Things I love, hate, don't care for, learn to accept and need to confess!!

Without putting it on the silly things below I can say the #1 thing that I love is my family.... No doubt it is and always will be my favorite thing in life. Family means ... all family. Husband, 4 daughters, 3 sons, 3 grandsons, all my parents, all my grandparents, all my sisters, all my brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, my friends children, my children's friends, Children that lived with us, stayed with us, shared their babies with us. Everyone that ever came into my life and became a part of my family. Without any of you I would cry because I love you so much! Whoever reads this may not think that I am talking about you. but I bet I am! I have been blessed with so many fantastic people in my life. Someday I am going to take a whole wall and make a huge family tree and put every name on it that ever spent time in our home and became a part of our family and it is going to be the largest tree you will ever see because I am so lucky to have such a great FAMILY!

The list below is just a fun list of my likes and dislikes....

Loves

The feeling you get right before you fall asleep!

The smell of clean laundry (especially Tide and Downey)

Carbs like bread and pasta

Oceans and any type of water ( i should have been a fish)

The sound of a rainbird sprinkler by my window

Big huge storms!

Sounds of crickets at night

Primary songs

Sleeping with the window open

Spring

Watching peoples faces when they fall ( as long as they don't get hurt)

Laughter and a lot of it

Watching the National Spelling Bee!

Thinking about my Heavenly Father and my Savior

Cilantro

The smell of a new car

Just watching children talk and hearing te funny things they say!

Phase Ten

Shopping for flowers to plant in my yard each spring *****

Ice cold Apple Juice ( Thanks to my mother-in-law)

Extra beets on my salad at Robintinos

Puppy breath!

All you can eat Crab!!!

Being a mother!! (best choice I ever made)

People that smile at you just for the sake of smiling!

People that can laugh at themselves ( my parents and my siblings )

When I heard mommy's home, or now when I hear Grandma Jenny's here from my boys

and when I hear Ms. Jennifer is here when I go to home visits for school!!!

Sleeping on my tummy ( even though it makes my face all swollen in the morning)

Giant dill pickles at the movie theater

Artichokes

Sleeping out and watching the sun come over the mountains!

Caterpillars and milkweed

All our United States Military Forces especially The Navy!

The movies, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Notebook and Gone with the Wind!

***Dislikes***

Dogs that poop on my lawn!

Except if it's Brienholts or Zesigers dog, they have pooping rights

Pee Wee not allowed.... You bark at me in my own yard while you poop!

Brussel Sprouts ( the devils veggie)

Hanging up clothes ( would starve before I ever worked at a clothing store)

Emptying the dishwasher (silverware mostly)

Ice that tastes like garlic ( not my fav)

Seeing someones butt crack hanging out of their pants ( don't they feel the gush of air)

When people take playing games to serious!!! (that's why they are called games!!)

Mice (outside you are okay but not inside. That's a no, no)

Not being able to take away someones pain

Snails... they eat my flowers!!!

The " F" word.. not a big fan!!!

People who pick their nose at stop lights...or anytime in public... not cool!

Buying a pickle at the theater and finding out it's not as big as it looked inside the glass jar!

Electronics that I can't figure out!

****Things I've learned to accept****

When my mother uses metal utensils on my Teflon coated pans ( sorry mom)

I know that was like ten years ago but I am still hanging onto it!

Pap smears (especially when they tell you to relax)

Muffin tops ( just mine)

Double chins ( not on others just me)

I can't do as much as I used to but I will die trying!

Boobie checks (mammograms)

Dogs that pass gas!

That I will never be a size 3 again... unless it's on my deathbed!

Dogs and husbands that pass gas!!! Then pretend they didn't mean to!

That before we came to earth I must have passed up the leg line and hit the boob line twice!!!!

Boobs can be bought but I have yet to find leg exstensions!!!!

***Things I hate, hate, hate****

CROWS... It's the devils bird... I hate them!!!

Kid's that bully other kids!!! Big time no, no in the book of Jennifer!

Finding dried cereal in glasses around the house !! (who drinks cereal from a cup)

would that be my husband?

Mean people!!! ( there is no reason for it)

Stinky public bathrooms ( they make me gag and I can't breath)

Menstural cramps and everything that goes with it!

Liars!!!! I might be mad for an hour or two but we all make mistakes, that's part of life,

but the worst thing you could do is lie, then you lose my respect!!!

Forcing myself to wake up!

Listening to people throw up! ( I might as well join them)

People that feel they're entitled to what others work hard for!!!

Self righteous people!! (another big no, no in the book of jennifer)

Guys that play with their feet! Feet period... I hate feet!

People that think they are better then others !!! Not cool!!!

Praying mantis ( I saw one once eat a grasshoppers head off and it scares me!)

The masturbating Bear on Conan O'Brien!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( not really funny)

( I'm not a prude, I just don't like the thought of bears in the woods fondling themselves!)

Kids who eat their boogers and the parents that let them!!!

People who pee pee on the toilet seat and don't wipe it off!!!

People who litter!!!! I hate people who litter on purpose!

Fibromyalgia and dealing with the constant joint pain.. It sucks doo doo!

****My confessions****

I don't remember who it was but someone from High School asked where I lived.

I said "I live in Bountiful"

They said "Wow, that's an expensive place to live. So you must live by the new Temple!"

I replied "Well, I can see it from my back yard."

I left it at that...

I confess that I let you " assume" that we lived "right by" the temple.

We dont!!!

I "can" see the Temple from my backyard but only in the winter

when there are no leaves on the trees and you have to squint kinda hard.

I do like to look out at night right before eleven and watch the Temple lights go out. I love this and I love where I live!

But the fact still remains that I actually live way, way below in the valley closer to the

Great Salt Lake

Maybe a little too close especially during the floods of 1983.

I guess I could have told you that we have a house with beac front property

But then I would have to confess again!!!!!

Things I somehow missed the boat on when I was younger!

February is spelled like that and not F E B U A R Y!

I learned that the hard way when I was 18 working at a bank sending out delinquent letters to people that didn't make their Feb-uary payments.

The boss wasn't so happy with me!

Just a year ago I figured out that the word "alot" is not one word but two... a lot.

Why did I not know this all this time? I use that word alot!!!!

ha ha!

Others I thought of:

All Hispanic and Latino people are not called "Mexicans"

Mexicans are only from Mexico... hence the name!

Duh Jennifer Duh, duh,duh!!!!

My OOPS MOMENT!!!!

Tonight I went with my daughter Amber for a super quick trip to Hobby Lobby. When she dropped me off at my car I asked her where the nearest America First Credit Union was. She said just down the street in Bowman's grocery store.
It was ten minutes before the Credit Union closed so I rushed down there. As I arrived I noticed that this one had a drive up window also. I was thrilled because I didn't feel like going in after working all day. I drove up to the window and put my money in the container they send out to you. I didn't have a deposit slip but the tellers at the C.U. are always helpful anyway. She was helping the car next to me so it took a few minutes.

Then the lady at the window said...

" What would you like me to do with all this money you just sent in to me?"
I replied...

"I would like it in my checking please." Then I rattled off my account number to her.

She started busting up laughing. The two girls in the other car started busting up laughing also! I thought that it was because my car was so noisy due to the lack of a muffler or that my window squeaked really loud when I rolled it down. I turned my car off.
Oh no, it wasn't because of that! The lady at the window said " Mam, this is a Pharmacy NOT A BANK."

I wanted to crawl in a hole!

Any hole I could find!

I tried desperatly to sit back in my seat as far as I could so the other girls could no longer see me.

How could I have missed the word "PHARMACY" written on the front of the drive through.


She sent my money back out through the tube and said in a sweet voice. " Don't worry, it's not the first time".

I knew she was a LIAR and just trying to make me feel better. You don't need to lie, it's ok, I know I am the only one that has ever done this! There is only one "ME" in this town sista!

