Carroll & Company

Camping and Quading

2011-03-27T16:40:00.032-07:00

My brother Brandon and his kids...minus Tyson who had a tummy bug, and I and my kids...minus Missy who is on her own 18 month adventure, took a trip down to Florence for an overnight trip. We also brought Lola the sheltie, KC and Caesar the shitzu pups.

This is what I learned about quading...you want to be the person in front otherwise your face is sandblasted. Another thing I learned is if you're quading with ME, you want to either be in front of me for the afore mentioned reason, or behind me because my upper arm flab acts like mud flaps and keeps debris from flying at you. You just don't want to get TOO close behind me or said mud flaps will slap you silly.

Love staring at a fire while camping.

Coyotes started barking and whooping it up very close to our camp while we were sitting around the fire. I immediately feared for the furkids.

We rode the quads to the train bridge and tunnel.

This is a cool picture, it should be on the front of a book or album or something.

Brandon brought a $5 rope, I think he got it at the dollar store. We tossed it over the bridge and made a swing...of sorts.

Then we invented rope ballet

Some people should never do ballet...just saying.

The babies kept themselves busy chewing on sticks

Is it me...or do they throw like girls?

This that and other stuff

2011-03-17T17:15:00.025-07:00

I suppose it's time for an update. I'm so far behind on my blogging I think I'm ahead!

I've been doing...stuff. I was never much of a cookingbakingdofunstuffinthekitchen kind of mom. I hope to be that kind of grandma. Kiki and I have discovered we enjoy doing stuff together.

Our most recent project was making these yummy caramel/chocolate dipped pretzels.

It was our first time making them...we made some mistakes and learned that pretzels break VERY easily. Especially if you are impatient and don't take care lifting them.

We made MORE mistakes...like you can spray as much cooking spray on a cookie sheet as you want...the chocolate sticks anyway and requires a chisel to lift them off which means MORE broken pretzels...if you're impatient and don't lift gingerly. Note to self...cooking spray for caramel, wax paper for chocolate. Don't worry about all these broken ones though, I have at least 2 for breakfast each morning.

We finally had some success and we both shared with our friends at work. We will not be making these again for a long time.

For Valentines Day we made Rice Krispie Treats dipped in white chocolate because rice krispie treats alone do not have enough calories.

These were also taken to friends at our offices.

We also made many of these

And turned them into this and shared THEM with our offices as well. If we keep this up we'll ALL have muffin tops

In February I became a grandmother...of sorts. Meet KC (for Kiki & Curtis)on the right, and Ceasar (for Little Ceasar's Pizza) on the left. KC is full of spit and vinegar and rarely slows down. She beats up on Ceasar endlessly or until he's had enough and gives her what for. She is curious and busy. Ceasar is laid back and doesn't have a care in the world. They are shaping up to be great friends. You can read more about them HERE

I have 2 of these chairs that have a home at the island in my kitchen. Rarely are they used for sitting at the island. I use them as a stepping stool when I need to reach things way up high. They also are used as extra seating around the kitchen table or any time we need....well...extra seating! I noticed one of them had a tear in the plastic and upon further inspection, notice someone had actually scored the plastic in a checkerboard pattern...what the?! I decided to do something WAY out of my realm of creativity. I re-covered them myself. It took a few weeks of searching fabrics to find a pattern I both liked and had all the colors I wanted. Each chair took about an hour.

I think they turned out pretty good! I have noticed though, I don't want to use them for a spepping stool anymore, I'm not putting dirty shoe bottoms on my works of art!

I'm also intent on creating a "C" wall. I'm stealing the idea from my good friend Jenny(who just had the most ADORABLE identical twins) she did an "O" wall, you can see it HERE I don't have a wall that big to work with but I do have a few C's collected. Now all I need to do is decide how I wan't my family room arranged so I know which wall to put them on!

Driving in Phoenix

2011-02-09T15:51:00.008-07:00

Only someone from the Phoenix area would understand and the really funny
thing is that this is all so true!

1. 'Phoenix' actually consists of Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa,
Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Tolleson, Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park,
Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Sun Lakes, Surprise, Laveen,
Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, and half of the Mexican border.

2. The morning rush hour is from 6:00 am to 9am.
The evening rush hour is from 3:00pm to 7:00 PM.
Friday's rush hour to Flagstaff starts on Thursday morning.

3. The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph.
On Loop 101, your speed is expected to match the highway number.
Anything less is considered 'Wussy'.

4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere.

For example, cars/trucks with the loudest mufflers go first at a four-way
stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in the East
Valley , SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of
way.

5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended.

6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously.
It's an offense that can get you shot.

7. Road construction is permanent in Phoenix .
Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment during the night to
make the next day's driving a bit more exciting.

8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, dogs, barrels, cones,
cats, mattresses, shredded tires, rabbits, vultures, javelinas,
roadrunners, quail, and the coyotes and bob cat feeding on any of these
items.

9. Dunlap and Olive are the same street.
Peoria and Shea are the same street.
Mesa Drive and McQueen are the same street.
Stapley Road and Cooper are the same street.
Apache Blvd. in Tempe is Main Street in Mesa which is Apache Trail in
Apache Junction.
Also Glendale Ave. becomes Lincoln Drive.
Jefferson becomes Washington, but they are not the same street.

Maricopa Freeway, Papago Freeway and the 'I-10' are the same road.
SR202 is the same road as The Red Mountain FWY, and is the same as the San
Tan Freeway.
I-17 is also called The Black Canyon Freeway as well as The Veterans Memorial Highway.
The Superstition is also known as US 60.
The 101, 202 and 303 remain a large mystery to most of us.
It is not yet determined if there is a Red Mountain and a San Tan or just
a Red/Tan Mountain Freeway all of which is the Loop 202.
The SR51 has recently been renamed to Piestewa Freeway because Squaw Peak
Parkway was too easy to pronounce.
SR101 is also the Pima FWY except west of I-17 it's the Agua Fria FWY.

Lastly, Thunderbird Rd. becomes Cactus Rd. -- but, Cactus Rd. doesn't
become Thunderbird Rd. because it dead ends at a mountain.

10. If someone actually has their turn signal on,it has been 'accidentally activated.'

11. If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55-65 mph zone,
you are considered a road hazard and will be 'flipped off' accordingly.
If you return the flip, you'll be shot.

