The Spirit of Christmas

I have to admit, I had a rough Christmas season this year. I was busy deflecting colds, we were working out family issues, looking for jobs, hoping to reinvent our future (not in residency this next year), finding renters, fixing up our parent's basement, and the list goes on. The whole part where the Savior is born in a lowly manger with no crib for his bed, I missed that. It is so easy to miss the most important things in life. There are so many distractions, so many people to blame, so many problems to complain about. I guess the real "secret" to life, that is not really a secret at all, is that it is meant to be hard-- the Savior was not born into a life of glory and comfort. He was born in a manager. But that birth made all the difference, that birth made it so "hard" wouldn't be "too hard" and that once the "hard" was over, we would have our families (and the other relationships that lifted us through the difficult times) forever. Christ was born so that we might live. So on my Christmas list for next year is to stop fretting and instead lift someone who has been forgotten in the Christmas haste. Wish me luck ;)

Above I've posted pictures of some of our "non-stressful" Christmas moments (cause those are really the only moments that last anyways). You'll see my brother-in-law on a chair directing the very wiggly grandchildren in a Christmas Nativity. Will also took the picture of my dad with one of the grandkids at our yearly walk through the Ogden lights on Christmas Eve. There is also a picture of me making fun of my sister's "skinny pants." I love them but I feel like I am back in Jr. High! And last but not least I couldn't help but post the picture of Will with his new snow shoes! I think he likes his present -- but I have to admit it was very "me" driven. I love snowshoeing!!! And for the past few years he had to wear my pink snow shoes while I wore my old snow shoes. I get my snowshoes back, and now we can spend our winters hiking the Wasatch Mountains!

House painting

This is just a quick blog to let you know how our repainting is coming. For those of you who don't know we moved into the basement apartment of Summer's parents about a month ago. The apartment consists of four rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and a bedroom. So far we've got the bedroom done (except for the accidental paint chip I put in the wall) and the bathroom is nearly done as well. Fortunately the kitchen did not require a lot of work (at least as far as I can tell), but the living room still has a few touch ups to be done. Mostly we have to put the baseboards back in and I think Summer's Dad wants to put the stone above the fireplace in. In any case its looking good and hopefully in a few days it will be presentable to the world. The pictures above show us repainting the bedroom and Summer wants me to note the improvement in the color choice--green to brown with a chocolate brown accent wall in the bedroom.

Sleep appointment

Before we left for Ohio we actually got approved for a sleep study and went to be tested. Dr. Simpson, however, did not have room to see us after that appointment, before we left for Ohio. As a result the follow up visit was today. Both Will and I were dreading attending the appointment. Will because he thought the doctor might tell him that because of his "sleepiness" it would be difficult to ever return to be a doctor. I was unexcited because of the pre-Ohio drama with mandating us to take the test and not wanting to write a letter saying "he seriously doubted that Will had sleep apnea" even though this was the case. So thus followed the back and forth with trying to get it covered under insurance. In the end it was covered and Will of course did not have sleep apnea and did not have narcolepsy.

The appointment actually went very well. Dr. Simpson was surprised, as is the case with many doctors, that Will was much more alert than a few months earlier and that he did not look sleepy during the appointment. With these observations, and my comments on maybe we look for alternative careers in medicine he told Will -- "You are young and your brain will heal, don't give up on becoming a doctor, even if it took a few years. Be patient." He then quoted what he thought was said by Winston Churchill-- "Never give up!"

I have to admit this was a vote of confidence we sorely needed as the past few weeks have been especially difficult (depressing). On top of this good news--- Will signed up to volunteer weekely in a free clinic today. They are very excited to have Will on board and he will be shadowing doctors, taking vitals, etc...

The above pictures are Will and I at Temple Square. The lights were enchanting. ps the Goattee was my idea-- he wore it for at least four hours before I demanded he shave it ;)

The End....Another Beginning

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, with hardly a minute to type. I'll start with the last leg of the trip and let Will tell you the end of our trip. After Gettysburg we set up shop at Will's sister's place in Brooklyn, New York. What a city to live in. The drivers in New York are crazy the buildings are covered in spray paint, and parking is nearly impossible. Even though it was a little bit of a culture shock for me I have to say I felt a richness and culture there that was totally new and exciting. Will's sister's place is 125 years old. Everywhere you look there are cathedrals, bakeries, gift shops, libraries, and authentic restaurants. After spending a few days in Brooklyn and taking my first ever to visit Trader Joe's, it was time to head into the center of the Big Apple. Will and I spent an entire day touring New York. It was soooo much fun. We started out by doing some temple work at the New York Temple and then we walked across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum where we spent hours visiting a few of the exhibits there. Then we took the subway down to Times Square and ate our first New York Bagel and slice of New York Pizza. Times Square at night is buzzing with activity and the lights are magical. After taking it all in we were 45 minutes early to Wicked. I will spare you my rants about how it was the most amazing musical I have ever seen. Just know that I have been singing the broadway tunes without ceasing ever since that moment ;).

