I Am Truly Blessed!

I have been so busy this week that although I have been updating my facebook status with my gratitude posts, I have forgot to update my blog daily.

Sunday, November 6, 2011:

Today I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and for the knowledge that I am a child of God. The knowledge that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me gives me great comfort. I know He knows me and that he is their to guide me always.

Monday, November 7, 2011:

Today I am thankful for the technology that makes my job SO much easier and efficient! Last week I was in Baltimore for a work conference and thanks to the internet, a laptop computer, and a wireless internet connection, I was able to check emails and follow-up with some issues that arose while I was away. If I had not been so connected, today would have been a really CRaZY day!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011:

Today I am thankful for family! It is so fun having so much extended family nearby and we always have a good time when we get together. We are lucky to have lots of our nieces and nephews (from both sides of our family) around, either because they are attending UVU or BYU or because they live in the area and lately we have had several opportunities to get together as a family for celebrations, which are always a TON of fun!

Love My Boys!

Today I am thankful for my two wonderful boys! Connor and Tanner make me proud to be their mother every day! They are both working hard to make right choices and be doing things they know are right and will make me and their Heavenly Father proud.

Lucky Me!

Today I am thankful for my awesome husband. He is our handyman, mechanic, plumber, chauffeur, a great dad, caregiver to my father, and he truly is my best friend!

I Am So Lucky!

Today I am thankful for the beautiful weather in Baltimore and for my job that allows me to travel. I am so lucky to have a job I love!

Most of the other Administrative Assistants in the School of Business do not get to travel. The American Bar Association provides trainings for many of the reports I have to write, so i am lucky enough to be able to attend the various trainings. Since starting at UVU, I have been lucky enough to travel to Dallas, Chicago (twice!), Portland, Minneapolis, Denver, and now Baltimore.

The travel is not the only reason I love my job. The School of Business had a reputation on campus for being the best school to work for. Everyone is very friendly and easy to work and get along with. I am lucky to work in a department that is really good about showing their appreciation for the things I do. It's so nice not just to love my job, but to love the people I work with too!

Giving Thanks!

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to care for my dear father. He was such a good example and provider for our family as I was growing up. I am truly blessed to now be able to care for him.

Attitude of Gratitude...

Maybe it's because November is the month of Thanksgiving, or maybe it's because the year is drawing to a close, but right about this time each year I begin realizing all the blessings I have. I decided this year to show my gratitude with a daily post of "thanks giving."

Today I am thankful to have had such a wonderful mother! She was an awesome example, always happy, friendly to all, loved her family, and knew her Heavenly Father!

I’ll Love You Forever

Dad has been living in Utah for 2 1/2 years now, and the last year and half have been with us. Having dad in our home has really not changed our daily routines to much...besides the fact that Eli now stays home with dad. When we go out now, if dad is not coming with us, we just have to make sure someone is home with dad. And if dad is coming with us it takes longer to get ready and get going, plus dad's walking has slowed down considerably...I didn't really think that was possible...so getting dad even from the house to the car and then the car to the appointment takes at least an extra 10 to 15 minutes. I feel bad, because there are times when we are hurrying out for a quick trip to the bank or store & we sneak so dad doesn't ask to come along. I know he loves getting out, so I try to take him for rides or to walk around WalMart pretty regularly, but sometimes he doesn't get to come.

For the longest time the effects of the dementia have been slow, but lately dad's memory seems to be becoming worse at a faster pace. It's gotten to be that I can almost set my watch by the level of dad's confusion. It starts at about 7:20 p.m. every evening. He starts with, "So what's our status?" or "What time is someone going to take me home?" We explain that we are home, and he lives here with us. The next question is usually something to the effect of "Does my family know I'm here?" to which we explain that we are his family and that all the other family members also know where dad is and have even been here to visit him. That usually helps him for a bit, but typically less than 5 minutes later the routine starts over. It breaks my heart to see dad so confused, and about the third or fourth time he asks, he’ll say “I know you’ve told me this, but I just can’t remember…” I have to admit, it gets really tiring! But as frustrated as I get on the inside, I try not to let it show because I am sure dad is just as, if not more, frustrated.

Lately, at about 9:30 p.m., to help reduce the confusion, I will take him to his room and help him start getting ready for bed. I’ll get his dentures ready to soak, while he starts to change, then I’ll just sit in his recliner and we “visit” while he is getting his jammies on. In his room, with all his pictures and plaques, dad is not so lost. And I have to admit, growing up dad and I did not “visit” too often. Not that we had a bad relationship or anything…I was just closer to mom. Now, I take advantage of our chances to “visit,” which is usually looking through his pictures and having him tell me who all these people are, or me asking questions about when he was younger.

So last night as we were going through the routine, I thought of the cycle of life and the children’s book I’ll Love You Forever and how we are living that story…then this morning when I checked in on facebook, my friend had posted the following video that sums it up perfectly.