Service comes in mysterious ways

It's amazing to me how opportunities to help others come in the most unexpected and surprising ways.  In the last hour and a half today I've had 2 neat opportunities to serve.  The first call I got was from a friend in my ward with several young children, the youngest being a 2 year old adorable little girl.  She asked me if we would be willing to let her little one come to our house and sleep in a pack-n-play while they take their older kids to Disney On Ice.  Not many people ask me to babysit their kids, so it was a delightful surprise.  Apparently she's going to sleep the ENTIRE time she's here.  A 2 year old who's absolutely no trouble?  Yeah, I can totally do that!!

The second one came shortly afterwards, in the form of an email to our Relief Society email list asking for someone to volunteer freezer space.  We have a full size freezer in our garage that isn't currently chock full, so I called & offered mine.  I was delighted to find out what a great service it would be!  We have a family in our ward who were pregnant with twin boys.  They already have two young daughters, both of whom were premature because mom went into labor with them very early and had to be hospitalized to prolong the pregnancy.  This time, her labor started even earlier than with each of her girls, so she was put on bedrest, medication, and eventually was hospitalized full time to save the pregnancy and the boys.  Sadly, one of the twins did not make it, passing away before he was delivered.  The remaining twin was delivered at 21 weeks!   They call him a micro-preemie.  As you can imagine, we have had fasts, prayers, and endless service opportunities as we have reached out to support this incredible family.  He is doing extremely well, with all of his organs functioning properly.  He is to be in the hospital through the end of April, which is his natural due date.

The mom's best friend has been storing all her milk for her, but her freezer went out suddenly.  So now all this precious, priceless breast milk for this little miracle baby is in MY freezer, kept safe and sound until it finds its home again.  I know it's silly, but it feels SO special to me to safeguard their baby's nutrients for them!

I love how the Lord blesses me to be able to serve in ways that are possible for me, even with all the other tumult going on.  He sure knows our needs!

Back!

Hi everybody!

I am back!  It is spring, it is gorgeous and flowery and sunny and beautiful outside (except for the 1 weird day of snow), and it has been time for rebirth and renewal here in our household.  

It's a long, involved, depressing story to tell why I haven't been motivated to do... welllll... ANYTHING.  In short, 2008 was really tough for me, and I couldn't find "the happy."  So I sought counseling and they supported my decision to try an antidepressant.  I did, and since November 2008 I have been ASLEEP!  I realized, after a year and a half of "meh" and "I can't be bothered," that I had more than just stepped back and relaxed, I had lost the vitality and joy that make me who I am.  The medicines had forced me to be so sleepy and worn down and relaxed that they depressed me!

So when I realized that I had accidentally signed up for Opposite Day in my brain, I decided to break OUT of that cycle ASAP!  I wanted to find Erlynne again!  Now that I'm done with the pills, I finally remember who I am.

So begins my journey of discovery.  First 3 things on my to-do list:

1.  Lose the weight I gained while on the accursed antidepressants.  I didn't undergo weight loss surgery in 2004 just to get fat again in 2009!!!  I'm getting my Lap Band filled tomorrow morning and starting a daily exercise regimen.  I found out today that I have a partially torn hamstring in my right leg, so the ortho doc said to bike, not walk.  I can do that - I've got a bike in my back yard and gorgeous sunny days to play in!  Celebration Park, HERE I COME!!!!  My first goal is to lose 10 pounds by Easter Sunday.  

2.  Figure out the money.  I, who bookkeep for a LIVING, haven't reconciled a single credit card or bank statement for our personal accounts in exactly 1 year.  I know how much money we have, but I don't know where it's been, or where it's going.  That makes me crazy as a loon, and it stops NOW.  I am going to whip that budget into shape!

3.  Return and report.  I need to write the stories of what our family has done, become, experienced, and seen.  If I don't write them (with pictures, of course), then I will forget them, and that is unacceptable!  Plus, I need to reach out to those I love.  I feel like I've been an ostrich hiding with my head in the sand.  That's not me!

I can gratefully and truly say that I have leaned on the arm of the Lord for support during these past many months.  I didn't know WHY I couldn't be "a normal person," but I know He blessed me to feel His presence and His love for me and for my family.  I can't wait to repay that love by word and deed. :)

Yes, they're really moving!

