Joseph & Kelsi

Its a Bird! Its a Plane! Its.... JOSEPH?

2012-02-08T12:04:00.001-08:00

It is quite frequently that I have to excuse my husbands absence by saying 'he is jumping out of a plane.' Often, people who are not familiar with Joseph react with a bit of surprise, then a 'wait, you're serious?'
My husband does in fact jump out of planes.
Its kind of hot, not going to lie. I would do go watch more often, but the landing sight is hours away in the middle of nowhere, and they often have jumps earlier than I am willing to get up, or while I am otherwise occupied. Like teaching Sunday School.

Last Saturday his jump was at a more convenient time for me, although I still did have to drive for hours to the middle of nowhere, but I went to see my man jump out of a plan.

Here is proof:

Can you see him? There are seven specs that I could see, but if you have dust on your screen, you may not be able to spot him or the other guys.

And that is him. Just chillin...

I think its kind of awesome that my husband jumps out of a plane on a regular basis.

New Years Resolution

2011-12-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

I've never really made a real New Years Resolution. I've made goals, and I've made silly pledges, but I never really counted them as New Years Resolutions, mostly because I didn't want the guilt when I blew it the fist week of Jan.
This year, I don't know if you would count my Resolution either, since I've already been doing it for a over a year.
My resolution this year is to do better with my 'diet' so that I can maybe eliminate some of the anxiety of living with a chronic illness. I don't really think of it as a diet, because it really is a life style change, and its a permanent thing, not something I can do until I reach a particular number on a scale then give up. I'm kind of committed for as long as I want to be healthy.
I'm posting the detox so that anyone can join me if they would like. diets are easier when you have a support system, and (warning: purely selfish reason) I think it would be much easier for me if everyone did it as well, or at least knew the steps.
Its goal is to 'detox' your body from sugars and processed foods. The first two weeks are the hardest. Eating nothing but meat and veggies is less than satisfying, especially when you are coming off the sugars and breads that you were eating just a week ago... But I tell you, when you add that first fruit, nothing tastes sweeter!!! I've never longed for bananas more in my life than I did those first two weeks. But, after that I wasn't craving sugary crap.

Detox Diet
First Two Weeks:
Meats: Chicken, turkey, fish, canned tuna/sardines, eggs. No red meat, dairy or pork.
Vegetables: All but white/red potatoes. Lots of wild yams, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, kale, collard, water crests. Avocadoes and tomatoes are okay. Salad Dressing: lemon, garlic, olive oil, tarragon, vinegar, balsamic vinegar, pepper.
Nuts: All nuts, seeds, but no peanuts (they’re a legume). Chew almonds 40x= appetite suppressant.
Drinks: No pop. Lots of filtered water with lemons. V8 juice, green tea, almond milk. Make your own carrot, celery, or other vegetable juice.

Two Weeks Later:
Add fruit, one a day. Lots of grapefruit and berries. Dilute Odwalla, Bolthouse, Pure Pomegranate (best) or any other organic fruit juices.

Two Weeks Later:
Add legumes; one a day (beans, peanuts, peas, soy, soy milk, lentils).

Two Weeks Later:
Add whole grains. Cereals, breads, pasta, chips, tortillas. Add one whole grain every three days (corn, brown rice, wheat, etc) to pick up on hidden food allergies.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES:
- This diet helps you withdraw from your addiction to refined foods in addition to screening for food allergies.
- Do not go hungry. Eat every other hour, if necessary. No calorie counting. If you are full, you will stay away from foods to avoid.
-Do not weigh yourself. From now on, focus on waist size.
-Eat breakfast as a king, lunch as a queen, and dinner as a pauper.
-Snacks: Lara Bars, Pulse Bars (nuts, fruits, grains) carrots (any portable veggies), protein drinks/bars, rice cakes, etc.
-Plan ahead so you don’t get caught hungry around bad food.
-Recruit family members. This diet is hard without support.

Maintenance:
Avoid commercial fruit juices, pop, dairy, red meat, pork.

Books:
Licking Sweet Death by Dr. Hugo Rodier
Food Politics
The China Study by Dr. Pollan

Destroy, Define, Strengthen

2011-11-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

This is a quote, or saying, that I have noticed quite frequently in the last few months. And with everything that has happened in the past year and a half, I was keeping the attitude of "Its Going to Strengthen Me. Duh." I feel that I've been pretty successful in handling life's challenges. Not perfect, but I'm optimistic.

Well, these last few weeks have kind of changed my perspective.
I'm not sure it is entirely a choice. Not always. I think that choice is involved in the severity of influence that the three options will have on you. But when something bad, like something really, really, bad happens, I think that all three happen. Together. Whether you choose them to or not.

Because I was destroyed. My heart broke. My earth was shattered. I cried harder than I have ever cried in my life. I still cry. Did I choose this? I don't think so. It just happened. And while, eventually, my broken heart will mend, and the earth will piece itself back together, and I may not cry as frequent, a part of me will remain disfigured.

And this will, in a way, define me.
If you know my family, you might understand this, but I think that brothers and sisters are soul mates. And I think that when you lose a soul mate, it does define you. My world has changed. My story is different now. I see things through a different shade. The choice isn't in whether or not it will define me. My power lies in how I let it define me.

I choose for it to strengthen me.
This last month has been hard. The hardest of my life. But I have never had a stronger testimony of the gospel. I have never had a greater appreciation for the Plan of Salvation. I have never felt so much comfort in the promises and blessings that I have received.
My family is stronger because of this. We pray together more often, and more willingly. We hug more. We say "I love you" without provocation.

I don't feel weak for 'allowing' this to have destroyed me, or to define me. I feel human.

2011-11-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me that you understand,
Don't tell me that you know.
Don't tell me that I will survive,
How I will surely grow.
Don' tell me this is just a test,
That I am truly blessed,
That I am chosen for this task,
Apart from all the rest.
Don't come at me with answers,
That can only come from me,
Don't tell me how to cry
My life is filled with selfishness,
My pain is all I see,
But I need you; I need your love,
Unconditionally.
Accept me in my ups and downs,
I need someone to share.
Just hold my hand and let me cry,
And say, "My friend, I care."

- Joanetta Hendel

Danny

2011-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

I have put off updating my blog, because this is a post I never wanted to do. No one ever wants to...
3 weeks ago today, my brother Danny passed away. My heart is broken.
It is hard to talk about... so I will just repeat what I said in his obituary:

Daniel Lynn Toone

"Peace Out"

Daniel Lynn Toone, 24, returned to the open arms of
his Heavenly Father, October 26th, 2011.
Danny was an amazing person. A beloved son, brother,
uncle, and friend. Danny did amazing things and had a
special way of reaching out to people.
One of his greatest joys and talents in life was working
with kids with special needs. He had a patience and
tenderness that allowed him to work with even the most
challenging. He was a talented wake-boarder, skateboarder,
drummer and musician. He was creative, had a great
sense of humor, and a smile that could light up any room.
Everyone who knew him loved him.
Danny left behind his loving parents, Dennis and Judy, his
sisters and brothers, Brandis (Dave), Kelsi (Joseph), Talysa
(Kellen), and Jeffrey (Elizabeth), his nieces and nephews,
Araleigh, Mildred, Traeden and Jaxon, the love of his life,
Mindy, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and
his best buddy, Rad.
We know that he is in a better place, without pain and that
he has found peace, but he has left a hole in our lives that
will always yearn to be filled. We know that our Lord and
Savior has taken him into his arms, and it is in Him that
we find comfort.
"If this be the last of the words I am to write... let them be
the best I write. Love! I wish to have my final writing to
be of LOVE! Love of family! Love of friends! Love of all
that have made me, me... I LOVE YOU!"

I feel like I need to state that the quote at the end of his obituary came from a past journal entry. Love was Spirituality to Danny.
I will not get past this. Danny will always be a part of my life, and his death will leave a crack in my heart.
Danny, I love you. I will always love you. I miss you, and I can't wait to see you again. I know you will be watching over me and with me through my life.
Peace Out.

Big Update!!!

2011-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know that I am way behind on updating my blog. To be honest, I had some big ideas for what to write next.
Unfortunately, two things have stood in my way: Lack of photos (I feel my blogs are boring without photos), and the visit from the Crohn's Flare Fairy... which I have to say, had impeccable timing. Just a little moment of ranting here, but I was TWO DAYS away from from celebrating a year from the expiration date doctors had originally given me. I was finally starting to feel like I could maybe live a normal life. I feel like my body was finally catching up... and than BAM! Like a ton of bricks, I get hit with a flare. What the Heck?!?
Luckily, I felt that I was prepared for this. I got right into my doctor, and he got me right onto the detox that I've done before, which I knew was in the game plan, and right onto the meds that worked last time and, while I am remaining optimistic, after five fairly rough days, I have had two 'good' days. I'm not saying I'm over the flare, because this happened last time as well, but I will take the good days as they come.

So, here is a quick update of our summer...

June - My second niece, Mildred (Milly) was born. She is just about the best thing to cuddle, in my book.
My birthday as previously mentioned.
July - A couple holiday trips to Delta, my favorite place on earth. A couple family get-togethers. Lots of work and opposing schedules for Joseph and I. Not anything too exciting.
August - We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary, by attending a Yellow Ribbon Event (Military Shin-dig) at Snowbird Resort. I certainly didn't mind staying there on the Military's dime, with meals provided, and seeing some good friends.
Joseph also started another Military Training, so, with him gone days, me gone nights, we didn't see each other much.
September (thus far)- We celebrated Labor Day, me at Delta, Joseph at Blue John Canyon.
Joseph had his 31st birthday! (My man is OLD!).
I have been down since the 15th because of this fabulous flare. Luckily, my work has been completely understanding in letting me take the necessary time to recuperate, because stress, I think, is a key trigger in my disease (I'm not sure its a coincidence that my flare came on the heels of the two weeks that I actually worked nearly 40 hours).

Now, a few pictures.

Joseph had a beard. It was a first in our time together, because facial hair is restricted in the military, and I don't do mustaches.
We both miss the beard a little.

Here is Joseph blowing out his candles on his Birthday Cake. He had requested three cakes for his birthday, (a Funfetti Cake, the Chocolate Overload Cake from the Ikea Cafeteria, and the Chocolate Cake from Costco). Unfortunately, but fortunately, Costco was closed for the Holiday, so he only got two cakes. Good thing we had some friends to help with the eating!

For September 11th, we headed over the the Healing Fields in Sandy. It was so humbling to stand among the sea of flags. There was a storm brewing, so the flags were dancing.

What a great reminder of what a great country we live in and how proud we should be to have it. And I am proud. I am proud to have a husband who felt the call to fight for what he believes in and what he believes this country stands for.

So, there is our summer, in a nut shell. Not the most exciting, but here's hoping and praying that I continue to get better so that we can continue to move forward in this adventure that is life.

Birthday Festivities... A little late...

2011-07-27T18:54:00.001-07:00

Joseph found my camera today (YAY!!!!). So, a month late, here are pictures from my birthday... I thought I had taken way more pictures than I apparently had, so this might be a little anti-climatic for all of you who have been waiting anxiously to hear about my special day...

First (and this wasn't exactly for my birthday, but it was near my birthday so we'll count it) I went with my family to Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, at the Sandy Amplitheater. This is kind of an annual tradition for my family... Even though every year its the same, its still a fun show.

(Ryan had his little 3 year old son come out and 'play' with them. So cute. I got his autograph. Be jealous.)

My birthday was pretty much awesome this year.
First, everyone should know that Joseph was a little more excited about my presents than I was. Thats just the way he is (see Valentine's Day post)... At midnight, him and my mom came in to sing to me, and then he tried to convince me to open my presents. But I told him they had to be set up on the kitchen table for me to wake up to, like they were when I was a kid. So, he grudgingly let me go to sleep, but woke me up bright and early so I could open them.