12. For summer driving, it is advisable to wear potholders on your hands.

13. Please note that there are many, MANY more issues to the phenomenon of
driving in Phoenix --like the 4-cars-through-a-red-light rule -- but these
will at least get you acquainted with our unique life on the road.

** HOWEVER *** THE MOST DANGEROUS THING ON THE ROAD ARE OUT OF STATE
DRIVERS!!!
We "lovingly" refer to them as Snow Birds.

Let's talk clearance

2010-09-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

First of all let me just mention that I've created a blog of Melissa's mission. It's just posts of her letters and whatever pictures she sends. The link is to the right if you're interested

NOW, let's get down to business! Can I just say that Target has the WORST clearance. It drives me insane when something is posted as a clearance item and it's 30% off...30%!...really? Don't waste my time. Sometimes things are marked less than a dollar off and they have the nerve to call it a clearance. Note to Target...Clearance means at the very LEAST 50% off, mark it 75% and I'm all over it.

Now lets talk about their store brand. I once bought their lotion that said "compare to Jergens"....so I did. After a week of using the stuff I sat down and typed an e-mail to Target. I told them that I took on the challenge of comparing their store brand...like it says on the bottle...to Jergens. I told them that if they put something like that on their brand the contents should at least be comparable to what they are challenging. I then suggested they change the name of their lotion to..Dry itchy Skin in a Bottle..I mean, let's call it what it is. I never heard back from them.

When mean yes!

2010-08-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hopefully soon this child of mine will send some pictures I can post. Until then we are left only with her inspiring words.

Magandang Hapon!! (good afternoon)

Well, I made it 4 weeks in the Philippines...does someone have one of those watches that slows time down because it is definitely crawling haha!! I feel like this month has lasted forever!! I can't believe everything I have gone through so far. So the highlight of this week was going on exchanges with Sis McCormack--an American!! We had the best 2 days together!! I stayed at her place and we just had so much fun...and worked stinken hard too! We really had to rely on the Spirit because we didn't have native companions to fall back on, so if we wanted to be understood you bet we called upon the Holy Ghost to be there! We got 4 new investigators and contacted a lot of people!! That is more work than we each do in our individual companionships! So many crazy things happened though, if you can imagine--2 young American girls who don't know the language or the culture lol!! We got served tea (we're pretty sure it was, but we drank it all cause we had just extended the baptismal commitment) and cow skin (SICK!!!!). I also extended the baptismal commitment to a member lol, wasn't informed before hand that he was a member and it was his mom that wasn't--but he was answering all the questions right and when i asked if he knew it was all true...i committed him to be baptised...oops! It was way fun and sooooo good to be with someone who understood everything i was saying and feeling!!!! It gets so hard being with a companion who has no clue what I'm going through and i have no clue what she is going through!

When I got back from exchanges, I was very depressed lol..that was a rough day. Sis Rivera had a lot on her mind and I thought she was getting annoyed with me so I was just feeling so sad and alone. That night I had a major break down (by myself cause I didn't want sis Rivera to see me) I just didn't know why I was there and didn't feel like I was doing anything or making any progress. When we went to bed that night I said the prayer and then after sis Rivera asked me if she hurt my feelings. So this is funny....I asked her the question "when?" however, in Ilacano when means "yes" haha so when i said when, she apologized and gave me a hug then turned to say her prayers. I was really confused for a little while then realized i just told her yes. Which, i guess my feelings were hurt but i wanted to know why she thought that. Anyway i thought it was pretty funny and the next day we worked everything out. Holy cow, so many ups and downs on a mission!!! My emotions can't handle this!

I've started taking bucket showers...they aren't bad, I actually like them. Dad, you would love the water saving that goes on here haha! We pore water down our toilets, take bucket showers and wash our own clothes! The water bills are SUPER cheap! Another cool thing about this place, instead of knocking on doors, cause usually there aren't any, we say "tao po!" which means "people are here!" its pretty sweet! The work has been rough lately, none of our investigator have had time to meet with us and none of them are going to church. I really don't know what this place needs but we are praying so hard to know what to do! Sis Rivera said the city is a little tougher because there is a lot of pride in people's hearts. But at the same time, I know there are hearts out there that are ready, we just need to find them! Crazy, i asked the bishop how many ward members there are--500, and guess how many attend--100, on a good day, about 80 when its rainy. inactivity is a huge problem here! We need to work so much with our recent converts to make sure they have a solid testimony and wont drift away easily.

My teacher at the mtc told us that in order to become fluent in a language the statistic is that you need to make 2 million mistakes....dang. To me that means that you can't be afraid to make those mistakes or else you will never get there. And I think that applies to all aspects of life :) So just get out there and do it, right?! So I was reading yesterday 1 nephi 8, lehi's vision and found a cool contrast. in verse 30 it talks about the people who were steadfast and when they reached the tree they fell down most likely in gratitude that they had made it--their journey had meant something to them. Then in verse 34 it mentions people falling away. That made me think about life. When times are really hard and we think we can't do it anymore (which happens to people more than we think), do we fall down to our knees and ask for the Lord's strength and support....or do we fall away because we just can't do it anymore? It makes me think of the quote at aunt shawnie's house..."when life gets too hard to stand, kneel" that is so true. The Savior suffered and died for us so that He could walk each of our paths with us at the same time we walk them. We need to remember that He is right next to us, all we have to do is reach out and lean on His arm for the support we need. How much I love Him and look forward to that day that I can fall at His feet and worship and praise Him for what He did for me personally. He is my strength and my light and His invitation is not just for me, it is for all. The message I bear is not my message, it is His.

Family and friends, I love you so much, thank you for your support and prayers--I know those have gotten me through the hard times :)

Mahal Kita!!!
Sis Carroll

2010-08-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Mabuhay from the Philippines!!!

So why did the chicken cross the road?? Lol, the other day we were on a tricycle ride to an investigator's house and had to come to a stop as a chicken crossed the road, I laughed to myself then asked Sis Rivera that question...she just smiled--pretty sure she had no clue what I was talking about! I had to just keep that one to myself! Communication gets a bit difficult at times between sis rivera and I...I can't fully express my feelings and what I am going through because she really has no clue. I just keep praying that she remains patient with me, and for the most part she is every single day! I'm starting to try and use more Tagalog in my teaching which means I don't say very much but sis rivera understands and always does a good job of teaching most of the lesson. I just sit there and smile at the people a lot. I hope they know that I love them and care about them--that's why I am here. Some people just sit and stare at me when I'm talking, others knod their heads and smile and try and help me with words and sentences. Oh boy...one day I will really appreciate this haha! For the most part, I love it...every minute of it and at the same time, it's the hardest thing in the world i've ever done!!