A little over a month ago my dad sent an email to Dallin and I, his Dallas area kids, with the subject line "Don't Panic Yet." Of course, I immediately panicked. Turns out, he was in Las Vegas for an airplane convention and had finished up with a day to spare before his flight back to Dallas. He stopped in at a real estate office and browsed some listings, then looked at a property.

It's a beautiful 4500 square foot 6 bedroom 5 bathroom home on the edge of the mountains. It's 200 yards from a Stake Center, and just 1 stoplight away from the Las Vegas LDS Temple. The real estate market in Las Vegas has been suffering for a while, and the asking price for the house was hundreds of thousands of dollars below its appraised value. They couldn't have asked for a better deal, and the location is simply perfect for them. He called my mom, who was in Boston helping Clark and Guinevere with Benjamin and their new baby Cassius. Together, they made the decision to make an offer for the home. Theirs was the first of several offers on the home submitted that day and the next day, and since they were first, they were accepted!

They closed on their new home the first week of October, just 3 short weeks after their offer was accepted. It's a done deal! They've listed their home in Plano for sale by owner on MLS and Craigslist, and they plan to move to Las Vegas on November 30, whether the Plano home is sold or not.

I'm still reverberating with shock!

We moved to Plano from Provo, UT in 1980 when I was 7 years old. I grew up in that house, only moving away for 3 years to go to college. When I married Chris, we moved to an apartment just 7 minutes away, and when we bought our home in Allen we were glad that it was still just a 20 minute drive from them. We've always had them nearby! I feel like a native Texan, but they never really have. They've always wanted to move back west to be closer to both sides of their family, who almost all live in Idaho, Utah, and Oregon.

They're thrilled, I can tell. They are going to be a 5 hour drive from Staci and Eric AND Lana and Porter, and they're going to love having so much room for people to come and visit. We'll have wonderful family reunions there and there's so much to do in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. It's a fantastic financial move for them, because their home value is only going to go up, and that provides great stability.

Though I'm really happy for them, I can't put into words exactly how I feel about their move. We've celebrated together for nearly every holiday, big or small. They have been right there for every joy and every sorrow, and their support, love and presence is of immeasurable value in our lives. They are part of the heartbeat of our family, and we will miss them so much!!!. I know we will be warmly enveloped in love and hospitality when we get the chance to fly to Las Vegas every once in a while, but I will always be wistful of "the old days" when I could just drive a few minutes, pull up to my childhood home, run up the walk, and see them anytime.

I love you, Mom & Dad!

From Cub Scout to Boy Scout

It seems like just a few weeks ago that Ethan turned 8 years old and entered Cub Scouts, but time has flown!  He turned 11 on August 10th and began going to 11-year-old Boy Scouts on Wednesday nights.  Tonight was the Pack Meeting where he received his Arrow of Light and crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  Yay!

Ethan has been such a fantastic Cub Scout.  He earned so many belt loops that they go all the way around his waist on his belt.  As a Webelo, he actually earned all 20 available badges.  That means he earned the "Webelo Super Achiever" award!  I didn't even know they gave that award, but it sure was neat to see his delight at receiving it!

As a girl, I didn't much get into scouts as a kid (lol).  So I wasn't sure about how to do the whole "scout" thing when we started, but it has proven to be an incredible experience for Ethan.  He has learned so many new skills, made lasting friendships with his fellow scouts, and he and I have had some great bonding experiences as we've worked on his achievements together.

Now that he's in Boy Scouts, almost of my responsibility to help him achieve his badges has been transferred over to his Boy Scout leaders.  I can encourage and support him, but they do all the teaching and projects.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'll actually miss scouting with him!

Now, just 20 months until Tristan enters Cub Scouts.  I suppose I can wait. :)

20 Years

It's hard for me to believe, but 20 years ago today I fell off the hood of a car and my life changed forever in the blink of an eye.  

I was 16 years old.  That summer I had gotten my driver's license, started dating, and I had just returned from a trip touring Europe with my Sophomore year's Humanities class.  I was about 2 weeks into my Junior year at Plano Senior High School, so I was meeting many new friends and experiencing a brand new school.  I had a pretty heavy class load of honors and AP classes, but I wasn't worried because I'd always done pretty well in school.

The rest of the events from the evening of September 15, 1989 have been related to me by other people.  I don't remember anything at all from that entire day, nor from several weeks afteward.

