Elijah's Surgery...Oh Mickey You're So Fine!

It was dark out as the alarm buzzed in my ear, my first thought was...my phone's buzzing I need to see where it is before it stops! Then I realized that Anthony had set his phone alarm for me since I lost my phone and ALL my numbers on Sunday. Who gets up at 5:00a.m.? I jumped out of bed, surgery day...I practically dragged Elijah off the bed by his arms, he is the worst kid to wake up! Ponytail, sweats, throw on a little makeup and then out the door.

What are all these people doing out and about at this time of the morning...traffic at 5:45am? Arriving at the surgery center, wow, only five minutes late...a new record for me! We get inside, of course we are the first one's there (1st surgery scheduled), she squeezed us in and I'm sure no one else would ever request a 7:30 surgery on purpose.

I look for the most comfortable fluffy couch and sit down preparing for a long wait. We get taken back rather quickly, I look over at Elijah, "Are you nervous?" "No, I've watched those surgery shows on t.v." The nurses are very nice and thorough. They go through everything in detail and even tell him that several people will be asking him the same questions over and over again to verify everything.

Dr. Bayati comes in to mark his foot. She looks more like a fashion model than a Dr. She is young, shoulder length brown hair, pulled back away from her face with a leopard print headband. She is wearing a stylish black button down cardigan, black top and super cute dark True Religion jeans with tall pointy boots. I had to take a second look because I swear she looked like she just stepped off of a Vogue magazine add. I think Elijah thought her name was Dr. Hottie! Don't worry, she did change into her scrubs and no they weren't designer (I checked...hahaha). The anesthesiologist came in and got him all hooked up, I requested an extra dose of anti-nausea medicine (don't want him losing it in my car...mama would be throwing up right along with him from the smell).

I headed back out front to wait...yay no one had taken my comfy couch! There were quite a few older ladies waiting and an older husband and wife. Just as I sit down, they call the husband back for his procedure, he jumps up and heads towards the open door. His wife yells out, "HEY, wait a minute, aren't you forgetting something?" We all turned to look and see what he had left. She sat upright at the edge of her seat, hands on her hips, staring at him. He quickly turned around and shuffled over to her, leaned down, smiled and gave her a big kiss, then heads back. We all start laughing, she grinned and with a New York accent said, "Oh that's nothin, he forgot to kiss me on our weddin day! He just started headin down the aisle to get congratulated for gettin married! I had to yell out, GET BACK HERE AND KISS ME!"

I don't know if you're supposed to be quiet, in a surgery center, but we all burst out in loud, boisterous laughter. We could just picture her yelling at her poor nervous new husband. I told her, "At least he's consistent!" The lady behind the glass looked sternly at us. I'm sure she thought, "What is the matter with this rowdy group?"

I was so entertained that I lost track of time and before I knew it, Dr. Hottie came out to tell me it went well and he should be ready shortly. I knew they would have trouble waking him up...it was about another 45 minutes. They wheeled him out to the car, helped him inside and seat belted him in. He kept saying, "Hey, where are we...Hey, my foots numb...Hey those nurses were super nice...Hey I'm hungry. I stopped and got him some french toast sticks (thinking the bread would be okay on his stomach). We finally pull into the driveway, I quickly gather up all his things and my paperwork, get out of the car and rush around to help him out. As I open the door, he is loudly singing, "Hey Mickey you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind, HEY MICKEY...HEY MICKEY!" I was laughing so hard! How does he even know that old school song?

So the theme of today is...Hey Mickey by Toni Basil...now sing the first verse and you'll have it stuck in your head all day!

Christmas Vacation and Basketball

Football is over and I was looking forward to basketball season for a little break in the rushing around. It isn't exactly happening the way I planned it. With Elijah playing on his Jr. High team and PC Hoops, Adam playing on the freshman team and Jullien and Dillon are playing PC Hoops also....my schedule is still crazy! I've been getting home at 9 or 10 every night!

I'm starting to do a countdown for my vacation...I can't wait to get away, three years is just too long. In the meantime I'm trying to find some place for my dog to stay. I don't want to put her at one of those boarding places. They just keep them in cages and then take them out for walks. Allie (my husky) NEVER is put in a cage...she will lose her mind! So I've been racking my brain trying to think of someone who can keep her for us.

As with any trip there is so much planning and I'm a spur of the moment type of person, this organizing and scheduling stresses me out. On top of it all, Elijah goes in for foot surgery on Tuesday, then he has to stay off of school the rest of the week before vacation. I've been contacting his teachers to try and get all of his homework lined up so he isn't swamped with work when he gets back from vacation.

I still have done ZERO Christmas shopping. I have to get something for all of my family in Utah and my kids to take with us since we'll be arriving on Christmas Eve...which is usually the day I do ALL my shopping, (terrible procrastinator). I need to by for my step kids since they can't come with us and Anthony's family. I'm working everyday and we will be leaving on the 23rd right after I get off work...I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!!