Last week we had zone conference and let me just say...President Odjers is so amazing!! As he taught us the spirit was so strong, he is a very humble and loving man. I was able to talk with him one on one and he asked me how things were going. I said I like it....but its so hard. He asked if I had any homesickness and I told him yes. He said that is totally normal, it is an inevitable feeling. He said he had those same feelings when they first came to the Philippines. He promised me it would get better and he said in the mean time, if i ever needed to talk or take a break from anything i could get in touch with him and sis odjers and they would come to me and talk or pick me up and take me to the mission home to make some cookies for an hour just to get everything out. I felt so very cared for at that point. He told me they were there for me if i ever needed anything...he wanted me to feel good about things. He also asked about the language and I said I do most of it in english right now and asked if that was okay...he said that was perfectly fine!! That was all he could ask, he even gave me permission to do it becasue the Spirit is what really matters. I walked away from that meeting feeling so so happy! I had been feeling like I didn't matter at all, that I was just an object that the Lord was using for the people in this area. We're told to forget about ourselves and that it's not about us, it's about the investigator and I truly believe that but as time went on I was feeling like I wasn't important at all. And then I would feel bad when I would think about myself or home or how hard this was. It was a vicious cycle. However, during that meeting with President Odjers I felt like I did matter very much. I felt so at peace and loved by President Odjers. That night during my prayer just before bed I asked Heavenly Father if that was how He felt about me and I got an overwhelming feeling of comfort and confirmation that I meant the world to Him. He let me know that I was being taken care of and though this was hard, it was worth it and it was only for my good. He let me know that He was with me during everything and that I could do this. Let me just say that 10:30 is my favorite time of day...haha and not because its bedtime, but because I get to talk to God one last time before the day is over and talk to Him about everything. I always go to bed with peace in my heart. The bible dictionary defines prayer as the time when the will of the child and the will of the Father are brought into correspondence with one another. How very true that is. Each time I pray, I feel that my will is swallowed up in His and I feel a renewed sense of "I CAN DO THIS!!" Pray is truly amazing, the Lord does "abide with [us]" during our prayers.

So, I am determined to enjoy every single day and every single hard moment! As I tell myself that I enjoy something that is hard I realize how much I do actually like it haha. And if I dwell on how hard it is...guess what, it gets harder lol, funny concept. What we get out of our trials are what we put into them! I am just going to let this time run its course and in the mean time, I am not going to waste any of it wishing for something in the future. I had a dream last night that my mission was over and I couldn't remember anything! I do not want a hallow year and a half because I kept waiting for one thing to be over with only to wait for the next thing to be over with.

The work here is going strong....people's hearts are ready for the gospel the problem is that they don't have any sense of urgency to live the gospel standards. Getting people to church is like pulling teeth, especially on rainy days!! A lot of people have testimonies and they pray every day, but when it comes to going to church or reading their scriptures, they don't see the NEED. And boy is there ever a NEED! The only way for us to receive revelation for our lives is through prayer, scripture study and church. We need those things as a foundation to protect us from Satan and his many attempts at destroying us. I get a little discouraged at the fact that they don't understand that. We really try and emphasize it and they seem to get it and we commit them to living the gospel and to do those things...and then when we follow up at our next visit, they haven't changed anything. Inaku!! They are sure great though, the people. So nice and funny! I do really look forward to becoming more apart of their culture!

Haha, those three 9 yr old girls....one of them has a dad that's not active, the other's family doesn't want anything to do with it, and the 3rd one with a baptism date, her dad just started taking the discussions and we are going to try and commit him to baptism this week...he seems very receptive!! Speaking of baptisms...i dont think i mentioned that we had a baptism the day after i got here! That was pretty cool, it was an older man and he is just the sweetest ever, he always feeds us marienda's and is just so nice everytime we come over to teach his daughter! And as far as overweight filipinos...there are some that are heavier but they mostly just have big bellies--from all that stinken rice which i told sis rivera that i can only eat it when we have meals at member's houses!
This week we are going on exchanges with sisters in the next area (one of them being the american who has only been here for 6 wks longer than me) and guess who I am going with.....the american girl! haha, somehow they trust us to be put together for 2 days not knowing the language. I think the district leaders or whosever in charge feels like we need to talk to one another about things!! Haha, im way excited!!!!

I want to end with this scripture that I found during my personal study and thought it fit quite nicely:
"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life"
3 Nephi 5:13

Alam ko na nabubuhay and Mananubos ko!

Mahal ko kayo,
Sis Carroll

Getting the hang of it

2010-08-19T22:07:00.002-07:00

So for now it would appear that my blog has turned into the missionary blog. I would go through and correct all the typosm punctuation and capitalizations but, well, I just don't want to. Missy is well versed in proper english, grammar and punctuation but she has a limited time for e-mailing so she doesn't focus on correction and neither will I.

Kumusta Kayo!!

So like the subject states, it's only been a week but if feel like it's been soooo very long!! Things are getting better each day haha, I didn't realize how many emotions were connected with a mission! I am able to understand a little bit more as the days go on...I just have to remind myself that i've only been here a week. I tend to get a little frustrated with not knowing the language or what's going on around me but that is perfectly okay because of coarse that stuff wont come for a little while! Anyway, it's really has been good...I like it here, it's growing on me :) I'll start with the crazy funny things that have happened before I get into the spiritual growth i've experienced in just one week...