I made up some LAME joke about me needing to take drugs and I hit the gas!!!! Loud muffler and all! (OR LACK OF ONE ACTUALLY)

So the moral of the story is.... If you need a good drive up Pharmacy in Kaysville, Utah , then you should go to Bowman's. Tell them I sent you!!!

Pageants just aint my thang!!!

Today I was watching a rerun of Oprah that I had recorded earlier. Barbara Streisand was on and she has always been my favorite. As a teenager I would constantly try to emulate Barbara, Olivia Newton-John and Cher. Watching her this afternoon reminded me of when I was in Jr. High. I have always loved singing. In Jr. High my teacher Mr. Rich discovered that I had a singing voice and encouraged me to preform in public. He would help me by training me how to breath correctly and at the right times and all the things that go along with that. I could practice for hours and looked forward to the times that he worked with me. He would then have me preform solos at school events and encourage me to do school musicals. He believed in me and helped me overcome the terror I felt when preforming in front of others. One time he let me choose the song I was to preform. It was "The way we were" or "Memories" sung by Barbara Streisand. I had practiced that song a million times and when the performance was done I was pleased. I went on to sing other times, with my sweet Aunt Sherron Galbraith always willing to accompany me on the piano. She is the most beautiful pianist I have ever heard.

When I left to go to High School I wanted so badly to be in choir. I didn't care about anything else but that. I had some friends that sat around me that were gabbers and wasn't into choir like I was. Mind you, I was a gabber,always have been, always will be, but this was different I wanted to be in choir, I just wanted to sing.

Then along came mean Mrs. Meanie. She hated me from the first day and never could or would explain why! She had her favorites and I clearly was not one of them. It was guilt by association for hanging with the chatty girls. She would not let me nor my parents plead my case. My mother told me that it was the only time she has ever wanted to hit a teacher. I kind of wish she would have now! I went from the best music teacher Mr. Rich right to the singing devil!!!! It was a power thing for her and she won by kicking me and all the others she didn't like out of her class.

I moved on and was involved with drama getting a scholarship to Snow College, thanks to another wonderful teacher I was blessed to have, Mr. Aaron! He had shown me a dramatic reading called "The Button" and that is what I took to state with me and took first place. Now here comes the funny part!!!!

When your child is feeling pretty good about themselves and the self esteem is looking pretty high for the moment. Don't forget to give them good honest advice. They will thank you later!

Dear mom and dad, have you ever heard of the word redirecting? Couldn't you have lied and told me we were going on vacation or that it was against our religion or something? Anything? This is what happened...

I was working at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind when I was still in school. I wanted to go into special education, and I was learning sign language.

I noticed in the paper that the Miss Weber County was soon and so I thought that I would give it a try. I figured that my one year experience being a Bon Marche girl and doing their fashion shows had taught me enough poise to earn me a decent placing in the pageant. I had singing experience and had gained much confidence so I felt pretty prepared.I felt like this was something I could do and I was encouraged by my mother.

WHAT WAS I THINKING???? Within a week I had bought a dress, mind you , one that resembled what Morticia on the Adams Family wore except in maroon. All the danglies from the arms and all and I was set on my talent. I am sure all the other girls prepared for months for this pagent but heck I had it together in a week.

That night came the talent part... I saw my mom sitting in the crowd, smiling, proud of her daughter, she was proud me reaching for something higher. I think about it now and I can't remember my dad or sister or brothers there to support me. I'm sure now w that they were all home saying "I am so not going to watch her make a fool out of herself".

The music began to play and I began to sing... not only with my voice but with my hands. I was there to share my love of music with not only those that could hear but also with those that couldn't..... except no one in the crowd was deaf.

******(I am laughing so hard right now, that I am crying! I can't even see the laptop i'm laughing so freaking hard!) *******

I had decided to win the pageant by axing the Streisand song and instead singing "Born Free" . It was a new movie out and had a catchy tune so I ran with it. Singing with my voice and my hands all at the same time!!!!!! I remember the judges just looking straight at me and I'm sure trying not to bust out in laughter. What was I thinking when there wasn't a single deaf person in the crowd! I believe that the judges were onto me when I used several signs over and over again but for different words in the song. Ya see I didn't really practice much! Preparing ahead of time was just not my thing!

Amazing as it may seem... I didn't win, nor did I place, I think maybe my mom snuck me out the back door!

Ya see, I loved Barbara Streisand so much and when she sang it would bring tears to my eyes it was so beautiful. My parents loved to come and watch me sing and it would bring tears to their eyes because they thought it was so beautiful. I was their daughter and they loved me.

I believe there were tears that night that I performed at the pageant. Tears from the judges laughing hysterically at what they had just seen. Tears from my eyes wondering what in the hell did I just do!

My family and I have laughed so many, many times thinking about that night. Still, I laugh and ask my mom " why did you let me do that to myself?" She still reply's that she thought it was beautiful and then she busts out in laughter!!!!!

Hey! You shouldn't judge someone by the car they drive!

I've come to the conclusion that we are shallow, as people, for judging others, by the car they drive. I don't think we mean to, it's just the way we roll!

I have been borrowing my son in laws Honda lately because... I am getting sick of getting parking tickets for my ""way over expired plates" on my car when I am at work. I do believe that I have 6 now. The "meter maid" as I will call her, has left me one every night in a different pastel colored envelope on my windshield. I thought I would trick her by putting it back on my windshield so it would look like she already gave me one but No, instead, I just come out of work and there are two on my windshield , the one that I left on there and now a brand new pink or baby blue or light green colored envelope with a new ticket in it! Maybe they have found that using "pastel envelopes" calms people so they are not so enraged when they see the ticket on their windshield. I have now become fearful of pastel colored envelopes and will discontinue using them when sending baby shower invitations out.
That's not the only reason I am driving his car. Tyler and Amber have Kylee's car ( who is in China teaching English right now) because they are making the payments for her while she is gone. It's too much to explain...the story is, I am driving his car and the muffler is ready to fall off! It's not a bad car at all or I am not a bad person driving it but from the reactions I get, I believe I am scaring people. I first noticed when I drove down into an underground parking lot at the Gateway Mall and I could see mothers turning around and grabbing their children. I really am not kidding! Really, I'm not! It has happened several times. I find myself driving past smiling with a little wave as to say to them "see I'm a nice person"to bring comfort to people I don't even know. I have had people yell at me to "slow down" when I am only going 20 mph. Again not joking! I find it disturbing to think that people mistake me for a gang member or one of those people you warn your kids about just because of a little muffler issue! Until I get my car registered, I think I may use it to get some good laughs. I have learned to gas it enough that I can coast quietly past people of importance and other times when I am feeling rebellious, I tend to rev the engine in front of people to get a reaction out of them. I now find it funny to drive up to a convenience store late at night when there are a crowd of smoking teenagers out front, just to see their reaction when it is only me that hops out of the car.

I use to drive a mini van. People are kind to you when you drive a mini van. When I changed lanes people were willing to let me in. I think that people assume that you have a van full of young babies and they are kind to you. People smile at you when driving next to you on the freeway, they let you butt in line. People are more courteous about waving you in, when you are trying to merge or trying to enter a busy street. It must be for the sake of the children or because most of us have been mothers with a whole lotta screaming kids in the car because they are hungry or tired. The general population cares about us mini van driving mothers because they know that someday's we are like a time bomb's ready to explode and they don't want to be driving close to us when it does. I miss my minivan, even if it was an ugly green color with gold wheels. People were nice to me.

