12-17-15

December 17, 2015

Little did I know how much my life would change that day.
After running a couple errands after work, I was walking back home,
being cautious of the snow and icy patches around me.

But apparently, not cautious enough.
As I approached my street and walked onto the sidewalk, I slipped,
my left leg bending backward as I fell into the gutter of icy cold water.

I don't know what shocked me more, the sting of the ice cold water
on my legs and backside or the sound of a pop as I fell.

I struggled a bit to get to my purse and find my cell phone
and called my sister, Trisha to come and help me.

About a minute later, there was a woman by my side, offering to help me up.
She lived across the street and had just happened to be driving by when I fell.
She also offered to drive me home, but I told her that my sister was on her way
and thanked her for her help. It wasn't until my sister came and we slowly
made our way down the street (only 4 houses away),
that I realized I should have accepted her offer.

Once finally inside, I made my way to the couch. By this time, I was in shock.
I felt lightheaded and just wanted to sleep. I was shivering with cold,
even more so than when I was in the icy cold gutter.
It took all my strength to remain awake, so I could help my sisters
to figure out what to do next and where to go.

After a few phone calls, we found an Insta-Care clinic that was open late.
When we got there, I somehow managed to fill out the paperwork needed
and waited for my name to be called. I went and had x-rays taken of my foot
and waited for what felt like hours, before a doctor came in and announced,
"It's broken!"

I was told that I would need to stay off my foot for at least the next six weeks
and that I would need to see an Orthopedic specialist.
Then I waited again for them to come and put a splint/cast on my leg.

After the cast was put on and wrapped up, it was time for crutches.
I wondered how in the world was I going to get through this!
The doctor wanted me to practice using the crutches to go back to the
waiting room, instead of using the wheelchair. As I entered the waiting room,
I felt cold water on my leg (which dripped onto my pants as the cast was applied)
It took me by surprise and threw me off balance, causing me to lose control of
one of the crutches, which went flying towards the Christmas tree that was
to my right, knocking an ornament off the tree, crashing to the floor in front of me.
I felt like I was in one of those Hallmark Christmas movies, gone horribly wrong!

Once I got back home, I realized I never wanted to leave the house again!
There are two narrow wooden steps that lead up to the deck to the front door
and I knew there was no way I could get up there with crutches!
So I tried the side door. It has a step up to a small landing and then a step up
to the door. I got up to the landing and then realized the step up to get inside
the house was higher than I could hop. I didn't know how in the world I would ever
get back inside. It literally took a leap of faith to make my way inside.
(And I never used the side door again.)
I was relieved to ditch the crutches a few days later and hop around using a walker.

After Christmas, I made an appointment to see an Orthopedic specialist.
The doctor viewed my x-rays and used the "S" word....surgery!

He felt it would be in my best interest not just for now, but as I got older,
to strengthen my ankle. There was just one problem...my insurance.
The surgery wouldn't be approved without my assigned physician's approval.
A physician I had never seen before and who was not accepting new patients...
unless you were pregnant...and since that wasn't going to happen...
They tried to see if my insurance would accept one of the doctors in the building
as my physician to get the approval, but they wouldn't budge.

Since I would have a different insurance plan in 2016,
one that didn't require an approval, we scheduled an appointment for
the first week of January and go from there.

The new year rolls around and I venture out to my appointment.
They take new x-rays of my foot and the doctor announces that it looks like
things are healing nicely. We realized that all those insurance issues ended up
being a blessing in disguise. He told me to continue to keep off my foot and
to come back in two weeks to get re-examined.

I had been on a leave of absence from work and now that I got the news
that I wouldn't need surgery, I decided it was time to go back.
However, it wasn't as easy as all that.
There was paperwork that needed to be filled out, mostly by my doctor,
before I could go back. I also needed to work out rides to and from work,
until I got my paratransit approval. Thankfully, I had a few co-workers willing
to help out with rides. However, I had to actually schedule an appointment
to have my doctor fill out the paperwork, which cost me $75.00. Ugh!

My first day back to work was January 15th, just a few days shy of a month away.
I was a bit concerned that I would forget how to do a few things, what to say,
stuff like that, but thankfully it all came to me pretty naturally.
I must admit that I was hoping for a bigger "welcome back" response.

