Life With Clyde

So let's be honest... I'm not really a blogger. I wish I was but I just never do it. Considering that the last time I posted was 20 months ago. Also, considering that a week after that blog post I discovered I had a brain tumor that I affectionately named Clyde and had brain surgery and everything. Let's just say... My blog is SUPER behind! I want to write about my tumor... For journaling purposes. I'm not going to go into great detail. So starting a few months before I started noticing that my eyes were a little bit off. I didn't think much about it but it didn't bother me a little bit. When I went to my Aunt Carla's funeral the beginning of February I pointed it out to my sisters and they figured I should probably go get it checked out. This picture was taken in February 2012

The next week my mom pretty much dragged me to the doctor. I didn't want to go. I guess I was afraid they were going to tell me that nothing was wrong with me and think I was paranoid or worse they were going to tell me that something was wrong so I really just didn't find it necessary to go to the doctor. My mom and I walked in to see Dr. Stratford. The appointment wasn't long but he told me that he thought it could be something serious, that people's eyes didn't usually bulge out like mine was so he ordered a CT scan and suggested I go and see a specialist. That was on Friday. On Monday my mom called around to see if she could be in to see an opthamologist. She was able to get me in to see Dr. Richens that very day. I went after school and they ran a lot of tests. She told me a few scenarios it could be and then ran more tests. She also wanted me to go and get a CT scan and set one up for the next day. She also scheduled an appointment with another specialist to see on Thursday. Dr. Tarbet comes down from Seattle once a month and was even more specialized. I went home and worried about what could be wrong with me. I went to see Dr. Tarbet on Thursday and that's when I found out that it was a tumor. It was pretty shocking news but I don't think it quite sunk in all the way that day. I remember texting my sister Kristen at work very casually and telling her I had a tumor. She then had me schedule an MRI and set up an appointment with Dr. Bhupendra Patel who was another specialist who came down from Salt Lake once a month. My appointment with him was the following Tuesday. At the appointment with Dr. Patel is when I first was shocked. I remember sitting there and just quietly crying. Meet Clyde... He was always on my mind!

Dr. Patel told me that by looking at the MRI it looked like a benign Schwannoma tumor but they wouldn't know for sure until they performed the biopsy. I would hear from him that week and schedule my biopsy surgery. I was kind of a wreck that week. I was able to remain positive but shock is real. I lost 10 pounds in a few days and had zero appetite. They scheduled the biopsy surgery at the Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake on March 3. They went through my eye to drain some of the liquid and to take a piece of the tumor.

The gross stages of my eye healing.

After this surgery we were able to confirm that it was benign and a schwannoma tumor. Shortly after this surgery I was able to meet with my brain surgeon... Dr. William T. Couldwell in Salt Lake. When we met with him I knew he was the surgeon for me. When he walked into the room I got an overwhelming feeling that he was the best of the best. He is the head of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah. He told me that considering I had a brain tumor, it was the best kind to have. So that was comforting but he also told me that it was tricky and needed to come out asap. The month of March is all a blur. I don't remember much. My family took a trip to Disneyland over Spring Break. I was preparing to have a long term sub. etc. It was a busy busy month and of course I had to psych myself up to have brain surgery. All in all I had a positive attitude and it wasn't too bad. Just BUSY! I am so grateful that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. My faith really helped me in this trying time and it was able to grow stronger. I knew that everything was going to work out great and the worst that could happen was dying and that really isn't the end of the world. :) My aunt had just died and I knew that I could go live with her! I remember going to my pre-op appointment and them telling me how healthy I was after they had tested my basic health. I laughed and said yeah, except for this whole brain tumor thing I am in tip top shape. A few random pictures of me at the hospital and then a few when I got home. The picture with the scarf is when I first went to church. Also, my nephew Rett came to hang out with me after surgery. Honestly, brain surgery wasn't the worst. I told Dr. Couldwell that I would rather have brain surgery than getting my gallbladder out again. He thought I was kind of weird.

This is a very quick recap of my experience. I have tons more pictures. I will have to find the one that shows the 40 staples in my head and some others but for now it's a start!

Discovery!

So I discovered something amazing and I felt like I should share it with the blogging world. Funny how one of my New Year's Resolutions was to start blogging more and it is already February but here's to starting fresh. So my friend Andrea told me about these sketchbooks and notebooks that she likes. The website is shopdenik.com Well I got on today to check it out and let's just say I think I fell in love. Here are the reasons why..
1. They have an Indie look to them
2. They are designed by Utah State Aggies that some of them were actually in my classes and I know who they are.
3. For each one sold they donate a dollar to help build a school in Africa
4. Their slogan is "These books build schools"
5. FREE shipping
6. %10 discount
7. and I have an obsession with journals and notebooks anyway.

