Autumn update

Cameron has gone fishing, I am recovering from a week of being really sick, and a lot has happened over the past several months, so I decided to do a quick update. So, here's what's been going on with us:

 - The thing that has impacted my life the most lately, is that on September 14, I lost my sweet Grandma Hiatt. It has been such a difficult thing to deal with. I think about her every day, and there are times when I forget that she is gone. I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with her during the last year of her life. Being unemployed was truly a blessing sometimes. I would drive her to appointments with her doctors, and during the last few months of her life when she couldn't be left alone, I got to spend many precious days with her. She forgot a lot of things, and it was hard to watch her fade away, but the gift of that time spent with her is something I will always cherish.  Grams kept her keen wit and fun sense of humor until the very end. In the few days before she passed away, our family came together to care for her and for each other, and that is another thing I will cherish forever. I will probably post more about the entire experience sometime, when it makes more sense in my head, but I am so grateful to have had such an amazing woman in my life. I have so many wonderful memories of her, and I learned so much from her.

 - Cameron did some freelance work for one of the guys on his team at Westech. He designed some silicone watches for a clothing company. He really enjoyed the process, and the opportunity to learn more about product design outside of waste water treatment. He is such a talented man in so many aspects. I loved when he would run his preliminary designs past me and ask for my input. His watches are sold here if you're interested :)

 - I turned 32 - Ahem, I mean, 29 - on October 1. It was a fabulous birthday! Jorjette was able to fly in from NYC for the weekend, and we went to Wendover to see Dwight Yoakam! We had such a blast...feather boas and birthday tiaras, getting our boogie on with Dwight, and just being our amazing and fabulous selves. Cam was a trooper and a total sweetie to give me up for the weekend. I love it when my Big City Sister comes to town, and he knows how special she is to me, so he is very understanding and accommodating when she comes.

 - Cameron and I were able to go to New Mexico in July for the Whetten reunion. I went with Max and Sharon last year, but Cam hadn't been able to go for 3 years. We had a great time. Cam was excited to see his cousins, some of them he hadn't seen for several years. We always enjoy our time with the Whettens. They are such a great family, and a lot of fun! We had lots of games and activities, beautiful weather, amazing food, and great campfire music. We are already excited for next year!

 - We decided this year that the first weekend of August is designated for the Kelley Family Camp-out. This year we went to Great Basin National Park. We hiked to Stella Lake, toured Lehman Cave, and had a wonderful time. My dad was so excited to tour the cave with all of his grandkids. I think he would love to still be a ranger out there doing daily cave tours, if he could. He is always very courteous of the tour guides, and usually hangs in the back of the group so he can tell us things that the guide might have missed. We look forward to our adventure next year, wherever we decide to go.

So, there you have our quick update - which turned out to be kind of long!

Who knew outhouses could be so exciting?

(This is really an exciting thing, even if it sounds a little weird.)

Cameron has a good friend named Andrew, who is attending grad school in Norway. Andrew has become very involved in humanitarian work, specifically water and sanitation, and he came up with an idea for an outhouse design that is very sanitary and uses existing materials to build. It's an awesome idea, and would be ideal in a place like Haiti, where there are lots of people who need a place to...well...go.

But awesome ideas need $$ to get off the ground. Andrew applied for a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to get this project going. He hired Cameron to draw some plans for the proposal.

It was announced today that Andrew was awarded the grant! And Cameron's drawings are used on the website!

This is a project that is definitely going to make a difference in the world. Cameron is honored and excited to be involved.

So, check out the website and take a look at the drawings, and read the blurb about the project.

Prayers please :)

I know that most of the people who read this blog don't know
my mother-in-law, Sharon.For those of you who don't know her, you should
know that Sharon is amazing!

She means the world to us, and we were devastated to learn last month that
she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
She is scheduled for 4 rounds of chemo. Round 2 is on Friday.

Sharon is content to be behind the scenes.She doesn't like to be the topic of conversation or the subject of worry. So, of course, she is fighting this battle very quietly. Any time any of us ask her what she needs, her reply is always, "I don't think I need anything. I'll be ok."

One thing that is always welcome, however, is a prayer on her behalf. I believe in the power of prayer and positive thought for healing and comfort. So, if you get a chance this week, please say a prayer or send a positive thought for my sweet mother-in-law.