And here they are:

(Breville Juicer, Toms Shoes, Paleo Diet book and Cookbook, a couple movies, cds, and a food dehydrator).

Then, since my birthday was on a Friday, that afternoon, we headed down to my favorite place on earth, Delta UT. I really just wanted to spend my day here. It was my mom, Jeff and Elizabeth, and Joseph and I. The weather was perfect!

Saturday, we were joined by some good friends. Whitni and Jason, Nicole and Bryce came down to celebrate with me. We got some good wakeboarding in.

(Jeff, Whitni and Joe wakeboarding)

Because it was my birthday, I get my own collage. Thats just how I roll.

(Notice in the middle picture, how excitedly everyone is watching me... yeah.)

So, my birthday pretty much rocked. Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes, thanks to the fam, the Stahelis and the Goettels for celebrating with us! It was a blast!

Dead Air...

2011-07-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

I do have things to blog about. I am just on a blogging strike until I find my camera... Hopefully, this weekend... until then:

(This is what we do on Sunday Drives...)

I call this The Rubber Face Experiment. Enjoy!

He Is We

2011-06-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Last Night, Bug and I went to see one of our favorite bands: HE IS WE

It was kind of a last minute decision of Thursday to go, and good thing we decided then, because the tickets sold out. The show was at The Complex in The Grand. I'd never been to that venue before, but I was impressed. It was small, and warm, but nice and new and didn't smell funny and the floor wasn't sticky.
The He is We crowd was surprisingly young. Seriously, a bunch of 14 year old girls. And then their parents. I was the oldest 'fan' there. Crazy. Totally took me back to High School.

There were two openers. The first was Andrew Allen. I had heard one of his songs on the radio here and there. The rest were also very good. I was impressed. Also, he covered a sublime song and left out the cussing. I was more impressed. Its been awhile since I'd been to a show without gratuitous swearing.

The second band was Ocean Grove. The were good and had a lot of energy, but after getting home I listened to some of their stuff on iTunes and decided they are better recorded than live. But they were fun and talented and kept the energy.

Then came the headlining band. HE IS WE! They were just as good as I'd hoped. Sounded great, good energy, and the lead (Rachel) kept referring to Jesus (in a respectful manner).

The show was really fun! I was impressed with the bands and the music, and although I walked out feeling like I should be a grandparent, I had a really good time.
Thanks BUG!

Happy Birthday To Me...

2011-06-22T19:12:00.001-07:00

I will post about my amazing birthday weekend soon... as soon as I find my camera....

For now, just know that I spent it here:

(My own little piece of heaven...)

Cancun!!!!

2011-06-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Joseph being home, and me being alive, we took a much deserved vacation to Cancun!!! (Really, it was the Maya Riveira, but who's being technical?)

We stayed at the El Dorado Royale Resort and Spa. This place came highly recommended by our travel agent, and we were certainly not disappointed. This place was beautiful!!!

It being so beautiful, we ended up taking HUNDREDS of pictures... I thought fancy collages would be the best way to share the pictures. I apologize beforehand for the bathing suit pictures, but we were on a beach... and we were by far not the worst ones there (those Texans have no shame, I tell you. NO SHAME!!!). Also, don't pay any attention to my hair. I really did try and control it, but the humidity made it a giant poof ball three minutes after walking outside.

Let me start out, by telling you about the entrance of the lobby. Palatial is the only way I can describe it. There is a (near) Olympic size fountain in the middle of the lobby. And it smelled of fresh tropical flowers. And there was music softly playing... After a long day of travel, it was a welcome greeting. You can just feel yourself relaxing...

Now, lets talk about the grounds of this resort. A mile of private beach. A garden and greenhouse where they grow all their own fruits and veggies. Coconut Palms everywhere. Flowers, fountains, pools, and paths. It was kind of like Disneyland, where presentation starts at the gates... Just walking down the paths was breathtaking... And the resort was huge! So huge, that they had Go-cart shuttles to take you where you wanted to go, if you didn't feel like walking.

After checking in at the lobby, our own personal 'bell hop' takes us to our go-cart, where are bags are waiting for us, and takes us on a tour of the resort on the way to our room. Then we get to our room... WOW! Being the penny-pinchers that we are, we opted for the cheapest option. So, you know, marble floors, curtained bed, jacuzzi for two, large shower, cherry wood furniture, view of the beach less than 30 yards away out our patio... pretty rough. We actually ended up being upgraded halfway through our trip into a 'Casita.' Bigger room (almost twice as big) on the second floor, with a private deck (with its own private pool) outdoor shower, indoor shower, bigger jacuzzi...

(The top and bottom left are pictures of our first room... the rest are pictures

from our upgraded Casita)

Now, lets discuss the service... The Mayan people are an amazing people. Friendly, and happy all the time. And absolutely accommodating. They anticipated our needs and met them beyond our expectations. The wait staff at the restaurants, the room service, the yards keepers... everybody was super friendly and helpful.

In our first room, we had a personal concierge, who took the time to get to know us, what our needs were, and take care of them. He scheduled our tours and reservations for the first few days...
When we upgraded our room, we had a... wait for it... BUTLER!!! Actually, there were three of them that rotated shifts. These girls were absolutely amazing! Super friendly and accommodating. They made sure that we were well taken care of, then went above and beyond to make us feel special!!! Decorating our room for us, leaving us nice little notes and treats, making reservations at our favorite restaurants, being ready to give us a ride in their own go-cart to restaurants and activities.

(With flowers, they decorated our bed, then laid a path to the jacuzzi which was

filled and hot and also sprinkled with flowers.)

My biggest concern with going to a resort was the food. My diet is pretty restrictive, and the last thing I wanted was to get sick on vacation... I had no need to worry. There were healthy, Crohn's Diet approved options everywhere.

The Resort is what they call Gourmet Inclusive. On the grounds there are 9 Gourmet 5 star restaurants, and 4 Gourmet 'Snack Bars'. Since they grow their own produce, it was all delicious and fresh. And the presentation was BEAUTIFUL!!! And since its an All-Inclusive Resort, you can eat as much as you want (even going to more than one restaurant for a meal, which we may or may not have done...). So we would order 2 or three appetizers, maybe a couple of entrees, and every once in a while a dessert (no matter how hard you try, you can't make triple chocolate cake 'healthy').
Needless to say, the food was amazing!!!

The one time we left the resort grounds we went on a tour of Tulum, an ancient seaport of the Mayan people. This place was beautiful and amazing and well worth the trip. The people built the land with astronomical anomalies and beautiful structures (well, they were beautiful in ruins, so I imagine that they were beautiful thousands of years ago as well).

And the beach at Tulum was by far the best beach I've every been to. Beautiful clear water, white soft sands... huge crashing waves Joseph could frolic in... Have I said that it was beautiful?

Every night at the resort they had different shows and entertainment. Our first night there it was Casino Royale, Poker night. I made a killing in Monopoly money (Started with $500, ended with $8000... Vegas, here we come!). Every night was a different show: an expression of Mexican culture through Dance, a Fire show, a Circus/Magic show, live cover bands... they were all really good. On our final night there, they did "Dorado Idol" or, Amateur Karaoke Night. After much bargaining, begging, and pleading, I got Joseph to participate. I would have, but no one in the audience was drunk enough for me to sound good... Joseph did a great job singing '21 Gun Salute' by Green Day. If it hadn't been for the amazing Canadian chick that belted out Whitney Houston, we might have gone home with the Grand Prize (a bottle of Tequila).

Of course, where we spent most of our time was on the beach. When Joseph was planning the vacation, I told him all I wanted was:
1. To use my passport.
2. To sit on a beach.
3. To be fed.
This beach was also beautiful. It was crystal clear, so much so, that you could see fish swimming around your feet. There were artificial reefs in the bay to calm the rushing waves and to help rebuild the beach, which made the water very serene. It was gorgeous. And the water was warm! So warm! When checking the weather forecast before we left I was a little nervous because it said that it would be stormy most of the week, but there was never a storm. The skies for the most part were clear and beautiful, and the temperature was always pleasantly warm and humid, and there was always a nice Caribbean breeze coming off the Gulf.

All in all, this was the perfect trip. Amazing. We hope to return there again someday. A perfect week with the love of my life... it was great!

May 14th, 2011

2011-05-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

On May 14th, almost a year after this deployment started, we returned to the Salt lake Air Base to pick up Joseph...

This trip to SLAB was so much better than the last one!!!

These are the Amazing Army Wives that I have come to know and love (minus Amber). I tell you these girls are so supportive! Their friendship came at a time when I needed it most, and I feel truly blessed to have them in my life.

Aren't they beautiful!?!

As the plane pulled in, it went under water from the Fire Trucks. This is a salute and an honor to the men who are serving our country.

In response to the question I received a million times over the last few weeks: Are you excited?

The plane pulled up... Seriously, we could hardly contain ourselves! If it hadn't been for the stern warning not to cross the yellow line....

FINALLY!!! He is in my arms!!!

Home, safe and sound, at last!!!

While the various reunions went on around us, my dad made a new friend.

A group shot of the wives and our men! So glad to have us all together!

It was a long, and extremely difficult year. To be honest, there were definitely times I didn't think I would make it through it... But now, Joseph is home, with me. Now I can look ahead to a future with my love...

Thank you to everyone, for your prayers for Joseph's safety.
Thank you for your love and support.
Thank you to my new, life-long, friends.

One Year Ago...

2011-04-07T17:08:00.001-07:00

One year ago today, I went in for my first colonoscopy. I've now had three. If you're wondering if its normal for a 27 year old to have had 3 colonoscopies, in a year... its not.

***

A year ago, I had thick and full shoulder length hair. Now its about an inch and a half long, and although people say its coming in thick, I still see the difference.

***

A year ago, we thought we were experiencing a small hiccup... some minor food poisoning, maybe a horrid case of lactose intolerance... Little did we know.

***

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis affect everybody differently. Some people live with it for years and years before ever going into the hospital, managing with one or two medications a day. Others, like me, get hit and hit hard with all its got. Weeks and weeks in the hospital. 50 pills a day to manage. Complete loss of muscle mass, loss of hair... nearly loss of life. And I still count myself lucky, because I kept my colon, and I'm in recovery. In May, my family is participating in a fundraiser for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. The proceeds go towards research to find a cure for this horrific, life-altering disease. Any donation will help, and will be much appreciated!

http://online.ccfa.org/goto/kelsijones

http://online.ccfa.org/goto/wheresthebathroom

Just a Quick Update

2011-03-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Its been about a month and a half since Joseph left back to Iraq (give or take), and to be honest, not too much has happened.
I mean, I'm pretty sure that time is going backwards a little. I decided it was safe to start counting down, but I'm pretty sure the numbers aren't changing at all... I even made a chain, but it doesn't seem like I ever get to tear any off... Its basically torture.

Joseph is doing well in Iraq. He doesn't tell me a whole lot, which is probably for the best. I don't think I could handle if he told me too much detail. I have an overactive imagination.

I've slowly started going back to work. The wonderful people at Rise have created a new position that is kind of perfect for me right now. I haven't started into it hardcore yet, just getting some training and preliminary meetings taken care of. I'm really excited to get back to work, to add some normalcy to my life, but I'm not going to say I'm not a little scared.

It was one year ago yesterday that I started to think I had food poisoning. One year ago that my life got flipped completely upside down, then inside out. I can't help but wonder what my life would be like right now if I hadn't gotten sick... but there is no point in the 'what ifs' right?

I wish that there was more going on for me to talk about... Really, there isn't though.

Valentine's With The Joneses!