This weekend we have both football banquets for Jullien and Elijah, 3 basketball games, and I get to go on my birthday photo excursion...so this weekend is definitely out. Knowing me, I will wait till the 22nd to do anything and then yell at my poor husband because I need help. Uh oh, I'm getting stressed talking about all of this stuff...I'm going to bed so I don't have to think about it! HELP!!!

December 8th Birthday-NEW ADDITION!!

(TGI Fridays)
Yesterday was my birthday, my mom's birthday and now we have a new little edition to celebrate our day. My sister April had a beautiful baby boy, Tyce, who weighed 8lbs, 20 inches. So now we will have a triple celebration every year. What a great birthday present!

I had a great day, my work took me out to a huge lunch. Then when it came time for my family to take me out to dinner, I wasn't even hungry. I pushed the dinner time all the way back to 7:00 p.m. hoping I would get my appetite back, but it didn't happen. Luckily I have tons of boys who are NEVER full, they cleaned their plates and then polished off the rest of my dinner.





Everyone showed up except for Natascha...she had a final at school. We took some pictures in this really cool courtyard, it had water streams running through, waterfalls, and abstract art. We all climbed up on this mini pyramid looking thing to take a picture, when the security guard came charging towards us (I don't think we were supposed to be standing on it). The kids took off running and the guard started to go after them, then he walked towards us and just looked at us...he wanted to say something, but I think he was shocked that we weren't kids. So we calmly kept walking and when we reached the kids we told them that the guy was chasing them down. They said, "REALLY" and all started laughing.

(Shadow Boxing)

(Adam aka Monkey Man)

(Busted~~~Climbing on the Pyramid)
We seem to cause trouble wherever we go...even when we're just trying to take pictures. What's up with that? All in all it was a really good day...besides the fact that I'm getting older (YUCK!!)

My Cool Birthday Present

Yesterday at work my boss said she's been racking her brain on what to get me for my birthday (Monday, December 8th~not telling the year). She sent me this email:
Hello,
I hope this message finds you well this holiday season. I would like to invite you to my upcoming Kirstography Photographic Excursions. I have 8 excursions planned throughout Los Angeles in December. Each excursion lasts 4 hours, providing plenty of hands-on instruction and time to practice. The cost is $65 per photographer & is limited to 5 people.For further information or to book your excursion, please call or email.
Kirsten L. Levisen
310-980-8581
kirstography@ca.rr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstography
http://kirstography.smugmug.com/
Sunday, Dec 7th - Holiday Lights @ Griffith Park
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing holiday light displays after dark.
Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures.
You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos.
Control Shutter Speeds:*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action)*Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.dwplightfestival.com/index.htm
Friday, Dec 12th - Santa Monica Pier-Night Lights
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Santa Monica
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the lights on the Ferris Wheel & other rides on the Santa Monica Pier. Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. Twilight is a beautiful time of night to capture all the of the lights & action around the pier. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos. Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control
Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.santamonicapier.org/location.html
Saturday, Dec 13th - Getty Villa
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Malibu
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Roman inspired architecture and gardens of the Getty Villa. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.getty.edu/visit/
Thursday, Dec 18th - Griffith Observatory
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
A twilight Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Art Deco architecture of The Griffith Observatory & the L.A. skyline. This excursion starts right before sunset & ends after dark. So, bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) *Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes. Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/vshuttle.html
Saturday, Dec 20th - Union Station & Olvera Street
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the architecture & activities of Union Station & Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture:
*Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds:
*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds*Leading Lines*Curves*Compression/Expansion*Low Angle/High Angle View Point
*Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
Union Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Los_Angeles)
Olvera Street http://www.olvera-street.com/html/olvera_street.html

Now all I have to do is pick a day. How awesome is that present?! When I take pictures...I just guess at the settings and hope it comes out okay. Now I'll be able to learn details and the reasons behind it.

It's like learning a whole new language! The best part...it's HANDS ON, which I'm much better at than just reading from a book that doesn't make much sense to me. Now when I take my trip up to Utah on the 23rd, I can take AMAZING pictures and not doubt what I'm doing.

I've narrowed it down to two specific dates, one of the days teaches you the most, but I really need to learn about night shooting (I'm REALLY bad at it), so I'm kind of torn. I think I'll go with the day shoot and just pick her brain about night time settings...I'm kind of pushy that way.
I can't wait...it's the PERFECT gift!!

I'm Naive

I had to take Elijah to the doctor's yesterday because an ugly mole on his foot came back pre-cancerous. The dermatologist wanted a plastic surgeon to cut out the area around the top of his foot where the mole was because it will leave less scarring.