On the other hand... I now drive a Mitsubishi Eclipse. If you did a survey you would probably find that most people are in their 20's or 30's driving this car. I didn't buy it to look cool because. I would need more then a car to make that work. I wasn't going through a mid life crisis or had a need for speed either. My son was selling it so I took over the payments. Probably not one of my better choices since... it sits so low to the ground that I basically have to roll out onto the ground and then stand up every time I leave the car. Not really, I exaggerated that part but it does feel like it at times. It only has two doors so no one ever wants to ride with me if they have to sit in the teeny back seat. I can't blame them. Besides, people are not nice to me like they were in the mini van. They seem to hate people in little sports cars and want us to suffer when we are in a tight spot. They don't let me over no matter how much I smile and wave, huge trucks like to scare me riding my butt so close in fear they are going to drive right over the top of me! No one will let me merge or let me pull into heavy traffic and they cut me off trying to get the last parking space every time. It's like a constant race that I never asked to be in.
It's like a war out there and it seems like I get flipped the bird a lot for driving the exact same way I did in the minivan. People give you the "fend for yourself" look when your trying to get anywhere on the roads. I want to jump out and yell " Hey look, it's me the green minivan with the gold wheels lady" hoping they would be nice to me.

I drove my 72 blue Volkswagon bug in high school and felt like I was somewhat cool back then. Pickin up my friends and draggin the Vard on Friday and Saturday night! Shifting down so we would sound cool bb, bb, bb, bb,bb! Now I know we sounded like idiots that couldn't drive. The bug later caught on fire about a month after we sold it to my parents.... I still feel kinda bad about that deal! I love my parents, they never even asked for the money back!

I drove my husbands "way cool" Purple and charcoal gray 1973 Chevy truck while we were dating, listening to Journey really loud on his "way cool" stereo. I looked good back then all sittin up high in his "cool truck". That ended as soon as we got married. He didn't have to impress me anymore and he wasn't willing to drive my BUG which included an 8 track stereo and a AM/FM radio!

I drove a few cars in between, not sure why,they were really ugly, ran bad, still really ugly!

We won't mention those!

Drove my first and my last diesel car. People gave me really dirty looks when I was idling next to them at the bank or stop light. It stunk so bad ( the diesel ) and was very loud. I was asked many times by the driveup teller or fastfood ordertaker if I could turn my car off because they couldn't hear me through the speaker. We got rid of that car soon after my 3 yr old son (Cameron)decided to put it in neutral while parked on my parents sloped driveway. Trying to give my mother a kiss goodbye, I was a mere ten feet away. I suddenly see my car rolling backwards with the door wide open and my child standing in the front seat, holding the steering wheel smiling! My hunk of a teenage brother (Mike) runs and leaps in the car as it runs into the front of his car, that he parked carefully at the end of the driveway. It pulled my door off so bad, towards the wrong direction, that I had to drive it all the way home, on the freeway, with the door barely hanging on, only attatched to my car with rope. We didn't have the money to get it towed. It was pouring down rain and I could see the lines of the freeway in the gap between the drivers seat and the door that was tied on. I was buckled in quite tightly in fear I might fall out onto the freeway! I was getting drenched by the water on the freeway splashing up and the rain pouring down on me while my three year old kept saying from the backseat " why are you crying mommy" ? All I could say was " you broke mommies car and we are supposed to go to Disneyland next week". We made it to Disneyland with a brown car, red door and a black fender! We looked Ghetto but we still made it on our vacation.


I drove the little black car for awhile after my son "Cameron" trashed it as a teenager. Do I see a pattern here? The hood needed painting so bad because it had oxidized in the sun quite quickly after I believe he polished the paint with Armorall!!! I once drove up to the window at KFC and the lady giving me my meal said " Did your car catch on FIRE cause your hood looks all burned up"? I wanted to say thanks but NO, IT NEEDS A PAINT JOB!!! NOW JUST GIVE ME MY DANG CHICKEN!!! But I didn't.


Needless to say, I feel better about driving my PEARL WHITE ECIPSE most of the time. However lately it has been doing a number on my self esteem. Twice now I have been on the freeway and looking in my mirror noticing that a sports car is trying to catch up to me. They try hard to get through traffic to line right up to me side by side. I can see them putting on the gas pretty hard in order to catch up just so they can have a gander at what is driving. I can usually see in my rear view mirror and can tell it's some way cute twenty something guy ready to make a connection. Then the moment arrives when our eyes meet and BAM just like that ... they let off the gas and quickly fall back behind when they see that it is an old fart driving the car and not some beautiful blonde that they were expecting!!! Please people could ya just fake it if ya have to and not be so obvious!

I think that it is time to put the Eclipse up for sale!!!! What kind of car should I get next?

Bad news/ Good news

I just got an update the other day on Kai and his new bride from the accident. I never would have imagined that his injuries would have been so severe. I wasn't there when they took him from the bus. I have since learned that he is paralyzed from the arm pits down and left the hospital in Japan only 5 days ago. That is 7 months in the hospital!!! They did survive the earthquake and tsunami and are doing fine in that aspect. I will be meeting with the attorney Scott Brown Monday afternoon. It is so sad that because of someones bad choices these people have to suffer for the rest of their lives.

Part three and hopefully the final... for all our sake!

We didn't have a choice but to call them again and so when they answered I just said "Do you speak English?" The man said "yes I do". I told him that there had been a terrible accident , some of the details and that I had someones phone but I didn't know who it belonged to. He told me that the phone belonged to the driver of the bus!! I was so happy to know that. He asked me immediatly if he had fallen asleep? He told me that he had drove all night and that it was only the second time driving the bus for the company. The company was located in Salt Lake City. I agreed to meet him in Salt lake or half way in between to give him the phone. When we hung up I thought that maybe I should hand it over to the police instead. I called the dispatcher and told her the situation and that she would have a UHP meet me. I had to stop in the only place around to change my clothes and get this feeling off of me. There was a gas station/ truck stop in Beaver that we went to. I felt desperate to change my clothes. The lady at the front desk was kind enough to give me a clean towel and wash off in the truckers bathrooms.I did not have the energy to search in my luggage for the items so I just bought a travel toothpaste and a toothbrush and scrubbed. My gums were raw from brushing them so hard. I wanted the cloud hanging over me to go away.I had to throw my shirt away because I didn't want to be reminded of it. I just wanted it gone. I bought the only shirt that they sold in the store. it said " I love BEAVER... I was not about to wear that, so I turned it inside out. I think that was one of the only times that I BURST OUT LAUGHING! While waiting for the officer a man whispered to me" do you know you have your shirt on the wrong way". I thanked him and said oh, yes I did it on purpose because I was not about to walk around with I heart Beaver on my shirt. I chuckled and he looked at me very strange like I had offended his town. He obviously didn't go to high school in the city and cleary didn't know the double meaning. I was not about to be the one to tell him. The officer came and I gave him the phone. Suddenly my legs and arms got so weak that I knew I couldn't drive the rest of the way home. The addrenalyne had stopped I'm guessing and I was physically and emotionally spent! Reality of what had just happened just set in.