2011-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

When Joseph and I were talking about getting married, I told him that he could propose with a ring out of a Cracker Jack's Box and I'd be happy. The ring was more upscale than that, but the stone was manifactured and the solitare design was not really my style. We both knew that when we could afford it, we would get me an upgrade...

With that as a back story, let me tell you about our Valentine's Day... To do that, I have to go back to the week previous.
So, the Monday before V-Day, we went to look at rings. We found some that we liked, but we didn't commit to anything because we wanted to look at other places, shop around, etc... I was a little disappointed, but being the more frugal of the two, I felt okay about it.
Cut to the Wednesday before Valentine's Day. We were having some of Joseph's friends over. They were supposed to here any minute, and Joseph decides that we need green onions. He goes off searching for them. 45 minutes later, I'm entertaining friends and Joseph is still searching, because apparently the first store was out of them (who runs out of green onions?). Finally, he gets back, and we have a blast with friends... all is well (this is pertinent to the story, I promise).
The following day (Thursday, if you're trying to keep track) Joseph and I are in the car, headed to California. We are in Draper, 5 minutes into our journey, when the following conversation ensues:

Joseph: Can I get a gun?
Me: No.
J: But its such a good deal!
Me: No.
J: What if I get you the ring you want?
Me: Still no.
(At this point, I see that Joseph is about to say something, but stops himself... in my mind I'm thinking 'don't tell me, I want it to be a surprise...')
J: I got you a surprise.
Me: I know.
J: You know?
Me: Nobody goes off on a hunt for green onions for that long!
J: You know about the ring?!?
Me: I do now!!!

Joseph then had to call my mom and tell her that he told me the secret. Apparently, Joseph had purchased our favorite ring without me knowing. My mom had stopped there on Wednesday on her way home from work to pick it up, but it wasn't ready. When Joseph decided he needed green onions, my mom suggested he stop by the store to see if the ring was ready (yes, green onions were his original objective). He went to the store, the ring wasn't ready, so he went to Target to get green onions, but they were out. He went back to the store to pick up the ring, then to Harmon's to get (you guessed it) those illusive green onions!
I guess he had told most of his friends that night, and showed the ring to my sister-in-law the next morning while I was in the shower. He was just SO EXCITED!!!
So, at our first stop along the way, Joseph gave me my Valentine's present in a parking lot a few days early.

AND IT WAS PERFECT!!!

I get to brag about my husband a little bit here... he is AMAZING! He has made it this mission in life to make me happy and give me everything I want. I love that he gets so excited about giving me things, seeing me happy, that he can't hold it in and gives me a Valentine's Present 4 days early.

I have to say here, that while I was definitely spoiled, so was he... I gave him his V-Day present in that parking lot too: Rosetta Stone: Russian, Levels 1,2,3 (so he can brush up on his skills)... Then, after we got back from Cali, Joseph ended up getting that gun he'd asked me about.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!

Joseph's Visit: Part 2

2011-02-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, we drove to California, and on Friday, we were in
DISNEYLAND!!!

It was so warm there! I wasn't expecting that! (I knew it would be warm, but I didn't expect it to be this warm!) By 10:00, I was wishing I was in shorts.

Joseph, and Buzz Lightyear. We went on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters so that Joseph could keep up on his shooting skills. He kicked my butt!
Matterhorn.
Its a Small World. Russia is behind Joseph, in case you can't tell.

On Saturday, we spent the day driving around, visiting Downtown LA, then we hit the coast and drove along the PCH, visiting many beaches...

On Sunday, one of my longest friends (who has recently moved to CA) invited us over to their house for dinner, and a visit to the beach, just a couple blocks away. I was so excited to be playing in the ocean in February! It was surprising less cold!

(Pardon my whiteness... I am from Utah, after all...)

I wish that I had gotten a picture of Chelsea and her family... their cute little daughter, Brookie, fell in the water and was freezing, so they headed back to the house before Joseph and I... we didn't even get to finish our sand castle.

On Monday, Valentine's Day, we went back to Disneyland for Day 2! We also spent a lot of the day in California Adventureland. So much fun with my Forever Valentine!

For our Valentine's Dinner, we went to Joe's Crabshack... Joe loves him some crab!!!
The next day, before heading home, we went to East Hollywood to meet up with one of my favorite people in the world, Tilt. He took us to a nearby cafe where I hoped (in vain) to see someone famous. After a delicious lunch, we said goodbye, and then Joseph and I started the long drive home!

We had two more days before Joseph's Shore Leave ended. We went to a movie, went looking at houses, spent more time with family and friends... then early on a Friday morning we had to say goodbye...
I tell you what... after spending two weeks being blissfully happy, spending nearly 24 hours a day with my hubby, it really sucked saying goodbye again... but fortunately, this time its for a lot shorter than last!

I love my husband! I am so proud of him for what he is doing! I am
proud that he has chosen to serve his country.
I love him, and I miss him.
I can't wait until he is home with me again.
But I have to.

Joseph's Visit: Part 1

2011-02-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

Because Joseph's flight got in so late (by my standards) I got a room at a hotel in Salt Lake. I set up a little Christmas for him since he was gone for the holidays... He was surprised by this. I made him open his presents first. Mostly it was clothes, since all of his are in storage (and most of them won't fit him because of his big strong muscles, anyways). He also got a couple movies and some smell good stuff.

The next day, we headed up to East Canyon for the week. This was a surprise to Joseph. I had told him that we'd be spending the first week with my parents at their house.

It was nice to have a little place, all to ourselves...

We went to Park City to have dinner with Joseph's best friend Justin and his wife Alyssa on Justin's birthday. It was great for them to be able to spend time together, and so fun to hear Joseph's stories of Iraq.

On Saturday we went into Midway to visit the Ice Castles. They were amazing! The weather was a little warmer than I anticipated, and I was kind of nervous that icicles would fall on my head as I walked through the tunnels.

Saturday night we went out to dinner with some other good friends: Bryce and Nicole, Jason and Whitni. We ate at Baja Cantina, one of our favorite Park City eats. It was fun to listen while the men spent most of the night talking about guns...

Sunday we went to my parents' ward and then to their house for the Superbowl (not so much for the game as for the food and commercials). I didn't get any pictures, unfortunately. But it was great to spend time with family.

Monday (again, missing pictures) we checked out of East Canyon, then headed back to my parents' house for my dad's monthly FHE with young couples in our ward.

Tuesday, we went over to Joseph's sister's house and spent time with his local family. Joseph got to meet his two new nephews and play with the rest of the kiddies... again, I was lame and forgot the camera...

Wednesday we got together with some of Joseph's friends from high school...
Joseph told more stories of his time in Iraq, using Nate as a prop...

That concludes Part 1 of our story... please stay tuned for Part Two: California Dreamin'.

The Arrival!

2011-02-20T20:01:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my brother-in-law's job at United, my mother and I were able to get boarding passes for a random flight so that we could be at the gate to greet Joseph (shh, don't tell). Joseph didn't know that I'd be at the gate, though he might have suspected it.
When he called after the flight had landed I started getting butterflies, and I stood at the end of the gang-way. I swear, Joseph was the last military man off the plane, and every time I glimpsed fatigues my heart fluttered, but it wasn't him. By the time he got there, all of his buddies were standing around me waiting too.

Finally, he got off the plane. There was a big, slow man walking in front of him, taking his sweet time, obviously oblivious to what was going on... I was contemplating hurdling the row of chairs to get past him.
But I controlled myself... and finally, Joseph was in my arms!

I couldn't believe it! He was here! After over 7 months of nothing but Skype and phone conversations, he was finally here!

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!

2011-02-18T22:48:00.000-08:00

Joseph and I had many great adventures during his two weeks here. I will be posting about them soon.

He's So Close!!!

2011-02-01T19:39:00.001-08:00

I just spoke with Joseph, and after 7 long, grueling, painful (literally) months.... I should be seeing him again in about 24 hours!!!

I can barely contain myself!!!

Randen Funk

2011-01-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Randen Funk was born into the world on August 22nd, 2005. He joined our family on October 22nd, 2005. Technically, he is my brother Danny's and mine, but he lives with me... I have full custody, Danny has visitation.
Danny and I picked him up in Woods Cross and agreed that we would have a name for him before we got home. As we were pulling out of the neighborhood, there was a sign that said 'Vote Randen Funk for City Council.' We liked the name, and wanted to name him after someone who stood for something.

Rad is what you might call... lazy. He spends a large part of the day just like this. His favorite perches are on the chair and sofa in the front room. He likes to be able to keep an eye on whats going down outside. Then he barks at any one or any thing passing by, just to let them know he's watching.

Rad can be very protective of his toys. Specifically, the special toys that he gets for Christmas (he usually rips a hole in these toys within a week, and the fluffy stuffing gets everywhere. That is why he only gets them for Christmas).
Notice how he is holding both of them in his mouth. I think he is so worried that we will take them away. He takes them everywhere, even to bed. Until they get a hole. Then they are gone forever.

And he doesn't share them with other dogs.

When we first got Rad, he was so little and cute and cuddly that we made the mistake of letting him sleep in our beds with us. We are trying to break him of that habit, and he's been doing really good. Rad has his own bed that he sleeps in on the floor about two feet from my bed. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he'll wake up and whine to join me in my bed. Usually I just cover him up with his blanket and he goes back to sleep, but sometimes I let him get in my bed with me... and this is how he sleeps...
I think sometimes he thinks he's a person, too.

I have been able to spend a lot of time with Rad in the last few months. Every morning he cuddles with me while I read my scriptures and drink my 'yummy' shake. We go for walks and play 'fetch' with his toys...

I love my puppy!

**Some of you might be wondering why I'm posting about my dog... Well, aside from that fact that I really do love my dog, I am also just trying to distract myself from the fact that I will get to see my husband next week!

Happy New Year!!! (Please)

2010-12-31T22:14:00.001-08:00

So, lets recap 2010, in the life of the Jones's:

January: Joseph goes to selection, injured, and we don't get to talk for 3 weeks. During those 3 weeks, I find out we get to move by the middle of February.
February: Joseph and I move into my parents house for 2 weeks before moving out into another apartment nearby.
March: I start getting sick.
April: I continue getting sick, and am diagnosed with Crohn's.
May: I spend 3 days in the hospital, Joseph's deployment starts, but the training is in UT, so he's not far for long. I start to feel better, and think I might have never been sick in the first place.
June: Joseph's training continues, I get sick again, Joseph leaves, I cry... a lot.
July: I go into the hospital for 2 weeks. I don't get any better, but I don't get any worse, so they send me home. Joseph goes overseas.
August: We celebrate our 2 year anniversary (I use celebrate in the loosest sense of the word). The following day I go back into the hospital. I stay at St. Marks for 2 weeks, until they tell me 'remove your colon or die.' I then transfer to the University Hospital, where they do not want to remove my colon, switch up my treatments a little bit, and they send me home when they think I'm stable. I choose not to tell Joseph most of this.
September: I start seeing Dr. Rodier. My parents get extremely concerned about my lack of improvement and want to bring my husband home (to say goodbye). I refuse, because I believe I'm getting better... and I start to get better.
October: I finally start to feel better, and we start to see some improvement. I start braving it outside of the house again. I also tell Joseph how grave things were for a moment there... I decide to shave my head because of all the hair loss.
November: I continue to get better. I venture further out into the public world. I go visit my sisters in Chicago. I decide to start volunteering at PCMC to do something productive with my time... We celebrate Thanksgiving, and of course black friday.
December: Lots of family things. Christmas, etc. I miss Joseph.

So... basically, 2010 has sucked old man's feet. 5 months being sick, 4 months recovering from said sickness... my husband being gone for half the year...