Sharon has an amazing spirit and a lot of faith.
She has a lot of strength and a strong will.
We are optimistic that this battle will end in a victory for Sharon.
Your prayers will help!

We love you Sharon!

I just have to say...

...as I'm sitting here watching my sweetie cook dinner (ahem, t-bone steaks with a some kind of pan sauce involving garlic, onions, mushrooms, and bacon. HELLO!), and thinking back on the lovely hour or so I spent eating sushi and visiting with friends today, I just had this realization that, you know, I am a very lucky lady.

(And very good at writing very long sentences.)

:)

Looking forward

It's that time of year again. Time for the dreaded resolutions.
You know...those things I never keep?
So this year I am going about this a little differently.

I talked to my Grandma one night last week and she was telling me about Grandpa's sister, Renee, and how Grandma remembers that every day Renee made a list of things she wanted to accomplish. They could be big or small things. Then you cross them off throughout the day. No matter how trivial your task list might be, you get the satisfaction of crossing off each item.
Grandma decided that she is going to start making her list every morning when she first wakes up. When all of her "chores" done for the day, then she can read a book, or watch a movie, or do whatever she wants for the rest of the day. I decided I really liked this idea, so I told Grandma that we would start this New Year's Resolution goal together.

So, my New Year's Resolution is this: every morning I will make a list of at least 5 things that need to be done that day. Then, when my chores are done, I can do whatever else strikes my fancy.

I am really hopeful that this will help make all of the big things that I need to get done seem more manageable, since I can break them down into smaller tasks on paper and tackle them on a smaller scale.

Part 2 of my New Year's Resolution comes from my pal Jaala. She chooses one word that will be her resolution for the year. It is a word that encompasses everything she wants to accomplish for the year. So I'm going to this, too.

My word for the year is: Today

I am the queen of putting things off until tomorrow. Doesn't matter what it is. I'll fold that laundry tomorrow. I'll do the dishes tomorrow. I'll scrub the shower tomorrow. I'll work on my scrapbooks tomorrow. Etc, etc, ad nauseum. Well, no more!
We're 5 days in, and I've completed 3 lists and only put a few things off until tomorrow.
It can only get better, right?

Happy New Year!

I keep this moment by and by...

I love Christmas. It's such a joyful time.
It makes me happy to see people trying to spread love and joy.
I love being with my family and friends.
I love thinking about the first Christmas.
I love the music.

This is kind of a melancholy thing to write about, but I am so overwhelmed by this one song, that I have to share it.

Wintersong, by Sarah McLachlin has such a profound effect on me.
I can still remember the first time I heard it, a year after my Grandpa Hiatt died.
I was listening to Sarah's new Christmas cd while I was putting up the Christmas tree.
The song started and I got chills, and as I listened I sat there
on the living room floor and sobbed.

The melody is beautiful. The message is sad, but so beautiful.
I couldn't help but think of my Grandpa.

I envisioned Grandma and Grandpa together in their younger days, and all of the Christmases they shared together.
I thought of my sweet Grandma and
how much she missed my Grandpa - how much we ALL miss him.
The further it went into the song, the harder I cried, and then...
...I couldn't help but smile.
As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like the spirit of my Grandpa touched me that day.
It was a moment I cherish.

It was so hard to lose Grandpa so close to Christmas. It still makes me sad, and I miss him so much...

...but I think in many ways it was a gift.
When Christmas comes we all miss him.
But we are reminded of how much he loved us, and how lucky we are to have each other.


I love my family. I love Christmas.
I love this song:

Dust Bunnies and Poker Faces

Hi everyone.

I suck at blogging.

But I'm still here!

Since the end of summer with everyone going back to school, I am bored out of my mind. I'm home all day most days. Boooooring.

I've finally gotten around to making sense of my house. That was supposed to be my first order of business once I quit working. Ha ha.

I listen to daytime t.v. and music while I sort, toss, and rearrange everything. And let me tell you what, my house was home to waaaaayyy too much dust.

I don't really miss working, but I really, really, REALLY miss people. I'm starting to think of Lady Gaga and Ellen Degeneres as close, personal friends of mine since I hear them every day.

I promise, I'm not crazy. :)

But seriously, I never thought I would ever, EVER listen to, let alone like, Lady Gaga.
She's fun to clean house to.

Anyway, a summer recap with pictures coming up soon.
Also, some new projects I'm working on.