We went in and I just assumed that she would take care of it right then and there. She took a look at it and asked, "What day would you like to have the surgery on? It will have to be early in the morning because he will be put to sleep." I just kind of sat there for a minute, feeling a little stupid for thinking that she was going to do it in her office and we'd be on our merry way. Then I got a little stressed, I hate when the kids have to be put under. You think, "Oh it's just a basic surgery, but what if something goes wrong." Then I stopped myself from going to that crazy place in my head.

He will have the surgery on December 16 at 7:00 am. Then the poor kid has to be completely off of his foot for 2 WEEKS! There goes his snowboarding on our Utah vacation. Poor kid will be sitting around the house with his foot elevated. He felt bad that he wont be able to beat up his little cousins...they are a rowdy little crew and love Elijah's rough housing. I guess everyone will have to suffer...at least they will be together. I told him he should be happy he isn't going to be at home because all of his friends would be calling him to do stuff over the winter break and he wouldn't be able to (see, mom's always try to look at the bright side to keep our little monsters happy...LOL).

So my quick little office visit turned into a full pre-op visit...yep...I'm Naive!!

Christmas Card Pictures

Sunday we scheduled a day with all of our kids to take our Christmas card pictures (they even brought their girlfriends and boyfriend for a couple of pictures).

The little guys making fun of the couples

This is quite a task, having teenagers means BUSY schedules. We had my two sister-in-laws and their kids meet us down at the beach and we took some pictures of their kids too. As you can see...LOTS of boys!

(The boys & the cousins)

It was very hectic, not to mention crowded with other people coming up with the same idea. This meant trying to find a spot that random people wouldn't be in the background, roaming around. Between finding the perfect area and avoiding the direct sunlight of the day (1:00 p.m.), there was a lot of shadows that I've been trying to correct with Photoshop. I don't know what I'm doing yet, so I'm trying to wing it! I hate reading directions, but I think I'm going to have to break down and do it.

Me & My Honey

My boys

My second group of amazing kids

We also decided to bring our husky, Allie. I left her treats in the car so of course she wouldn't listen. During the family picture we were all trying to hold her and make her look towards the camera, while we tried to pose and smile. We came up with only 1 picture that everyone looks somewhat normal, even though Elijah is choking the dog. Let's just say it was comedy...(picture the Brady Bunch vacation episode!) Never a dull moment in our family.

(Our family-Anthony punching, the boys struggling with Allie-Tasha was ready...LOL!)

After we finished, Allie decided to go chase after and stalk a little poodle. Dillon went to try to get her away, she slipped out of her collar, while my husband ran over to help. They were running around yelling at the dog and Allie took off straight towards a family and pooped right next to the mom's chair. Then I had to listen to everyone saying, "Why did we have to bring her!"

You would think since the kids are older it would be easier to get them to pose. Nope...now they think they are so funny, making faces, wrestling, pushing and shoving. I would say, "1,2,3!" Right when I was ready to snap...I would get some crazy pose...I yigh yigh!!" I screamed, "KNOCK IT OFF! I have a lot of pictures to take and I don't want to be here all day!" They just laughed at me and wondered off to explore on the rocks...getting in the background as I was taking my sister-in-laws pictures. I think people just stood there staring at us thinking, "They're all crazy." It's like a three ring circus when we all get together!

1...2...3....WHAT?!


1...2...3...tough guys

1...2...3...Real cute guys!

1...2...3...EWE STOP IT...not you too...LOL!

Finally...the one and only decent family shot...

I guess I would have to say...Christmas card pictures=lots of drama!

The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving

Have you ever thought about the meaning of Thanksgiving? We usually all have a Thanksgiving day routine, something that has turned into a tradition of sorts. Whether it is splitting up the day between two family households or gathering at your home with everyone sitting around the table sharing stories, eating and laughing.

This Thanksgiving I was reminded of the true meaning of this great American holiday. I placed my annual Happy Thanksgiving phone call to my mom and dad in Utah. I expected the usual chit chat about the great meal, family in attendance and how much they missed us, but instead I received a much needed reminder of what this holiday is all about.

My sister and her husband have a friend staying with them who has had a really hard life. He never had the joy of celebrating holidays with his family. His girlfriend and her two children have been staying in a homeless shelter after being abused by her father. My sister asked my mom if it would be okay for them to come to their house since they had no where else to go. My mom was a little stressed about the amount of food, but for some reason she had actually bought two turkey's this year, and said, "Of course!" With everything that has been going on with my dad's health and his recent return home, my family had thought that this was going to be a "normal" family only holiday. However, often times things do not go as planned...we get the opportunity to step outside the "normal" and be blessed by helping others.

My parents ended up with a packed house, my nephew Johnny and his mom, Tyler's mom, Debbie, Tyler's friend and his girlfriend and kids. There was plenty of food, love and sharing. The gift of thanks and giving was in full effect. My dad held and fed the girl from the shelter's baby while she ate. There was plenty of food and it was a TRUE day of Thanksgiving!