I did get a good response from my co-worker "neighbors" though,
at least they let it be known how happy they were to see me,
how concerned they had been and how much they missed me.
Others never said a word, while others slowly made their way over to
welcome me back. I thought someone would have made a sign or had a card
go around to sign, but nope, nothing like that. Oh well.

Two weeks went by, getting back into the swing of things, waking up early,
getting dressed, facing my fear of going out the front door and hobbling
my way out, when I went back to the doctor to see how my foot was doing.
My foot was x-rayed again and I talked with one of the assistants while waiting
for the doctor. We were talking about how I would probably be able to
start putting weight on it and start up with physical therapy, etc.

Then the doctor comes in...
"I've never really liked the look of your ankle..."
SAY WHAT?!?!

ThankFully - Day 3

Today I am thankful for my job.

Since mid-September, I've been working here....

[Although, technically not working in this particular building... 

my department was moved to a building next door right before Halloween.]

[My cubicle before the move]

They had cookies delivered from Schmidt's Bakery
as a delicious Halloween treat! YUM!

Now while it may not be the best job I've ever had,

it's definitely far from being the worst I've ever had!

ThankFully - Day 2

OK, today's "ThankFully" may seem a bit silly at first,
not to mention that I'm pretty sure I chose this once before
in a previous year's gratitude post,
but it just fit in so perfectly with events from today, so here goes....

I am thankful for....
ICE CREAM!!!

And I'm not just thankful for ice cream because there are so many absolutely
delectable flavors to choose from, or because it's one of my most favorite foods.
No, the reason I'm thankful for ice cream is due to the wonderful memories
that ice cream has played a part in throughout my life.

I have fond memories of going to my Grandma and Grandpa Gerlach's house.
[Which was quite often, during the first 8 years of my life,
since we lived in the same city,]

One of the fond memories of my Grandma and Grandpa's house
was that their freezer was like this....

Now, it didn't look exactly like this.
For one thing, ice cream didn't come in round containers back then
and their freezer was better organized, but you get the idea.
There was never less than 2 or 3 containers of ice cream in the freezer!

I knew that after all the teasing I endured throughout dinner,
for not liking gravy on the mashed potatoes I loved so much,
that there was a delicious dessert waiting for me in the freezer! YUM!


For a while during my childhood, we had a chore chart.
For each chore you did, you got a sticker and at the end of the month,
depending on how many stickers you collected, your reward was
either a single, double or triple scoop ice cream cone from Thrifty's.

Of course, I always made sure I had enough stickers for a triple scoop.
[And made sure to rub that in any of my brothers' faces who only earned
enough for a single or double scoop, because hey, that's what older sisters are for!]
Sometimes I had enough stickers to earn two or more triple scoops...
but sadly, the rules didn't work like that. [Limit 1 cone, only.]

Ahhhh...yummy memories......

However, if I knew then what I know now, I would've demanded
to get my own half gallon of Chocolate Malted Krunch [my favorite]
for all that work, because a triple scoop cone only cost 45 cents!
[Talk about cheap labor!]


When we moved to Utah when I was 12, I was introduced to
this place and their larger-than-life ice cream sundaes.

I remember going there with my cousins and trying our best to
keep our clothes clean, but ultimately failing....
usually from the last few spoonfuls of delicious hot fudge!

When we moved back to the Bay Area less than 2 years later,
I discovered that there was a Leatherby's nearby!

I remember taking my sisters there, usually after watching a movie
at the dome theater. Sometimes we splurged and got sundaes
and other times we just got an ice cream cone.
[Which sadly, cost quite a bit more than 45 cents!]

It was pretty depressing when that location closed
and an appliance store took it's place.

Trips to Utah were few and far between and as much as I wanted to go
to Leatherby's each time I went to Utah, that wasn't always the case.

When I moved to Utah this summer, a trip to Leatherby's was definitely
on my top 10 list of things to do.

I recently saw on Facebook that they would be celebrating their 30th Anniversary
and having an [almost] week long celebration with daily deals.
First: Gee, thanks for making me feel old! Second: Count me in!

Today's deal was Traci's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae for only $2.99!
How can you say no to that? There was no way I could!

I was planning on going there straight from work, but instead I waited
and brought my sister, Trisha and nephew, Benjamin with me.

I couldn't recall if they had any non-dairy alternatives,
[Since my nephew Benjamin is being raised vegan.]
so I was glad to see that they had raspberry sorbet on the menu.
I would've felt bad eating ice cream in front of him,
because he LOVES his soy and almond milk ice cream!