I did learn somethings over the last year:
-Sugar kills.
-My head is well-formed.
-10 months is a very long time.
-My parents are amazing.
-I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of death.
-Skype is amazing technology.
-I can live without chocolate.

Hear's hoping for a better 2011!!!

The Misfit Christmas

2010-12-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

In this time of year, when we reflect on things of the past, I've been thinking a lot about the defining moments of my life that have made me who I am and brought me to where I am today.
One that rings out most in my mind was a certain Christmas, nineteen years ago.
It was a year where my family didn't have much money (if any) and certainly not enough for frivolous Christmas gifts. My parents did their best to make it a magical and memorable Christmas, and for me, it certainly was.
It was a D.I. Christmas. My parents found most of our toys at local Deseret Industries, and were a bit creative in how they were presented to us. I don't remember much that I got that year, but I do remember the misfit doll.
Although it had been thoroughly scrubbed, my sweet doll had tangled, rough hair, pen scribbles on her face, and when she spoke (yes, she was a talking doll) her mechanical jaw made a clicking noise as a baby voice said 'Ma ma' repeatedly.
Along with the doll was a note from Santa Claus. I wish that my parents had thought to keep the note, but I'm sure it got lost in the mess of wrapping paper and bows. The note essentially said:

"Dear Kelsi,
This doll is one of my misfit dolls.
I wouldn't trust such a sweet toy to just anyone
but if anyone can give her the love and care that she needs
its you.
Love, Santa"

I loved this doll. I took her everywhere, much to the chagrin of my parents and siblings. They quickly got annoyed of the persistent "Ma ma, ma ma" and clicking noises she made every time I hugged her, which I was always doing. I wasn't going to prove Santa wrong. I was going to give her the love and care that she needed.

I was eight when I received this special gift. But it has resonated in me even almost twenty years later. I believe that it was the intuition of a loving 'Santa' who picked me of all the kids to care for this precious doll, that led me towards the path that I chose to take. I grew up wanting nothing more than to be a mother. My high school classes focused around childhood development and child care. My major in college was Psychology, knowing I wanted to go into Social work or social services. My minor (for the first two years) was Early Childhood Development. All of my jobs (well, aside from Target, but that was h.s.) were centered around helping others: Child Care, Adaptive Programs, Residential Programs, Homeless Shelters, Professional Parenting/Family Support.
I have always felt like I had a responsibility to the people around me. I've always wanted to help and take care and fix things. Still, my greatest wish in life is to be a mother.
And I believe a lot of it stems from this very special Christmas.

Traditional Blog of Thanksgiving.

2010-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a lot of people's blog posts counting down to Thanksgiving with things they are grateful for, and I keep saying to myself, 'I want to do that...' and then another day goes by, and I don't do it, and here we are, the day before Thanksgiving, so I decided to write some things that I'm thankful for, in bulk.
In no particular order:

1. I'm grateful for my Siblings.
Every family is different, with their own relationships and their own dynamics. I have to say that my family dynamic is the very best. My brothers and sisters have a relationship that is incredible. We get along so well, we are all best friends. Sometimes, when I think about it, I realize how amazing that really is. I know that I could turn to any one of my brothers and sisters for anything, and they would be there for me. Each of my siblings are amazing and special to me for their own reasons.
Brandis: She is the best big sister anyone could ask for. She is an amazing example to me of strength. She is an amazing mother and has raised some of the most fabulous kids (whom I am also grateful for).
Jeff: He is an amazing man. He has the greatest sense of humor, is so talented at everything he puts his mind to. He succeeds at everything he sets out to do. He is a wonderful husband, and will someday make an amazing father.
Danny: Danny is awesome! He has been through so much and has amazing strength. He has been such a support to me, because he knows what I'm going through. He's been through it. Danny has a gift with people. I see him with the kids he works with, and I'm in awe. He works with some of the most difficult kids, and he makes it look easy. I know that he will also make an incredible father some day.
Bug (or to the outsider, Talysa): Bug is a beautiful woman. She definitely got the looks in the family. Bug has the awesome ability to laugh at herself, which is fortunate, because she definitely provides us with lots of reasons to laugh. She is amazing. She is learning and growing so much.
I love my siblings.

2. I'm grateful for my Parents.
My parents have always been there for me. They have always supported me and loved me. They are great examples to me. I know that they have been through a lot to provide the best possible life for us kids.
With everything that has happened this year, I feel like I've gotten even closer to my parents. Its not the easiest thing, being a grown woman and moving back in with your parents. Again. But they have supported me through everything with nothing but love and understanding.
Dad: It has been such a blessing for me to see him as he stepped into his new calling of Bishop-dom. He is strong and spiritual, and while I still can't believe I'm the bishop's daughter, I know that he's the best man for the job.
Mom: She is my best friend. She is the strongest woman I know. Her home has always been one that is welcoming and comfortable. It was always a place that people gathered to, a place that everyone congregated to. I've had so many friends tell me that they always felt safe and comfortable and welcome here. And I know that its because of my mother.

3. I am grateful to have Crohn's Disease.
I know that this sounds crazy, and probably cheezy. But I am grateful to have this challenge and trial. Yes, I wish that I didn't have this disease. Life was definitely easier before I got sick. But its the difficult things that help us (or rather force us) to grow. Yes, its true, I have lost a lot to this disease (my job, my hair, muscle). But I have gained so much from it as well. I have found strength that I didn't know I had. I am eating and living much healthier now, something that a lot of people think about doing, talk about doing, but find it too difficult to follow through with. Although its by force, I'm doing it.

4. I'm grateful to be alive.
I have always had a great respect for life. All life.
But I, like many people, have had times where I wished that I wasn't alive, because I thought things were too hard.
Now, after having been close to death, I have a new found reverence for life. I am glad to be alive, and I hope that I don't take life for granted. I know that everyone says things like that after 'near death experiences' but now I understand it. My priorities have shifted. I know what is important now.

5. I am grateful for my husband.
I'm sorry girls, but I have the best husband on the face of the Earth. He is amazing. I am so lucky to have him for eternity. Joseph has a way to make his bald, puffy faced wife feel beautiful. I have a husband who tells me he loves me repeatedly through out the day (even though right now we are separated by thousands of miles, continents, and bodies of water).
Joseph is my big strong man.
I am so grateful to have a husband who has made it his mission in life to make me happy. I am grateful to have a husband who has chosen to serve and protect his country.
Joseph is an amazing husband and I know that he will make an incredible father someday.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween.

For some reason, in recent years, I can't seem to stick to one costume. Last year, I was a bee, a mechanic, and a punk rocker.

This year I also went through Costume Identity Crisis.

First, I was Britney Spears

Then on Halloween (Eve) Day, I walked around like this:

The only day of the year that you can get away with this.

Then for my final costume:

I was a Balloon! Can you tell which one is me?

This is probably (and hopefully) the only year that I would be able to get away with these costumes, so I had to do them...

This year for Halloween, Joseph was a soldier...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Many Looks of Crohn's

2010-10-22T19:48:00.001-07:00

So, I got a little bored one night and decided to cut my hair. But my mom caught me and didn't think I was doing a very good job.

"What are we going to do with you?!?" She exclaimed!
"I dunno," I replied.

So, we thought about it....

And we could only come up with one option:

Okay. To be honest, that isn't how we came about the decision to shave my head. Really, I had had a series of bad hair days.

And then there's the fact that I've lost a ton of hair to this blasted illness!

So, I decided to shave the remains.

And this is the end result:

But don't you worry. I have been stocking up on other options for the past few weeks. These are a few of my 'looks'
This is the style that is closest to what my hair would probably really look like if I had any.

This is the 'Alien' or recently coined 'Oompa Loompa' look.

I call this one the 'Rory Gilmore.'

I have also spent my months of confinement making beanies. Lots and lots of beanies...

And guess what we discovered! I have a mole right in the center of the back of my head, kind of like a target!

**Disclaimer: For those of you who are thinking 'Gosh, Kelsi's face looks kinda puffy.' You're right. Its a side effect of the megadoses of steroids I've been on for the last six months. Luckily, those meds' days are numbered and my 'moonface' should return to normal.

A More Positive Update

2010-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Two days after my last post I was back in the hospital. I was getting high fevers and had no energy or strength to speak of. I checked into St. Marks Hospital on the 6th of August. My doctor that I'd been seeing for the last 4 months was leaving her practice that week to move to Arizona, so through the course of my stay there my care rotated through her 5 partners. For the most part I liked her partners. I'd met some of them already in my other hospital stay.
I was at St. Marks for two weeks. During that time, I was on a clear liquid diet (meaning I ate nothing but jello, broth, juice, and water), had CT scans, Flex-sigmoid-oscopies (colonoscopies you're awake for... its as fun as it sounds), and received 3 blood transfusions. It was rough. I didn't seem to be getting better. Each of the doctors had their own theories or ideas about what was going on.
But one doctor was a little more vocal about it. One of the doctors, I won't name him, because I'm sure that he's a great doctor for other people, but one of the doctors came in one day, sat on my bed and told me that he was bringing in a surgeon because my colon was killing me and having my colon removed was my only option. Except he was much harsher than that. That evening, the surgeon stopped by. Luckily, my mom was there with me. The surgeon said much of the same things. My colon was killing me, I needed to have it removed, and she wouldn't suggest waiting longer than 72 hours. She also said that she couldn't guarantee that removing my colon would actually solve the problem, recovery would be long and painful, and that I would have to live with a colostomy bag for the rest of my life.
Of course, my mom and I said we needed a second opinion. Surgery is not something we take lightly, especially if you're talking about the removal of an organ. We asked to have me transferred to the University of Utah Hospital where my mom had already looked into some doctors. I was on my way there the next day.
After checking into the U, getting settled into my room (which was about 5 times bigger than the one at St. Marks, and it had a couch) I met with the team on the floor (the general doctors on the Internal Medicine Floor), which reminded me of Grey's Anatomy (because its a teaching hospital, so they have the interns, residents, attendings, etc). They were very nice, very attentive and nobody talked about cutting me open.
The next morning, I met some of the GI team. They had all my info from St. Marks and they'd already gone over it. They came in, asked some history questions, then started talking about possible treatment options. You know what? Not once did they mention surgery. They mentioned other medications, some experimental, other treatments, and they started me on a couple of them. But not once did they say that it looked like I need surgery anytime soon. I was so relieved, and kinda wished I'd started my treatments at the U way back in April.
I was in the U Hospital for 12 days. Over the course of my time there, they let me eat real food (although modified to my diet), I received another CT scan, and one more blood transfusion.
At one point, a GI doctor who was not my doctor but was on service because my doctor was gone, stopped in to check on me, glanced at my chart and said she'd like to do a test for a virus that could be hiding out in my colon and causing my slow recovery. They did the test, and I had the virus. I could have had that virus for months, and not once did one of the docs at St. Marks think to check for it. We started treating me for it immediately.
I was released from the University Hospital on August 26th. I'm not going to lie, I was a little apprehensive about going home, because my experience so far had been that I go home, and wind up back in the hospital a couple weeks later after little to no improvement. But I was released and went home with my mom.
In the hospital, I had been needing pain medication pretty consistently. And I was on some pretty strong stuff. They sent me home with strong meds as well. When I got home, I didn't need them. I took them once or twice to help me sleep, but after that, I went to sleeping aids, and haven't touched a pain med since.
I also started seeing a great doctor that practices more on the holistic side that specializes in working with people with IBDs, who started me on a diet where I was allowed to eat things that I hadn't eaten in months. Like vegetables. I was scared that starting to eat meat and vegetables would really mess with my gut, but it was quite the opposite. My gut has been fine. Its actually improved.
The point of this diet is to get rid of the craving or desire to eat processed foods and sugars. It is also used to weed out food allergies or foods that your body can't handle. He also started me on a bunch of natural supplements that help my body recover from all the rough treatments its gone through. Even thought I'm talking upwards around 50 pills a day, they seem to be helping.
As far as my Crohn's goes, I think (hopefully, knock on wood) that we are getting it under control again. Right now, the hardest thing is dealing with the effects of the disease, mostly the malnourishment. I've lost a lot of weight (not in a good way), a lot of muscle, so I don't have a lot of energy or strength. The diet and supplements will help with that, but also, I'm meeting with someone who is giving me a workout plan to help build up that endurance again.
So, things are getting better. I'm seeing progress and improvement, finally. I'm feeling better, slowly.

