Dentist Visits

My kids love their dentist 99.9% of the time because 99.9% of the time they don't have cavities! Bella has had 1 tiny cavity and the boys... ZERO!

Today Bella has to get a procedure done on her gums. The dentist is taking a razor to them. Not awesome.

The good news is Bella gets laughing gas and a front row seat with her Pony's in her hut to "Inside Out"!

Anxiety

I am an anxious person.  I come from an anxious family.  I have anxious genes.

I recognize when my family and friends suffer from my anxiety because I get short with them.

There have been times in my life when I have had a more intense struggle with my anxiety (for example):

• When I was fully engaged in my eating disorder
• When I found out my husband was an addict 
• When I saw that plane crash into a crowd of people
• When I think about the time I will meet Elder Holland

When my anxiety flares I go see my shrink.  I breath and meditate and I do yoga.  And then, I just keep going.  I go along with life feeling a little on edge but assuming that everyone probably feels a little on edge, that's life right?

Well these last couple of months I have been dysfunctionally anxious... but in the last 3 weeks it's been too hard.

So I did the hard thing.  I walked into my doctors office and started crying.

Right there.
In front of her.
She asked me how I was doing and I just started crying.

This is the first time that has happened at my doctors office.  I told her about my life.  I told her how hard it was for me to relax, take breaks.  And after we talked she decided it was time to put me on some medication.

So, for the first time ever (excluding the one time I got a prescription but only tried the pills for a week because I freaked out) I am taking pills to help my anxiety.

If I'm not careful I start letting myself feel like a loser.  I'll let a voice in my head tell me how weak I am for needing medication.  If I'm not careful I shame myself for not being a better person.

But I'm careful.

(This is an example of how I respond when there is a knock at my door and I'm not expecting anyone)

***damn hell anxiety***

A Piece of Peace

For the record, I actually do know the difference between peace and piece! I'm just deep like that!

Angels in Trees

Here He Stands

Monday morning started bright and early for Dad and Jon.  They were up by 5:00am and off to pick up all the equipment that they needed to take down are 3 large sissoo trees.  They had a deadline, my mom and dad were scheduled to fly home from Arizona on the last available flight back to Utah that day, and so they had to be done by the early evening. 

Getting Started

It was 8:30am when I first heard the roar of my dad’s chainsaw. 

It was 9:00am when I peeled out of the driveway rushing my dad to the emergency room.

Somewhere in those 30 minutes my entire world stood still. 

Somewhere in those 30 minutes I realized how vulnerable we all are.

Somewhere in those 30 minutes I realized my helplessness.

Isn’t it confusing how time can do that?

I was out in the yard with Jon and Dad; they were discussing “tree cutting down strategy” as Jon climbed up the ladder to take the chainsaw from my dad so that my dad could relocate.  I was vaguely listening to them but I remember thinking how macho they sounded and then I visualized “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” doing his barking-growl manly noise.  At one point I heard Jon tell my dad, “so just move the ladder over a little bit” at which my dad responded “okay”... but he never did. 

That was it… Jon walked into the garage to get something.  I was picking up branches in the yard.  My mom took Bella in the house to get her shoes on so that they could go on a bike ride together.  Everything was in order.

But out of the corner of my eye I noticed something.  I noticed the tree jolt.  It jolted suddenly and violently and it caught my attention.  I looked over to see what was happening.  

Then, I watched in horror as my dad fell. 

How long does it take to fall 20 feet?  

He fell directly, he didn’t hit any branches, it was as free as a "free-fall" can get.  

How long does it take? 

If you ask me, it takes forever. 

Perspective of the Fall 

My experience is uniquely mine and this is what I experienced. 

My dad

My rock solid person

My stronger than anyone hero

My trusted friend

My inappropriate sense of humor buddy

My “I will always be here for you” ally

My protector

My dad unable to protect himself or stop time or keep himself safe.

My dad at the mercy of gravity.  I watched and witnessed something I have never experienced before... 

My dad was completely and utterly 

 HELPLESS

I watched as frame by frame he fell.  I remember how he fell.  He wasn’t screaming, he wasn’t flailing his arms or legs, he was simply and silently falling.

And then I watched and listened as gravity pulled him down and he collided with the cement. 