I fell so much in love that I may have bought three... Oh wait I did buy three. They are just so amazing.

Here they are... I am so excited for them to get here in the mail.







Peace Out!

<3 Em

JOY!

Joy is... Graduating from college! :)

6 months...

So I figured that since it has just been over six months since my last blog post that it was time to do a new one. :)

I am going to do a quick recap of a few highlights of the last six months...

10/10/10 My niece Addie was blessed. Cool date eh?!?


October 2010 I went to my first Jazz Game and also went to UEA and met the Governor! Pretty sweet!



Also in October it was Halloween at school. Surprisingly I had a lot of fun. I dressed up like Payton Manning and it was fun at school. The picture is of me and my friend Ashlee who is from Utah State and we student taught at the same school together. :)


November 2010 My ward had an Oscar's night where all the FHE families had to make a video and then we showed them there. It was pretty sweet! Also, it was Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday hands down so of course it was great! How could it not be? We went black friday shopping and it was intense. My cousin Stephanie and I camped outside of Target for several hours and it was FREEZING but so much fun! Kristen came and joined us a little bit before they opened the doors.



December 2010... I GRADUATED!! I had a graduation celebration party and we went Ice Skating. It was a lot of fun! Also, of course Christmas! Nicole and her family came and it was a lot of fun!



January 2011 Was pretty uneventful. I went home for a few days and my family went and saw the new suspension bridge over the Hoover Dam. That was pretty cool.


February 2011 I threw a birthday party for my roommate Chelsea on February 5 and also a surprise birthday dance party for my roommate Stephanie on February 21. It was pretty crazy but a lot of fun. I don't have any pictures of Stephanie's party. The first picture is of me and Chelsea at her party. Also in February my diploma came in the mail. It was fantastic!



March 2011 Was a busy month... I went down to Arizona for a few days to see my family down there. My cousin Chris had just come home from his mission in Mexico so it was fun to see him. On the way down we stopped in Vegas and I got to go to the WAC Championship game. Utah State was playing Boise State! It was fantastic. Go Aggies!



Also in March my cousin Amanda got married and the day after was the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork. So Kristen, Deneille, Patt, and I went to the festival. It was a lot of fun!


April 2011 has been great so far! Today I got to go to the Saturday morning session of General Conference with my roommate and sister. It was fantastic! I love going to conference. There is just a strong feeling of the spirit there and it is cool to be in the same room as the Prophet and the apostles!

The most exciting news I have at the moment is I am going to Germany in six days! It is all I can think about. My sister Nicole and her family are living there so my mom, my dad, and my sister Kristen are going over to visit. We leave April 8 and come back April 18. Then it will time for me to move out and let the summer begin! The last 6 months have been great! Those were just a few of the highlights. Peace out for another six months or maybe sooner, we shall see!

Baby Shortcake!

My sister Deneille finally had her baby. I am so excited. I get to go home tomorrow and meet her. My dad sent me some pictures today so I thought I would share. She doesn't have a name yet so I just call her baby shortcake.

MOCKINGJAY

So yesterday was my 21st birthday but it was also the day the book Mockingjay came out. Such an AMAZING book. My sister and I went at midnight to get it and she bought it for me for my birthday. I finished it today and it was just amazing. haha. Best birthday present ever. My parents also got me a GPS. They know me well, I get lost way too easily. I am so happy to have it before I move to a new town. I move Friday to Provo. So exciting.

Kristen and I just shortly after we got our books. :)

Change

So I am in my last week at USU. I will be moving home for the summer in a few days. It seems so strange. I don't feel like I am old enough to be almost done with college. Next semester I will be doing my student teaching in the Alpine School District and then I will be graduating. I am rather excited but very nervous to be done with school... then it's time for the real world. :)



Pictured above is my friend Whitney and I on the A. I am going to miss Logan...

But I am very excited to move to Provo and student teach, I am super nervous but I think it is going to be a grand adventure. I will be living in BYU-Approved with my good friend Chelsea and I am super excited. She is great! I think it is time for there to be change in my life. I am a little nervous for BYU housing because I never could picture myself living at BYU. Not that BYU is a bad school I just never pictured it for me. I guess I will have to wait and see what adventure it brings. :)