Joseph Update:
He's doing well. He had a birthday. I can't say much about where he is or what he's doing, of course, but he's safe and as far as I know, he's having a good experience. If you'd like to send him a letter or package or anything, let me know and I will get you his address.

Thank you, everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate it, and have definitley felt the effects of them.

About time for an update...

2010-08-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have put off updating anything for awhile because I was waiting for good news, or progress, or something exciting to add... but I figure now is as good as time as any.

So, just before Joseph left, we thought things were getting under control with my Crohns Disease. I was starting to feel almost normal (which is really about 70% normal), and was actually starting to think that maybe I wasn't really that sick to begin with... maybe it was all in my head, or maybe I'd been exaggerating things. The day I was supposed to call my doctor to get a full release to work, things took a turn for the worse. It was just like the beginning. Completely bad news. Things continued to go downhill from there.

Joseph was leaving in two weeks. This is not how I had wanted to spend our last days together, curled up on the couch, in pain. Joseph was completely gracious. He took amazing care of me during that time. He had a lot that he had to get taken care of before he left, but he spent his time taking care of me.

I'm not going to say much about the day that Joseph left, other than it was just about the worst day of my life. I never want to go through that again. It was like torture. Luckily, my mom and my sister were there to pick up the pieces. I'm lucky to have such a supportive family.

I moved into my parents house that night.

Things continued to get worse with my illness. My energy level began to drop. Around the second week of July, I was having a hard time getting anything into me, food, water, juice. I had no appetite. I had to start calling Talysa from upstairs to come and get my medications for me because they were too far away for me (on my dresser next to my bed). I started getting fevers. It got to a point where I knew that going to the hospital was the only option.

I called my doctor the following morning (Tuesday the 13th of July) and was admitted into the hospital that afternoon. They immediately started me on fluids, and scheduled tests for the following day. Another colonoscopy, a CT Scan. Lots of blood work.

The doctors started changing medications immediately. I was put on a 'robust' dose of steriods, vitamins, other Crohn's pills. So many medications. My day was filled with nurses coming in to give me meds. My favorite new med: morphin.

Last time I went to the hospital, I was there for 3 days, we saw great improvement and I was sent home to continue to progress. This time, each day passed, and I saw little to no improvement. After four days, the doctor I was seeing mentioned consulting a surgeon. I was terrified! I know that things were bad, but I was not in a place where I was ready to start talking about removing any part of my body. People suffer with this disease for years before they start talking about surgery. It was at that point I texted my dad and asked him to come give me a blessing.

I spent another week in the hospital. 12 days total. When I was discharged I was still not doing great. They basically were sending me home to see if I could maintain there.

I've been home for 11 days now. I'm maintaining, but not sure I'm progressing or improving. Because of the combination of medications I'm on (three immuno-suppressants), I am highly susceptible to illness, so I'm not allowed to be exposed to anything, which means I can't leave the house. My energy level is still extremely low.

That is where I'm at now. Hopefully, the meds I'm on will start working. Its all a matter of time. A waiting game.

Joseph is over seas. He doesn't tell me too much about what is going on, and I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say of what he does tell me. He is safe, and he is getting some good experience. We get to talk on the phone or Skype almost every day. It has been really hard on him to be gone while I've been going throught this. But I know that he is where he needs to be, doing what he needs to do. And he knows that my family is taking good care of me.

So... that's the update. Hopefully, soon I'll have better news. Or good news. All I ask right now is that you keep Joseph and me in your prayers.

Thank you to everyone for your support at this time.

Stuff For Sale!!!

2010-06-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I are selling some of our furniture. If you or anyone you know is interested, let me know.

First, our couches. They are a light brown/tan microfiber. We've only had them for two years, and its really just been us that has used them, so they are in great condition. Super easy to clean. Comfy. I'll sell the set for $300 or best offer.

Our kitchen table. I've had this for a few years. Its nice, sturdy. It has a few nicks and marks, but overall is in good condition. $50, or best offer.

I have loved this bed frame! Its a fairy tale bed. I love it. Queen size frame, black wrought iron. Its in good condition. $100 or best offers.

Five-drawer dresser, black. Lots of space. Good condition. $75 or best offer.

Again, if you or anyone you know is interested in any of our stuff, let me know. You can email me at kelsi617@gmail.com, or call me.

Crazy April... (or, Don't Tell Grandma)... and Joseph's Shooting Trip

2010-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind of a month... and its not even over.
Let me tell you the story.

(I have withheld posting lots of pictures for a reason. Read at your own risk, and please, don't tell my Grandma).

Really, the craziness began towards the end of March when I went out to eat with a bunch of friends and ate something I knew I shouldn't eat, but I did anyways. The following day, I felt like I had a mild case of food poisoning. Nothing horrid, but I'll spare you the details.
Four days later, what started as mild was getting worse... much worse... enough to get me to leave work and go to the Emergency Room with my sweet husband. Six hours later, we are discharged with some pain meds and a promise that a GI Doctor will be calling to schedule some follow-up. Probably an infection, they said.
Joseph and I decided to take a scheduled trip to Vegas, thinking the Rest and Relaxation would do some good... Vegas was so beautiful! It was warm, and nice to get away.

Unfortunately, it probably wasn't the best idea... we had planned to stay until Monday, but Sunday morning when my condition seemed to worsen, we decided to leave early (Sad Face).
Monday morning, we ended up going back to the ER. Pain. Indescribable pain.
We left with more pain meds, stronger pain meds, and Joseph had called other clinics to find a GI Doctor that could get us in sooner than May 19th (the proposed date by the U's GI Doctor). I was scheduled to get a colonoscopy (not just for the older generations) on Wednesday. Believe them when they tell you the prep is the worst part. The details after the colonoscopy are a little fuzzy to me, but from what Joseph has informed me, the doctor said I definitely have some form of Colitis, and they did biopsies and they'll be calling me to get me in to go over the results. I spared you the pictures. You're welcome.
By this point (I've been sick for about a week and a half), I've lost my appetite and can keep only white bread toast and eggs in my system. Even water is making me sick. Super unpleasant. I've basically spent all my time laid-up on the couch (or my parents' recliner) sleeping and fighting to keep food in my belly.
Jump forward to this last Thursday (the 15th). We go in to meet with my doctor. Dr. Daly. She is awesome, by the way. So, we meet with the Doctor, and as it turns out, I have Crohn's Disease. Yep. I had an idea of what it was, but I had to Google it. With my brother having Colitis, we've self-educated ourselves on stuff like this, but I still wanted to learn more.
There is really no way to describe Crohn's without discussing embarassing bodily functions, so I won't. Basically, my life has changed completely. Lots of people live with Crohn's and are normal, productive, happy members of society. That is my goal. But first, there is treatment. We have to get me into 'remission.' Scary, right?
Basically, I can't eat anything. In fact, so far, what I have been able to eat is:
White bread
Eggs
Soy Milk (Doc said I'm probably lactose intolerant, so until we get this under control I should avoid all dairy)
Carnation Instant Breakfast (with soy milk)
Soy cheese
Zupa's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Fortunately, I feel like I'm responding to the meds she's put me on. I am trying to maintain an optimistic attitude right now. I actually made it through a full day of work today, which is encouraging (work in and of itself is a whole other mess of crazy).

FYI, there is a walk on May 15th in efforts to raise awareness and funds for a cure. You can go to ccfa.org to get more info. My family is participating in the fund raising efforts and donations are gladly welcomed.

Again, please don't tell Grandma...

On another note...

Joseph and his buddy Justin have been working on this Metal Target for shooting, and they finally got to take it on a little trip.
This is scary Joseph, with a gun. Intimidating, right? Look out, Iraq!

You can see the target they made in the doorway behind Justin. Its to represent the vitals of a person... not morbid at all...

Here's hoping for a better end to the month!

Our New Place!!!

2010-03-13T17:52:00.001-08:00

Since we've lived in our new apartment for a few weeks and I finally have everything in its place, I thought I'd share our new place with everyone. I love the condo! It is perfect! We lucked out to find it, and get it! Its right in the middle of our places of work (Joseph by the U, me in Orem), its in a GREAT ward (the one I grew up in), and there are so many awesome people who live near by!!!
Finally, a place of our own!!!

This is what you see upon entering.
This is another view of the living room.

This is the dining area, and the kitchen. I LOVE this kitchen! The appliances ROCK, and it is easy to clean and there is so much storage space! I love it!
Here is another view of the dining area.
This is the Master Bedroom. Its a bit larger than our last one! (Our place is on the first floor, right off the street, so our bedroom window stays covered, most of the time).
This is the Master Bathroom (or, as I like to think of it, MY bathroom).
This is Joseph's "Man Room."

This is the second bathroom, or Joseph's bathroom!
Its such a great place for us to be right now. We love it!

Little Bit of Country... Christmas

2009-12-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my friend Laura and I went to Nashville to see her friend in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

I know what you're thinking. Nashville? Kelsi? What?
I thought the same thing. Nashville has never been on my list of places to see before I die. I'm not a country fan. In fact, I would argue that, while there are the legends and greats, and once in a while a good song comes out of the genre, I think the world would do just fine without it.
But I digress...
We went to Nashville because it was very convenient. Really, all we had to pay for were our tickets and shopping. Laura's friend Melodie let us stay with her in the hotel and gave us free tickets to the show, so really everything else was a bonus.
Nashville was surprisingly awesome. It was 'warm' there. And by warm, I mean not freezing as it had been in Utah in recent weeks. It was green there. Some trees even still had leaves, there were grass-covered rolling hills all around, and really not any snow, which was mighty appealing to me.
There was so much to do!!! I thought we'd have trouble filling the 3 days we were there, but we actually ran out of time to see all the things we wanted to see. And there is so much history!!! It was amazing!!!
To document my trip, I have some pictures. Lots of pictures. Enjoy!

Our first stop on the trip was the Nashville Temple. It was the smallest temple I've ever been in, but I guess it suits the needs of the community it serves. It was pretty, though.

Then Melodie got us into the great Exhibition ICE! for free with her Show pass. I don't know if you've ever heard of ICE! but if you ever get the chance to go, GO! It was pretty dang cool! This year it was all about A Charlie Brown Christmas (one of my favorite Christmas Traditions).

Basically, you are walking around in a gigantic freezer looking at amazing Ice Sculptures that follow the story. It was freezing! More so than Utah. But awesome!

I adore Schroeder.

They had a giant ice slide too. It was cool, and cold!

This is the scene where Linus is explaining what Christmas is all about. So sweet!

And I took my turn in Snoopy's Dog house.

And at the very end, because we were in the Heart of the Bible Belt, and its Christmas, and its awesome, there was a giant Ice Nativity Scene.

Afterwards, we ate at a local Dive, Bar-B-Cuties. They have a great veggie plate.

Before the show, we did some shopping at the Opry Mills Mall. It is this HUMONGOUS Outlet Mall next to the Grand Ole Opry and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It has over 200 stores, I believe, and is well over a mile trip around.
I didn't take any pictures of it because I was way too busy shopping!!!
After shopping we walked across the parking lot to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It was far more impressive than any of the Vegas Hotels. AMAZING! There were four separate atriums inside that housed beautiful gardens with creeks flowing through, and restaurants interspersed. These atriums were at least 6 stories. And they were all decorated for the Holidays.