The silence was deafening.  I wanted to hear noise.  I wanted to hear him scream out in pain or wince or swear.  It’s like having a baby, the baby needs to cry out, that is how we know that the baby is breathing.  I needed my dad to cry out but the only noise that existed was my voice. 

My body was moving in slow motion towards my dad but my voice seemed to be on fast forward.  I was yelling SCREAMING  “my dad just fell out of the tree, call 911” over and over again.  I wanted to be as clear as I could so that someone would hear me and immediately call 911! 

Jon heard me.  I’m not sure what all happened in that moment or two but I remember debating whether or not to run towards my dad.  I was afraid of what I may see and after my experience in 2011 at the Reno Air Races, I was very careful and very deliberate in my decision to move towards my dad.   

When I got to him he was moving. 

RELIEF

I was in full-blown “WE NEED TO HELP HIM NOW” mode.

Some people (my mom) refer to this as panic mode but I call it super vigilant chaotic "we need to help him now" mode.  

Potayyyto/Potahhhto 

I kept screaming for Jon to call 911 and then I would go over to my dad and ask him where he was hurt.  My dad couldn’t talk, he could barely breath and what was his breathing sounded like shallow short breaths.  I didn’t have the patience to wait for him to answer me and tell me what was going on with him. 

By this time my mom had heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on.  My mom is a lot less panicky  a lot less loud  a lot less crazy My mom is a lot calmer than I am in situations like this.  She was gentle with my dad, she listened to him and talked him through where his pain was.  She didn’t see the fall so she was patiently asking him questions and waiting for his answers. 

Jon was on the phone with the 911 operator who had dispatched the ambulance and I continued pacing around my dad, careful not to get too close to him.  

I was afraid to touch him.

I was afraid to move him.

I was afraid that he was trying to move. 

I yelled at him to “STOP MOVING” and my mom, the calm person she is, stood up and put her hands softly on my shoulders and looked at me.  In a very validating and loving tone she said, “Tice, it’s okay, calm down”.  In a not so very validating and not so loving tone I replied “DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” 

(Side note) I’m never going to live that down.  My dad says he remembers the whole thing.  Me screaming like a lunatic, me asking him questions and not waiting around long enough to get the answers, me yelling at my mom… the funny thing is, he knows me, and he knows that I must love him very much to let myself go crazy like that. 

Against my advice my dad stood up.  I was so mad.  But as soon as he stood up I ran to my van and pulled up to where he was standing.  I demanded that he get in immediately.  Jon still had the 911 dispatcher on the phone (this really did happen within minutes) and I told Jon to cancel the ambulance, that I was driving my dad to the hospital myself. 

As a matter of fact, everyone listened to me!

When we got to the ER I dropped my mom and dad off.  My dad seemed to be in shock.  He could talk (in an airy sort of voice) and he could tell his arm was broken.  As the day progressed he got test after test done.  They eventually put him in an ambulance and transferred him to a hospital in Phoenix because it had a trauma unit (apparently falling from anything higher than 15 feet requires some sort of trauma treatment) where they admitted him.  He stayed there for a couple of nights.  He was pretty banged up with cuts and bruises but he was treated for 3 broken ribs and a shattered wrist, which resulted in surgery.  

The Events Documented 

Then he was discharged.

Then we got him back to Utah.

It’s been 11 days since this all happened and I’ve been waiting for it to hit me, to catch up to me.  

I’m familiar with trauma and how it works for me and so I’ve been expecting it.  

Today it hit me. 

As I returned home from dropping Bella off at a swim party and pulled into the driveway I looked up at the tree.  I looked down at the cement.  And I felt the pull of my heart.

Here it comes.

Embrace it.

Lean into it. 

Move through it. 

I parked the car and got out.  I went and lay under that huge tree.  I lay in the exact place my dad fell and I started crying.  I closed my eyes and said a prayer of gratitude.  I lay there for 30 minutes feeling all the emotion that was affiliated with my experience.

Somewhere in those 30 minutes my entire world stood still. 

Somewhere in those 30 minutes I realized how vulnerable we all are.

Somewhere in those 30 minutes I realized my helplessness.

My crying turned to sobbing, which turned to gratitude, which turned to peace. 

