How to Sleep like the Dead

So I survived my first crazy week of work and night classes! Yay! The sad part is that this week my teacher made the classes shorter because she said she wanted to give us a week before we actually stayed for the full 4 hours of class. Yuck! Basically what I have learned so far in my first week of CNA class is that I appreciate my job as a Medical Assistant. I'm not gonna lie, I have never been interested in geriatrics. So learning about caring, washing, whatever for old people is just not appetizing. Granted, we haven't really gotten into that stuff yet, but my teacher did have us a watch an overview movie the first class and it was kinda gross. I love working with people and feeling like I can make their day better, but I really don't want to deal with cranky old people.

In my class we have all of one guy, 5 high school students, a mom, and the rest of us. So everyone is 16-30. Haha. My favorite part of the class is the two girls who comment on everything! My favorite students! It's even better when you know you have to deal with the comments for 4 hours that night. Then, on the first day of class, the teacher was going over the rules, schedule, etc. and one of the rules was no food. I was about to tell her "I'm diabetic and if i need to eat i'm going to!" but she added that as long as we were not disruptive she did not mind us snacking. Good thing, so I eat teddy grahams and granola bars during class. Plus, the food helps keep me awake. I leave from work on Tuesday and Thursday and drive straight to school and then want to crash as soon as I sit down in class. Luckily, the teacher (Pat) seems to understand that we need to do more than sit there, so she gives us a break and activities. Otherwise, I would sleep through the lecture. Instead, I go home and crash. Poor Brad. He has been wonderful and cooks dinner on those nights. Then, after our late dinner, I go to bed. As soon as a close my eyes I am out! Honestly, if you have trouble sleeping, you should try this schedule!

Wednesday was my one week night I came home before 6. I went visiting teaching and then had dinner and did my reading for class the next day. So I still did not get in bed as early as I would have liked. I totally had forgotten that my pump was almost out of insulin, so at 2am my pump went off. I was so dead tired I just put it on suspend (which makes it so the alarm only goes off every 15minutes instead of every 3), took it off, and put it on the floor next to the bed so it wouldn't vibrate the bed. Well, I went right back to sleep. However, poor Brad shook me a little later and asked if I knew I was out of insulin. I told him that I did and rolled back over. He later got out of bed and went and slept on the couch because he couldn't sleep with the alarm going off (the alarm isn't that loud either but Brad has ultra sensitive hearing and he told me that he is extremely sensitive to anything diabetes related). When I woke up at 6am I was totally shocked to not see him in bed. I felt so bad. Brad told me that I slept really soundly. That is basically how I have been sleeping all night.

Last night I did a basal check, which is where I woke up every 2 hours to check my blood sugar to see how it fluctuates at night and if I need to adjust the amount of insulin I receive every hour. Well, I was so surprised I woke up for all my alarms. It sure didn't help me get out of bed this morning (and I had some smeared blood on my finger I had poked that I apparently hadn't cleaned so great by the light of my cell phone). Brad was kinda concerned that I didn't get up to my last alarm this morning and started tickling my feet to make me move and check my blood sugar. He gets worried that I am low in the morning when I don't move. But I was fine of course and I feel like last night did nothing to help with my blood sugar except stress and tire my poor body out.

Wow, So i have noticed how boring our blog is, but well, I don't take alot of pictures and posting them is the biggest pain. I am blog retarted. So sorry about all the writing, it's the only easy thing.

On a side note for this week, I have had some wierd cravings, wierd as in I normally only crave chocolate or sweets. But thursday I really wanted chicken nuggets, so Mandy and Cassie got when some when they went to Wendys. I don't think I have ever been so satisfied with chicken nuggets before. Then last night Brad and I were supposed to have this asian thing for dinner, but I really was craving fries and ranch, so we went to Red Robin were I had chicken strips and LOTs of fries and ranch! Yum! Well actually, now it doesn't sound so great, but at the time it was wonderful. No I'm not pregnant, my stomach has just been really wierd this week, maybe from the lack of sleep....

Now Entering the Crazy Life

So I am starting a CNA evening class this week. I'm kind of nervous cause well it's almost been a year since I've taken a class and I will have even less of a life than I do now. Basically I will be working full time and then on the 2 nights I get home early, I have to go to class. I didn't really realize how much this limited any social life I could have, until the other day when Brad was trying to plan something with some of our friends and he had to tell them that Monday doesn't really work because I work until 8:30-9, and Tuesday and Thursday I will be in class till 9:30. So hopefully I don't have a lot of homework to do for this class. But while I'm kinda nervous and anxious, I know that this class will be good. Getting my CNA is a step to one day getting my RN since most places require, or at least encourage, you to have it. So, let the craziness begin! And then I can try to have a life again in May when all this is over.