A group of my friends had come to our house to carpool to the Plano football game that Friday evening.  We were talking and playing and listening to music from the car radios.  A few of us, including myself, were relaxing on the hoods of the cars.  I was leaning with my back on the windshield of a friend's car.  The girl who owned that car decided it was time to go to the game, so she got behind the wheel and started the engine.  I don't know if I was just playing around or if I didn't believe she was going to start driving, but I didn't get off hercar.  She began moving forward, and the momentum nearly knocked me sideways off the hood.  I flipped over onto my stomach and grabbed the windshield wipers.  I  think a friend in her car told her to stop because they saw me slipping, so she hit her brakes to slow down from the 10-15 miles an hour she was driving.

The stop caused me to fly off the car backwards about 15 feet.  I landed first on my heels, then my backside, then elbows, then my head hit the pavement and bounced.  When my friend James reached me after the fall, I was muttering gibberish.  He picked me up off the pavement and carried me down the street and laid me on my back in the grass in the front yard of our home.  I turned over onto my stomach and began mumbling and pulling grass from the yard and rubbing it on the back of my head.  I think this action caused enough alarm among the surprised teenagers that they decided to get my mom.

They told her that they thought I might need to go to the hospital because I was dizzy from doing cartwheels on the lawn.  I still don't know why they told her that.  I don't think anyone understood the situation at that point.  My mom put me in the car and drove me the short distance to Plano Medical Center, where they put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me into the hospital.  I was having seizures while slumped over in the wheelchair as my mom told the admissions nurse that I was dizzy from cartwheels.  That was when my friend Kara mentioned to her that my situation *could* have been caused when I fell off the hood of the car.  Needless to say, my mom was pretty upset with my friends!

I was admitted to the ICU because I was quickly slipping into a semi-comatose state, where I stayed for 3 days.  The impact from my head hitting the pavement had thrown my brain forward and caused a subdural hematoma.  My brain was bleeding, and the swelling was threatening my life.  They tried several treatments to decrease the swelling, but after 3 days it was getting pretty serious.  I would either need brain surgery to reduce the fluid, or they could try a fluid-reducing diuretic first, as a last-ditch effort.  My parents chose the diuretic, praying with all their faith that I could recover from this without undergoing traumatic brain surgery.  I was given a priesthood blessing by my dear wonderful father and then they administered the medicine.  

Within 1 hour, the swelling decreased dramatically and I came out of the coma.  It was a miracle!  Years later, I discovered from a neurologist who examined to my case that mine was  the only non-surgical recovery he's ever heard of after a brain injury like mine.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was given a second chance at life, and that it was a result of great prayer, faith, and fasting on my behalf.

I had lost my short-term memory in the injury, and it took three weeks for it to come back.  They told me that I would look around me in puzzlement, turn to whoever was nearby, and ask "Where am I?" every few minutes.  Mom and Dad patiently told me the story of what had happened over and over again.  In all, I was in the ICU for 3 days and in the CCU for 10 days (I believe), and at least one of my parents was by my side every step of the way.  I have tiny fragments of memory from that time.  I remember several visits from friends.  I know that Mom spent her 39th birthday in the hospital with me.  I know that she was Relief Society President at the time, and had the 4 other children at home to care for, from Dallin at age 14 down to Staci, who turned 4 shortly after I came home from the hospital.  I even remember bits of time when my Daddy sat next to my hospital bed and read aloud The Scarlet Letter, which was required reading for my Honors English class.  Later, when I took the test on that book, I got 100%!

The outpouring of love and support for us was overwhelming.  I had many, many visitors while I was in the hospital.  My hospital room and bedroom at home were covered in gifts and flowers and balloons for months as I recovered.  I will always treasure the service and charity that so many provided to my family!  

It was a long, slow process of recovery, but I made it.  I am extremely fortunate that I do not have any permanent brain damage from the accident.  I did lose most of my sense of smell, and I had seizures for about 2 years.  I have struggled with physical weakness since the accident, and I will always be sensitive to extreme temperatures.  I wonder often if my infertility and metabolic issues have stemmed from the injury.  I will never know how things would have turned out had I not sat on that car, because I can't go back and change the past.  All I can do is learn from it.

