I woke up last Sunday to some major back pain. I’ve had back problems since 6th grade so it wasn’t anything new. However, by Monday I was in such severe pain I found myself in Urgent Care.

Since then, my medication has been increased and the pain is still unbearable. So today I went and got an MRI.

Bad news.

I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon on Tuesday because I have a badly ruptured disc. It looks like it’s surgery for me with some pretty intense recovery.

I haven’t stopped crying since I got the call. I’m devastated. As usual, my timing is impeccable being the 1st week of December. {{sarcastic}}

I do want to send a big blog thanks to Cindy, Kim, Tiffany and Heather for the dinner they sent over!! That was so unexpected and seriously so thoughtful. Thanks Ladies!! {{teary}}

My family LOVED it and it was a nice break for Jason who’s been up with me and Drake all hours of the night, working from home, and trying to juggle the jobs of Mom and Dad.

I haven’t had surgery before and I’m really scared. I’m just hoping that I can keep it together for the kids and still give them a happy Christmas.

The girls over at the Lil’ Peanut Patch interviewed me for their Marvelous Mommy feature. {{ahh shucks}} Thanks Ladies! It was a fun interview and thanks for the huge compliment.

If you’d like to get to know me a little better, head on over. Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

I know I’ve been a terrible blogger. I didn’t even take many pictures this week. {{drat!}} Please forgive me and here’s briefly what I’ve been up to the past week…

Calli organized a girls night to see The Women movie. I’m a Meg Ryan fan and enjoyed seeing her back on the big screen. The entire theatre was packed with women and it was such a fun filled night of girl power. Afterwards we celebrated more girl time at the Cheesecake factory. It was a nice break from reality.

Saturday, Cheryl hosted book club. Thanks Cheryl!! The food was so yummy, the conversation was great, but the friendships were the best part.

Monday my friend, who I threw the baby shower for, had her baby girl and I watched her diabetic son over night.

The needles were small, so giving him the shots weren’t as stressful as I thought. However, figuring out the dosage was. I was able to talk to her throughout the evening and confirm everything I was doing. But somehow we messed up on dinner. How do I know? At 10:30 when I checked his blood sugar he was at 275! (100 is normal) I then had to give him 2 different shots and if I messed it up, I would have killed her little boy. {{panic}} Luckily, Jason had just gotten home from school so he there for much needed moral support.

Of course I couldn’t sleep. I checked on him a couple times during the night to be sure he was still breathing and sleeping soundly. He was. He woke up at 6ish and was at 110. {{whew}}

In the end I was so grateful that my friend trusted me with her precious boy. I realized {{once again}} that we all have our difficulties and trials in life. I needed little Quinton to show me that even through difficult trials we can have a positive outlook on life and just roll with the “punches”. He’s such a delightful little boy and we felt honored to have him in our home.

“They say it’s your birthday! dat dun na nun na nuh!” Tuesday was the big day and Casey hosted a lunch with the girls (Mavens & Book club). It was such a beautiful day so we ate outside and had a lovely time.

Katrina & Jenni gave me this amazing gift basket for my laundry room. Katrina couldn’t be there to see my reaction, so I thought I’d show her how much I love the gift!! {{giddy}}

Laundry Room Before

Laundry Room After

What do you think Katrina & Jenni? I still need to get an isle or something to prop up the fish. But I love it! You girls are so flippin‘ fabulous. Thank you. {{hugs}}

Thursday, I had another b-day luncheon filled with friends and bloggers who I adore. Thanks Ladies for such a wonderful afternoon and all your thoughtful gifts.

Last week I sat down next to my friend Trish and she smelled so good. I asked her what she was wearing. She giggled and was a little reluctant to tell me. Finally she said, “Fantasy by Britney Spears”. We both had a good laugh about it. Mainly because it really did smell good on her. Well you could imagine my boisterous reaction when I opened up my own bottle of “Fantasy” Tricia gave me for my b-day. FOTFL!

I also CRACKED UP at Jenn’s gift (who’s now private) of Red Bull. That girl knows exactly what I need. {{wink}}

Thanks Ladies for all gifts and for all the yummy goodies!

For my birthday Lisa and Scott made me a shirt that says, “Yes, I have 3 boys. Yes, I wanted a girl. No, I’m not trying again!” Because of this post. I freaked out when I opened it up!! They know exactly how to make a girl practically pee her pants!

They were pretty proud of themselves and LOVED my reaction. They also made me a mix CD which is one of my favorite gifts right now.