We left for Utah the next day. Will will tell you the rest of that story. As for our future, it is still very much unwritten. Because of our experience in Ohio, things have felt as if they have regressed. We have felt and continue to feel lost. The questions and advice continues-- "why don't you try this...." or "do you have a back up plan...." --- as we are still unsure as to what the fastest way back to full recovery is or where (if ever) the recovery will stop these questions will remain a mystery for the time being. In the meantime while we have experienced loss and stumbling blocks, the reality is that Will continues to experience extraordinary recovery-- his wakefulness improves everyday, his personality exhibits itself more all the time, and lastly he remembers more and understands more than he ever has before. This story is far from over -- it is only beginning.. We're revving up for another go :) So keep praying and keep reading. We love you and thank you for all you do to help us in this journey.

Ps I've posted the pictures of the above mentioned activities. We have also set a new goal to have Will blog as well. I am very glad he has consented to do so, he is definitely my better half. I am soo lucky to have him :)

Gary Indiana

Summer wants me to start writing in here. I don't think that is such a bad idea. Hopefully, you won't think so either. In any case this first post will be short. I'm just going to tell you about what happened in Gary, Indiana. Gary is a town on the way between Columbus and Madison. We were on our way to Madison to visit my brother and had been in Columbus to pick up some of my stuff. In any case we were driving down the road when my car started making sounds and not acting normal. We had been putting fresh oil in it, but that oil had been leaking out, and it had been going pretty fast. In any case we had to stop and fortunately Gary was close by. We took it to a repair shop who diagnosed it as oil getting into one of the pistons. Unfortunately, that pretty much meant the end of the car. We could put a new engine in it or attempt a repair that wasn't guaranteed to work, but either of those options would take time and we had to get Summer back to Utah for an interview. Fortunately for us we were able to sell the car to a lady who was also at the fix it shop and rent a new car for the rest of the trip. In fact we were going again that night. I kind of miss my car, but at least we made it back alive.

The adventure continues

So this post will be mostly pictures, as we're living the dream, or our dreams of visiting the East Coast monuments and being reminded of the reasons for which they were constructed... the revolution, a new government, freedom of religion, freedom from slavery, etc...
I'm amazed at the humility and perseverance of our fore fathers as they were required to "fight" for everything they had. I believe nothing great ever happens without alot of work and faith. We're better for having spent time in our nations capital.

The pictures below: Will in front of Jefferson's home in Monticello. Jefferson is an amazing individual not only did he draft the declaration of independence; he was an architect, lawyer, paleontologist, agriculturalist, a violinist, he read seven languages, and the list goes on.


The library of Congress was my favorite building. Every corner was designed to symbolized the birth of a great nation.


The larger than life statue of Lincoln... a well deserved monument for the man who was president of a divided country during the civil war.


Will and I visited the place where 170,000 americans went to battle and 50,000 of them lost their lives in the three day battle of Gettysburg.


Will and I became a part of the East Coast flooding on our way to New York City to visit his sister in Brooklyn.

Will & Summer's Recovery

We've been in Georgia for the past week letting my sister-in-law cook amazing dinners for us and enjoying tons o hugs from our two nephews and niece. I don't have a lot of thoughts for you today. It hurts my head to think too much about the "next steps." We've spent many hours this past week figuring out how best to give Will the "optimal recovery" over the next year. Nothing has quite panned out yet so be assured we'll let you know when we know ;) We're still pushing for a full recovery-- meaning Will will again practice medicine.

In the meantime-- here we are. I can't tell you how much my love for Will grows everyday as I watch him take on the world over and over again. I am lucky to be with him. And no matter how "mad" we get at the stroke we realize that it was the "stroke" that brought us back together. I guess Will's greatest trial is our greatest blessing. I'm not sure if people reading this blog can or do look at their 'greatest trials' in the same way but I imagine that if the trial served to bring you closer to God than you're thankful. I think that is all we can hope for in this life.

So I'll finish this blog with a picture of Will and one of our nephews and a picture and video of our latest safari adventure. Also above I took a shot at depicting in a photograph how I feel about autumn in the East. I love it!