This was the smallest ice cream dish they had.
It also cost more than our sundaes...by 10 cents!

Needless to say, Benjamin was in HEAVEN!

He couldn't believe it was all for him!!!

Of course, it wasn't all for him. We put most of it in a to-go cup.

I just had to get a picture of him licking his plate clean!

To this day, I still get Swiss Milk Chocolate and Dutch Chocolate Chip mixed up!
I ordered my sundae with Swiss and when it arrived, I realized I meant Dutch!

Trisha got her sundae with her favorite flavor, Pistachio!

Looking forward to keeping this sweet treat tradition alive with the new generation of the family!

ThankFully - Day 1

I have wanted to update my blog for months and months now,
but so many of the stories I wanted to share were either too negative,
or too emotional....or even a little of both,
which made wanting to blog, less than appealing.

For a while now, I have been struggling with gratitude and thankfulness.
Deep down, I know, I really know that I have much to be grateful and thankful for,
but all the negatives in my life have really been getting me down these days.

I've had to deal with many tough challenges for most of my life.
[Some I've dealt with better than others.]
This year has had more than it's fair share of challenges, that's for sure!

I'm experiencing deja vu with a few of the challenges I'm struggling with this year,
having gone through similar trials just in the past few years.
You would think that would make them easier to get through, right?
No such luck!

Anyway, with Thanksgiving being this week, I felt that this was really
the perfect time to focus on the positives in my life right now
and leave all that negativity out in the cold!

In the past I have dedicated blog posts about the blessings in my life,
A Grateful Heart - Count Your Blessings - Attitude of Gratitude
and knew that I definitely needed to keep that tradition alive this year!

I don't have much quiet time to myself these days and today I just felt like
I desperately needed some me time. But where could I go?

I am thankful that I can hop on TRAX and less than a half an hour later,
find myself here....

Temple Square!

I almost didn't go. I was feeling tired and hungry, but I knew I had to be there.
My spiritual hunger was more powerful than my earthly hunger.

It had snowed just a little during the night, but by this time of day
it had melted everywhere....except for the mountains.
It was still a cold, brisk day, but my winter coat kept me nice and warm.

The last time I was at Temple Square was during the Priesthood Session
of General Conference, so of course, it was crazy crowded there!
(My sisters' friend was in town and wanted to see Temple Square.)
What a difference compared to today! I felt like I had the entire place to myself!
(Which is why I was able to take a bunch of selfies without feeling so self-conscious!)

 I spent a few minutes in the North Visitors Center,
sitting on couches and chairs as I gazed upon the large paintings
depicting defining moments in the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I felt the spirit and knew that I was where I was supposed to be,
doing what I was supposed to be doing....if only for this moment in time.

As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a Christmas tree,
so I went to get a closer look at it and the sailboat caught my eye.

Not only is it a beautifully decorated tree, but it also has a beautiful story behind it.

As I left the Visitors Center, I noticed there was a large nativity display.

As I passed the nativity I saw a sign that the Christmas Lighting at Temple Square
was happening on the day after Thanksgiving!
So excited to be able to see the lights in person!

I looked around in the South Visitors Center, as well.

Another gorgeous Christmas tree!

If you look closely, you can see what the theme of this tree is...

[Hint...it's the temple!]

I was only at Temple Square for about a half an hour or so,
but it was just what I needed today.

A Day of Reunions

What a day!

I was pretty excited about all the things I was going to do and the friends 

I was going to see today, but also a bit sad, since it meant 

I wouldn't see the cute baby very much that day. [LOVE that baby!]

All of the friends I planned to see today have at least one thing in common.

[Besides knowing me, of course]  

We have all been a member of the BEST ward in the world!

[Also known as Concord Second Ward.]

As I've mentioned in previous posts, it’s been a bit of a challenge
planning anything, due to transportation and crazy schedules. 

There was one thing I wanted to do on this particular Wednesday morning, 

but just wasn't sure if I could make it happen because I would need to 

use public transportation to get there and back, 

which would end up taking a good chunk of time out of my day! 

So I pretty much gave up on making that happen 

and started to make other plans instead...until…..

My AMAZING friend Kristen came to the rescue!

Kristen was one of my visiting teaching partners in Concord Second Ward. 

[Before she ended up moving into another ward and then finally on to Utah.] 