This is a picture overlooking the gardens from a walkway 3 stories up. It doesn't do it justice!

Outside the Hotel they had amazing lights and a large Nativity Scene. It was amazing.

After touring the hotel (and only skimming the surface) we headed over to the Grand Ole Opry for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Starring the Rockettes!

The Grand Ole Opry! Its crazy to think of all the people that have performed here (although most of the legends performed at the Old Grand Ole Opry, now the Ryman Auditorium), but still amazing!

We were a little camera happy, but this was an awesome experience to take in!

No pictures during the show. Tsk Tsk...
The performances were great. I think my favorite was the March of the Toy Soldiers... or maybe the Nutcracker... or maybe Christmas in New York... or maybe... I can't decide!
Great show. Well done!
And then afterwards!!!
Melodie gave us a backstage tour. Here we are in front of the Nativity set.

And here we are with one of the Rockettes!

My thigh is bigger than her body, but that's okay. She was super pleasant. You can see the auditorium behind us. It was huge! And the seating was pews.
Here is the stage from the back of the auditorium.

Saturday was all about the tourist scene. We were actually very lucky in how things worked out. We started out at the Belmont Mansion, a former plantation home. They were having an Open House so we didnt' have to pay the usual fee to get in. It was gorgeous and it reminded me of the kind of plantation that you see in the movies... Except most of the yards are now a college campus.

But gorgeous.

Our next stop was the Bell Meade Plantation. It was kind of difficult to find. When we got to Bell Meade Road and saw this building with the sign that said "Bell Meade" we thought we'd made it...

We walked in the entrance expecting to see a reception desk or something asking us to pay, but there wasn't anything or anyone there. It looked like they were cleaning up a presentation of sorts. We walked down a hall to a dining room and walked in on what felt like a Family Christmas Party. Then we noticed how underdressed we were... and how everyone was looking at us kinda funny... and then it dawned on us that we were in a Country Club! We high-tailed it out of there, asked Santa and Mrs. Claus who were parked next to us where the Plantation by the same name was, snapped a picture and left.

This is Bell Meade Plantation!

Also huge and gorgeous. They originally had 5400 acres, but now have about 30. We took a tour of the house, then wandered the yards for a bit. It was pretty fascinating.

This is a Mausoleum where 20 members of the family were originally buried. They aren't there anymore, but it is still pretty interesting.
And a little bit creepy.

While we were wandering lost looking for Bell Meade, we stopped in a parking lot to reconfigure the GPS and a very friendly neighbor assisted us, then invited us to come back for a reenactment of the Battle of Nashville. I didn't know that people really did those.

They fired off canons, were shouting out commands... it was cool.

The cannons were crazy loud, and pointed right at a road. I can't imagine what someone driving by would think if they weren't used to that. I know I would have freaked a little.

For Lunch/Dinner we went to the Loveless Cafe. Its a pretty famous restaurant in Nashville, and had pictures of all of the famous people that ate there. We sat where some American Idol contestants sat. Whoa. It was real Southern Cookin'. I ate some Fried Chicken and while it was great, I regretted it later. Not a good way to re-introduce meat to your system. I think I'll wait a bit longer before trying that again...
The wait to be seated was still quite long, even though we got there at 2, so we had some time to kill wandering the area.

The Cafe was started by the Loveless family who ran a small Motel off the highway. Ma Loveless would cook for the travelers out of their home. Her cookin' was so good that word spread and people started visiting just to eat there. The Loveless clan decided to turn their home into one big dining room in order to serve the masses. And the masses came. The motel rooms were turned into little shops and boutiques.
Quaint.

We decided to spend Saturday night in Nashville Proper, wandering around the city and getting a taste of the nightlife.
This is the Batman Building, or the AT&T Building. Pretty cool architecture.

This is me on Broadway Street. The street is lined with Bars and Clubs where people come to perform, hoping to be discovered. As we walked up and down the street (and up and down, and up and down) we heard a whole lot of Johnny Cash covers.

This is a cool bridge, a cool statue that looks like a roller coaster, and a river. And this is a real river. Not like a Utah River.

This is the Country Music Hall of Fame. We didn't go in, but I at least acknowledged that I was in Country Music's home town.

We walked the Music City Walk of Fame. There weren't a ton of people I recognized, but that's to be expected. Here is one that I did recognize.

Its funny though... Elvis Presley was inducted on the same day as Kid Rock. I didn't know they were of the same caliber.

Sunday was a pretty chill day.
After church at a Backwoods chapel (so many stories....), we loaded the car then drove around to other sites.
This is the State Capitol. It overlooks the Bicentennial State Capitol Mall Park (like how it rolls off the tongue?) which are really impressive grounds that pay homage to the history of Tennessee.

Pretty right? Ridiculous how pretty things are there.

This was the only thing we could find that said Nashville. We were looking for some kind of a 'Welcome to Nashville' Sign, but never found one, so we settled for this.

The last visit in Nashville was the Centennial Park, with the Parthenon.
Because Nashville is the Athens of the West.

It was built completely to scale of the Real Parthenon. It even has a to scale replica statue of Athena inside it (but it was closed).
It was huge. (Can you see me?)

Really, really, huge!

The last stop before the airport was the small town of Franklin. Its a cute little town that was doing a Dickens Festival. Main Street was closed down to traffic and there were a bunch of shops and boutiques open along the road. There were people dressed up in period garb and bell ringers and street performers. There was also the various stages of Ebenezer Scrooge walking around the town (pre-ghost, during ghost, and post ghost). It was a great way to end the day.
On the way back to the car we passed this little Nativity in front of a church, and took a minute to remember the real Reason for the Season.

All in all, Nashville was amazing. Definitely somewhere I would like to visit again. And definitely somewhere that I would encourage others to go during the Christmas Season. It was so festive. So much fun!

Thanks, Laura, for inviting me! I had a blast!

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here...

2009-12-05T19:28:00.001-08:00

I finally had time to decorate for Christmas... its sad that I was too busy to decorate considering that this is the extent of my decorations (our apartment isn't big enough for much more...).

But here is our dear Christmas Tree. Its not far off from Charlie Brown's.

And here's the rest of it...

Like I said, our apartment doesn't afford much more.
I was so excited too, because White Christmas was on tv, my favorite Christmas Movie (well, one of them...).
Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanksgiving with my family. Brandis and Dave and the boys flew in for it. The morning began with a super successful shopping excursion for Brandis and me, and the Turkey Bowl for others.
Then, of course, there was the Rock and Roll concert put on by Jaxon and Jeff. Look at all the work they put into it:
Flyers like this one were posted all over the house.

There was a sign to direct you to the ticket booth, where you could buy your ticket with real money or fake money... your choice.

They had a seating chart that corresponded with your ticket.

And here is the band. They all did a marvelous job!
The crowd was very impressed!

After the performance there was a raffle. They made their own tickets.

And their own prizes.

I didn't take any pictures during dinner, because (lets face it) I was busy eating. The food was delicious! I love Thanksgiving Feasts!

Of course, after dinner the men settled down to 'watch football.'

Joseph started writing his list.

And then it was time for dessert!!! My Uncle Brian made the Pumpkin Pies specially for me because I love Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is the beginning of my favorite HOLIDAY season ( I emphasize holiday, because I do not love Winter. I'm sure I would still love Christmas in Hawaii).
Also, I love the Black Friday shopping... and I must say, we are good at it! We got everything we went for.
Happy Holidays everyone!!!

3rd Halloween Party!

2009-11-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

Laura and Ryan's Halloween Party

On Halloween a group of us went to my friends' house.

Here we are, pre-party

We are (from Left to Right):
The Emperor of Evil, Some Punk, The Fat Mechanic, and Tow Mater.

Kelsi and Joseph

Jason and Whitni

I didn't actually take any pictures at the party, or of Bug who
also joined us as the Bee (much cuter than I was).
I'm hoping that the Lillywhites will update their blog with the pictures.

2nd Halloween Party!

2009-11-01T11:34:00.001-08:00

The Ward Party: Witchapalooza

Our ward Halloween party was on Thursday. I went as a bee again, and my dear sweet (and ultra masculine) husband went as my flower. So cute!

There was a chili cook-off, which I didn't partake of because of the meat, and lots of desserts. Then our Primary President and her daughters put on a little production based of the movie Hocus Pocus. It was pretty fun.

Afterwards, we stopped by my parents house for minute to show off our costumes. I let Rad try on part of mine.

He didn't like it. Not at all.

Girls Trip, For reals!

2009-10-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said that we weren't very good at taking pictures to document our Girls Trip to St. George. Well here is the Proof. Its the girls trip pictures!

Here we are at out first stop along the way. The Fillmore Chevron! As you can tell, we are all very excited for Brandis to be taking our picture.

Look at my gut! Nice posture, Kelsi!

Here we attempted to take a group picture in front of a statue of a deer. You wouldn't think it, but this is actually a pretty popular activity. EVERYONE was stopping to take pictures with the large fake wildlife.

You can't tell, but Brandis is actually in the picture. Right behind me. Well done!

So, we took one of just her and the deer.

When we finally got to our hotel room (remember how I said that my mom originally tried to check in at the wrong hotel? Yeah, that was funny), we put Bug in her place.

But she somehow got out. Dang.

Then, at the movie (FAME!) she hogged all the candy. Look how mad Mindy is that she isn't sharing! You do not want to see Mindy get mad. Run for cover!

After many failed attempts to get our picture in the theatre (meaning none of us wanted to ask a stranger to take it) we stopped at the giant poster outside to do it. Unfortunately at this point we'd lost Bug, so she isn't in it.
And those are all the pictures that we took on our trip. See, I told you we weren't very good at documenting things... But we tried.

Thriller!

2009-10-28T20:47:00.001-07:00

Last night, me and some good friends went on our annual Girls Night Out to see ODT's production of Thriller!
It is such a fabulous production, and such a blast to get out and see these awesome girls.

Here we are in the theatre before the show started. I'm the bee, Laura was Madame Hooch, Elissa was a zebra, Torri... and afro gypsy? and Kara was undercover. The creepy zombie ballerina princess was one of the performers that was walking around scaring all the patrons. I loved it!

1st Halloween Party of the Season

2009-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Campbells threw a fabulous Halloween Party this last weekend. It was the first one we'd gone to this season, and such a blast.

Joseph was Tow Mater, and I was the mechanic (have no fear, the disgusting beer belly is fake).

There was a Doughnut on a String contest.
I lost. And was sick of doughnuts by the end of it.

That's Joe going for his. Valiant effort, but it fell off the string with a bite or two left.

This is the group of us. I'm so glad no one was 'too old' to dress up.

You can see (from the left) some of the stars from the new movie Whip It!, a Sheriff and his Pirate Mate-y, a Gladiator and his Spartan maid (their daughter Tinkerbell was flying around somewhere), Lucy and Mario, the Vietnamese friends, the mechanics, and the Tahitian princess and her Army man with there Dino daughter.

I won the prize for Scariest Costume... well deserved. That belly gave me nightmares afterwards, and increased my motivation to move it to the gym!

Thanks Nate and Rachel! We had a blast!

Update!

2009-10-19T21:49:00.001-07:00

I don't have any pictures to add for this one, but I wanted to give a little update on our life. Not too much has changed, hence the 'little' update.

I have taken a new position at Rise Services. I am now the Family Services Director at the Orem office over the Western Region (Utah Valley to Nephi, including Ephraim, Manti, Price, Moab, Monticello, and other outlying regions). I am over the Professional Parenting and Family Support Programs. For more information on the company and its amazing mission, go to www.riseinc.net . This is a big step for me. I am essentially doing what my boss was doing in my previous position. So far it has gone pretty well. I'm still learning the ropes, and everyone tells me it takes about a year to feel comfortable in the position, but I'm up for the challenge.