First, let me just talk about the transportation for a little bit....talk about extreme go-carting!!! So mostly when we need to travel a longer distance or get somewhere in a hurry, we take a tricycle...a motorcyce whith an attachment. There are no street lights or stop signs or cautions....it's all open ground for anyone to drive anywhere haha! There's the occasional dotted line down the center of the street pero, that's only a suggestion. Everytime I ride in the tricycle I feel like I am on the go cart ride of my life!! It's like dodgeball mixed with go carts-- no joke! It's actually quite fun! There are also horse drawn buggies everywhere, i have yet to ride on one but really want to! And of coarse the jeepney'--which are just like the pictures on google! They are awesome! Most of the time though, we walk everywhere. Everyone is really close that we teach except for a coule people live out in the bundoks! Which is BEAUTIFUL!!! I took some pics today and hopefully can get them sent out either this week or next week! It is so so so green and full of plants of all kinds with HUGE leaves and colorful flowers. Seriously family, you have to come pick me up!!!!! By the end of the day though my feet are swollen and blistered--i wouldn't have it any other way :)

Doing laundry is interesting...the natives do it so well and make it look so easy, pero...it takes some skill which i will need to acquire! I like doing it though....it gives me time to think about things! My clothes feel funny when they dry though and so do my hands...then they peel! So let me just say that my hopes of losing weight here...not gonna happen! These Ilocano's know how to cook and it is sooo yummy and soooo fattening! Everything is fried and I definitely eat rice at every meal! I am going to have to tell Sis rivera that i'm only going to eat rice once a day because i am already gaining weight! Haha i weighed myself at our investigator's house (three 9 yr old girls) and it said 60 kilos which i don't know what that is in pounds but they were like "oh sister you are heavy!!" Awesome! So please let me know what that converts to :) It's funny, the people here say what they think about you not intending it to be offensive but they are just very blunt and open.

There is A LOT more english than I expected...most everyone understands at least a little english which is both a blessing and a curse. I am grateful because we can understand one another most of the time, but i also dont want to rely on english...i really want to learn the language and have to use it! But for now, during my part of the lessons its about 5-8 minutes of english and 1-2 min of tagalog! They conjugate so many english words too its quite funny. And everyone, whether they are members or not, calls each other brother and sister. It's pretty cool. Anyone we meet we call them brother or sister and everyone knows us...i feel like a celebrity! All i hear is "hi sister!" It's so cool. Everyone is so nice. And one thing that I will need to get used to is there sense of time....basically, they don't have any! Time does not exist, we will plan on specific times to go to people's houses but that all goes out the window, we just show up whenever and they are usually always there just chillin. Church always starts late and ends late but no one seems to notice or care. It's soooo different. I always want to be right on time and efficient but it really wouldn't do any good!

The rain is so sweet!! I just want to walk everywhere in it. Sis rivera always tells me to get out my umbrella but i never want to haha. it really hasn't rained too much yet, it's only the beginning of rainy season. The weather hasn't bothered me much, it does get hot but i really dont notice it. My skin loves it but my hair is so crazy!! A few days ago we were teaching 2 the first lesson and it started to rain so those 9 year old girls were holding our umbrellas as we taught--that was so cool!!! And that same night, I definitely got peed on by a little boy lol! I was standing on the porch and noticed my foot was the only thing getting wet and look down and yeah there was the little boy going to the bathroom! I just had to laugh.

Interesting fact: I counted how many times we pray in 1 day just for fun....we say 16 set prayers while we are in the apartment and then add to that 2 prayers for every lesson which is anywhere from 2-10 lessons a day....needless to say, a mission is 1 long prayer. it's quite amazing, i can feel the spirit really directing my prayers. The first time I heard sis rivera pray i was like holy cow that was really long, what did she even say and who was she praying for?! Now, I can see that there's no way you can just get on your knees for 2 minutes and accomplish everything that's needed in one prayer. I love praying! And I really love and value my morning study time. We do personal study for an hour, then comp study for an hour, then language study for an hour...that's a lot of studying and it goes by way to fast! This morning I was remembering the time I put into studying when I was home, some nights I'd read my scriptures for 2 minutes and call it good....how could I ever think that was sufficient to learn all that the Lord had in store for me. I LOVE reading the scriptures now and can truly see the fruits of my efforts in studying for that amount of time. I have learned so much. 2 days ago I was studying about unity and happened upon D&C 35:13-15 ( i think those are the verses) and it talks about the Lord calling upon the weak things of the world to thrash the nations by the power of his spirit.....oh boy Heavenly Father definitely knew that I needed to read that. I have felt so weak and so unlearned ever since coming here but I realized from that scripture that the Lord has called me in my weakness and that's how He wants me. He promises me that he will be my support, my shield, and will preserve me...and then that the meek and humble will have the gospel preached to them. That was a big confidence boost. I am nothing of myself, but with the Lord, I am everything He needs. Then yesterday I was studying unity again and came upon another verse that had the phrase "weak things" --He really wanted me to get the hint haha. You know, before coming here I had full confidence that I would learn the language, I wasn't worried about it one bit. However, it has been the hardest thing to keep that mindset. I find myself thinking "how am i ever going to learn and know what to say??" it almost seems impossible at times. I want so bad to express myself to the people we teach and for them to understand. As I was thinking that yesterday the scripture "trust in the Lord...and lean not unto thine own understanding" came to mind. My own understanding says I can't do this, it will take forever...but the Lord's understanding is that he called me to this work so he will provide a way. So as long as I remain humble and seek his will with the language and not my own, the language will come without even realizing it. I thought that if I prayed for the language to come quickly only because i wanted to be a better instrument in the lord's hands, He would see that i had a good desire and grant it to me. But my mindset has been changed. I realized that maybe it isn't the Lord's will that i learn the language quickly, maybe it is his will that i struggle with it for 6 months, or a year, or the whole time i'm here. I really wasn't seeking his will at first, i was seeking my own. I know i've only been here a week haha but i don't want to make any excuses for not being productive and for not being diligent. Now, I am going to accept whatever will come...I was thinking that this is my first area for a reason, im not supposed to be fluent in tagalog here for a reason. maybe there is someone who needs to see me struggle.

This hasn't been an easy week, but from a quote by elder holland "how could we think this would be easy when it was never, ever easy for [Jesus Christ]" --not a direct quote but something along those lines. Im grateful to be here and can't believe I still have 16 months to go lol!! I am looking forward to the many great experices ahead. We are teaching a 14 yr old girl and in her closing prayer (which was in english) this is one line she said that i'll never forget "I promise that I will be a good child to you" She is getting baptized in a few weeks and has the strongest desire to learn from the book of mormon. How impressed i was with her simple prayer....she is only 14 but she truly knows her relationship to her Father in Heaven, that God who created her. She is an example to me of a disciple of Christ, it is my prayer that I can be like her and promise that Lord that I will be a "good child" to him.

So....I failed to mention that I only get mail like every other week, including dearelders.....so mom, the best way now to communicate with me is through email, not dearelders haha. I wont get mail till this wednesday :) Everyone else can write me dearelders but mom i'd like to hear from home every week lol so you can email me--i have an hour now! And sorry if i don't write to people very much, my pday's are limited on time since i now have to hand-wash my clothes :) I will really try and get a few letters out though every now and then!! Thank you all soooooo much for your prayers and support. Oh and ps what is kiki's email address?!