Embrace it.

Lean into it.

Move through it. 

I found peace in remembering the words that the emergency room doctor said to my dad over and over again. 

“You were watched over by angels today”

Laying Under the Tree on the Place Dad Landed

Laying under that tree today was healing.  I’m not sure why my dad had to fall.  I’m not sure why I had to witness it.  I’m not always sure why some things are necessary and what it is that I am suppose to learn from them but I do know this… angels accompany us and God loves us and I love my family.  

 

*Thank you for all your prayers and your thoughts and for reaching out to my parents and our family.  We were overwhelmed (especially my dad) with all the outpouring of love and concern* 

THANK YOU!

#damnhell 

I've Seen Both Sides of the Clouds

Mike took this on our flight {because he has to do everything}

In June my family and I went on our annual vacation to Newport Beach but this trip was very special and very unique.

I was able to spend time with some dear friends of mine.  We met in Reno at the Reno Air Races in 2011.  We met the year of the crash.  We met the year the Galloping Ghost plummeted into the box seating killing a dozen people and hurting so many more.  The thing about going through something like that is that those you go through it with are automatically connected to each other.  It is a strange phenomenon, but it is real.  I am very connected to those that were there that day, I am very connected to Mike and Kendle.

I have so things many to say about Mike and Kendle and the people they are, the flights they took my boys (including my hubby) on, the service they give, the kindness in their hearts, their amazing examples, etc... but today I want to write about my very own spiritual flight with Mike.

I have a crush on a man.  Don't worry, Jon is okay with it!  My crush isn't just any old man.  My crush is on a Stearman.  A beautiful convertible yellow bi-plane that has years of stories and experiences to share with the world... including mine.

Me and my "man" crush on the Stearman! 

Mike let me wear Kendle's flight suit because it was a little chilly outside.  It was cloudy when we took off, a heavy marine layer was present giving the impression of a gloomy sky.

Before take-off! 

As the wheels left the ground we waved to Jon and I watched him grow smaller and smaller as we flew higher and higher.  Our first destination... above those gloomy clouds.

Good-bye Jon!  This is me in the front taking off with Mike! 

It was like we had entered a completely different world where the sky was the perfect shade of blue and the sun was shining brightly.  The top of the clouds were brilliant white and puffy and soft.  This is where Mike introduced me to some backflips and dives and loops and spirals and twirls and twists!

The feeling of the air flying through my hair, the sun on my face, the weightlessness of my body is indescribable.  The beauty I was witnessing combined with the feelings I was having was moving.  It moved me.  My soul felt excitement and peace all at the same time.  I felt grateful to know God and to know of his unconditional love for me.  I felt grateful for such a rare opportunity to be flying in such a beautiful machine with such a great person and friend.  My feelings manifested in smiles and tears.

I didn't think anything could compare to what I was experiencing in that moment.

And then we started towards our next destination... below those bright puffy clouds.

Look at me! I'm flying in a convertible yellow plane! 

I was sad to say good-bye to the bright side and enter back into the gloomy weather.  I was listening to Mike point out different places; the Long Beach Harbor, Angel's Gate Lighthouse, the Queen Mary and Russian Submarine, my favorite place was when he showed me where he grew up!  The tour was beautiful and then Mike told me we were going out to the ocean to get close.

Getting close to the ocean was an understatement.  We were practically gliding on top of the ocean. In fact, I think we were gliding on top of the ocean.  It is a hard feeling to capture in words but we were only feet above the ocean and I noticed felt the powerful ocean grab the plane and as the swells rose, so did the plane and as the swells dipped, so did the plane.

It felt like music would feel, everything was in motion together, the ocean supported and respected the sky and the sky supported and respected the ocean.  And there I was, right in the middle of the harmony between the ocean and the sky feeling supported and respected.

I didn't think anything could compare to what I was experiencing in that moment.

And then Mike asked me to look over the left wing and he asked me to let him know if I noticed anything.  I looked over the left wing and I was so amazed at how close we were to the ocean, it was like I was riding on a fast sailboat and then I noticed something... it was fast but it was something.  I started to doubt myself thinking I imagined it but as soon as that doubt set in I saw it again, and again, and again!  I didn't say a verbal word to Mike through the intercom but he must have heard my screams over the roar of the Stearman, he must have noticed the excitement in my body.  "What do you see TC?" I calmed down and spoke back to him "DOLPHINS! I see DOLPHINS!!"  They were jumping along side of us!