We found a motel for the five of us and it was like a motel 1. Worst I have ever seen. Cigarette holes all in the sheets. Pillows without even a pillowcase. It was the bottom of the barrel for sure. My daughter and friend were so kind to make the best of it even though they were cringing also. Royann was willing to sleep on the gross old rollaway so that my daughter could be by me. We watched the news and it had said that 3 people had died including a 59 yr old man and that there was a child involved in the accident. I kept running through the scene in my mind, the placement of the victims and couldn't figure out how I had missed a child. It also devastated me that the only older man that I saw and was with were reporting that he died? Could he have been having a heart attack and that was why he was having arm pain on his left side? I felt somewhat responsible and I replayed how I should have done things in my head all night. I worried because I had told the head lady that it looked as if he had hurt his shoulder I had given false information. I couldn't sleep all night. I couldn't get my head to turn off and replaying what had happened. I took one Ambien but nothing, I took another half and it didn't even phase my brain. All I could do is sob. I have never felt like I wanted to beat my head against the wall so bad to get the thoughts to go away. Sweet little whitney would look up from her pillow every time I got up. She wouldn't say a word but I could see her watching me in the dark. I tried to reassure her that I was going to be fine. I just wanted it to go away. I could not account for one more victim they were saying was there or the little girl.
The next morning we watched the news again. It did bring some comfort to me knowing that it was not accurate what they had reported the night before. It cleared up a lot of questions that I had about the identity of these unknown faces. The older man did not die or suffer a heart attack but did have injuries and was taken to a Salt Lake hospital. The woman that I saw first in the street was 40 years old and not in her mid twenties like I had thought. She was traveling with her husband 38, he had died while inside the bus. He was found after I had left. The young man on the other side of the bus that had died was 20 yrs old and was traveling with his mother and father and sister 13. They survived the wreck and it was the little girl that was hanging upside down in the bus and was not ejected that we kept talking to. I was so far relieved to hear that the girl with the internal injuries was still alive and had been transported to the UofU hospital. The others were transported to all the major hospitals in Salt Lake.

The next morning we left for home and while driving I became violently sick. I pulled over to the side of the road and threw up like never before. I know it was my nerves probably! I ended up having to change the shirt on the side of the freeway. I didn't even care what people saw at that moment. I had to leave that shirt on the side of the road also because of gross reasons.I had lost my best two shirts and was left with only my "Beaver shirt". I had only brought two shirts because we were originally just staying overnight. I guess I should have packed more!

I can't ever imagine going through this ordeal without such support. My friends and family let me talk for days about it. I would either go on and on or I would shut right down and say nothing.I had to deal with it my own way and they allowed me to.I was consumed with everything I could get my hands on to read and watch how they all were doing. It bothered me a little more then it should have at times when the reporting of what happened was not accurate.

I could not get my mind off the people. The thought of them being here alone without family around or even a familiar face. I tried to go out to the Intermountain hospital to check on the newlywed man that I sat with last. They would not let me see him for privacy reasons. They said that the patients requested to be seen only by family and no one else. I understood that and left. The ladies at the desk also said that the Japanese media had already been there trying to get the story.

I put myself in the place of the families and it terrified me to think that if I was the one that received that call that my family was hurt what would I do. I thought about not having the resources to travel to a foreign country. Money, passport and no where to stay. I thought that maybe there was something I could do that would possibly ease the minds of the families. I did some major research to find all the newspapers in Japan that also translated in English. I wrote letters to the editors of the papers to please, if they could, let the families know that their loved ones were in the best hospitals and that they were in a very compassionate, loving place. I tried to let them know that at the accident, their family members did not suffer alone and that people really cared. Most of all... I wanted them to never wonder or worry about their son or daughter passing on without someone being with them. This was important to me. The very most important thing to me!I left my name and email address to be contacted if the families needed assistance or a place to stay.
I never heard anything back from the editor.

About a month later I received an email from an FBI agent asking me to come in and give a statement. I didn't even think we had the FBI here. Because it was an International thing it was being handled by them. I asked him how he even found me since I never stayed around to file a report. I found out the FBI definitly does their homework. He had traced the letter to the editor of the Japanese newspaper. They had my name from talking to the dispatcher and my email address from the letter that I had written. They thought that I was from the Las Vegas area. I never figured that part out..Wow, who knew!!! When I got there he asked me to write down everything I remembered and I asked him "everything" and he said "yes everything". I then asked if I could have more paper. He only gave me two sheets! I warned him I was big into details and he just laughed and said "that's okay". Three hours and a lot of paper later he now took me serious. It was after five and he was pacing... The secretary was waiting for me to leave too.I appologized but said "hey you said tell you "everything I remember. he said "yes I did". "Most people only write a paragraph or two so this is good" I had included several art drawings along with all the details. I might have even included what direction the air was blowing... just kidding I didn't.

Watching the news and reading the paper I soon learned of all of the names of the victims and the nurses name. I learned that the two girls were sisters but not twins like I thought. I was irritated a bit, with the opportunity one individual had to turn the story from a me story into a "we" story but chose not to. I would hope that I would have done it differently if it had been me forced into the spotlight. The facts were not right and the story was shallow. People are doing great things every day. What was missed in every article I read was that it was about people coming together. There is no "I" in the word "TEAM". I will always remember these people, always. I worry about them now with the earthquakes and Tsunami that is destroying their country.I wonder if they survived. I wonder if I will ever get to meet them again or if they will ever come back to the United States. I think about everyone that helped and then just left. I wish I knew their names or something about what brought them past mile marked 66 that night. I wish I knew anything!

You can't forget this kind of thing or the people involved. We all were there, I was not alone. We were all connected for one hour with the same goal. To help someone, somebody's mother, somebody's father, sister, brother, somebody's son and somebody's daughter to LIVE! To live and survive and to know that their life was important to us. Someone that they never met and probably will never meet again has prayed for them, cried for them and mourned the loss of those we could not save. The world can be cruel at times and people can hate but for that night everyone came together and worked like a team. We were a team! The semi driver, the cowboy guy, the people who offered us the mask and gloves, the nurse Christy Christensen who was 8 months pregnant at the time, The dispatcher who wouldn't leave me when I needed the support, the tall man, the lady EMT that worked her amazing magic, the firemen, the UHP, the ambulance driver that came in on her day off because she knew she needed to help, my family, my sweet friend and her daughters that never left my side and listened to me cry for days, my friends and co workers at home, the lady at the truck stop that gave me a clean towel and let me use the "truckers only facilities". Our health guy "Mark" at Davis School District Headstart for putting up with my lame jokes about making out with "a dummy" for the last 11 years. Without that training I would have never known what to do to offer any assistance. It was also all the medical professionals that do this night and day. The brave Doctor and 2 or three nurses in Cedar City that under their breath might have said " we can't handle this many and with such severe injuries by ourselves" but they did!!! It wasn't the work of only one person as the media makes it sound like. It was the work of so many unsung hero's stopping what they were doing and thinking of others because "it was the right thing to do". It's about my daughter Amber missing her husband and her little 2 year old son and just wanting to get home. Her supporting me when I pulled to the side of the road and jumped out of the car saying " I have to stop and help" and her saying " you do what you have to do mom". Then patiently, fearfully waiting to pick up the pieces when I returned broken.

All sacrifices on all different levels for someone we have never met. Because it is the "CHRISTLIKE" thing to do and because we are capable of being loving and compassionate to others in need.


So when your spouse or child or grandchild asks you to put on your seatbelt and your remark is something like I'll be fine or we all have to die sooner or later. It's not about you, it's about all the people that might stop to help. "You" know who you are"!