Holidays

Well, I guess we should talk about our holidays. Christmas was spent up in Kaysville, UT with Brad's family. We were very happy to b e out of Happy Valley and spend time with the family, especially with all of Brad's siblings home from school. On Christmas Eve we all went up to Temple Square to look at the lights. Kimber took a ton of pictures, which I'm sure are awesome. Elly took some too. Elly was excited because going to see the lights is one of her favorite things to do. Temple Square was beautiful of course and the coolest part was that we got to use some of the underground tunnels to get there because Brad's dad works for the church so we parked in the underground parking and walked up the stairs right into the Temple Square.

Christmas was a nice day, other than the news of the Grandpa's death. Elly read an entire book. Brad beat at least half of the new Super Mario Bros. We also did puzzles and had a nice dinner with the family. Brad was pretty excited about getting an ipod and super mario brothers. Elly got her favorite picture of Jesus and Wii Fit Plus (which is amazing as long as no one is watching you play). The next day we went to Grandma and Grandpa Steven's to celebrate the season with the Steven's side of the family (Brad's mom's side). We lucked out in the gift game and got a new game and slippers (other gifts included Sarah Palin's book and necklaces). We had fun playing games and visiting with the family. The funniest part of the evening was when Brian's wife, Camile, who at the time was 8 months pregnant, had to borrow one of Grandma Steven's shirts because she was hot in her sweater. It was definitely entertaining.

After Christmas with the Taylor family, we went back to Provo for one night and one day of work, then we headed out to California. We left Monday night so we could spend more time with the Cramer family in lue of the funeral services. Also, a storm was supposed to be coming in on Tuesday through Nevada. So Monday we made a nice night drive across BEAUTIFUL nevada! haha We truly hate that state, but such is the drive to Sac-town. So all was good and clear, until Reno. Then we ran into the snow and had to put chains on to get over the pass. 50 miles worth of chains! From Reno to Alta! Took us 2 hours to go what normally took 40 minutes. But well, we made it safely, and we had some nice guy help us put the chains on in Reno so Elly could sit in the warm car.

Well, California was CRAZY. Before Grandpa's death, we had been planning on doing all sorts of fun things with the family. However, with a funeral to prepare for, fun kinda went out the window and stressed craziness entered. Elly's mom was freaking out about flowers, pictures to display, and programs. Elly did what she could to help. Brad was able to escape and go snowboarding with Steven at Boreal (which Brad laughs at due to it's small size compared to Utah's resorts). We did get to eat our favorite pizza though (BJ's) and Robyn "indoctrinated" us on Psych. Grandma and Grandpa Bennett came up from SoCal to see Brad and Elly. It was good to see them and play some card games. We all learned that Grandma is the Apples to Apples queen! That was a shocker! Cards I never thought she would have put down were hers! Plus, Elly got to walk Sadie every day and love her puppy (which made her wonder who walks the dog when she isn't there). New Year's Eve wasn't very exciting, we mostly just played Super Mario Bros (Brad's escape from the craziness). But New Year's day the whole family went and saw Invictus. Elly also got to catch up with a few friends while in town.

Saturday was the funeral. Elly actually help up better than Brad thought she would. However, she did start to cry on the drive to the funeral due to a certain country song that mentioned someone dying. She also had a hard time at the viewing. But the service was very nice, and the casket spray was actually not ugly. Elly's dad gave a great talk reviewing past memories that had everyone crying in parts. After the service, the family had a nice lunch. Brad got to meet Cramers that Elly had never even met before, such as Great Uncle Dick, Grandpa Cramer's youngest and only living brother. After the lunch, Uncle Dick was invited back to the house for dinner. It was really nice to get and talk with him and hear all of his stories about the family, such as how Great Grandma and Grandpa met. G. Grandma Cramer was teaching an electrician class at the college and Great Grandpa was a student in that very class. Dad then told Elly that now they know that she got her math smarts from her great grandma. So other than time with the family, Elly also completed her 2 favorite puzzles and we had a second Christmas, opening the presents from Elly's family.

