton which is a European team. It ended in a shootout which is always exciting.

I'm sure going to miss Griff. He is my little buddy and we have a lot of fun hanging out together. Who else is going to bug me like he does?

Pioneer Day

For the 24th of July (Pioneer Day to us Utah Folks) I did a little swimming at the pool in my complex with Kara and her kids then went to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. It is one of my favorite rodeos. My family doesn't have any big Pioneer Day traditions but the last few years we have gone to the Ogden Rodeo. The best part about going to this Rodeo on the 24th is that they crown Miss Rodeo Utah. When I was young I loved watching the Rodeo Queens and secretly I have always wanted to be one. I would love to own a horse, there is definitely some cowgirl inside of me. I'm not sure if I could pull off the pants very well though. I think it would also be great to love a cowboy.

Here's Miss Ella in her rodeo queen hat, I definitely think she can win an award for being Miss Photogenic.

Taegan really wanted to give Griffin's cowboy hat a try.

At the end of the rodeo they had the Ogio Airforce showing off some awesome tricks on motorcycles. They are so thrilling to watch and Griffin's face was priceless. Definitely a highlight of the rodeo and of course the night ended with some fireworks.

Summer night with Kenny

Kenny Chesney is one of my favorite country singers. My brother Ramsey introduced me to his music many years ago and I have been a huge fan since. I have seen him in concert many, many times and he always puts on such a great show. My summer just wouldn't be the same without a Kenny Chesney concert. I was scheduled to have gallbladder surgery on July 23rd but when I realized it was the same day as the Kenny Chesney concert I decided to postpone the surgery a few weeks. The concert started at 5:30 with Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert also performing and we didn't leave the stadium until about 11:30. I was pretty bummed that Sugarland had to cancel because one of the singers lost her voice. I am pretty sure it was one of the hottest days in Utah. We were shaded from the sun and were still dripping wet. But as Kenny says in one of his songs "When the sun goes down everything gets hotter". During his encore he sang all cover songs which were all awesome but I was a little disappointed because he missed a few of his own hits.

Karlyn and I enjoying the show. The girls I was planning on going to the concert with backed out the day of so I was scrambling to find someone else to go with. (Seriously I had rescheduled my surgery, I had to go) I was so happy when Karlyn said she wanted to go. She has been living in NYC the last few months so it was so great to catch up with her and she is always so much fun. The best part was that we bought our tickets the day of and ended up getting seats that were normally $100 for $30. It was also really fun to run into my cousins at the concert and was impressed to see the whole Reese clan there. (Next time they better call me when they are coming to Utah for a concert, yes Raegan and Becky I'm talking to you!)

A fan in the crowd gave Kenny this U of U hat and he was nice enough to wear it during his encore. I lost a little bit of love for him during this moment but he was doing it for the fan. I took the picture for Karlyn since she is a Ute. (Boo) :)

Blogging Marathon

I finally have updated my blog. It seriously has taken me two days to post everything that I wanted to. I had things from the beginning of May that I wanted to post about. I've got to be better at blogging more frequently. So if you're interested then grab a snack and read about the last few months of my life. I thought I would have updated long before now but I have been pretty lazy this summer and haven't accomplished much of anything that I wanted to yet. I have had a little retreat in Logan the last few weeks. It's nice to spend time at home with my parents in Cache Valley. I feel like when I go home it is a little escape from reality and a sort of safe haven from the responsibilities and pressures I feel from time to time in my life. Some of you may have noticed that I don't answer my phone or respond to messages very well while I am there. At least I was able to read several good books, see a few movies, hang out with my family, including lots of niece and nephew time, see all of my grandparents quite a bit, and definitely slept in way too late. I even spent an early morning at the emergency room in the hospital, but i'll post about that later. Summer is quickly escaping and I hate that the time is going so fast!

I might as well change my blog to represent my whole family since I am pretty well the family photographer. I do like to take a lot of pictures and I have had fun documenting my life this way. Hopefully it will become a good journal/scrapbook since I don't do either of those things very well.

80 years of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Fireworks

On Sunday July 19th I went with my parents to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's 80th year anniversary broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. I love going to the broadcast. It's a tradition of my family to go to the broadcast the Sunday before Christmas but I need to do it more often since I live so close. The broadcast was beautiful as usual. After the broadcast they had a little program in honor of the 8o years. President Monson spoke as well as several other people. It was neat as they talked about how the broadcast brings a lot of hope and inspiration to listeners around the world. Not to mention that it is the longest continually running radio broadcast in the world. President Monson shared several stories about how peoples lives have been touched by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, he is such a great story teller. I was very touched by the broadcast and the program and was glad to be a part of the special celebration.