The most incredible impact from the entire accident, though, is the change in my heart and mind.  I took so many things for granted before.  My parents, my siblings, my friends, my health and strength, my intelligence, my happiness, my belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus, and even my life.  I had the indestructibility of youth and naivete on my side, and I believed nothing could ever go wrong!  As I recovered, I discovered an indescribable passion for life.  I knew I had been allowed to stay here on earth to accomplish something, though I didn't know what it was.  I had a new lease on life, and I was brimming with love and overwhelmed with humility that it was granted to me.

I have carried that feeling with me ever since.  I am so grateful for the blessings in my life.  My amazing, incredible parents, who carried me through my trials for years and years and years.  My dear brothers and sisters (and brothers- and sisters-in-law), who strengthen and uplift me always.  My dear husband, who constantly supports and encourages me, and fills in the gaps when I can't always be super-Erlynne.  My gorgeous boys, who challenge and delight me every day.  My beloved friends, who give me unconditional love and acceptance and without whom I couldn't remain sane.  My Savior, whom I love with all my heart and who gave the greatest gift to all mankind, the gift of Eternal Life.

It has been the most incredible 20 years I could imagine.  Thanks for the second chance at my life, Heavenly Father!  I am honored to have the opportunity to live it!

Ethan Won The Science Fair!!!!!

We are so excited!!!  Ethan's had one of the best weeks EVER!

Being a 5th grader, he was required to enter the science fair this year.  We tossed around quite a few ideas before we settled on the perfect one for his project.  He built a roller coaster from foam pipe insulation and ran a marble through it to see if the marble would loop the loop in the coaster.  Here's a diagram of the coaster:

The question he was to answer was:  In a foam roller coaster with one loop, how high does the starting point have to be in order for the marble to loop the loop?

His hypothesis was that the starting point should be 150 cm high.  So Chris and Ethan built the roller coaster and tested the hypothesis by running the marble down the coaster 10 times for each starting point.  Turns out, that hypothesis was "not supported" because the intial height needed was only 57 cm.  

He did such a great job with the project!  We typed his lab journal and made sure we followed all the science fair rules and had plenty of information.  In fact, the display board at the end was SO PACKED we nearly didn't have room to fit everything on!  He worked on this project from November until Jan 22, when it was due.  Here's the finished display board:

The judging was today, and the judges even had Ethan come down and answer some questions about his project.  He was so nervous!  He thought he was in trouble or that he had done something wrong!

They announced the winners this afternoon a few minutes before the end of school.  They named the 3 Honorable Mentions, then went through the winners of 3rd, 2nd and 1st place.  Ethan had missed the fact that they were having a Grand Prize winner, so he was bummed that he hadn't gotten notice.  And then they called his name as Grand Prize winner of the 4th and 5th grade!  He told me he shouted and jumped out of his chair!  He said he felt a million emotions all at once, and that he didn't even have the words to describe how he felt.

Tristan has been home with strep throat for 3 days, so he was with me when I picked Ethan up from school today.  Ethan bolted to the car, threw the door open, and hollered "I WON!!!!"  Tristan and I were so delighted for him!  His 4th grade science teacher, Mrs. Fox, came to the door of my car and shared her enthusiasm and pride in him.  She said, "Someday, he's going to be a famous scientist, and he'll say, I want to thank my 4th grade science teacher!"  She's such a great lady, and she was truly thrilled for him, as are we all. :)

Not only did he have the science fair project due this week, he also competed in the 5th and 6th grade Spelling Bee as the representative for his class.  He did a great job, kept his cool, and even though he didn't win, he put in a great effort.  

Plus, he got his report card today and got straight A's for the six weeks and for the semester!

We couldn't be more pleased for him.  He's worked so hard to do his best, and the efforts he's put in to be a good student have helped him mature and grow into a fine young man.

Now, we get to find out how he does in future competitions with his project, because we're pretty sure he's going to compete at the Allen ISD level!  We'll keep you posted!

August 2008

We continued the fun of summer all the way through this month.  Since Ethan was off his ADHD medication this summer, he gained a whole 15 POUNDS since June!  We were tickled pink!  Just in time for back-to-school shopping, we bought him a whole new wardrobe.  Tristan was delighted to get his own back-to-school clothes, lunchbox, and new tennis shoes.  Frankly, he was just delighted to think about anything having to do with "big school!"