Part two...Japanese tourists and why i wish you would wear your seatbelt. #2

I have tried to think of the young mans name all day, but I can't remember it. I did keep the report that I gave the FBI so I need to find it so i say his name correctly. I remember kneeling by his side and asking his name and then also his wifes name. I wanted to keep him talking because I thought that maybe he wouldn't be so nervous. That always seems to help me, when I get a procedure done or I'm scared I always ask my husband to just keep talking to me. It keeps my mind off things so I stay calm. However in our case it usually turns into him saying " what do you want me to talk about" then I say "just anything" and he says " well, I don't have anything to talk about" then I say "oh, forget it!" So clearly you can see it doesn't really work so well with a spouse! Anyways, I can't remember why his mask was not right to his face but they had me hold it just a bit away from his nose and mouth. That's why I could converse with him back and forth. I asked him where he had come from and he said they had been to Zions and I also found out in the broken conversation that it sounded like they had been in las Vegas and were headed to Bryce canyon. I asked him if he thought that it was beautiful and I asked him if it was his family that he was also traveling with on the bus. It seemed to me that he was trying to say that he was only there with his wife and that he had only met the others since leaving Vegas. I asked about children and he said that he didn't have any. I remember at that point wondering if that could possibly not be his wife that had passed away if they didn't have children. I felt pretty sure that this woman had. As we talked I held his hand and I promised him that when he gets better and if we could meet again that I would take him to Bryce canyon myself. I told him it was beautiful and that I had only been there once. While we were talking, I remember that there were about four people helping a girl that was sitting right outside the bus, maybe 15-20 feet from him. She was sitting up and speaking in japanese. I didn't hear any English. I do remember the voice sounding young and high pitched talking very fast. By the way she was sitting up my feeling was that she was going to be okay and walk away without any injuries. They must have pulled her from the bus because she was not there when I ran around the bus the first time. No one was on the ground on that side of the bus other then the girl that was thrown. I don't remember who but someone came up to me and said that she was his wife and she had been worried about him. I felt like everything had just gotten a whole lot better instantly. I was so happy to be able to tell him that his wife was fine and that she was asking for him. Someone must have relieved me at that point because I just remember saying goodbye to him and walking off back along the road. I once again was back where I had started from. The lady in the road was now covered with a sheet. I just took a minute and told her that I was sorry, that I was so sorry that I couldn't have done more. I stood there for a minute and then walked on. I saw that my daughter had moved the car from the right side of the freeway to the left side of the freeway. She ran to me crying hysterically and said that she had been so scared for me. I didn't really know what she meant by "scared" and asked why? She said that she watched from the car while we worked on reviving the first lady and could only imagine what I had to face around the other side of the bus. I remember she had the sweetest face ever and she called me her hero. I am no hero but those words will stick with me forever. Just then my friends came running up the side of the freeway. I never expected to see them there but found out that Amber had been calling them and every relative this side of Texas to tell them how concerned she was with mom and what had just happened. That must have been the longest hour she has ever spent in the car. It was so adorable of her to think that I might need some help. I was more worried about her. I was just fine. My friends and family were clearly moreshook up then I was. Royann and her girls were so far ahead that when they got the frantic call from Amber they turned right around and headed back South. They pointed out to me that I had blood all over my shirt and I just could not stop wiping my mouth. It was very strange how i felt. I felt like I couldn't clear my mouth out and that i just felt like I had gloom all over me. Gloom is the best way I can describe it.

Suddenly this Big Highway patrolman came running up and in his deep loud voice demanded that they moved their Escalade or they would cause a wreck. Royann tried to start explaining that she had driven back to get me because I was in no condition to drive.She was not going to have someone down play the needs her friend had at that time. What a great friend!!! He looked over at me and became the most loving caring man. His tone changed completely and said lets get you cleaned up. He was appologetic the whole way to the ambulance about being rude to my friend and I told him we understood and that he did not have to give an apology for doing his job. He asked me if I was a nurse ( the gloves again I'm thinking) and I said " No, I'm a teacher. He had thanked me over again for being there to help when they couldn't get there. I told him that they are the heros to have to do this day after day. I don't know what keeps them doing this job but I am so grateful. He asked one of the drivers of the ambulance if she had any cleaner I could put on my face and hands. I talked to her for about 20 minutes about the whole situation. She said that she was not on duty and she always listens to her radio and after hearing so many calls for help from every even an hour away she just knew she had to help. She just threw on her uniform and drove a long, long time to be the 14th ambulance there. Volunteer firefighters had come also. I had figured Cedar City had a bunch to send but they don't. They ended up sending every single person on that bus besides the driver to a clinic in Cedar City with one Dr. and three nurses. They were ready and prepared to handle what they could to get them stable enough to fly them to Salt lake. Amazing people I met that night!!!

Amber and I got in the car and I told her that I needed to drive so I could clear my head and not think about what just happened. Royann and the girls were behind us. Ten minutes or so I reached in my pocket to use my phone and I noticed that it was not my phone. I had someone else's phone. I had no idea whose phone it was but needed to get it back to them somehow. I decided the best way would be to call the last number called and just say " hey someone by the road gave me their phone to use. Could you tell them that I have it. The name I was dialing was Richard or something. He answered in japanese!!! I immediatly hung up and turned to Amber and said I am not going to be the one to tell them their Daughter is DEAD! That is beyond anything that I can handle. I didn't know what to do at that point!


What I need to do at this point is go to bed... Night all! hugs ans kisses xoxo

Part 1...Wear your seatbelt! It's not about you, it's about the survivors!

Amber was a bit nervous about taking this road trip this past week. The memories of what we saw and experienced only 7 months ago were still too real and she hadn't been past that spot since. I reassured her that we would be alright and that nothing would happen to us. I remember the frightening thoughts that I would get when the kids were little and we would travel. Every day travel was fine in my mind but doing something out of the ordinary spooked me really bad. I loved them so much, the thoughts racing through my mind of something happening scared me so bad I sometimes did not want to make the trip. As a family growing up my parents would always have a prayer that we would travel in safety and arrive to our destination without any harm. That is something we continued to do with our children anytime we would leave for a family vacation we would say a prayer of safety. Now that my daughter is a mother,I felt a warm, peaceful feeling when my daughter asked for a family prayer at the beginning of this drive. I was happy to see that it was important for her to ask for extra help also and that he would listen to her. Watching her three year old son with his head bowed and arms folded made me feel even more watched over.

Several hours into the trip we came to a place that was in the middle of nowhere. It looked familiar and the small details came rushing back to me. The slope of the ground, the distance between the North and South lanes and the fact that there was nothing around for miles. Mile marker 66 was coming up and I sensed my daughter wasn't doing so well sitting in the front seat. While it feels good to me to talk about it, she tends to hold the emotions in, becoming very quiet. I wanted to stop for just a moment but it isn't a safe place on the freeway and I can tell that the connection or needs are not the same for others that weren't there that day. Maybe they weren't supposed to be there but we were and still to this day I am not sure how I feel about it. I sometimes question whether I would make the same choice I did that day or not. I would hope I would.