Sunday we drove back home and we so excited to come back to our bed and quite apartment. The only downside to being home was that we had no food.

Grandpa

My grandpa died on Christmas after living for almost 93 years. We all new it was coming so it was not a surprise. My grandpa was 70 when I was born, so I do not know him as well as my older cousins do. A video of my grandparents' 50th anniversary party shows my grandpa holding me with all my cousins around and my older sister, and well everyone is smiling, I'm screaming my head off because i was so young. I love watching the video though because my grandparents look so much younger and agile. They are so cute as they dance together. I wish I had been able to know my grandpa for longer, but I am so grateful for the time I had with him.

I remember all the trips my family would make to drive up to my grandparents house on "Cramer Mountain" in the Sierra Nevadas. I loved their house because it was surrounded by pines and all of the christmas trees. My grandma made the best grilled cheese sandwiches and my siblings and I all fought over the bear mug when it was time for hot cocoa in the morning. My grandpa was a great numbers guy. One of the stories my dad would always tell me was how when my grandpa was only about 8, he was working in the grocery store and he could add up the customers amounts faster than the calculator. People would come to the store just to watch him do it. My grandpa grew up during the great depression and was one of 11 kids. I know that he was the middle child and always looked after his youngest brother, Dick.

My grandpa worked hard his whole life. It is sad that he never had the opportunity to go to college because if he did, he could have been a great engineer with his math skills. But he did always find work in manual labor. He was a boxer and even has a nose that you can punch without breaking because it has more cartilage than bone (my brother has this same nose). He would box in matches for the soldiers during WWII and he worked in a scrap metal yard. I know that my grandpa was drafted into the war right near the end, but luckily WWII ended soon after, so he never had to fight. I know that my grandpa has worked for Budweiser for a time. When he retired, he and my grandma moved up to Alta, CA to their christmas tree farm in the mountains. My grandpa loved taking care of the trees and he built their house there including the water tower that supplied all their water. My family moved from NC back to CA to be close to my grandparents so we could help them out. Being as independent as they were, they did not like asking for help. So we moved to Nor Cal. I did not like it at the time, but now I am so glad that we did because I was able to get to know my grandparents. When we would go up to visit we would always play card games and my grandpa would always be scorekeeper. Our favorite game to play were Dummy Rummy. My grandpa also taught katie and I to play kings corner and dice (which was my grandma's favorite). When we weren't playing cards, I would go for walks among the trees with my dad and grandpa. I liked being outside and watching the trees grow. My grandpa would give me several colored tags each year to go and mark my christmas tree. My dad would leave the choosing of the christmas tree to me because I loved it so much and always wanted to find the perfect, full, and tall tree. I would tell grandpa that I should get miracle grow to help the shorter trees get bigger, and he told me that I could do whatever I wanted. One summer, we went up and helped my grandpa plant baby trees. It was fun and I learned a lot of caring for the trees from my grandpa. We had to plant them and then put a slat of wood against them to block the afternoon sun.

I have always kind of been a shy kid. The summer before we moved to NorCal, it was the Atlanta summer olympics. I remember we were visiting my grandparents and I would sit there by myself. My grandpa would then call me over and sit me on his lap. He would talk to me and pay special attention to me. That was the summer when I became really close to my grandpa. He seemed to know that I really needed him. My grandpa called me his girl. Everytime my family went up to visit them, he would pull me over to him and ask "How's my girl doing?". He always asked me about school and encouraged me throughout college. I am so glad that my grandpa was there for my wedding. It meant so much to me to have all of my grandparents there for that important day. My only regret was that I didn't get a picture taken of me and my grandpa that day. The summer after Brad and I were married, my grandparents celebrated their 70th anniversary. A month later, my grandpa slipped in their house and broke his neck. He did not die, but he became virtually paralyzed. Being the independent man that my grandpa was, this was hard for him. After he had gluacoma and skin cancer problems, which took away some of his eye sight, it was hard for my grandpa and he became slightly depressed because he could not do as much. But he did manage. However, after breaking his neck, my grandpa really struggled and we began to see that he would not be around much longer.

I am so grateful for every moment I have had with my grandpa. He really made me feel special and loved. I am so grateful to have had him as a grandfather and am proud to say that I am a lot like him. I love you grandpa! I am so grateful for the doctrine of eternal families because I know that I will see my grandpa again. I know he is happier now that he is not trapped in his body that was holding him back in so many ways. Knowing that he is happy and that I will see him again helps me to be happy and filled with hope.