Mahal ko kayo nang sobre!!!!!

sis carroll

mom:
Thank you for sending my email to bishop jones, im sure he appreciates that and he is able to send it to other members of the ward!! And can you please get me the recipe for no bake cookies :) and maybe some other simple food recipes that i can make for sis rivera and give her a taste of america! Also, for a package which doesn't need to be sent right away...rubber gloves and floride rinse from the ortho office, have kiki get me some please!

First E-mail from the Philippines!

2010-08-15T21:59:00.002-07:00

Kumusta pamilya at mga kaibigan ko!!!

Where do i even begin??! Well, I made it safely to laoag, that's a good start right haha! So, we got into laoag around 7pm Wednesday night along with an lds family who was picking up their sister missionary...and it was a good thing they were there because the mission pres wasn't expecting us but they were there picking up the family! I guess salt lake told them we weren't coming until Thurs morning, but all turned out well, we were taken to the mission home (which is SUPER nice) and we waited around for training to finish (they were training our new trainers) and then we all had pizza together. It was so crazy to believe I was there...the mtc seemed like a very distant dream. All of the trainers were really nice, all of the sisters were Filipino and only 2 elders were American. After dinner pres odjers let us go to bed early thank goodness because we were EXHAUSTED! The next morning we waited around for some new missionaries from the manila mtc to arrive and while we waited we had our interviews with pres odjers--i love him and sis odjers!! Full of energy and very nice and welcoming. one of the sisters told us that they are way cool and down to earth, she said we could talk to them about anything. Once the new missionaries came we had an introduction meeting and learned about the mission and got to know each other, then we had dinner then it was testimony meeting and then we got to go to bed early again. The next morning we had breakfast with all of the trainers then met together to find out our areas and our new comps!!!

So my trainer is Sis. Rivera, she is Filipino and speaks English but not very well...lol we have fun trying to talk to one another! And I am staying in Laoag for my first area...Laoag 3rd ward, its about 15 min away from the mission home. At first I really wanted to go far away out in the boonies...however, am i ever grateful that i am here!! we got to our apartment at about 1130, on Friday...i suddenly missed home, even the mtc very much haha! i could not believe what i was going to be living in...and the city was crazy--everything was just like i thought and just like what was described to me but you know, no one can ever be fully prepared for something like this! We got right into the work, we started planning for the day and the week and sis rivera told me what parts of each lesson i would do and which ones she would do--crazy!!! We left the apartment around 5 and went to some "appointments" haha, you don't really make appointments here, no one has any sense of time, you just kinda show up at people's houses or randomly see them walking around lol, its unbelievable. we were able to teach a few lessons and i did the best i could. We taught one girl who is 9 yrs old, actually there are three 9 yr old investigators and when we taught them they kept laughing at me trying to speak Tagalog and they wanted me to say the opening prayer and laughed through that...awesome lol. I'm not gonna lie, that first day I just wanted to cry and go right back home. I thought that once i got here i would automatically love it and not have any problem with culture shock, i was very much mistaken, i wasn't ready for this!

The next day my feelings hadn't changed much, all during personal study i just wanted to cry then when we did comp study sis rivera asked how i was and i started crying haha! i told her i was very grateful to be here and that she was my comp but that this is harder than i thought and also i was frustrated because i couldn't help her with the lessons, i said a couple sentences and then just sat there having no idea what anyone was saying, especially since everyone was speaking ilocano!! she cried with me lol, what a sight! Even after the crying session i still wasn't feeling any better but we went to the church building and Heavenly Father gave me a tender mercy....There was another sis missionary there that left the mtc 6 wks before me so i knew her a little bit and she came up and gave me a hug (which didn't help the wanting to cry situation) and she kept asking me how i was and i told her ever since i got here i had been on the verge of tears. She was so helpful! She said we were in the same district for one thing so we'd see each other once a week and she told me that she didn't like it at all for like 3 weeks but one day she just woke up and realized that she loved it! Talking to her gave me a lot of hope! It's not that i hated it at first, it was just really hard to be here. It's good to know that i have someone close by who knows exactly what I'm feeling!

Church was very interesting...it was 1/3 in English, 1/3 in Tagalog and 1/3 in ilocano haha! Quite amusing! They had me get up in sacrament and bear my testimony in my broken Tagalog--again with the tears, i swear I've never wanted to cry so much lol and i don't even know why! i just told them all that i couldn't speak very well but i loved them haha. I have progressively started liking it and loving the people. sis rivera is amazing, i couldn't ask for a better trainer. She is very patient with me and i can tell that she really wants to help me. She has been here for 6 transfers already ( a very long time) so she knows the area very well and the people all know her and love her. The ward members are all really nice and understanding and want to help me as well. Some of them also are quick to give me suggestions on how i can learn the language and what i said wrong but i know it's out of love and a desire to help me lol! There is a less active family, the Guillermo family, that we go to a lot and we taught them on Saturday night. Sis rivera had me teach them about faith and hope from helaman 12:4 so i said a little bit about it and shared the scripture then sis rivera asked them something about hope and one of the daughters answered and started crying during her reply, eventually the whole family was crying (even their 8 yr old boy) and so was sis rivera! What was even going on?? i had no idea, i could really feel the spirit though and the love that this family had for one another. It was interesting too, that morning i just started studying helaman 12 and then shared what i learned with sis rivera. then when we planed what to teach this family she told me to share that scripture. I truly feel like i was guided by the Lord to study that. And then guess what?! The mom was at church yesterday! This work is so amazing and the had of God is definitely in these people's lives. We really just need to help them see that.

Well, you probably want to know about my apartment and the city....there's no place like home, that's for sure! The Philippines is so so beautiful and green!!!! Other parts...not so much like our apartment for example..its very old and dirty, however i think it's nicer than other ones i will have in the future! our bathroom is about as big as the Gerbers shower...actually it isn't even a bathroom, i would call it a shower with a random toilet and sink put in there. There's no divider so when we shower the whole bathroom gets wet! and the toilet, yeah that's just gross, there is no lid or even a seat! but hey there is toilet paper haha we have a health poster from the mission home up in our house and it says to ALWAYS use toilet paper....awesome that it needs to say that. actually, we were at one teaching appointment and i used the bathroom and there wasn't toilet paper and it didn't flush at all! There are bugs all over our house, not very many spiders but plenty of cockroaches! and there is a goat on a leash across the street and a rooster on a leash around the corner which is the funniest thing!! I will get a picture of that one day for sure, its just on the side of the street in front of the church building! And i can't believe how most of these people live, just brick walls and sheets and tin roofs, dirt floors kids running around everywhere. But they are happy, life is hard but they're happy. I get called beautiful a lot haha. We'll just be walking down the street and someone will call out "sister you are beautiful!" I haven't eaten anything too weird yet, sis rivera cooks for us all of our meals...some things id rather not eat but i don't want to hurt her feelings. last night i ate a chunk of fat...mmmmmm!