Joseph has some prospects out there for his future. Sorry its vague. Nature of the Beast.

Fall is in the Air...

2009-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was much dismayed when snow started appearing in the mountains, so while
we had a nice and warm weekend, I wanted to take advantage of it and go up into the
mountains and enjoy my favorite season while it lasts...

Unfortunately, the leaves had already started to turn that icky brown color. There
were some of the pretties... but not the vision I had in my head.

And, there was still snow! We walked the path at Silver Lake, and there was snow on the ground. And I was wearing flip-flops (not that snow has ever stopped me from wearing flip-flops before).

Isn't he cute? I sure think so.

Girls Trip!!!

2009-10-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend the girls in our family (mom, Brandis, me, Mindy, and Bug, minus poor Elizabeth - sad face) went on a much needed and much anticipated trip to St. George to see Aida at Tuacahn. Because I suck at taking my camera with me anywhere, and as a group we pretty much sucked at capturing any of the moments, I have created this blog from borrowed images. Here is the story of our trip:

We left Friday afternoon, around 2:00. Our first stop along the way was at Target to pick up some travel necessities. You know, chocolate, candy, water, etc...

...and then we were on our way! Of course, we had to stop at the fabulous Red Barn in Santaquin to buy some more travel goodies (a pound and a half of fudge, some fruit) and some of the world's best ice cream...

(the kids were not on the trip, this is the only 'stock photo' that we have of the Red Barn, but we looked much the same eating our ice cream)
Then we were on the road!!! We stayed the first night in:

the home of my alma mater, SUU.
We stopped at the Cedar City Days Inn to check in...

only to find out that we had no reservation there. Shoot! Mom was a little confused, but we were quickly able to figure out that we did have reservations at

Cedar City Quality Inn. We checked in, dropped off our bags, then headed out for the evening. We ate at:

my very most favorite restaurant in the world. I would strongly suggest that everyone take the opportunity to eat there when passing through. Tell Syrus I say 'hi'; he still remembers me. (Its like my own personal cheers!). I would recommend the veggie on a plain bagel, but really you can't go wrong with anything there. I've never been disappointed.

After dinner we stopped at the Cedar City Walmart to by more treats, and to get Bug some clean underwear, since she forgot to pack any. This is a Walmart that I had spent many a nights during college (since everything else closed at 10).

We then went to the Stadium 8 and saw

which was thoroughly entertaining, and definitely inspired us to move. In fact, after the movie, there was an impromptu dance party in the theatre. It was awesome.
We then went back to

to buy the Fame Soundtrack so the dance party could continue in our hotel room, but to no avail, because the cd wasn't in stock (it is Cedar City, after all).

The next morning we packed up to continue our trip. We drove down to St. George, but had about three hours before we could check into our hotel, so we stopped at

and shopped! And shopped, and shopped. Mom wasn't feeling great, so when the time came we went to the hotel to check in (yay! we got it right this time!),

then after mom was settled in we returned to

and continued our shopping! It was awesome! After about six hours of shopping (yes, we're marathon shoppers, and proud of it!) we found ourselves to be quite famished, so we went to grab a late lunch/early dinner at

Yum!
After eating, and going back for just a little more shopping, it was time to head out to

to see

It was AMAZING! This outdoor theatre is captivating, and the play was magnificent! I would encourage, again, anyone to go down there for a show. It was awesome!!!

After the show, we ended the evening by stopping at

to indulge in some amazing frozen goodness! Perfect way to end such a fun-filled and fabulous day!
Sunday morning we sadly packed up the cars, partook of the hotel's complimentary breakfast, and got back on the road for the drive back to reality, where Bug went to work, Brandis got on a plane, and the rest of us napped.

It was an awesome trip, hopefully something that we will do again, and again, and again! I love you, girls!!!

The Hardest Day

2009-09-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Catherine Peterson Dees

1948-2009

Our beautiful wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend left this earth to return to her Heavenly Father on Sept. 11, 2009. She was surrounded by her family, after a short and valiant battle with cancer.

Cathy was born on December 17, 1948 to Betty and George Peterson. She started to dance at age 4, which became her lifetime passion and career. She taught dance for 30 years and was loved by her young dancers. The last 14 years she was co-owner of Dance Biz.

At Cathy's request, her service was a party. Other visitors at the cemetery probably thought we were a little bit crazy, or disrespectful in the least due to all the cheering, the loud music, the dancing, and the hordes of balloons we released in her honor.

Many of her dancers were present, doing some of the classic 'Cathy' moves, jamming out, as she would want it to be.

Cathy was survived by her husband, Brian Dees, children: Casey (Rusty) Gladden, Sean (Cassie) Plant, Lynzie (Lewis) Tilley, Amber (Jeremy) Hilton,
Stephanie Dees, Amanda (Dave) Horton, 12 grandchildren whom she loved dearly,
mother Betty Nothnagel, and sister Judy (Dennis) Toone.
She is now reunited with her dad, brother Jeffrey Peterson, and step-father June Nothnagel.

One Whole Year! We did it!!!

2009-08-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Anniversary!

Joseph and I have made it one year as a married couple. Wow.

Tuesday, the day before our anniversary, I came home from work to a nice clean apartment. My sweet husband had spent his day off cleaning everything. Even scrubbing the tub. Also, there were beautiful roses sitting on the table with a sweet note from him. On our nice made bed there was another card. What a sweetie!
We then went up to Park City for the night, staying in the same hotel, and the same room that we spent our honeymoon. And, in keeping with tradition from our honeymoon, we forgot to pack the camera, but this time decided not to deal with the old fashioned disposable.
We spent our Anniversary day in Park City, seeing the sites, doing a little shopping, then driving to Midway and back through Provo and American Fork Canyon. It was a short trip, but very nice to get away and spend some time in sentimental places.
When we got home, we partook of the traditional eating the top layer of the wedding cake. We cut out a slice, took some bites, and while it was still delicious it was far too much sugar to eat much more than that. Kudos to Kneaders for making amazing cakes!!!

Joseph,
I love you. I love you for all that you are, and the way you make me feel. I love you for being so excited to see me when I get home, and wanting nothing more than to make me happy. I love you for all of your ambitions and goals, and I know that you will accomplish all of them.
Thank you for giving me an amazing first year, and for the promise many, many fabulous years to come!
I love you,
your wife,
Kelsi

5 Days and 29 Mosquito Bites later...

2009-07-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Over the Holiday weekend Joseph and I went up to our brother-in-law Rob's family cabin. This is kind of a special place to us because we went here early on in our relationship and it is where we first said we loved each other, and where I realized that I was sure I was going to marry this man and spend the rest of existence with him.

We arrived at the cabin late Thursday afternoon. It seems like a longer drive every time we go there, but its so nice to get away. The Cabin is in Island Park, Idaho. Its a beautiful area. Except for the mosquitoes. I wasn't kidding about the bites. In the first half hour I had 6 bites. It just got worse from there. After countless applications of OFF!, OFF! Trees and Woods, and a homemade repellent Martha Stewart swears by, I was losing sleep from the itching. Ridiculous! That night as everyone got there we just settled in, hung out, relaxed... It was beautiful.

On Friday, we decided to canoe the river. But first, Rob convinced my husband to do a back-flip of a railroad bridge into a shallow river. I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous about him doing that. I didn't need an injured hubby, especially on the second day of vacation!

Friday evening we hiked up to the old watch tower where Joseph and I first said "I Love You."

This is the view from the top. If you think I look icky its because hiking is not my cup 'o tea. Just look past me at the beautiful view.

And then my silly crazy husband decided to repel off the tower. Now mind you, this is an old abandoned rickety tower. The first flight of stairs up the tower have been removed to prevent people like us from climbing up there and doing crazy things like this... Well done.

I'm glad he had fun though... and he was safe!!! (Yes, you can hear his nephews shouting "you're gonna fall" and "you're gonna die" in the background).

On Saturday we went on another hike. Another Hike. This hike was to the Coffee Pot Rapids. It was a nice hike along the river. Not anything too difficult, once we got over all the bouldering at the beginning. It was nice, though.

Saturday evening we went to the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. We saw real live bears and wolves, which is the extent of the wildlife that we saw.

On Sunday we went on a "Nature Hike" up the river to Big Springs. It was nice, and definitely the most leisurely of the hikes we went on, but it was longer then I thought it would be. But I made it! We stopped to take a picture in front of an old cabin built by a guy all by himself. It was awesome (unfortunately the "Yes We're OPEN" sign in the background detracts from the rustic vibe).

On Monday the 'Men' left for a back-packing trip. For the most part, they were pretty excited. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure how Ashton would hold out. Just look at his face (he's the little guy on the right). Once he started to feel rain sprinkling on him, he was a little less than thrilled.

The girls were thrilled though. We had our own little laid back girls night, shopping in West Yellowstone, doing nails, facials and watching chick flicks that are difficult to watch around the men.
These are my beautiful sister-in-laws (from the left: Emily, Shelley, Erin).

I was really hoping to get a "Norman Rockwell-esque" picture of their return on Tuesday, but the boys were all pretty rejuvenated, as you can see by Joseph's expression. This was about an hour before we had to leave to head back to life. I don't know why he looks so excited.

On the drive home we took the Mesa Falls Scenic ByWay. We weren't quite ready to get back to life so we extended our trip as long as we could.

Thanks to Rob and Erin for inviting us on their vacation. It was a blast.

My Puppy!!!

2009-07-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Randen Funk: aka Rad!

This is my puppy. He is about the cutest dog ever!
He is almost 4 years old.
Danny and I bought him from a family in Woods Cross, and decided that we needed to have a name for him before we made it home. As we were pulling out of the neighborhood we saw a 'Vote Randen Funk for City Council" and we new we had found the name for our puppy. (Randen Funk did win City Council, by the way).
Rad is one of the most enthusiastic animals I know. He is almost always there to greet anyone who comes in the door. He doesn't make a very good guard dog, because he barks for a minute and then he just wants to play... easily distracted by anything he can chase.
Rad is definitely a huge part of our family. Even my dad, who claims that he's a pest, loves to play with him. Rad is great with kids, learning to be great with other dogs, but not so great at cuddling. He doesn't like Jeff very much, though. Jeff was on his mission when we got him, so he sees Jeff as an imposter. That, and Jeff kind of tortures him like a little brother. They're learning to tolerate each other.
Now that we have him, I kind of can't imagine what our family was like before Rad, or what it'll be like after him.

Amazing!

2009-06-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

I love this! I have listened to it almost daily since I first heard it!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

2009-06-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I turned 26. Whoa. That's like a real grown-up age.
I guess you could say, the theme of my birthday this year was eating.
I kicked off my birthday the Saturday before with a Birthday/Graduation Celebration BBQ for Joseph and I. It was so nice to have a meshing of family and friends there to celebrate with us.
On my actual birthday, the good food continued. It started with Joseph making me breakfast. Now, you have to understand, I'm more of a container of yogurt or granola bar for breakfast kind of girl. When he walked in with waffles, stacked with toppings, I knew I wouldn't get through them. I didn't either. I made him eat half because I was already stuffed. Then I headed off to work, where upon my arrival, I was presented with a happy birthday doughnut. I had no intentions of eating it, but then it sat on my desk staring at me, and I caved. A little later, my co-workers took me to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was also delicious, but I didn't know if I could ever eat again after. I didn't even eat my cheesecake. When I got back to the office, I was ushered into the kitchen where everyone then sang Happy Birthday to me and I was pretty much guilted into eating a slice of my Birthday cake. I proceeded onto my appointments for the afternoon, where people kept feeling the need to give me treats. I love that everyone wanted to celebrate with me, but I was getting sick.
Joseph and I were planning on going out for all-you-can-eat Sushi at Wasabi, but there was NO WAY I could eat my moneys worth at this point. When I got home, Joseph had me open my presents (he'd been begging me for weeks). He completely spoiled me! Along with all the clothes that we shopped for together, he gave me a laptop (I'm using it now) and a Nintendo DS. I'm not big on video games, but I've really wanted this. Its like a game system for grown-ups. I love it. Like I said, he spoiled me.
We ended up going out for a low-key dinner at one of our favorites, Zupa's. Less pressure.