Seven months ago Amber and I had traveled to St. George with some friends Royann, Whitney and Candace. Amber and I had to drive down later then the others because of a family commitment. We could only stay for the girl trip for two nights but still needed to get away to have some girl time! I wanted to stop on the way home to look for some pajamas for my grandsons. I knew I was holding them up from heading back to Bountiful so we told them to go ahead and that we would catch up. After shopping Amber asked me if I would mind driving, she isn't so crazy about it. I like driving long distances so I obliged. It was a good time with her, no sharing, long talks, no drama and lots of laughs. It was a beautiful day and was about three in the afternoon. We had passed Cedar City quite a ways back and had been coming around this curve when I saw a semi truck a ways ahead of me tap his brakes. The lights were flashing on and off on the top of his cab. There was only one car between him and I and I instantly told Amber that something was happening up ahead. I don't know why I felt that I just did by the way the lights were going on and off. No clue why. We immediatly slowed down and continued to drive ahead when we noticed the semi driver had jumped from the cab of his truck and was standing in the middle of the road waving frantically to get traffic over to the right shoulder of the freeway. I told Amber that I thought that it looked like a motorhome had rolled seconds before we had gotten there. I pulled over onto the right shoulder and instantly saw a person lying in the lane of the freeway face up. That is when I knew why the truck driver ( the only one there) was trying to get people to change lanes. I instantly knew that very second that we instantly had to pull over and help. There wasn't a choice. I pulled to the right side into the grass and Amber said she would stay in the car. Knowing what I do now I am so glad that she did. I ran across the freeway to the lady in the left lane. She was laying face up and there was a boy in a cowboy hat on my right and another young man about my sons age with a phone up to his ear on my left. That's the only description I remember of them at this point. I knelt down besides the girl and felt for a pulse in her wrist but could not find one. I then reached to the side of her neck and could feel a very faint pulse. Her eyes were open but she would not respond to me when trying to talk to her. I worried at that point because it seemed to me that her eyes were beginning to fixate and there was blood in her mouth and coming from her nose. I knew what I needed to do if there was any chance of helping her. I tilted her head back lifting it from the forehead knowing that I needed to open her airways. I asked the cowboy if he would do compressions so I could do the rescue breaths. He said that he was not sure how to. I told him that I would help him through it.He immediatly said yes and straddled her body and placed his hands. He asked me how many compressions and I told him. I think that he had been trained before somewhere because he placed his hands in the right spot. I only had to remind him to slow down a small bit and we started counting together to get the correct rhythm. I remember looking around as we were counting and seeing that a few more people had stopped and were running down in the field. I remember saying out loud where are the emergency responders??? I couldn't figure out where they were and it felt like it had been eternity even though it hadn't. I tried to swipe some of the blood out of the girls mouth and I pushed her nostril closed so the air wouldn't escape. I wasn't sure what to do at that point because when I was trained they never said what to do with so much blood was involved. I only knew when someone was drowning or chocking situations what I was supposed to do. The guy with the phone asked if I would talk to 911 because he felt like I would understand them better. I thought at that time he meant that I could understand the CPR instructions better. Later I would find out he meant something differently. It was a woman dispatcher and she asked me if I was a nurse and my reply was "No mam, I am a teacher but I am trained in CPR". I told her I was scared and asked her to stay on the phone with me. She reassured me that she would! She started by telling the first steps of CPR and I told her that we had already started the compressions. She seemed pleased that it had already gotten that far. I told her about the vitals not being found in the arm but a faint one was located in the neck, the blood in the nose and mouth, and the fixation of the eyes and that they were beginning to get glassy. I told her that before I had taken the phone that I had closed her nostrils to give her air in her mouth and that I knew by the feeling of her nose that it must have been shattered and possibly that was where the blood was coming from. I told the dispatcher that I was afraid to breath into the mouth without any protection because I knew what the lifetime consequences could be. She told me " you are the only one that can make that choice" I didn't have time to reason and annalyze the crap out of my decision... like I always do! It is truly amazing how fast you brain thinks in situations such as this. I thought about if she was already gone because of her eyes being fixated then should I do rescue breaths knowing that I would be contaminated with someone else's blood and face a possible life threatening disease for the rest of my life. I then thought to myself that she couldn't be dead because I knew that I felt a faint pulse in her neck. I then remember the moment when I ran up and saw her face, that I thought she was around 26 years old. It would be like someone else not helping one of my children because of fear alone. Then I thought of when he was doing compressions I could see the skin on her tummy and I had had the brief realization that she had carried a baby before and that would mean that she is a young mommy with a small child somewhere. At that moment it gave me the answer, that I didn't have a choice and that is exactly what I told the dispatcher over the phone. "I don't have a choice" I knelt down and remember the corner of my mouth touching hers. I had my face tilted towards her chest to make sure that when I gave the breath the chest would rise. I know now that what you can practice on a dummy in a class is different then it would have been that day. I would have needed to readjust and let the cowboy tell me if the chest was rising.I remember the blood touching mostly my cheek and the corner of my mouth. That very, very , very split second a lady had ran across the road yelling "I am a nurse, I am a nurse! I swear to this day that she looked like a stinking angel and that she couldn't have come one second earlier or one second later then she did. I think it was about me having to make a choice at that moment. The dispatcher told me that she can take over. I moved to the side and just then related to the nurse what we had found as far a vitals. Someone tapped me on the left shoulder and it was this couple that handed me a plastic bag with gloves and an air shield in it. She was so sorry that she couldn't offer more help but I told her that she had helped in more ways then she knew. We needed that mask for contamination purposes so badly. The couple had taken a CPR course before and had been instructed to keep emergency kits in their trunk at all times. Great idea!!! I gave the gloves to the nurse thinking that she would want to protect herself but she said it was okay she didn't need them. I opened the mouth shield and handed it to her but when she went to breath through it it wouldn't let the air pass into the girl. I remember her tossing it to the ground and swiping the girls mouth again and I knew that the air was now going in because the girls chest expanded. I relayed the information to dispatch. The nurse then asked the cowboy guy to not straddle her but to instead do compressions from the side. The nurse then voiced her concern wondering where the emergency help was. The dispatcher relayed to me that the ETA was only about a minute and that they had a long way to travel from. I was putting on the set of gloves and trying to wipe the blood off my face and just then the first EMT arrived. A driver and a passenger. The passenger was a lady and she hoped out of the cab and walked over to me and said we have 14 victims and two echos! I think that she assumed I knew what she was talking about because I was wearing gloves! I actually knew what she was talking about from watching to many emergency, hospital, and cop shows!!!