I really feel like i will be loving it in no time, so don't worry about me :) i just laugh to myself sometimes at the things i see and feel! The Lord is with me no doubt about that, i have seen Him use me already and it makes me excited for when i can be more of an instrument in His hands. The church is definitely true in all parts of the world, God's language is universal, thank goodness! He knows and loves ALL of His children. I am in Laoag speaking tagalog for a reason, of coarse it would be much easier for another filipino to take my place and have me back in the states in a comfy way of living, but God has all wisdom and power, He knows the beginning from the end and my trust is only in Him. I know that I will be able to look back on this and be grateful and be able to see the fruits of my many labors. Thank you so so so much for your prayers and love!! It is truly a blessing to be here!!!

I'm sure there are so many more things i could say but time is up, i will maybe be sending pics next week!!! And guess waht, you can still used dearelder.com!! Sweet huh!? Talk to ya'll soon!!!

Mahal ko kayo!!!
Sis. Carroll

Finally!

2010-06-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

I've just updated and still have a post from our Mexico Trip and Kiki's engagement in the making.

Another graduate

2010-06-12T21:44:00.004-07:00

Coco graduated from Mesa High on May 27th. Graduations are boring for the most part but we sort of hooked up with the people sitting next to us who were from Venezuela. Those people know how to party! My sister woohoo'd for their graduate so they whoohoo'd for Coco, Ruth, and Dr Hamberlin's daughter McKenzie. We even got invited to their after party....with a DJ and everything and lots of food...."but no frijolies" we graciously declined But told them we would always remember them.

We are so proud of Coco. She got through these past 13 years with a lot of blood sweat and tears but she persisted and never gave up. You go girl!

I'm a little concerned about the date on this photo.

These are some of the pictures her sisters took for her graduation announcements

And she's off!

2010-06-12T10:27:00.009-07:00

Bright and early on June 2nd we put Missy on an airplane headed for the MTC. She was SO ready. On the way to her gate she said I just want to bypass the good-byes and get on the plane. She had been saying good-bye to family and friends for the past week and she just wanted to move on. I made sure that OUR good-byes weren't long and drawn out so she could get on her way.

There were very few tears. I wasn't sad to see her go, it's what she's been preparing for for a long time. I wasn't worried that she was going to the Philippines half way around the world...she's in good hands. I know as long as she is obedient, whatever challenges come her way will not be by accident. I am so proud of her I can hardly stand it. Any tears that were shed were for that reason...pride spilling over.

This was the night before after she was set apart. It was supposed to be of just my girls but my sister was standing in just the right spot of two mirrors. She's kind of creepy.

These next pictures bring a lump to my throat.

Especially this one

In her first email home she said she is loving the MTC. She is in a companionship with 2 other sisters, one she gets along with very well the other has presented a challenge, but she is up for it. There are 14 in her district and she was made district leader because her last name came first in the alphabet.

Falling Up

2010-06-12T10:11:00.004-07:00

So for about the last 2 months or so I've been walking the track at Mesa High and running the bleachers. As I steadily approach 50 the elasticity in my body has sprung and gravity is taking over, I had to do something. Running was never an option because I hate it but running up and down the bleachers doesn't feel like it beats me up so much and it keeps my heart rate up.

Well, running bleachers comes with risks. I have been fearful that I would mistep and fall down them and break a few things in the process. Apparently I was worrying about the wrong direction I would fall. I mis-stepped alright but on my way up! I would much rather fall up than down, I mean seriously how far UP can you fall? However, not only was my pride wounded as there are many people who run/walk the track but I skinned up my left shin pretty good and had to get 8 stitches in my right ankle which Dr Frost did for me the next morning when I got to work. I hope I don't start growing teeth out of my ankle since he's a dentist and not an MD.

A week later Christy who I work with and who is also my cousin gets stitches in HER ankle... compliments of Dr Hamberlin...she was doing dishes the night before and dropped a knife. I don't remember if it attacked her on the way down or if it hit the floor and bounced.

Mission Call

2010-04-17T08:16:00.004-07:00

I keep getting in trouble for not updating my blog. Mostly by people who don't have a blog and try to live vicariously through mine.

Missy's mission call is a month old but the video is still fun to watch.

This first one is just panning the room so we can remember all the people who could be there and who love her. The dude with the goofy smile at the end of this one is my baby brother...he makes me laugh.

This one is self explanitory.

Apparently.....

2009-12-26T08:53:00.002-07:00

The apples don't fall too far from the tree.

I am sad to say my 17 year ticketless run has come to an end.

Stitches, Staples and Splints

2009-12-06T09:07:00.016-07:00

November was an interesting month. It started out with Pat working on a roof and getting into a fight with a power saw. You should never fight with something that has more teeth than you do..you will always end up on the losing end of the battle. A word to the wise, power tools have saftely sheilds for a reason, taping them to stay up is not such a good idea. I should note that it was not his saw, his had the saftey in the proper position.

OUCH!

I'm proud to say he kept his cool and got himself off the roof without further injury. He and a co-worker checked out the damage and decided that the blood flow did not keep time with is heart beat and 911 would not be needed. They administered on the scene first aid and he drove himself to the doctor who is also his friend.

With one of these......

A litte of this.....

And one of these.....

Wah-lah! A millipede is born!

The next morning found him a bit lame from his injury and he had to send Alec into the attic to retrieve the crutches. He took the day off to nurse his wound but went back the next day and did what he could. He reported having to walk around the cul-de-sac to loosen up his leg first.

3 weeks later I didn't think it looked so good.

He thought he would save himself a trip back to the doc and remove the staples himself. It didn't take him long to decide that was not a good idea. Why do guys think they can do such things?