My dad shared a special story that really put everything into perspective:

Several years ago there was a micro burst of extreme winds that ripped through Utah, tearing off roof top shingles and knocking down trees throughout the city. As a policeman, my dad was assigned the task of going to the cemetery and surveying the damage. As he stood looking around the grounds, large old trees uprooted, strewn about the grounds. He noticed that all the trees that were torn from their deep rooted homes were the ones that stood alone. The trees grouped closely together, were still safely standing, branches swaying in the wind, shading the grounds with their majestic beauty, sheltering each other from danger. He quickly realized how much trees are like our family's. With every storm of life...struggles, hurt, heartache, and illness, if we stand alone we will fall. However, together with your family's love, support and comfort we can get through the hardest storms of life.

Sometimes others do not have family in which to turn to and have been standing alone for so long that they continue to fall. Those of us blessed with a strong family unit can band together around those less fortunate and provide love, strength and support...just like a group of strong majestic trees providing safety from a fast moving storm.

HAPPY THANKS GIVING!

Family Day-San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

My husband's favorite football team is the Indianapolis Colts, and one of our friends has season tickets for the San Diego Chargers...they gave us four tickets to the game last Sunday. We took the two little guys (I know, I know, they're not little anymore, but we still see them that way). We got there about an hour early, ate some lunch and hung out in the parking lot throwing the football around. It was pretty cold out for us, probably in the low 60's...brrrrrrr...it's rough weather for us So Cal people, hahahha. So we bundled up in our heavy winter coats and headed in.

Now, I like the Chargers, Green Bay is my FAV team, but now that Favre is with the Jets, I like them too. It doesn't matter though, any team my husband likes I automatically root against just to get him riled up. We sat in a pretty rowdy section...especially for those people dressed in Colts gear. Anthony doesn't have anything so we were pretty safe. But I did rat him out to the people sitting behind us. They said, "What's up with all these stupid Colts fans?" Then looked at us and said, "You're Charger fans right?" I shot back, "OH, I AM, but he is a BIG Colts fan!" Anthony looked at me and said, "Way to throw me under the bus honey!" Everyone just laughed and the game started. People were throwing things at the people down below in the Colts jerseys as they stood up and antagonize everyone. The beer was flowing, with every new cup the crowd grew angier, louder and meaner.

I have a confession to make, I have a pretty bad temper and smart mouth. I can be very confrontational if I'm pushed. Since becoming a Christian and really trying to be a better person, I've been able to keep it under control...until this short, little weasle decided to cause trouble. Here's how it went down: We were in line to get something to drink when this guy pushes his way right next to me. The line starts moving and I can tell he is trying to cut. So I make sure I stay right up on the guy in front of me and position myself to box him out. He shouts, "Hey, I was here first...the line's back there." I said, "No you weren't and yeah the line is back there so get back where you're supposed to be." "NO I was here you get behind me." "No you weren't freak" (yes my mouth tends to have a mind of it's own once I let it loose). He yells, "I'm not a freak, you need to get behind me." I said, "Okay you little weasle, what kind of a guy cuts in front of a girl and then tries to cause a scene? You're a freakin whack job!" "No I'm not...I was here!"

By this time Anthony came walking up and the guy looked at him. He has now stepped in front of me. I said, "Pretty sad when you cut in front of someone just to get a beer one person sooner, you're an idiot!" I guess you can say I was really ticked off because I usually never would have let him win. Anthony just looks at me and said, "Let it go, he's drunk and I am going to end up hitting him and get kicked out of here."

So I make a motion like I'm slapping the back of his head and then walk away to watch the monitor of the game while Anthony stays in line. I walk back over and now the idiot is complaining that the line is moving too slow. "How long does it take to get beer...I've been standing here for an hour!" The mouth suddenly shoots back, before I can stop it, "Yeah moron, maybe you should cut in front of those guys too so you can get to the front even sooner." He didn't say another word. Definitely not one of my finest moments, but I hate to let people get away with pushing other people around (I feel like if I confront them, maybe they'll think twice before they do it again).

Fast forward to the end of the game...the cops are arresting people left and right. One guy wearing a plastic hat shaped like the head of a colt had about three beers thrown at him all at the same time, drenching him...the cops came and took more people away. I look up to see who they are arresting now, only to see the little weasle getting yanked out of his seat by two cops, hands behind his back and handcuffed. As he walked down the stairs, head hung low, stumbling, I started clapping and screaming "Yeah...get the little weasle out of here!" I looked at Anthony and said, "See, it wasn't just me being crazy, that moron was bugging everyone!"

Oh the game...it was exciting too, even though we lost in the last few seconds when Vinaterri (however you spell it) kicked a 52 yard field goal...WHAT A GAME!