This was the first time that I really had a chance to see what had happened....It was a bus that was laying on its top. Wheels up, luggage and debris everywhere! The words that she had just said to me was shocking me now! 14 victims and two dead. I could see people on the round scattered throughout the North and Southbound lanes. The girl that I had helped for 8 minutes before the first responder could arrive had been ejected from the bus window and thrown at least 60 feet onto the freeway. For the first time I could hear loud screaming from one of the victims. The only one I saw sitting up, down by the Southbound lanes of I15. There were about 3 people around her trying to help. Someone was on the South side of the bus standing over another thrown victim. As I and the lady first responder stood at the head of the bus which was upside down and facing East I noticed that the rest of the scene was eerily quiet. A horrible sound to hear no sound at all. I remember that this could not be real in any possible way. I felt like I was at some kind of mock emergency training or something. At that point, I walked back toward the lady in the road but the nurse met me half way. She put her arm around me and said we did our best but most likely she had broke her neck when ejected and she told me the pulse that I had found was probably the blood pumping mildly because it was in the neck. Because it is the closest to the heart it would be the last place to feel a pulse. That is why I couldn't find one in her wrist. I think I remember her saying you go this way and I will go that way. I'm not sure why other then her saying that why I continued to look for the next person. I can't remember my thoughts right then. I just remember running down the slope to the back of the bus. This bus resembles the kind of bus that you see the elderly ride from the rest homes to go to the grocery stores. They have the wide long windows and hold around 15 passengers. I came around the end of the bus and there were three people laying on the ground. One man, that I thought was around 50-55 and two girls that looked in their twenties who looked like they could be twins. I bent down to help the first man and he was groaning in pain a lot and holding his shoulder. I told him to lay still and that help was on the way. I found myself picking the burrs from the field off his forehead and from his hair. He had salt and pepper colored hair.I asked him if he hurt any where else but his shoulder. He said something back to me that I clearly did not understand. Why I did not figure this out earlier is beyond me but I suddenly seemed to click my brain on and realize that the woman in the road, the person handing me the phone because the dispatcher would understand me better, the man at the back of the bus and the two girls laying in the field beside him where clearly not Americans nor could they speak any English ( except for the phone guy). I looked up and the phone guy was pacing back and forth and I said to him. Are they Korean? Why I asked that I am not sure either but he said no they are Japanese. Once again NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING in this whole situation felt real! I am in the middle of I15 with 14 Japanese tourists thrown from the windows of a bus that has crashed and I am trying to save lives when all I really know is CPR from eleven years of required training from the school district. Had I really known I would use it someday I would have asked more questions and paid closer attention!!! Knowing that I couldn't get this man to understand me I just held up one finger meaning one minute and I will be back. I had to guess at that point that his injuries were from possibly a dislocated shoulder and was hoping it was not internal injuries of some sort or a heart attack. I did know that he was alert and talking and that was a great sign at this point. I moved quickly to one of the girls that had also been thrown or crawled out the the window. I was really worried for her. She was barely moaning and holding her stomach. I couldn't get to her easily because she had landed on the ground with the man and other girl beside her landing on top. I knew better then to move her at all to get to her.Her head also was the closest to the bus where the other victims head were pointed away from the van. The next girl was my most concern. By this time a tall man who stopped to help was working his way around the back side of the bus and another ambulance drove up finally. I saw them rush down to the girl down in the field. The only one sitting up and the only one yelling even then it was a milder screaming then I would have expected. I moved over to the next victim and begged her to lay still. She kept moaning and holding her stomach like the other girl but the difference was she was trying to sit up. I could just tell that she had internal injuries by the way she was squirming. I suddenly could hear the tall man talking to someone in the bus. Someone had been trapped in there and was hanging upside down and couldn't get out. I couldn't leave the girl I was helping so all we could do is keep the girl in the bus talking. I told the tall man "keep talking to her, just keep talking" Why I had said that I have no idea either. That way we knew that she was alive. It broke my heart to see these people laying in the weeds and I just couldn't imagine for even a second being in a foreign country and having something so horrible happen to you. I would just want to be near my family. The thoughts of not being able to get to my children made my heart wrench in a way I can't even describe. The girl on the ground kept trying to lift so I turned around and asked the guy with the phone how you say lay still. I remember it was three words but I can't remember what they are now. The tall guy and I just kept repeating them over and over. I think that the girl I was with, was in shock. She would not lay still.She kept trying to lift up. I remember looking around and becoming frustrated, almost angry in my mind thinking I can't do this where is the help. I remember looking up at the road and seeing cars drive past the wreck and thinking to myself why the hell aren't they stopping. I only felt that overwhelmed feeling for a moment luckily and do understand now the many reasons why people don't always stop to help. Luckily I didn't even have much of an opportunity to think about anything but what needed to happen next. All I could think to do at that point is to lay down next to her and do what you would do to a baby to try to settle her down. I laid my head down next to her so our cheeks were touching and just started whispering in her ear SHH,SHH,SHH,Shh. I couldn't hold her , I couldn't tell her she would be okay. I couldn't even grab her hand because of the position she was in. I didn't know what else to do but be a mom and try to calm her. It makes me wonder to this day if that is something all mothers do around the world. That sweet young woman settled right down. I believe it was only a few minutes later when the first EMT lady that came to the scene reappeared and asked me what the situation was with the three. I told her about the shoulder man, the girl and then the one I was with and how she was really struggling with the stomach issues. She bent down and pressed lightly on her stomach. She asked the tall man about the girl still trapped in the bus. That's when the head lady yelled out really loud.! "Where's my fire?" Someone responded that they were almost there. Minutes later all these firemen came running up to the bus and the head lady started yelling out who was to go first as she was pointing to them. 1,2,3,4,5,6, and on. It was amazing to see how she had assessed the scene and orchestrated what was to happen next. My girl was going first and I was happy for her! I was still laying down in the weeds next to her when a fireman told me that I needed to move over. I felt at that time a little embarrassed and quickly moved out of the way. I knew that they were in good hands. I got up to move on and he said "no, I need you to move back over here, you need to hold her head for me. I held her head tight while he put the neck brace on, then he said on the count of three slide the board under her and then he asked me to strap her and he ran off to get more boards. I looked at the tall man and he looked at me and we both just kind of mumbled how do we do that? Between the two of us we figured out that the velcro straps went through the slots and then back again. I guess we passed the test because they took her that way. After that more firemen came and more EMT's. I could clearly see that there were finally enough professionals there. I got out of the way and I could see the fireman rush with a big saw towards the bus. Normally I would have wanted to watch from the sidelines but this time I didn't want to. I felt for some reason that I just needed to get out of the way. I walked to another person that was laying face down in the weeds. He had clearly been the first one ejected from the bus. I could tell it was a young man from the clothing and the shoes. I was thinking maybe in his twenties.I saw cameras, journals , luggage scattered everywhere. I wondered to myself how all the personal belongings would get back to the families of the deceased. He died and it really bothered me that he was just laying there with no one around him in a field. I then thought of Amber waiting in the car the whole time. It had been so crazy that I had lost track of all time. I went back over to the north side of the bus towards where I had left the car. One of the EMT's asked me if I could come over and hold the oxygen on one man that had been already placed on that bed with wheels thingy that they put in the ambulance. He told me that the man was not severe so he was not the priority to go for quite a while. Ambulances were still on their way. I remember earlier while I was over by the girls the "tall man" yelling why can't life flight get here? The answer was that it would take them 1 1/2 hours to transport to the hospital per patient and there was not enough time. I also found out later that it took over one hour for us to get the firemen and the last ambulance there to be able to take over for us. Fourteen ambulances. They told us that we were in the worst location ever for this accident to have happened because all of the surrounding towns did not have the ambulances or staff for that kind of an emergency. Clearly the wrong place at the wrong time for these people. They were clearly doing their best working with what they had. I met an incredible Japanese young man that night while holding his oxygen mask. He knew some English so we talked while he waited his turn to leave for the hospital. He was really concerned where his wife was. She had been on the trip with him. I think he told me they had been married only a year. The first thing I thought of was the young woman who died and I was afraid that it was her. My heart broke for him and I all I could do is say I bet she will be just fine. I started asking him questions, his name, if he has any children, where were they going, did he know what happened?

I need to try to talk to Kylee on skype from China right now. I will finish my story tomorrow. Good night!

Sometimes Birthday's can really stink!

Today is Jace's 3rd birthday and he has been so sick that he has not been able to celebrate at all. The birthday cake is still sitting on the counter, icecream in the freezer and the candles have not been lit. It is sad for his mom. She has made great plans to bring him to California to make it special for his big day. It makes her sad that the only surprises he has received is a case of runny poo and vomit. He wanted shrimp for dinner and kiwi. Those are his favorites. We had a bbq at the condo and the little guy fell asleep right at the table. We tried to reassure Amber that at his age we don't think that he will remember the bad part about getting sick but will only remember the fun parts about his week long birthday. I told her that if he felt better tomorrow then we can pretend that it is his birthday and he probably wouldn't even know the difference. I know this is true from my own experience. Until I was enrolled for kindergarten I was told that my birthday was on December 21st instead of the 20th!!!! What parent do you know of doesn't get their childs birthday on the right day. My silly parents excuse has been...." I went to the hospital on the 19th and had you at 12:21 on the 20th." I am sorry mom and dad but you really could have figured it out. When my mom registered me for school the secretary said "Mam, your daughter was actually born on the 20th of December." It makes me wonder how my parents came home and broke the news to me.Did I have to be reprogrammed, did I suddenly have an identity crisis? Had I memorized my birthdate by that point? How do you tell a five year old something like that has changed? That is like memorizing your name and suddenly your middle name changes! My mom thought that it was funny to call me all three days to wish me a happy Birthday! I was actually very curious to check my birth certificate when I had it replaced and sent from Texas a few years back. I still find that my parents debate when I was born. When you ask them one will say the 19th, one will say the 21st and on occasion they get it right on the 20th. So really, does it matter in the long run what day we celebrate Jace's birthday. What really matters is that he has a great day and that he feels better and that he knows how much everyone loves and adores him! I will eat birthday cake, kiwi and shrimp every day for the next 365 days if he would like! Happy Real Birthday J-Bug!!!!

Happy Birthday Max! #1

Max Wade George

Tonight was Max's 1st Birthday Party!

I can't believe that he is already a year old. The little guy acts like he is going on three like the other boys.

The party was at Grandma and Grandpa Langfords. Allsion had decorated the house with streamers and balloons and it looked very cute. I get the feeling that Max didn't get the " hey this party is for you" thing. He was just happy to be there I guess. Max is the most mild mannered child I have ever met. He just goes with the flow and keeps a smile on his face the whole time. He is one of the happiest kids I have ever known. As you can tell, he had a lot of cousins helping him to dig into the cake. Everyone thought that he would totally dive into the cake because of the little muncher that he is. But he didn't. He slowly dug a hole in the middle while Jordan licked the side of the cake. That was so cute it made me laugh when she did that. Jace, Jack and Jordan all picking at it and Max didn't even care!