As of this very day his leg continues to heal but will no doubt leave a scar that his grandchildren will ask about.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving day. The feast had been devoured, Pat and his brother were doing dishes the rest of us were in the backyard enjoying the beautiful weather. Alec and I were throwing a football.......I can throw a pretty mean spiral.....catching requires a different skill altogether. One particular catch attempt caught my middle finger straight on. I was afraid to look at it. When I did I didn't like what I saw. Dr Alec examined it and told me it was jammed and to quit whinning. HMMPH! I iced it off and on for the next couple of hours, bending it everying now and then to make sure it still hurt.

Over the course of the next few days I was called a baby multiple times by my son and was told that he had jammed HIS fingers many times and they always got better. Yeah, but did your fingers bend weird at the knuckle? This question was met with and eye rolland an "oh my gosh!" So after 5 days of pain and persecution I decided to take matters into my own hands. I remembered I work in a dental office...we have x-rays...we have an x-ray machine. When I got to work the next morning I snapped a couple of pictures...the same finger on both hands...I needed a point of reference.

Normal finger, right hand

Broken finger! Left hand...Validation!

Dr Frost was kind enough to email the x-ray to his orthopaedic friend who said it needed surgery. Crap, how much time off work would THAT require? You never want to be off long enough for the bosses to figure out they do just fine without you. Besides, while he'd never admit it Dr H always misses me when I'm gone. I was given the name of a hand specialist, who told me that these kinds of injurys rarely need surgery...

And put my finger in this.

I'm pretty sure I could have saved myself $370 bucks with a popsicle stick and some duct tape! I'm stuck with this on my finger for 2 weeks at which point a new x-ray will be taken to see how it is healing. I took another x-ray myself today and it looks no different to me...but I'm no doctor. The official diagnosis...mallet finger...what the?!. Swell, not only do I have a wrist that looks like it has bunions from breaking it 2 years ago while ice skating New Years Day (I'm sticking to board games on Holidays from now on) I now have a finger that is a tool for pounding things....hmmmm, has anyone seen Alec?

A Few Years Ago....

2009-11-06T14:10:00.005-07:00

These two people got married

November 9, 1956

After 6 kids, 34 grandkids, 9 great grandkids and 53 years under their belt they are still going strong...albeit a bit slower.

My dad once asked me if I knew how they'd lasted so long.....why no, no I don't...well, said he, I don't try to run her life and I don't try to run mine. Haha! Mom says she keeps him around because he still makes her laugh. Whatever their secret, it has worked well.

I think they are still a cute couple.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Love you!

Professional Photos?

2009-11-02T16:24:00.008-07:00

I've never been very good at getting family portraits or individual portraits of my kids. I think the last family photo we had professionally done was when I was pregnant with Alec...he is 16, so technically he is IN the picture you just can't see him.

It would appear that he decided he wanted his picture taken so he and a couple of friends set out looking for a photo op. They choose to go with a black and white picture which are nice if you get the right exposure. Once I saw the picture I could tell whatever he has to pay is too much. His face is not clear and there is a beam of light across it....and it's not because he's an angel. His friends...well, I had to touch them up myself and they still look washed out. I don't know, what do you think?

If you're interested in having your photo taken you can find this photog on US 60 at mile post 180 although it's a little pricey and you only get one picture.

I'ts a Dog's World

2009-10-10T08:27:00.006-07:00

Last weekend we had a furry visitor for a few days while her mom was visiting a friend in Texas. I'll let her tell the story of her visit in her own words.

HI! My name is Macie. You can call me....Macie. So you don't get me confused with the other dogs in the story I'll introduce them.

This is Kia, AKA The Flea Bag, she is a shih tzu just like me! That alone should have made us BFF's, I would soon find out this was not the case. Everytime I would get near her she would growl at me and everytime she would growl at me Kim would say "pipe down ya flea bag!" So I would walk by her often just to hear her get yelled at.

This is Cricket, AKA The Mom. It didn't take me long to figure out why she was given that nickname. She was the only dog in that house that was nice to me. If one of the other dogs was growling at me she would come from where ever she was and stand between me and them to protect me. She played with me and let me lay by her. When I would get the zoomies she would too but after a minute she would have to stop and hack because she is old. I love her.

This is Coco, AKA Coco. Mean little chihuahua dog. She belongs to Kim's parents who were in Utah(does that make them sisters?) She whined a lot and I enjoyed annoying her, she didn't scare me like Kia did.

She hated when I did this, so I did it everytime she wasn't paying attention. What you don't see is her turning and snarling at me and me running around and then flattening myself on the tile. I thought it was a fun game, she did not. I thought she was telling me to do it again when she would snap at me, I guess not. I don't speak spanish.

Here The Mom is showing me around the backyard, it was a huge place and I wasn't so sure about it the first time back there. Once The Mom showed me around I didn't know what to sniff out first! Notice all the leaves on the ground? By the time I left half of them were on the floor in Kims house compliments of my long lucious coat.

I don't know if you can tell but I am running full boar! There was something about the great outdoors that always gave me the ZOOMES!

It always required a period of panting and resting.

In this picture I am getting ready to pounce on Coco and she is telling me that if I do she'll roll me like a taco.

Go ahead and try chica, I've got The Mom as my bodyguard!

When we were in the backyard I would zoom past Kia and she would charge at me and growl but I was too fast for her. Here she is telling me that if I zoom by her one more time I'll be sleeping with the fish.....I hate that dog!

Here me and The Mom are getting ready to rumble!

I'm trying to get her in a headlock

Body slam!

OK, OK, Uncle already! I loved playing with The Mom

I had a great time at Kim's house I hope I get to stay there again sometime!

A smile in an unlikely place

2009-08-31T18:47:00.004-07:00

So! After a long absence from my blog I'll attempt to redeem myself with two posts in less than a weeks time.

As some of you know, I had my hair cut off the beginning of summer. Well, I get a bit anal where my hair is concerned and continue chopping and hacking on it my own self. It drives me nuts when it's not symmetrical and I make feeble attempts to make it so. Sometimes I cut it wet, sometimes dry. I always clean up after such attempts but sometimes clumps go un-noticed.

Several weeks ago I was attending to some business in the...uh...ahem...bathroom. Since the toilet paper didn't need changed and with lack of decent reading material on hand my eyes began to wander around the room until they settled on...

THIS little gem!

Yep! that's MY hair smiling at me!

Smiles come in all shapes and forms and in the most unlikely places. This one brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.

Anyone still there?

