The Joys of Being a Redhead

This past week I was at Wal-Mart standing in the aisle trying to find a particular item that I needed. This old man and his wife walk past me and he stops and says "Your hair is so beautiful." He then turns to his wife, puts his arm around her, and says "But I am partial to redheads." Her hair was very very obviously dyed a shade of red that just wasn't natural. It made me laugh and made my day.

Coming To Terms

I am sorry if I grossed anybody out over my last post. I was home sick and needed to vent. I guess that is what this blog is for. Yes, I am feeling much better now, although it was a pretty lousy weekend. And no, I am not pregnant. I have pretty much given up hope of becoming pregnant anytime soon, and I am coming to terms with that. After failing my first round of fertility treatments I am beginning to feel that I am fighting against fate. It's just not meant to be right now. I think I am ready for a break. I am tired of the emotional roller coaster every month and feeling like my world revolves around my menstrual cycle (I am sure you wanted to hear that, too). I am starting to accept the fact that all of my friends from high school will have kids in high school when I finally have a baby, and you know what, it's OK. I used to get annoyed when people would tell me to "enjoy this time before you have kids because you never get it back." Isn't 8 1/2 years long enough? I used to feel bitter about my job, thinking that if I knew it would take this long to start a family I would have made different career decisions within the pharmacy profession and that my "sacrifice" to stay where I was was for nothing. I am starting to get over these feelings. When I really think about it, these past couple of years have been a blessing. I paid off my student loans, traveled the world, and have spent some wonderful time with Carl without being a student (something that didn't happen until we had been married for over 6 years). That doesn't mean that I won't have an occasional breakdown in church or feel out of place with my friends, it just means that I'm learning to be grateful for the situation that I'm in.

Sick Day

I work out in Tooele once a week, and although it is a long drive, I really enjoy the pharmacy and the great techs who work out there. Yesterday was my day to work in Tooele. It started out fine and dandy until about 2:00 PM, when I started feeling queasy. I thought I was just hungry so I ate my lunch thinking I would start to feel better, but I just got progressively worse. By 5:00 I was lying on the floor in the break room and the techs were bringing me prescriptions to check...not a pretty sight and certainly not conducive to good patient care (fortunately it wasn't very busy by this point). One of the clerks called Sheldon, the pharmacy owner/manager, who came in so I could go home. Unfortunately I live over an hour from Tooele and unfortunately Carl was at a Scout campout in Kamas for the night. Let's just say the drive home wasn't pretty. I ended up puking all over my car driving on I-80 towards Salt Lake. I called my mom who, fortunately, was home. I made it to her house in Sandy without any more incidents but my car was a complete disgusting mess. Being the angel that she is, she cleaned my car up along with help from my wonderful step-dad Brent, so I could go take a bath and lay down. I ended up staying there for the night so I wouldn't have to be alone. I came home this morning and am feeling a little better, but I miss my husband. He went straight from the campout in Kamas to West Jordan for drill. I hope he won't be too late. All I can say, is I am SO GRATEFUL for a sweet mother who is still willing to take care of me although I am 28 years old. It's also a good thing I have Monday off so I can take the time to go get my car detailed.

A High 5 at Taylor Drug

A couple of weeks ago a news crew from KSL 5 came to Taylor Drug to honor one of my co-workers, Clayton Grace. Clayton set up a foundation to help his sister-in-law, whose husband is in a wheelchair because of Multiple Sclerosis, remodel her home to make it wheelchair friendly. It was an exciting day at Taylor Drug (fortunately I wasn't in any of the camera shots that they aired). Clayton is an awesome guy and he deserved it. I feel fortunate to work with such great people.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Paris

I know it has taken me forever to post the pictures from our trip, but here they are. Enjoy!

On the second floor of the Eiffel Tower

Outside of Notre Dame

In the Louvre Courtyard

Me and Venus de Milo

Just imagine hearing "it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be" in about 10 different languages and it's almost like you're there!

Arc de Triomphe

Enjoying the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

The Orsay Museum which houses Europe's largest collection of impressionist art. I am listening to an Audioguide tour that we downloaded before we left, not music on my iPod (for the record).

"The Thinker" at the Rodin Museum

Pictured with us is Carl's friend Valerie. He met her on his mission and her and her mother were great friends of his in the branch in Tours. She now works in Paris and met us for dinner and a walk around the Eiffel Tower.

Leaving Paris for Amsterdam

The Loire River Valley, France

Chaumont Castle

Chambord Castle- Carl is pictured here with his cute nephew Roger

The tree-lined walkway leading to Chenonceau Castle

Chenonceau

Azay-le-Rideau Castle

Amsterdam and Antwerp

Carl and the Holland Cow

A Riverboat Cruise that travels through the canals of Amsterdam. We took a similar tour the night before.

Me outside of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. We had just finished touring the house, which is now a museum. They do not allow pictures to be taken inside the house, but it was an incredible experience. Anne Frank's experience during World War II exemplifies what it means to be human. It was incredibly touching and surreal to see where her and her family hid for almost 2 years during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

A typical canal street in Amsterdam

Carl with our cruise ship in Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp's City Hall

We took a little tour to Ghent, Belgium. Ghent is a city originally built during Medieval times that survived the bombings of 2 world wars. This is a Medieval castle.

We also toured a little chocolate shop in Ghent and got to sample yummy Belgian chocolates.