LeRoy Cramer

January 12, 1917 - December 25, 2009

Thanksgiving Week

So this thanksgiving week was busy for us. To start off, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary! Crazy right? Well I had to work on Tuesday, but after I got off, we drove up to Salt Lake City. We had dinner at Olive Garden (so yea it's not really fancy, but I was craving their salad and breadsticks) and stayed at the Anniversary Inn. Our room was the Swiss Family Robinson room which was really cool cause the shower was a waterfall and the bed was in a tree.
Plus we got free cheesecake which we both really liked. Wednesday we had my ring cleaned, did some shopping, and then drove up to Kaysville to spend Thanksgiving with Brad's family. I made my "famous" cranberry sauce that Brad's family all really likes, which is why Brad calls it famous. We played lots of games, watched some football, and did a puzzle. It was fun. Then on Friday we went shooting because Brad felt I needed some gun education. It was a lot of fun. I have only shot a rifle at girls camp before this and that was with the rifle sitting propped on a table so all I had to do was point and shoot. Now I know how heavy those guns actually are. I shot a pistol/revolver and two different .22 rifles and a shot gun. I actually did shot a can out of a tree and I provided a lot of entertainment for everyone when I fired the shot gun and was surprised by the punch to my shoulder.Finally on Saturday was the BYU - Utah game. We had 2nd row seats which was awesome. The game was intense and I really thought Max Hall was gonna blow the whole thing, but thank goodness we had guys who can catch a football. And Andrew George caught the winning touchdown right in front of us! And then we stormed the field and a BYU cop tried to tell us to get off, but we walked around him. So all in all it was a good and busy week

Brad's 25th Birthday

So here is my first attempt that this whole blogging thing. Our most recent adventures were all about Brad's big 25th birthday! We weren't able to do much for Brad's birthday cause I work late monday nights. But Tuesday (Nov. 3), we did go to Wingers with his parent's and Melissa. I loved it when his mom told the waiter that it was his birthday and he had to sit there while he got sung too. I laughed so hard cause he put me through that for my graduation and my birthday.

Then, Saturday (Nov. 8), we had wing night with a bunch of mission buddies: Wilding and Joni, Doug and Natasha, and Danny. The boys all had a lot of fun. Brad loves making his hots wings and Wilding and Doug love eating them. I made a veggie tray for us girls and to help cool down the boys' mouths. It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad we have a bigger kitchen and living room so we can easily fit all those people inside. After eating, we all played Disney Scene It and worked to keep Doug and Natasha's son, Stetson, entertained and out of trouble. Brad and I had a run for our money with Wilding and Joni cause Joni knows her disney! But it was a ton of fun and laughs. Brad brought out our nerf gun for Stetson cause that kid LOVES guns. It was pretty funny when Stetson chased the laser beam everywhere. Overall, it was an awesome night and I know Brad loved it. It was really nice to get to catch up with Natasha and get to know Joni even more. Plus, we laughed at the boys a lot as they went crazy about the wings. Its hard cause we don't get to spend a lot of time with these friends since Doug and Natasha live in Vernal and Wilding and Joni are up in Salt Lake area. So it was definitely nice to have them all together, especially since it was right after Brad's birthday and a little before Doug's birthday. Brad now only regrets giving Wilding so much of his hot sauce.

Finally, on Tuesday (Nov. 11) we got to go to Tucanos with Ashley and Sean. A while ago we had gone up to Rodizios in SLC with them. Brad had great memories of Rodizios, but after having Tucanos, we both felt Tucanos was better. So that's when we told Ashley and Sean that they needed to come down and go to Tucanos with us. And what better time to go then for a free birthday meal! Because it was Tuesday night it was not busy at all and our meat server kept pilling the meat on. We finally got to be more picky and pretty much told him all we wanted was the pineapple! For anyone who has never been, their pineapple is brown sugar glazed and delicious! I love their cooked pineapple!!! Sean told Ashley she should put some in her purse. I ate a ton of salad, pineapple, and meat! I swear, my favorite meat changes every time I go there. I just love all the choices! It's prefect for indecisive me. So all in all, we had a lot of fun and laughs as we all joked about stuffing our faces with as much pineapple as possible. Oh if only I had brought the camera! I think Brad had a good birthday, as much as he tries to act like it's not a big deal.