On Friday my family came into town to celebrate Dylan’s baptism. My mom, sister Lisa, brother Scott and I did a little retail therapy that afternoon. We may have gotten a little crazy in the store.

That night was Rochelle’s annual slumber party. It’s always a great time filled with amazing women, reminisced memories, and bonding moments.

I arrived late and had to leave early which was a bummer. But I had a ton of family at my home, had a ton of food to prepare, and had to get to the church early for Dylan’s baptism and open house the next day.

My love language is quality time so hanging out with these women means the world to me. I’m constantly being inspired and uplifted by the amazing women around me. {{hugs}} Since I arrived right in the middle of a game, I didn’t get to take many pictures.

This year, Lisa was able to come and celebrate girl-power with us. It was such a fun evening. Thanks RO! You know how to throw a par-tay.

My mom made this pink crown cake for me. She used ring pops as the jewels in the crown. How amazing is that! I was a little uncomfortable with all the attention but instead of shying away, I just went with it…

I also want to thank you (blogger babes) for your kind e-mails and e-cards wishing me happy birthday. They lifted me up during a stressful time and brightened my days. You Rock!

So I’ve been reading up on how to promote Tip Junkie. Ok, that’s an understatement. I’ll come clean and admit that I’ve been completely obsessed with learning how to market Tip Junkie. Why? Because I have this unceasing drive.

I don’t understand it, either. Sometimes I feel like I’m selfish and I just want to have something that’s successful that I can call my own. My kiddos are hard and I need another outlet that’s my own and something I can be proud of. That could totally be it.

However, I really do feel like this is one of my purposes in life. I’ve done a lot of soul searching and I really feel like this is what I am supposed to do. Which explains this crazy drive to keep pushing myself. I’ve been told my entire life that I have “unusual talents”. Well – here you go – I’ve found a place to put them to good use.

Anyway, one of the ways to market your blog, in case you’re interested, is participating in social networks. I love to feel useful and helpful. So I’m open to helping others a little more. However, I HATE new technology. Yes, I married a tech junkie and he’s constantly uploading new versions of everything that can be upgraded. I rely on him a lot. However, with blogging it’s been different – I’m want to be on my own. Which is why I can get really frustrated!

Anyway, my vent is over and to make a long story short{{er}} – You can join me over on Twitter, if you’d like. We can tweet together.

It only took me an entire DAY to figure out that there’s nothing to figure out. Just type in a sentence and the people who have joined your network see it. No brainer. Why do I have to make everything so hard? {{Lisa – that’s a rhetorical question}}

I’m so behind on my blog. What happened to the good ol’ days when I could blog for hours? {{reminiscing}}

I have a lot going on right now:

Dylan’s birthday party is Friday, I’m hosting a baby shower for my neighbor and friend next Wednesday, and then Dylan is getting baptised the following Saturday. Jason just announced he has work stuff next week and my mother-in-law called and wanted to know if they could come stay with us if the hurricanes take a turn for the worst. {{hurricanes – panic!}}

To top it all off – Drake wants to potty train. What?!? Are you kidding me? I tried to get Davis to potty train for a year and Drake doesn’t it without my consent. {{Drat!}} I keep telling him that “pull ups are big boy pants” but he’s not buying it. He’s constantly taking off his pull up to go potty. This is followed by a mandatory congratulatory high five and hugs. We get him dressed again to repeat a couple minutes later. Geeze!

You’ve probably already read Chanda‘s account of what happened when we helped a man having a stroke. It happened a while ago but I’m still freaked out about it. I drive pass the Sonic/Auto Zone several times a day and I can’t help but feel my mortality.

I don’t like it.

Last Monday was my 13th year wedding anniversary. I’m not sure it was a coincidence that our Internet went down, my iPhone stopped working, and since we have Vonage we didn’t have a working home phone either. (If the Internet is down – my home phone transfers to my cell phone. Oops.)

Unlucky #13 – maybe that explains my run of bad luck this year. Um – probably not. I’m a terribly unlucky person. However, there is one area of my life where I’ve been extremely lucky! And it started the day Jason convinced me to marry him.

Yes, Ladies it took a lot of prayer, fasting, and even a father’s blessing for me to calm my freaking out head and listen to my heart. Jason chose me, worked hard to keep me, and we’ve been grateful for those early struggles ever since we got engaged.

I saw him at his worst and he saw me at mine. There hasn’t been any surprises since.