Mike pulled up and flipped around and lined us up perpendicular to the ocean.  With our left wing pointed directly over the ocean and our right wing towards the heavens I looked down and saw hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of dolphins.  The water was so clear I could see everything they were doing.  I just watched in awe as Mike spiraled around and around those dolphins so that I could take it all in.  The dolphins were hunting and they were fast!  They were leaping in and out of the water.  One dolphin was teasing another by poking it with his nose!  It seemed like the dolphin being teased was annoyed!  I watched as a spiraling dolphin went from his gray back to his white stomach to his gray back over and over again spiraling like a torpedo!  I was so close to them and I found so much joy in watching them.

The feeling of the air and the ocean and watching such beautiful creatures jump and spin and play, is indescribable.  The beauty I was witnessing combined with the feelings I was having was moving.  It moved me.  My soul felt excitement and peace all at the same time.  I felt grateful to know God and to know of his unconditional love for me.  I felt grateful for such a rare opportunity to be flying in such a beautiful machine with such a great person and friend.  My feelings manifested in laughter and tears.

I didn't think anything could compare to what I was experiencing in that moment.

I know it's cliche but it really was heavenly and very spiritual.  I felt close to God.  I felt peace.  I felt seen and heard and important.

I will never forget this experience and I will forever be grateful to Mike and Kendle for taking me up there as a friend and as a member of The Reno Family that I have become a part of.  They did this for me as a gift, for no real reason but just to take me up and let me experience what they get to be a part of.

I have more love in my life than I know what to do with.

Jon, Tice, Kendle and Mike having dinner after my flight.
I was still on cloud nine... clearly!  

And now for the advertisement... YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!  If you have the opportunity to do this don't pass it up! My dad went too but, like I said earlier, I was writing about ME!!! We bought my dad a ride on this beauty for Father's Day and he LOVED IT!! The company is called BiPlane Fun and the people are Kendle and Mike (they are married {cute} and both are amazing pilots).  So if you are ever in the Newport Beach, LA, Long Beach area, book a reservation and thank me later!!!

Look!  There's Mike!
http://www.biplanefun.com/index.cfm/Home/

"Mom, I need to ask you a question about sex"

Brayden: "Mom, I need to ask you a question about sex"
Me (getting myself ready to handle the situation without making it a situation): “okay” 
Brayden: “who lays on top during sex”Me (with a small hesitation and slight smile): “um… there isn't just one way of having sex. Either person can be on top.” Brayden: “can you do it sideways?” Me (damn hell why doesn't a meteor hit my house): “yes, you can do it sideways. You and your wife will get to figure out what works for you together” Brayden: “okay, thanks!” Brayden: "mom, I need to ask you a question about sex"

Help me NOW!!!!

The truth is, we talk about sex all the time in my family. We are open about alcohol and drugs, we are open about lying and truth, we are open about sex and pornography.

Now a days, this is the only way to be. The world we live in will teach them if we don't. And let me just say this... the average age of exposure to pornography is 11 years old.  It's normally on accident and in the safety of the child's home.

If you need any help of have any questions on how to talk to your kids I'm here and I know a lot of professionals and friends who are experts! I have a list of books and they are awesome!

Okay, my plug is done, but COME ON PEOPLE!

Click below for information:
Fight the New Drug
Bloom for Women
LifeStar  {just please don't go to the LifeStar in Mesa with Floyd Godfrey | Kill me now}
Togetherness Project

Testimony Meeting

Milli sneaking an illegal photo before the meeting started! 

Our family sorta took over I suppose!
But it's great when the family gets together so we take advantage! 

Tammy's testimony: Christ 

Sid's testimony: The Spirit 

Avery bore her testimony for the first time ever:  “I know the church is true. I hope you do too.”

Brayden gave the sweetest testimony about family. He started getting pretty emotional which is very vulnerable for a 12 year old boy in a new "summer" ward. Brayden has always been sensitive to the spirit.