His mommy made him a darling video showing his birth to one year pictures. What a beautiful child he is. The song she put on it was from Taylor Swift and it was all really awesome to see.

I remember the day Max was born. My son Adam called me and said if you would like to come up then hurry really fast. I don't remember even driving up to the hospital but I do remember getting up there in record time.

It has been an incredible experience to see two of my three grandsons born. I am a very lucky woman that my daughter in law and son have let me be a part of the birth. I try to stay to the side and be as quiet as I can but I do know that I make a few squeals in the process ( I can't help it). I know how blessed I am to experience this and I wouldn't do it the justice to try to explain what it feels like to see a grandchild be born. I never really got to experience what it was like to see my children be born because of C-sections and even though I loved the birth of my babies I have always wondered what it would be like to see a baby takes it's first breath of life. Briana and Adam have given me that opportunity and I will always cherish those memories. Not just any woman would allow others to witness this. I am the type that couldn't have had others besides my husband in the room while I delivered but I sure am glad that didn't feel the same way.

All three of the grandsons births have been so incredible, each with their own story, all different, but all unique.

Tonight was Max's night to celebrate his birth. What a great child to have a celebration for.He has the smile that could light up a room and something about his eyes intrigue me. I can't put my finger on it but something looks very familiar about his eyes. I love this little guy and he makes us all so happy. He is a very special boy and is loved by so many.

Mommy, Jack, Max and Daddy!

Jack checking out his little brothers gifts and liking what he saw!

When it came time to open presents, Max crawled off and the cousins and big brother Jack were ok with that. They got to open all the gifts (and as stated many times before) Mr. Chill just CHILLED off to the side playing with a toy that had been around for years. He is one of those box kids. You just give him a box to play with and he would be as happy as a lark.

I love you so much little Maxster!! Thank you for inviting us to your Birthday Party and your icecream cake was so yummy too! Onto year # 2

P.S. Highlight of the night was when I bent way down to get a picture and I fell to the floor. Contrary to what some might claim.... Weebles do wobble and they do fall down! Bri darling, you missed it but Amber witnessed it and I got a great picture of your moms ceiling while going down!

Deron Williams.... I do not like you.... Yes I said " do not

Ya know, I try to be a nice kinda gal but when mean people are mean I still try to be nice and then of course I cry!!!! But when the crying is over "WATCH OUT"""" . My story begins like this...

Once apon a time ( four years ago) I was asked to work the fan appreciation night for the Utah Jazz. We were to take pictures of the players and the fans through the night. Mind you, we are not professional photographers and by no means was the printer and camera prepared for the huge turnout of fans that showed up. I was so excited to be there ( for the Jazz fans) and to be able to furnish them with a great picture of themselves and a "NBA player". In the past the camera would freeze up on us at times and we would have top be patient for about 30 seconds and then it would begin to work again. The plan was, the players would be at the photo station for fifteen minutes and then rotate to another section.

That night the fans just kept coming and coming and coming! The excitement in the arena was fantastic and everyone was so happy to be there and was very patient with the long line to see their player. All the players rotated two at a time and graciously stood there with their fans while I shot their picture. It went something like this....

Me... O.K. smile one, two, three (click) if you would like to stand over here it will just take a minute to print. Next...

That was the routine except for when the camera would freeze up and then I would have to give my apology for having to wait and then moments later we were rolling again. The other problem occasionally was that the camera button was a little sensitive a times and would click on 2 1/2 instead of three or sometimes 3 1/2. But hey, no one seemed to mind. The players were all very friendly with their fans especially Kirilenko! That was the first time I had met him and I was so impressed with the way he treated his fans! Everything was going great, people smiling, birds chirping, sun was shining, squirrels were scurrying across the arena! I might have exaggerated

a bit on some of that! It was good UNTIL...... Here comes MR. TOO COOL! Along with his side kick Kyle Korver. Deron had such a look on his face that just screamed out " I don't want to be here! Kyle on the other hand approached everyone in a friendly manner.

I had never met Deron before and all I knew about him was that he was a good basketball player and that I supported him and respected him at that point. That was about to change...

Several pictures were shot before I had to start with the whole apology thing that the camera couldn't keep up and that it was freezing. For the first time all night a player gave me the "if looks could kill I would be dead". Kyle remained calm. I called my boss and said that I felt horrible that they would have to be inconvenienced like that and my boss reassured me that they would be just fine. I began to panic a bit when Deron freaked out and was bringing attention to the situation. The other situation that began after that was that Mr. Too Cool would look all over then turn his head suddenly and hit the smile on three. Never before and never after three! Like I said before it would be a split second off sometimes. Had he been willing to strike his pose on two and three and possibly three and 1/2 we wouldn't have had a problem. The fans were great however at this point he could hear Dreon raise his voice and make a scene towards me. He was rude, mouthy, told me to do my job, etc. I had fans at that point ask me what "his" problem was. They were shocked to see a professional act this way. At that point I said to him ( with tears in my eyes) "please be nice" that just gave him more opportunity to be ruthless! Kyle meanwhile was just standing there giving me a faint smile as if he was trying to say I am sorry for what he is putting you through. I explained to "too cool" once again that I was sorry but the camera is having a problem and that I was trying to do my best. He yelled at me even more belittling me with no remorse or concern what the fans were thinking. That is when I looked at him and mouthed the words 'YOUR AN ASS"! No one around me heard because I said it quietly and directed it for his eyes only. Suddenly Deron yells out very, very loud "YOU JUST CALLED ME AN ASS HOLE? making everyone around us take note and begin to watch. My reply to him is "No I called you an ASS" I never said "hole". At that point he moved up towards me and said I was a nothing, I believe it was like this... "who are you, who are you? You are nothing!!!" Fans were freaking out around me. I remember one man and lady saying just ignore him, he is so rude. He then came closer and said "Who are you to say that to ME, you are a NoBODY, you are a MINORITY!!!!!!!!" That word hit me very strange so I asked him "did you really just call me a minority?" Suddenly all these men in suits with ear pieces pulled him away and my sweet boss led me to the bathroom. News had traveled fast!!!! I was trying to get my wits about me. I could hear the fans make comments about him and how inappropriate it he was. How agitated he was. One of the other employees walked up to me and said " just blow it off, don't let him to you. I have to work with him and he is always a jerk to everyone! I told my boss that I needed to leave and that I would have my husband come and get me. I have never in my life been so shook up like that. Still to this day I wonder what he meant when he called me a minority. Would he liked to have been called that.

Deron this is for you!!!!! You are a spoiled, disrespectful, thoughtless overpaid bully! You may have been a good ball player but you think of only yourself and can't work as a team to save your life! There is more to a great athlete then just playing a ball game. You act as if you are better then others including your fans. Those people that were there that night pay good money from working hard, hard jobs that allowed them to meet you and the other players. You let them down with your cocky, too good attitude. Many people respected Jerry Sloan as a man, as a person and he did the right thing by walking away from your sorry ass! He is twice the man and example that you will ever be. No one deserves such disrespect. You have proven over and over again that your mouth is hurtful and it is cruel. You have been given such a great opportunity to be a role model for so many people and you have failed miserably! Your actions have shown many times that you can't control your mouth. There is a lot more to life then just money and fame. You have finally got what was coming to you when you were dumped while in all your self righteous glory. Those fans that were there that night watched you belittle someone to the highest level. They deserved better then that. Your mouth would not stop until it was forced to shut. Deron if by chance, you were calling me a minority because you thought everyone but me adored you ....well, guess what, after the narssasistic attitude you have been dishing out, I feel safe to say that I am no longer a minority. A lot of people don't like you now!!!! Luckily we don't have to deal with you anymore ya big bully!