A Las Vegas Tragedy......

Monday I got a call from my friend in Las Vegas......he told me my primary care physician, Dr. Edna Makabenta was shot and killed. An 80 yr old patient shot her at her office. He shot her in the head, then shot himself.
I was in complete shock. All day at work, I was in this fog just trying to make sense of it. I couldn't believe it. She is the nicest, sweetest person. It was totally unexpected. I'm still trying to make sense of this. I wonder if she saw the warning signs that this patient who killed her was unstable? I wonder if she knew this might happen?
She treated me like a family member. She told me about her daughter who was going to UC Berkeley. She had a sense of humor and a smile every time I saw her. She got me through some rough times. She came home early from her vacation because she was worried about her patients! That is the kind of doctor she was. She spent so many hours at her office, its a wonder that her family even saw her. She was the only physician in her practice so she never did get a break. Its not like we were best friends and we hung out on the weekends but she was my doctor for 4 years. Her patients all loved her because she was an amazing person.
When we left Las Vegas and moved to Salt Lake, I requested my medical records and went by her office to pick them up on my way out of town. I told her we were moving and she gave me a hug and said if I ever needed anything to give her a call. I never realized that would be the last time I would see her.
I hope that she is at peace now. I hope that her family gets through this and finds the peace that comes after the grieving.
It makes me think about working in the field I'm in, whether that's health care or social work. Working with people who are mentally ill we put ourselves at risk everyday. I work with people who struggle with mental illness and I never gave much thought to being in harm's way. I'm not gonna give up and change my profession....I certainly didn't pick this field for the money! I'm still gonna keep doing what I do every day which is help people. Are all people with mental health issues going to behave like that? Of course not. But it gives me something to think about, maybe I need to be a bit more cautious and aware that my clients are unstable and we don't know what they are capable of.

Winter is officially here.......bah humbug!

Our backyard covered in snow

Baxter covered in snow

Baxter and Harley playing in the snow

Seriously.... its STILL SNOWING! I am fine with a little snow, I just wish it would stay in the mountains...the skiers are happy and us non-4wheel drivers can drive with peace of mind. I am re-thinking my vehicle purchase....I should have gotten a Subaru! Course I didn't know I was moving to Utah when I bought my front wheel drive- push button start-shiny Nissan! Yesterday on my way home from work I was sliding all over the place on the roads....people were tailgaiting me cause I was driving so slow! I wish I lived a little closer to the Trax station. Instead we have to live the HIGHEST ELEVATION possible without being on the mountain. Sure its a great view of the city from our front window and a quiet,safe neighborhood....but I'm not sure the amount of snowfall is worth it! The funniest thing is the snow doesn't phase the dogs...especially Baxter. Everyday he is outside playing in it. He loves to dig underneath the snow and eat the grass...why? I have no idea! But he comes in soaking wet, covered in snow and then I have to wrestle him to the ground to wipe him off. We have off white carpet in the living room so that is the first place he goes. The funniest thing is that its like a Mexican stand-off, he is outside waiting to come in the doggy door and I am in the kitchen waiting with the towel. He knows I am there so he waits and then tries to make a run for it but I catch him everytime! His favorite thing lately is to bark at the snow plows driving by outside and the neighbor using his snowblower (great invention by the way, seriously saves you from killing your back when you have to shovel the snow to get into the drive way). Anyway, I guess I am a little extra grumpy today because I have been couped up all day sick with a cold! I haven't been this sick in a while....I thought after working in a hospital my antibodies would have been built up enough so that I was immune to this! I guess I should have gotten the flu shot!
I love living in Utah...it is a beautiful state! I just wish that it we could skip Winter....you know, go from Fall to Spring!

I seriously need to get out more......

In bold is what I have done.....
1. Started your own blog (duh!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does being a groupie count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (love it!)
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10.Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (no way)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (at times)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48.Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
87. Visited the white house
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (yuck! does Utah Lake count?)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all our friends and family this year!!

We wish you the best in 2009!!

White elephant parties........

Pumpkin Spice Cake.......

We attended 3 white elephant parties this weekend.....check out our facebook pages for pictures!

Is it possible to be white-elephant-ed out?! If you don't know what a white elephant party is.....you haven't been to Utah or met someone from Utah. Its basically a gag gift party that people do over the holidays. I have a blast opening white elephant gifts, though on the inside I am always a bit nervous. At Melinda's 3rd Annual Cosby-Sweater-Coon-Attack-Special-Needs-White-Elephant Christmas Party (yes that was its actually called, last year they had a raccoon come through the wall of their house), I got the candy bra for my white elephant gift! I have a tendency to turn tomato red in large groups of people....so needless to say everyone had a good laugh! I will be re-gifting that for next year's white elephant party! Adam got a giant pink pig that our dogs were afraid of at first because it was bigger than them....then they started playing with it, then they ripped it up and proceeded to eat the stuffing....gotta love pugs! I wore my ugly Christmas sweater vest....it is awesome! I found it on sale at Macys for $15, normally $50!

I discovered a fabulous new recipe for pumpkin spice cake, I substituted the oil for applesauce to lower the fat (turned out fine, just took a little longer to bake), then I added semi sweet chocolate chips (fat goes back in!) I didn't add the pecans but I added cinnamon to the frosting! I made the homemade cream cheese frosting, but its more like icing. I made 2 cakes and they were a fav at both parties! Gotta love holiday baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe from Jello.com

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup mashed cooked fresh pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup chopped toasted PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place cake mix, dry pudding mix, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs and spice in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 4 min.
POUR into greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan.
BAKE 32 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Spread with PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.

25 degrees.....

on my way to work in the morning! Seriously!! Welcome to winter! We had snow a couple of days ago & we're supposed to get another big storm this weekend! I wish it would stay in the mountains & out of the valley so I can easily get around town......not everyone has a Subaru ya know!! I feel like using a sled to get to work on the snow-days! ugh!
So we are having a white elephant party at my work on the 22ND! I need ideas for a cool gift to bring to the party! Suggestions?? We had some fun W.E. parties at my old job in Vegas.....this time it has to be G rated! Maybe I have something I can re-gift? Or make a trip to the dollar store? I wish I still had those Rhinoceros book ends! Those were classic!

Ugh.....I'm old!!

Thank you to my hubby for making my bday special! We went out to dinner, ate too much, got dessert (tiramisu)....gotta love Italian food!! Adam gave me some beautiful flowers.... gerber daises & roses....I love getting flowers! (who doesn't?) I would be okay with flowers everyday!! He got me an awesome pink Ipod....so now I have no excuse to not work out...I am finally with the current times, 10 years later! I also got my hair done this weekend. He seriously spoiled me! Thank you Adam, you are the best!!!
My parents sent me a package in the mail.....My Mom is the queen of random presents.....a cashmere sweater, a reindeer oven mitt, towels with our initials sewn on it, and a Christmas night light. Thank you Mom for your thoughtfulness.
Thank you to my old crew at work for remembering my bday! I loved the "PuglyBetty" card!
Thanks for all the phone calls, emails & text messages from everyone!! I have great friends!
Seriously getting older really isn't fun anymore!!