Lanie's blessing.

We traveled to El Paso for Lanie's blessing. We were so thankful for the good weather that enabled us to travel during a time of year when we seldom even leave Cache Valley. It was beautiful and sunny and of course the weather in Texas was heavenly. We loved being outside with just sweaters. Here is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with cute little Lanie.
The Cain family. They are just about as perfect as they can get. It was so nice to see Miki again after his year in Iraq. Lanie was so cute in her blessing dress. It was fun for me to make, but hard to guess her size. I still made it a little too big. But better that then too little. I am glad that Tovi let me experiment. Kylie and Sadie are so cute and make such great big sisters. Lanie was so funny during the blessing. The whole audience had a hard time not laughing out loud. She was so mad because she wanted the microphone and the Aaronic Priesthood boy that was holding the mic for her dad wouldn't let her have it, of course.
Lanie enjoying her food. She loves everything her mom feeds her. She is so pleasant and fun to play with. She is rolling all over. She also got her first tooth!!!
While we were there the weather was good and so Miki spent time fixing up the back yard. They set up the hammock on their new deck in their back yard. Tovi, Sadie and Lanie were enjoying the sun shine.

Bryson Family Party

Michael and I. Aren't we the cutest couple. This is actually a pretty good picture of us.
The Bryson Clan: Don and Heidi, Ralph and Sandy, Maureen and Layne, Jane and Mike.
The Bryson boys!!! Don, Ralph, Layne and Mike.
Elaine and Jordan Miller and boys, Mason, Miles and Vance.
Sherry Bryson.
We had a lot of fun, eating, talking and laughing. We don't get together often enough. It was a very enjoyable time.

Christmas 2010

I received this cool cooker for Christmas. It is an Xpress Ready Set Go. You can see the delicious Christmas breakfast of stuffed french toast that I made with the cooker. I hope it will be a fun addition to my kitchen.

Christmas Letter

Here is our Christmas letter. We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.

This is my latest creation. It is a sweater if you can't tell. It is "Fairy camouflage", so Ady can hide while she is looking for fairies. I think it turned out pretty cute. It is my first sweater!!! I would love some patterns for crocheting sweaters. There are not very many out there. Most of the patterns are for knitting.
I love this time of year! The weather is warm and beautiful but really cools off at night. I just wish there were more time in each day to enjoy the outdoors and still get all the things done I need to and also work!
I am still working on loosing weight, lost about 10 lbs, but now I am at a standstill. I guess I need to get into a good exercise program. I am thinking of weight lifting. I will post when I find out how it works for me. The program I am going to start is called P.I.N.K. fitness. It is a series of workout DVDs. Just 20 minutes 3 times a week. Also includes a barbell and nutrition booklet. I am excited to start.

Lovely picture of Rhona and Penny

I found this lovely picture of Rhona and Penny on facebook. My how cute they look and happy!!!
It sure would be fun to visit them. Oh, well, I will just have to keep dreaming. I have been busy working and just trying to get things done around home. I am getting quite a bit of scrapbooking done. I am almost finished with 2008. Pretty soon I will be up to date. I am also working on a couple of fun projects. A cute little baby sweater and a Christmas afghan. I got some really good deals on yarn and so I have a lot of projects to keep me busy. Mike and I have been enjoying watching some good movies too. It is fun to spend time with him. He has been doing better this last day or two. He has more energy and has been able to get out and walk a little bit. We had fun looking for shooting stars last night. Did any one else see any?

Stent Shawl

My latest creation. I crocheted this shawl while sitting around with Michael in the hospital. It goes really nicely with one of my skirts. The yarn is part bamboo and is really soft and silky.

Bucket List

We started the week with a visit to Dr. Faux. Mike had been feeling really tired and weak and on our last trip after walking up a ramp had an episode of chest pain that lasted about 15 minutes. Dr. Faux did an EKG which showed a new incomplete left bundle branch block, so he scheduled a treadmill test. On the treadmill Mike soon was showing problems, his heart slipped into a funky rhythm with a very wide QRS and a complete bundle branch block, he also passed out. Dr. Faux caught him and helped him to a cot. A rapid response team was called and soon he was admitted to the ICU. The picture above is of the monitor by his bed. After about 2 hours his heart rhythm converted to a normal rhythm and he was observed. Among the things discovered with the lab work was a critically high tricyclic antidepressant level, 1100, should have been between 100-200, which we think was a result of his kidney disease which did not clear the medicine from his system. They started treating him for the high levels and the kidney disease. He also had another episode of chest pressure while he was lying in bed. So a heart cath was scheduled.
During the heart cath a couple of blockages were seen in the Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery. So he was loaded up on an ambulance and shipped to Ogden to McKay Dee Hospital.
During the Angiocath 3 blockages in the LAD Artery were seen, a balloon was inserted and 2 stents and he was cured. Wow!!! The advances in medicine are awesome. He was sent back to his room for recovery but to heal the femoral insertion site and stop the bleeding pressure needed to be applied to the area, so they used a huge C clamp and clamped his leg tightly to the bed. Every few minutes the nurse would come in and slowly release the pressure. This worked very well and by midnight he was able to finally raise his head and get something to eat.
Here is the picture of him after the whole ordeal. We were able to return home the next day for him to rest and complete his recovery. He is doing very well and feels really good. He has had lots of well wishes from family and friends. I was amazed at how well things are going. I was also amazed at how intensely I worried about him.