I wouldn’t get engaged until Jason moved back home, enrolled in school, and picked a major. He did and we were very young and very broke when we got married. But my mom made the gymnasium of our church beautiful.

We asked our wedding party to all wear black and white.

Lisa, Annette, & Michelle were my bridesmaids. My mom made their dresses and I still like them today.

The groomsmen wore white tux’s with black lapels and ALL the father’s wore all white tuxedos. Getting these “good ol’ boys” in tuxedos was a true testiment of how much they liked me and welcomed me into their family.

Our first dance.

My mom also made my dress. I totally had to have “puff sleeves”. I wanted a dress just like the one in “Little Mermaid”. How silly is that? Ariel looked so fab with her puff sleeves and skinny waist. I had to do it too. {{giggle}}

My mom made the wedding cake. She even painted the little people on the stairs to match my bridesmaids dresses and hair color. You know I love OTT.

I love this picture of Jason. He’s constantly putting up with my crazy ideas.

Who ever decked out our car were professionals. It took years for all the bird seed to get out of the air ducts. Geeze!

To this day, I consider this special moment the day I stopped sleep-walking through life and really started living it. Jason and I challenge each other and have worked together to have the life we have today.

We’re so much alike. We fight the same, we like the same movies, food, and have the same interests. Together we have created a life that we didn’t think was possible. I’m so grateful that he chose me!!

“J, I love you more than the universe!”

Saturday, we literally spent the entire day at the lake. In the morning Jason got up early and went wake boarding with the guys. The kids and I met up with them and their families at a more reasonable hour.

The kids had so much fun. I was too busy chasing around Drake to take any pictures – shame on me. Anyway, that evening we got a babysitter and it was “night games” for the adults.

Jet Skiing…

Tubing…

… and lots of laughs on the boat.

We enjoyed yummy snacks and even had some non-alcoholic bubbly. You can barely see the moon in the background of this picture (above). The flash was so bright we could barely keep our eyes open.

Around midnight on our way back to the dock, we found a boat that had run out of gas. They had little kids with them. {{scary}} Luckily, we were able to tow them to the shore.

This was my first experience out on the lake at night and it was so much fun and exhilarating. The company was amazing and I loved reconnecting with these amazing friends.

I’ve got to officially congratulate my man (right) for winning the ‘game changer’ award at work. He works for Eaton Corporation, a 13 Billion dollar company with approx. 80,000 employees in 29 countries. Jason was 1 of 14 selected for this most prestigious award. Here he is shaking hands with the company’s CEO, Sandy Cutler.

Jason came up with an idea, designed the web-based software, and now they’re implementing it throughout the corporation. I am so proud of him! I admire all the hard work and dedication he has for the many passions in his life. And I’m honored to be one of them. he he

Would you believe Jason was a welder with only a semester of college when we met. “Honey, you’ve exceeded my expectations and anything else you achieve in your career is a bonus. Love you more than the universe!”

Friday, Lisa and I took some family time and had lunch with my brother James. It was great to catch up on his life and hear all the goings on of his business, as a mobile DJ. Afterwards, we did a little shopping and I got the kids some gifts to bring home.

Lisa and I can’t stay out of mischief. So that evening we decided to check out the massive house being built behind Melissa’s. It totally took her view of the valley and she’s a little miffed about it. {I would be too!}

This house is really INSANE take a look at that ceiling!! To our good fortune, while we were trespassing, the designer stopped by to inspect the progress. He was so warm and kind that he took us on a tour and explained what was what.

The architecture of the home is outstanding. There are so many cool curves and unique designs. He said that due to the economy he hasn’t worked in 6 months. So if you’re looking to drop a cool Mill on a custom home in Utah shoot me over a e-mail and I’ll hook you up with a designer that will make you feel like the Millionaire you are. (I take a 1% referral fee.)

Friday night we went and saw Iron Man with Melissa’s in-laws. The movie was really good – not for children though. Anyway the best part was afterwards we went into the bathroom and saw these 2 girls primping in the mirror. The entire time I using the facilities I was tyring to figure out how I could get a picture of them!! It turns out Lisa was doing the same thing.

(You know you’re a blogger when you can’t pee because you’re laughing so hard trying to figure out how to get a picture to post on your blog.)

Anyway, we came up with this idea. Lisa and I posed next to the restroom and waited until they came out and then Melissa took the shot. How’s that for making it work.

So here’s a glimpse of what the goth population is wearing in Payson, Utah. The picture doesn’t do their hair justice but I’m glad we got it on film. Talk about priceless.