Ethan turned 10 on August 10.  He got money, Denver Bronco's shirts, and his very own set of engraved scriptures for his birthday.  He's absolutely growing up into a young man right before our eyes, and it's nearly impossible for us to believe that it's already been 10 years since we welcomed our first bundle of joy into our home!  What an adventure it's been!

Chris, Dallin and I got our own little present for Ethan's birthday - we went to a Weird Al Yankovic concert!  Having grown up listening to Weird Al, all 3 of us were totally psyched to see Weird Al live!  Of course Dallin's a big concert goer, so he'd already seen Weird Al, but this was our first time.  We started off by buying concert T-shirts & hats - White & Nerdy, of course!  The concert itself was literally 2.5 hours of hysterical laughter therapy!  He played every song we wanted to hear - all his hits, including "Fat," "Yoda," his Star Wars American Pie parody, "Amish Paradise," "All About the Pentiums," "White & Nerdy" and even more - all in costume!  At one point, he even sang a love song to the audience members, and went out into the second section of the audience singing to people!  Between songs while he was changing costumes, he showed clips of "Al TV", which were all pretend interviews with celebrities.  He skewered Madonna, Eminem, Michael Stipe, and even Kevin Federline.  It was completely hilarious!  His encore was to perform "Albuquerque", his 20 minute song - and he did an extended version!  Every time he comes back in concert, I want to go!  I highly recommend it to any Weird Al fan! 

Thanks to Kathy, I discovered Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.  Yes, I know, I'm extremely late to the dance.  Many of the readers of this blog have probably been fans since her first book, but I just didn't pay attention to the latest info.  I have repented, though.  I read every book of the Twilight series plus The Host in the first half of August.  I went sleepless some nights, because I simply couldn't put the books down!  I bought the series for myself, because I know I'll need to read them again.  I haven't experienced a voice like Meyer's before, and she was refreshing and enthralling.

And then, August 25, 2008, there was school.  My big guy is in 5th grade, and that is just amazing, but even more so, my BABY is in full day kindergarten!  He was lucky enough to get Ethan's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Parman, as his teacher too.  She's an angel with those children - so patient, so loving, and so perfect to help usher them from toddlerhood into elementary school.  We know he will be in excellent hands.  We met Ethan's teacher Mrs. McDaniel, and she is a lovely, sweet, intelligent woman who will help Ethan navigate through his school year quite effectively.  He already loves her.

The night before, Chris gave each of the boys a father's blessing.  The strength of the words he spoke moved us all.  Every time the boys receive priesthood blessings, I feel the strength of their incredible spirits.  It's always emotional and humbling for me to know that we have been entrusted with such remarkable children.  What gifts!  

Chris took off work for the first day of school, and we walked to school together.  We dropped Ethan off first, and after a brief hug and a quick word with his teacher, he sent us on our way.  When we took Tristan to class, we were surrounded by tearful parents and tearful children.  Everywhere we turned there were camera flashes and videos being taken.  Mrs. Parman kindly posed for all the pictures and comforted the crying children and adults.  The Campbells were all smiles, though.  Tristan was so ready & excited, and we knew he would be delighted with this new experience.  I knew I would miss him, but I was more excited for him to experience this new phase of his life.  

Chris and I did enjoy that first day of school together.  We went shopping, went to lunch, and even went to the tech support department at the Apple store to have my iPhone replaced because it was malfunctioning.  It was remarkable that at the end of the excursion, we didn't have to write a check for a babysitter!

So now, as I write this, they've completed their first week.  Ethan's still happy about school, although the homework and projects have already started.  He will take a bit of adjustment to get back into the swing of things, but he'll do just fine.  This is the first year we've walked to & from school instead of driving, so that's a bit much for ALL of us right now, since it's still in the high 90's, humid & muggy outside.  We'll enjoy the walk much better when we're not miserable with the heat!  Tristan's had a bit more adjustment to make.  Before school started, he was a bit standoffish from me, and unwilling to sit for even a moment.  He was full of energy all the time.  Now, when he gets home from school, he curls up right next to me and rests his head, content to just sit, or to do something calm.  He's worn out!  He's been a bit more emotional in the afternoons, too.  I think he just wasn't expecting it to be so much!  But he's doing very well.  He's excited to show us that he's able to read some of the words he sees as we read books & signs and such.  I predict he'll be reading within a month.  We're a family of bookworms - he can't escape it!

So that's August!  Who knows what September will bring!  Can't wait to find out!