So during the process Mike mentioned that a few of the things that happened should go on his bucket list as they were firsts for him:
1. being the object of a code.
2. having two IVs at the same time, one in each arm.
3. ambulance ride (he would like a helicopter ride next!!)
4. using a bed pan.
5. using a urinal while lying down.
6. being clamped to the bed!!!

There maybe others but these are the few he listed. Maybe we should work on a better bucket list????

San Antonio

Graduation, Jon is the second row in 2nd from the right. You can recognize his pale skin and profile!!!
The Bryson's reunited. The kids were excited to see their dad. Ady, did not want to let him out of her sight. I think Holly felt the same way.
Ady and Will waiting for the parade and their dad. It was sure hot in the sun!!!!
Jon's group were carrying the flags. It was an awesome program, and I did get tears in my eyes. I really am a softy and very patriotic. I like flags, parades and ceremony. It is amazing how good these kids looked.
Jon and Ady in front of one of "daddy's planes".

El Paso

Grandma with the two newest babies. Lanie and Will.
Lanie was such a good sleeper. It is amazing what babies can sleep through with kids all over the house.
Three little princesses and a little boy who thinks he is as big as they are. He almost made it on the stairs. "Put down the camera and save the child!" Ha ha! He wasn't in any danger.

Trip to El Paso May 2010

Lanie receiving a bath. She loves the bathroom sink and loves water.
Kylie, Sadie, Ady and Will playing in the pool in the back yard. It was a fun cool down on a hot day in Texas.
We stopped at Salmon Ruins in New Mexico. Ady enjoyed running around and seeing the sites. These ruins are awesome.
This was the old storage cellar at the ruins. I really like it and think it could be my new home. As you can see it is well preserved.
A cute shot of Ady and Will in my car on the way to Texas.

New Crochet projects.

I have been working on a few more items. The top is a blessing dress for little Lanie Cain. I used for a pattern a dress that was made for her mother, many years ago. I just need to get the slip made for it.
This is another afghan that I made, I will give it to one of my friends in the ward. I liked this one as you make it like a granny square but just keep going until it is the right size.

Weight Loss Group

Well, I have been trying to loose weight. Doing ok, but not as good as I would like. I am setting up a Bryson Women Weight Loss Group. Anyone who would like to join me!!!!!!! My goal is 20% of my present weight in 2 months. If I work really hard I my be able to attain it. Let me know if you are in!!!!! I will send more info on the Bryson Yahoo Group. Maybe even post a picture!!!! UGH!

New Car

This is my new Car!!!!! It is a Nissan Altima. I really like it and enjoy driving it. I liked my previous Nissan Versa, but this is a lot nicer and more comfortable for me to drive. I find it hard sometimes to fit in cars because I am so short and round!

Crocheting Afghans

These are a few of the Afghans that I have been making lately. This one is for Nicole Witte Nagelschmidt.
This one is for Tovi's new baby. Lanie Vaea Cain.
This rainbow one I gave to a coworker at the hospital for her new baby girl which should be born shortly. I am working on a few more.

April Fool's

Well, what a funny April Fool's Joke!!!! Somebody must have spent all night setting this one up. You would hardly think it was Spring.
I was remembering some of the fun April Fool's Days from my past. When we were kids someone would always trade the salt for the sugar before breakfast, Koolaid was made without sugar. Grandma Henry would come over very early in the morning and with a ball of yarn tie up the cupboard doors, wrap the yarn around the furniture and around door knobs, it was a fun maze and my parents would never let us cut the yarn. It was Grandma Millet's birthday and when we were visiting her there were always lots of tricks pulled. One time my dad made a beautiful birthday cake for her out of a block of wood. He even decorated it so awesomely. She actually started crying when she couldn't cut it with her knife. Then he brought out the real cake. It is fun when you actually fall for the joke. I like to laugh at myself. At work we would list all kinds of weird patients on the board and get a good laugh at the looks on the next shift nurses and doctors faces. One time in Rexburg one of the nurses tied a string around a rocking chair in an empty room and out through the window. He would make the chair rock when people walked by. What a fun tradition and day!!!!!

Visiting

Had a fun visit with my oldest brother Ed and his wife Joyce. We had a nice chat about families, and plans for the future. What a nice afternoon. We also had delicious parsnip soup which Holly made and cinnamon pull aparts. That all just made it perfect. Wish we could have more of these times together.

Broken Foot.

Well here is a picture from last Thursday. I was riding my pet giraffe, he got running really fast and then pulled up short and I fell off (actually I stepped on a blanket, hiding under the blanket was a sippy cup, which of course rolled and tripped me up). It was a long way to fall and of course I twisted both of my ankles. The right one took the full weight of my fall and so I broke my posterior malleolus bone on the lower back of the tibia. I also put a little crack in the fibula. The doctor put me in this boot to support the ankle but told me not to walk on it. So I am hobbling around with a walker, and hopping on my sprained, left ankle.
I am so glad to have good helpers here to take care of me. I am spending a lot of time in the recliner with both legs elevated. Everyone brings me medicine, drinks and anything else I happen to need.
The really frustrating thing is that I can't work until I can walk on the foot. Which means that for now I am using personal leave and my coworkers are having to pick up the shifts. I feel really bad about that, wish I could do something about it, but I can't.
I go back to the doctor on Thursday and then we talk about how well it is healing and what the future course will be.

Rhona and Johnny had a baby girl on January 3. Penelope Joyce. She is way cute. She was born a month early but weighed 5 # 11 oz. Rhona and Penny are doing good.