Sterile Procedures

So... yesterday I realized I have a problem.

For any of you who know what sterile technique is, this may make more sense. For those of who don't, here's a short explanation. Sterile technique is used in any medical procedure that needs to be "sterile." = SUPER SUPER SUPER clean. To limit possibility of infection, basically. So sterile technique includes a strict scrub of the hands up to the elbows (like you've seen on shows like Grey's Anatomy or the like), with ya know, three times back and forth on each side of the finger. Yes, your fingers have four sides. And then a very strict way of holding the hands, only touching other sterile things, walking with your back towards anything unsterile, etc. It's pretty crazy. And of course, it's ALWAYS used with the utmost strictness for surgery.

And yesterday I was in surgery.

And I had a killer view. The two eye surgeons were sitting down, kind of at corners of the head of the bed. (or surgery table, whatever) And I stood in between them, UN-STERILE, (and of course a few inches back) looking right over the work they were doing. It was AMAZING!! Ahh, talk about cool. Maybe that's why I was an anatomy TA for so long--I have a sick fascination with any parts of the body, and how they work, and what they look like. Anyway, tangent. Sorry.

So back to my problem.

I'm sitting there, with the perfect bird's eye view, and all I want to do is mess up the sterile field. Crazy, right??? I kept thinking, "What if I just tossed something over on that sterile table that the surgical tech is keeping the tools on?" Or... "What if I just pointed, with my bare finger, down in that eye and asked the surgeon a question, like it was nothing?" haha, I get a kick even thinking about it. And I KNOW just how messed up that is.

Oh gosh, I have a problem.

It's seriously a huge temptation when you're there. You sitting there, with all the means of ruining this perfect, time-consuming-to-set-up sterile field.

I mean, I would never do it, OF COURSE.
And to any future employers: please disregard this whole post. It's all a lie.

It just needed to be told. Maybe now I won't feel so guilty.

What is it about blogs?

Seriously. What is it about blogs that suddenly makes everyone so interested in everyone else's lives? Don't get me wrong, this is not bashing those people. I am definitely one of them. This is more a time for me to do some introspection and decide what changed me into a "blogger" and why I LOVE looking at other people's so much!

Maybe it's not that we're suddenly interested in their lives, but rather their writing ability, their photographic nature, the myriad of activities going on in their lives that we wish we could emulate?

Maybe we truly are interested in their lives, but have not yet had such an easy way to see a glimpse into their thoughts, interests, and report-worthy news in such an aesthetic and concise way?

Maybe it's a way for us to please our inherent facebook-loving-stalker-selves in a "classy" way?

Maybe we each have a part of our sociality that is unfulfilled, and this is a way to network and feel connected. Even needed?

I have been pondering these thoughts for almost a week now, thanks in huge part to my conversation with Jennie and Suzy, and yet I still do not know why (if there is truly a why) I suddenly got sucked into the blog world, nor what it is that I LOVE about it...

But what I have figured out is that I often find myself inspired and encouraged by others' positive outlooks on life, their creativity, and their faith in the future! And so even if nothing more than a cyberspace fad, what's to complain about wanting to be a better person? And finding some comic relief in the meanwhile!

Family Traditions

The St. George Parade of Homes

And it made it perfect this year that Rob got to come! Here's a little preview of some things we liked...

Crazy animal-hide furniture.


Frank Lloyd Wright windows.


Personal swim-in movie theaters.


Magnetic walls.


And spending time with family! (Mom is behind the camera, and did a great centering job, might I add!)

A Most Inspired Calling

So it goes without saying that every parent thinks their kid(s) are the cutest... smartest... funniest... the list keeps going, right? Well that extends past parents to now include primary teachers. We have BY FAR the cutest, smartest, funniest kids in the entire primary. No question. Just a few examples:

1. Cute little William, whom Rob has been referring to as "Will Dawg" the last many months, finally decided Brother Tranter had been teasing him, and was gonna do a little teasing of his own. So right in the middle of sharing time, William says to Bro. Tranter, "Hey look out the window." Which he did, only to turn back around to little William's arm reaching up and hitting him in the ear. When Rob started laughing, and asked, "What was that?" William replied in his cute little voice, "It was a mouse." And then he called him Tranter Dawg.

2. Aeja, who is way beyond her years, has wowed us with her reading skills. The beautiful little girl is only just barely 6 years old, and she reads like nobody's business. When we ask the class to take turns reading things, and offer to help them if they need it, Aeja is all over that. She practically jumps out of her chair ready to help with any word, big or small. She's just that smart.

3. Sarah, who loves her purse, like nothing else, amazed me with her peace-making skills on Sunday. When the other little girls were arguing over who had to sit by Isaac (because it was the only chair left), Sarah, who hadn't been involved in the first place, finally said, "I'll sit by him and you can sit here." Just to make everyone happy. Wow.

4. Isaac, another of the cutest little kids in the world, is so darling and innocent, you just can't even think of getting mad at him. One of the first weeks of class, he had a piece of gum he kept playing with, and although we asked him to stop, that little hand kept creepin back to his mouth. So about halfway through the lesson, I notice the gum has gone from the mouth... to the hand... to the little corduroy slacks he had on. Oh no... So I take him down to the kitchen, where we did one heck of a scrubbing and ice-ing job, that finally got it out! And what do ya know, he comes back every week with a new piece of gum. But he's just so cute chewing it, we don't even make him spit it out.

So, in writing this, I've concluded two things. The first is that being a primary teacher is pretty much the best calling you can get in the church. You still review your gospel principles every week, and you get to hang out with the CUTEST little kids EVER!!! And second thing is, how am I going to love my own kids more than these cuties I get to see only once a week?!?!?

And we're off!

So today I started my blog.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm WAY excited. I've been talking about blogging for months now. And not to just jump on the band wagon, but to use it as my personal journal. All of you that ever read it, I apologize in advance. I don't know where that will take me. But allow me to be on the "loser list" for a moment and tell you a story (a.k.a. list of excuses) about my NEED for this blog.

So... about a year ago now, I started dating this wonderful boy named Robert T. And... of course, fell madly in love. He took up all my time, and I got home much too sleepy from our late nights, and I completely stopped writing in my journal. (Which I once was a pro at, by the way.) And then, the ring came, and the busy-ness increased and the sleep decreased, and then the wedding day was upon us. And of course, it's an absolute MUST that every girl write about her wedding in her journal. And so... I tried. And failed. Miserably. And the thing about being a perfectionist is that I couldn't use my journal to record all the wonderful things that have happened since, no matter how bad I wanted to, simply because I hadn't ever finished writing about my wedding! So if ever anyone stumbles upon my journal, you're bound to fall asleep in the middle of a much-too-long attempt at telling every little detail about my wedding. And thus, the NEED for my blog.

I finally get to record my life!

Testing 1...2...3...

this is a test post!