She had been in the ward for a few years, but it took visiting teaching 

for us to really get to know one another and become good friends.

I had been trying to get together with her since our first try didn't work out. 

She knew what I was hoping to do on Wednesday and offered to 

pick me up and bring me there!  How could I say no to that?

Kristen showed up sometime around 9:00am, 

and of course had to come in to see the stinkin' cute baby

that she had seen and heard so much about on Facebook.

The one bad thing about this arrangement was that our time together 

was only a 45 minute car ride, so we had to squeeze a lot in a small amount of time!

It was so nice chatting with her and catching up on what's been going on in our lives.

We arrived at my destination, took a couple pictures and said our goodbyes.

[All smiles and sporting my new coat!]

So just where was this place I so badly wanted to go?

I know, I know…

You’re thinking, “Why the Provo Temple? 

There’s  ::insert correct number here:: temples in Utah! 

What’s all the big fuss about?”

Keep reading and I’ll get to that…

There is someone that I had not seen in many years 

that was going to be there that day. 

[And what better place to have a long awaited reunion than the temple, right?]

I’m guessing you probably want more details than that though, huh?

Well, this someone has been one of the greatest role models 

and example in my life since I was a teenager.

That narrows down the list of possibilities…

Any guesses yet?

I had never been to the Provo Temple before, 

so I had to ask for help to get where I needed to be. 

When I arrived in the chapel, I saw her standing on the right side of the room, 

but I could tell that she had not seen me yet. 

I made my way over to that side of the room and was just a couple feet away, 

when she saw me and we had our joyous reunion!

And because the only time I got to see and be with this person was in the temple,  

I wasn't able to get a photo of us together to post on here for you to see,

just who it is I'm talking about....so you get a less-recent one instead!

Sister Tueller was one of the many AMAZING Young Women leaders

I was blessed to have while growing up in the BEST ward in the world! 

She made such an impact on my life just by the example of how she lived her life. 

I’m sure countless women, young and old aspired to be like her when “they grew up."

She just has a kind and loving Christlike way about her.

We met up after the session for about 15 minutes or so.

Just talking about what’s been going on in our lives recently 

and reminiscing about the “good old days”.  

One of her grandsons was also there, so we chatted a bit, 

and she explained to him about “forever friends”. 

Then the time came to move on, so we hugged each other and said our goodbyes. 

I had just enough time for a quick bite of something at the cafeteria. 

[I ended up just getting a small bowl of chocolate pudding. YUM!]

When I left the temple it was raining a bit, 

but I braved the sprinkles to take a few pictures.

I boarded a bus to go to the Provo Central Station to catch 

a FrontRunner train to get downtown. The bus drove all around BYU. 

I wanted to take some pictures, but didn't want to stand out as some tourist geek.

I made it on to the FrontRunner with less than a minute to spare! WHEW!

I took the train to Salt Lake Central Station and from there I took TRAX 

over to City Creek to meet up with my last friend for the day, Deanna.

I’ve known Deanna almost all her life. 

[She was just a toddler when my family moved to Concord.] 

But with her being the youngest of the Flud clan, 

I didn't really know her well until she was in her teens/early twenties. 

Time is like that. One minute you’re too young/old to really have much of 

anything in common and the next minute you do!

I texted her to let her know I arrived…

and she texted me back that she hadn't left yet 

and would be there in about 15-20 minutes. 

So I walked around a bit, spending most of my time looking around 

at the Disney Store, before heading back over to our meeting spot. 

Which is where I was standing when I heard my name being called!

Apparently, all the parking spots were taken up, so I hopped in her car 

and we tried to search for a spot or think of another place to go. 

Well, we ended up going right where we began…at City Creek!

We walked around a bit, trying to decide on where to go for a bite to eat. 

We ended up going to Kneaders Bakery & Café.

I ordered a chocolate mousse concoction that was absolutely to die for! 

[Yes, more chocolate!] 

I felt bad about being the only one ordering something, because some little girl 

[I won’t name names!] decided to take mommy’s wallet out of the diaper bag! 

Which meant no sugar cookie for her, but luckily they did have samples available. 

[Including some yummy bread that I nom’d on, too!]

We chatted for at least an hour, which was nice. 

Got all caught up on all the escapades of the Flud family! 

I held her sweet little baby during most of our visit. She's such a little doll! 

When you’re around toddlers, you almost forget how tiny babies are in comparison. 