2009-08-29T12:16:00.004-07:00

Have I been a total blogging slacker or what?! Does anyone even visit my blog anymore? I hope to be better, until then I'm resharing.....

The following is a repeat of last years post on this very day. I've made just a few changes that apply to today, like her age, but everything else is still the same.

Monica was my parents first child to be born…but also the first to die. She died on January 3rd, 1997 of lung cancer. She was 37 ½. Today she would be 50. She would probably do something crazy like run down the street in the rain (if there was any) rain, trip and fall, trash her leg (she did all this once) and then have a fit over the need for first aid. Her daughter Brittanie gave a wonderful tribute to her several Christmases ago and if you want take a minute and go here and read about her from her daughters perspective (warning-get a kleenex) http://nbakbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2006/12/that-holiday-feeling-for-some-reason_15.html#links

And her latestest post remebering her mom Beautiful Life: Happy 50th To My Mom

Oldest of 4 girls and two boys. She was an energetic, full of spunk, kind of kid. To me she was the one with the boyfriends. The one that lived to be social. She loved to dance. She loved to sing. She loved the young women in her ward. But most of all…she loved her man and her children! She thought her kids were the only kids that were in the room. She would sew and sew and make all kinds of things for her babies. She loved to be crafty. She would make stuff to sell and make extra money for Christmas. She saved and saved so she could buy herself a ticket to see Phantom of the Opera. She would start to tell you a funny story-usually about Stan and before she would get to the end she would be laughing so hard you couldn’t understand what she was saying…but you would be laughing equally as hard because she had a way of getting you involved in the story. She would tell equally funny stories on herself as well. One thing is for sure, where ever she was, that is where the laughter was.

As an adult Monica had numerous friends. In fact everyone she met-she considered a friend, whether they were 20 or 82-age didn't matter. She didn't waste time on others shortcomings, life was to short for that, she just loved people and they loved her back. If you were her friend you were her friend for life. Her funeral was standing room only at the stake center. I think every person she had ever known from grade school on up, was there, people we had long forgotten but had somehow learned of her passing and wanted to be there because she had touched their life in some way.

I think of Monica often, but today I think of her especially. I wonder what she would think of her daughters? I wonder what she would think of her only son-Joseph? I wonder what she would think of her grandbabies? And then I know!!! She would be amazed at the beauty of her girls! She would be thrilled with their life choices. She would remind them they were daughters of God who loves them by how she felt about herself. She would be in awe. And Joseph-she would think...this is Stan in miniature. This kid is so funny and goofy and smart and so reminds me of why I married his dad!

But....we cannot just give a sentence in a paragraph to what she would think of her grandbabies!!! She would eat them alive! She would start talking in their voices-like she did when her kids were little people! She would be sewing them dresses, making them things for their rooms, she would be spending her summers with them-nothing stopped her from going on a road trip. She would load up whoever was going in the car that was functioning the best and off they would go.

Oh there are many stories of Monica, and really you can't post about someone and give them justice in just a few short paragraphs...but this I know. She was my older sister, my friend, my confidante, my favorite comedian, life of the party, my teacher by example. Thinking of her does not bring sadness, only the fondest of memories, I love her and I miss her!

Happy Birthday Sis!

(A thank you goes out to my sister, Shaunna, for helping me with this post and providing the pictures)

This picture was taken just before all of her hair fell our from Chemo.

Thanksgiving Day 1996, it would be our last with her.....sniff

Her kids at her funeral

Prom

2009-05-09T14:23:00.005-07:00

Don't all couple pose like this?

It's only fair that he gets a turn

Another predictable pose

I couldn't think of anything to say about this pic

I love this picture

The happy couple

Someone must have thrown water on her because she began to melt

It is important to share the evening with those you love most...sisters, cousins, and friends

I don't remember what was so funny but apparently Coco thought something was.

I'm happy Coco got to spend a fun evening with Johnny, they had a good time with the group they were with and no one lost a glass slipper.

Preparing for prom...in my opinion...is always a bigger deal than the actual prom itself. Shopping, accessorising, hair, make-up, pictures, and the sheer anticipation is the most exciting part. The dance itself is more of a "let's see who can be the biggest hoochie" show. I'm grateful modesty is not an issue in my home.

Coco, you were beautiful!

Allergies?

2009-05-06T04:43:00.003-07:00

This just makes me laugh. That poor mama bear is like....what the...?!?

You will need your volume turned up

Anatomy of coloring Easter eggs

2009-04-12T06:56:00.010-07:00

First:
You need willing hands....

Group pictures work best

Second:

Lay down newspaper and all needed supplies

Third:

Appoint a supervisor with evil eyes to keep things under control

Fourth:

All eggs must be inspected for cracks

Fifth:
Assemble yourselves and commence coloring

If a late comer wants to join in....

an inquiry must go out to the supervisor...

who will let said late comer know that tardiness is unacceptable and all she can do it watch...

late comer is not happy but abides by the rules.

All eggs will be judged by the supervisor for content and creativity

Only the best are displayed

2009-04-05T13:04:00.002-07:00

Shouldn't this be in spanish?

Microscopic

2009-03-29T07:22:00.003-07:00

Friday at work I found myself all BY myself. Dr F and his girls had finished for the day and Dr H and his girls were at the Queen Creek office. I enjoy the solitude and quiet of the office when I am the only one there. I think I would do well on a deserted island....for a while.

I had completed all the pressing tasks for the day and was waiting for Dr H and company to finish up at QC so I could do his day sheet and and finish up final reports. Technically, he should have been done around noon but how do you tell someone who is in pain that they will have to wait until Monday? If you want the weekend to last longer just go through it with a toothache! So he stayed...he just a nice guy that way.

I walked to the lab to put something back there and my eye caught the microscope in one of the operatories. I have always wanted to see what the inside of a tooth looks like using one of those things, but since there were no teeth to view I thought I would check out my fingernails.....bad idea, I won't be doing THAT again, for two reasons...

#1. Fingernails should NEVER be seen that "up close and personal" I only THOUGHT I kept my cuticles under control.... and what is THAT?

# 2. I became nauseated, not because of what I was seeing, disgusting as it was...but the mere motion of trying to keep my nails in focus while looking through the eye piece made me physically ill....motion sick so to speak.....it stayed with me until well after I got home. I can't play Mariocart for the same reason.

Don't worry, I didn't break anything, I barely even touched it, however next time I think I'll find something more productive to do.