Growing up when we would make the trip down to Salt Lake for the broadcast it was always a special treat to go to the brunch at Little America. So luckily my dad didn't disappoint me and took my mom and I to the brunch at Grand America. I have to take advantage of being there only single child and let my dad pay for me once in a while still:). It was soooo delicious! Of course we all left sick because we ate so much, why do we do that to ourselves? I really wanted to go home and take a nap but I was good and actually did make it to my ward for Sacrament.

To top the day off I went to the fireworks in Ogden at Night with Kara and Taya. We met up with Ramsey and Ashley, my Aunt Polly, Aunt JoAnn, and Jenna. They were great. I love Fireworks!

Jack's Mannequin and The Fray Concert

On Saturday July 18th I went to the Jack's Mannequin and The Fray concert. It was really good. I love outdoor concerts. USANNA is a great venue. Once again I had a great time with all of the girls. I had really missed them since I had taken a little retreat up to Logan since the beginning of July.

A quick photo at the end of the concert with the "Wuff" Blanket.

Nancy, Molly, and Emily enjoying the show.

Bear Lake

On Friday July 10th I went to Bear Lake with all of my sisters and their families, Jennie Hess and her girls, and the Hansen family (my brother-in-law's sister and her kids). My brother-in-law Mike Budge brought his sail boat and gave everyone rides. I didn't go out on the sail boat this time, I was too busy playing with the kids in the water and sand. Hopefully we'll go again soon so I can ride on the sail boat.

It was Taegan's first time at Bear Lake, I think she really enjoyed it.

Tyce and Taegan had fun playing together.

I was mad at my sisters as they spent the whole day on the beach chatting and eating treats. Good thing I was there to play with there kids in the water. I told my sisters that having kids must make you boring:) I tried to enlist the help of my nieces and nephews to get them wet. I asked Ella, Taya, and Sydnee whose mom we should get wet and they all started whining not there mom, so then my sisters over heard us and knew I was up to something. Luckily Taya and Griffin got into the spirit of things and we tried coming up with a game plan to get them wet but my sisters were staring us down the whole time. What good is an Aunt if she can't get her nieces and nephews into a little trouble with their parents right? Jessica is the only one who I was really successful at getting wet. I finally got her when she left the canopy and didn't have Taegan in her arms. Mandy really got mad at me as I threw a bucket of water on her as she was trying to deal with Chloe's little incident, Chloe took the brunt of the water which made Chloe cry and Mandy to get even more mad. I mean really who goes to a lake and doesn't get wet! Kara was a big chicken and put my camera around her neck so I wouldn't get her wet.

I have to share about Chloe's incident, keep in mind she is 3. We noticed Chloe was just at the edge of the water on the beach taking her swimsuit off. So we informed Mandy that her daughter was stripping for everyone. Next thing we knew Chloe spread her legs and poohed on the beach. Mandy grabbed some wipes and a bag and went to run get her. But then the best part: Chloe started to bury the pooh in the sand like a cat. I was laughing so hard! When Mandy asked her why she did that Chloe told her that she saw Sydnee do it. Way too funny!! There was a lot of people there that day and the family next too us was cleaning up when it happened. They were pointing at Chloe and had the most disgusted look on their faces. I wanted to say to them: She is a little girl people and doesn't know better. We all thought it was hilarious, well except for Mandy, and then I had to get her mad by getting her wet. I had to take advantage of the opportunity of her finally leaving the safe cover.

Griffin and Chloe playing in the sand. Isn't Chloe's hair cute?

Of course I made them pose for a bunch of pictures before we left the lake that day.

They all wanted a turn holding Taegan and getting there picture taken.

Cute Sisters Ella and Taegan

Taya also loving Taegan

Chloe loves being a big cousin now and loves to help take care of Tyce and Taegan.

I thought this one was precious

We were having fun writing in the sand. I heart all of my nieces and nephews

I also heart Bear Lake

Family Photo Shoot

On Thursday July 9th we had family pictures taken. This is a much dreaded event by all! It is almost impossible to get all the little ones to cooperate. Here are a couple of the photos that I snuck in over the photographers head. I hope that the her pictures turn out much better than mine. I'm sure they will. The kids 4th of July outfits were perfect for family pictures.

Anderson Family

Beck Family

Budge Family

I thought this was cute of Jess playing peek-a-boo with Taegan. Griffin and my mom look just as entertained.

My mom and dad with all of their grandkids.

It was really tough getting all of these little ones to cooperate. Taegan was not loving it if she wasn't being held by her mom, Tyce would not sit still for one second, and we couldn't get the others to all look at the camera at the same time. But we weren't really expecting it to be a cakewalk.

Finally they could just play together!

Sorry Ramsey and Ashley I guess I didn't get a photo of the two of you, and the pictures of myself are too cheesy to post.