Cherish every moment of that tiny-ness!

Deanna offered to drive me back to my sister’s house. 

I thanked her, but told her there were a couple places I wanted to go to first. 

We said our goodbyes and planned to try to meet up again before I left Utah. 

[Not more than five minutes later, I realized that I never took any pictures 

with her and the girls! I texted her that now we really needed to meet up again, 

even if it was just to get a few photos together!] 

So place number one I headed to was the Salt Lake Temple.

I've been to Temple Square bunches of times, but this would be 

my first time going to the temple itself. As I was walking towards the entrance, 

a woman approached me and gave me some news…

The temple was closed!!!

I could have sworn that I looked up the temple schedules before I left! 

I couldn't believe it was closed for cleaning during the time I was there! 

[And scheduled to re-open two days after I leave!] Total bummer!

So I was grateful that I was able to go to the Provo Temple!

[Or I would've been 0 for 0!] 

I called Deanna to let her know that it looked like we'd be seeing each other 

sooner than we thought and if her offer to bring me to my sister’s was still good.

But her husband answered the phone, so I explained to him what happened

and asked him to have her call me back when she was available.

So I ended up walking around Temple Square and the Visitors' Center 

and talking with some of the missionaries there.

I headed over to Deseret Book to look around for a bit. 

I just got a couple things, including a few dark chocolate truffle bars 

that I planned to give as Valentine’s Day gifts to Katrina and Robbie. 

[Yes, even more chocolate! It’s not always easy finding vegan friendly chocolate!] 

I still hadn't heard from Deanna, so I gave her a call and she came to pick me up.

When we got to my sister's place, I convinced her to come in real quick, 

because she just had to see the cute baby!

  

I introduced her to Benjamin and she looks at him and then looks over at Robbie 

and says something like, “Didn't you have anything to do with this?” Priceless!

He pointed out that he has his chin and I mentioned he also has his butt. 

Other than that, it’s all mama baby!

Again, a few minutes after she left, I realized I forgot to get a picture again! 

OOPS! Guess it wasn't meant to be!

Then I spent the rest of my night having a happy reunion with my cutie nephew!

What a wonderful and blessed day it was!

Oh, Baby! (Or What I Did On Tuesday)

Don't know if I've mentioned this before, but...
I LOVE THIS BABY!!!!

[Even when he’s asleep, he’s striking a pose for the camera!]

Taking turns sleeping with his mama and daddy.

Today Benjamin said “bye-bye” to his Grandma, 

who was heading back home after a month long visit. 

Which was good news for me for a couple reasons: 

#1- I got to sleep in a bed again! 

[I had been sleeping on a recliner for the past couple of nights, 

after experiencing yet another air mattress nightmare!] 

#2- One less person to have to share the cute baby with!

Since we were going to be out and about for most of the afternoon, 

Robbie & I made a quick run over to get 

Benjamin’s forgotten diaper bag from my cousin Jennifer’s house.  

Her preschool kids were still there, so we were only there for a couple minutes. 

[And again, no picture!]

Before heading to the airport, we went to Chuck-a-rama for lunch. 

It had been YEARS since I’d been to one. 

And there’s a reason that place earned the nickname of ‘Up’Chuck-a-rama…

if you-know-what-I-mean! 

But even with that not-so-fond memory, 

I was looking forward to going there because I was SO hungry!!! 

I wish I had thought to take some pictures while we were there. 

The look on Benjamin’s face when he saw all the food…PRICELESS! 

He may only be a year old, but I’m pretty sure he already knows 

the meaning of all-you-can-eat!!! 

[Poor baby only had some sweet potato and a couple other fruits & veggies.]

I filled myself up mainly with chicken, rolls and scones! 

[Seriously, why hasn't anywhere else gotten on the scone bandwagon? 

Utah seems to be the only place where you find them!] 

And of course, I saved just enough room for a little bit of soft serve ice cream. 

YUM!

Then we headed over to the airport. 

I tried not to think that in just a few days we would be back here again… 

this time to drop me off! 

Katrina had to work tonight so it was just ‘me and the boys’.  

We ended up just staying in for the night.

Just relaxed, watched a little TV and played with the cute baby.

Robbie had a cup of frozen lemonade and shared some with Benjamin.

Benjamin's reaction to it is hysterical!

[Sorry the video is so dark; they really need more light in the living room!]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS BABY!!!