I wish I had pictures for my birthday. I have one from the BBQ that I can add later.

I just want to say thank you to my husband for such an awesome birthday, and for being so fabulous. And thank you to everyone who had a part in celebrating with me.

Jackson Hole, Baby!!!

2009-05-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

For Joseph's graduation present I took him to Jackson Hole, because that's how good of a wife I am.
It was a first for both of us, and it was pretty awesome!

Here we are at the Grand Teton National Park sign. Whoa, right?

This is us amidst a hike. An incredibly ridiculous hike, that I shouldn't have tried to do, although I did succeed.

This is us at the top point of the incredibly ridulous hike... or at least as high as I was planning on going. I swear, we hiked about 20 miles... even though the sign said 1.7.

These are the falls that we went on the ridiculous hike to see. We should have taken the shuttle boat, and saved ourselves about a mile and a half.

Joseph standing on the shore of Jenny Lake. Yes, that is ice behind him. Crazy!

Us both in front of the lake... It wasn't even cold, is the surprising thing.

YELLOWSTONE!!!

We decided to spend Sunday in Yellowstone, enjoying God's Great Creations.
Warning: lots of pictures of us standing in nature.

Lewis Falls, I believe.

One of those stinky Sulfur Pots. Pretty but smelly.

Lower Falls

Old Faithful

Dragon's Mouth

Another Falls... Not sure which one.

This is a video of a Buffalo Stampede across the road. Traffic was backed up for miles because of these guys...

It was such an awesome vacation. Definitely a much needed break for both of us. Congrats to my cute, sweet, awesome hubby! I'm proud of you!

Jeff and Elizabeth's Wedding!

2009-05-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining, it was warm (in the sun), lots of great people around... the two couldn't have picked a better day to get married. And what a fabulous couple, am I right?

While they were off taking pictures, we took some pictures of our own.

First, the couples:

Brandis and Dave

Danny and Mindy

Joseph and Kelsi

Bug and Daniel (sorry Daniel)

All the kids (excluding the happy couple... they were still busy):

Some more just for kicks:

The top of the Church Office Building:

After the temple, we went to Rodizio Grill for the Luncheon. I would have pictures, but we were to busy eating...
All in all, it was a pretty beautiful day!

WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I were lucky enough to get tickets to WICKED before they sold out. It was just about the best show I'd ever seen, and I've been to quite a few shows. It was amazing! I'm definitely going to make it a goal to go see it again someday...

Before the show, we ate at Benihana, and then had about an hour to kill, so we walked a few blocks to Temple Square. It was beautiful because of all the flowers out now that the weather has been somewhat springy. Of course we had to take some pictures.

Of course I have the 'us kissing' picture. Because I can!

Wicked was awesome. The cast was AWESOME. Our seats were fabulous. The music and scenery were exactly what I pictured it to be.
I wish I had pictures, but apparently the set it 'copyrighted' so they wouldn't allow it (although there were a ton of cheater-heads that were flashing pictures during intermission...
Thank you, hubby, for taking me on that awesome date!

Sunday Drive

2009-03-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I took a Sunday drive. This is the same place we stopped at on the way back from our Honeymoon (see earlier post). It wasn't quite as pretty this time around. Stupid foggy air.

MOAB!!!

2009-03-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I took a break in Moab this last weekend to help with our neices and nephews while Erin and Rob ran the Half-Marathon. Well done, you two. Complete in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. You rock!

After the race, we headed up to Arches National Park to enjoy God's creations.

I really don't take enough advantage of living in Utah. This was my first trip to Arches. Come to think of it, I've never been to Lake Powell or the Grand Canyon, either. I'm deprived.

This is called Park Avenue. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe its because it looked like a street in a city made of red rock...

I don't know what this place was called, but I like pictures of Joseph and I kissing. Yes, I'm that girl.

Here we are at the Delicate Arch. Actually, we're at the Upper Viewpoint of the Delicate Arch, because I was very doubtful that I could make it all the way to the Arch. WeakSauce!

Turret Arches

South Window

We had someone else take a photo of us in front of the North Window. Nature is amazing!

This is me standing in the North Window.

This is Joseph standing in the North Window.

We're getting better at the self-portrait photos.

We didn't have time to make it to the Double Arches, but this is a picture of them from the parking lot. Amazing!!!

10 Things I Love About Him

2009-03-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a friends '25 Things' post, but thought I'd cut mine down a bit. Not that I couldn't come up with 25 things.

1. He is very enthusiastic. Whether we are talking on the phone, or he just got home from work, I know that he is very excited to see me.

2. He loves chocolate almost as much as I do. In fact, the chocolate cake he's cutting into might have been our wedding cake if I hadn't put my foot down.

3. He will go see a chick flick with me, and usually, he'll like it.

4. He is very sentimental. He remembers the little things about the beginnings of our relationship.

5. He likes to shop. More importantly, he understands that I like to shop.

6. He's good with kids. My nieces and nephews love him. They fly to visit, and are constantly looking for Joe.

7. He makes me believe that I'm beautiful.

8. He gets along with everyone.

9. He is very ambitious. He has so many goals, and I believe he will reach every one of them.

10. He encourages me to achieve my goals, hopes, and dreams.

The Honeymoon!!! (Six-ish months later)

2009-02-28T13:51:00.001-08:00

For our Honeymoon, we decided to keep it simple. We spent our wedding night in the beautiful Castle Creek Inn, in the King Arthur Suite. The next afternoon we drove up to Park City for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, being the great planners that we are, Joseph and I forgot our digital camera, so we had to stop and buy a cheap disposable camera, which accounts for the poor quality of some of our pictures. It then took us about six months to finally get those pictures developed and put onto a disc... But after the long wait, here they are!!!

Driving to our Destination...

Our Honeymoon Suite!

Our Sweet Suite!

We first spent a day at the Park City Resort, riding rides, and buying fudge. It was beautiful weather up there!

Preparing for the COASTER!!!

Here we are riding up on the coaster. If you look really closely, you can see me in the background.

And we had this portrait done of us. I think the artist really captured Joseph's rugged good looks.

We spent a day in Heber/Midway. We were going to ride the Heber Creeper, but never quite made it there. We did enjoy exploring the area. Pretty!

On top of some hill in Midway. I'm a bit better at taking self portraits than Joseph is. I at least got most of both of us in there.

Me standing near a War Memorial on to of a hill. Great views from way up there.

A little cafe in Midway. I think I didn't want a picture of just me. That's why I'm giving an ornery look. And my hair looks red because of the umbrella. Just so you know.

In Midway we stumbled upon the Crater, although we weren't quite sure what it was. It was a big cave filled with water. Things got a little scary when bubbles started coming from the water below us. Then we found out it was scuba divers. They were in the middle of a class, and technically we weren't supposed to be there. The instructor kindly took our picture before asking us to leave.

Joseph was a still a bit confused about what this place was.

We spent an afternoon at the Olympic Park. There was a Freestyle Ski show while we were there. It was really very cool!

We spent the rest of our days there shopping (yay!) and exploring the beautiful mountains, and listening to Twilight on Audiobooks. That's right, Joseph got addicted to Twilight on our honeymoon.

We were in no hurry to get home, so we took the long way around the mountain and through Provo Canyon, then sundance. There were some beautiful views out there.

Me and the Mountains.

I apologize...

2008-11-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, I thought that I would do really great at blogging. I'm a writer, I love to write! And for a while there I probably had you all fooled that I was pretty good at blogging... one post at least a month, with pictures and details. I'm a fraud. I did all those posts in a night or two, and just fudged the date for the sake of chronology.
And, I know that I should put more pictures up! But, well, I'm lazy. Plain and simple. Too lazy to take a dang picture, certainly too lazy to take the old-fashioned disposable camera to Wal-Mart to get the film developed and put on a disc so I can prove to people (and myself, mostly) that we did certainly go on a honeymoon.
Or, maybe I'm not lazy, just tired. Work is tiring, thats for dang sure. Some days I think a cold or the flu would be a welcome vacation. I was even a little (and by a little I do mean a very, very, tiny, almost unmentionable amount) jealous when there was a strain of strep, then mono going around the office and it skipped me. All I could think was how lovely it would be to stay home and watch a movie, or even sleep for a day!
So, again, I apologize for not continuing to update, or even add silly little anecdotes on occasion for someone to enjoy. I hope to be better, but I can't make any promises.
I guess for now, I'll just reassure everyone that Joseph and I are doing fabulous! He's super happy because Christmas came a little early this year and he got a monstrous television. I'm super happy to see my husband so super happy (selfless of me, I know).

Almost two months later!

2008-10-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I should add more pics... I'm sorry.

I would love to add honeymoon pics, but silly, us, we forgot our camera, so we had to buy a disposable one, and its hard to put those pictures on a computer (what makes it more difficult is I have yet to develop the film).

I am happy to report that the past two months have been going absolutely fabulously. I have cooked many meals without botching any of them (at least Joseph says their good) and Joseph is working on the whole toilet seat thing with much progress!

Many thanks to everyone that came and celebrated and offered their support on that most awesome day!

The Reception

2008-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Toone side.

My niece and nephews.

The Jones side

My new nieces and nephews.

Joseph and Justin (the best man).

The Bridal Party

Araleigh in her 'pretty dress'... she almost stole the show.

2/3 of the Band.

The Cake... yum!

I felt the same way when I saw this picture!

My flowers. Gorgeous!

Cutting the cake

We were nice about it.

Our first dance... awwh...

The Father Daughter dance. Yes, I am crying, but he started it!!!

My fabulous purple shoes!

The catcher of the bouquet!

The evening winds down a bit...

All in all, a pretty fabulous day!!!

The Wedding

2008-08-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mr and Mrs Jones!

First Public kiss as a married couple.

All of our supporters and fans gathered to celebrate!

Its hard to tell who's more excited that our wedding finally happened...

The Bride and Groom and both of our parents!

My sisters and me. Three gorgeous girls, if I do say so myself...

And my brothers. Woo!

Joseph and his brothers and sisters...

And their model-esque poses.

Some typical wedding pictures...

And, I'm a little ashamed to say that what you see is pretty much what I remember from the wedding.
It really was a beautiful day, and a beautiful ceremony. While I may not have appreciated it at the time, I
really am so glad that Joseph and I made the decision to get married in the temple. It was awesome. I would
highly recommend it everyone!

One Week!

2008-07-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Its almost here!

Joseph and I will be married in one week!!!

For anyone who needs a reminder, here is the

info for our reception:

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

Le Jardin

1910 East 10600 South

Sandy, UT

7-9

Joseph and I are so excited! We can't hardly wait!

Le Jardin

2008-06-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how things have seemed to start falling into place! On Friday we booked our photographer, David Bowe from Bellissima Photography. He's awesome, and his work is amazing, by the way...
And today we are going to finalize the plans for our reception center. I am so excited to start planning the where of everything... Yay!

Here are some pictures of our reception center, Le Jardin:

And Counting...

2008-06-30T09:18:00.001-07:00

It is set!!!

2008-06-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

WE FINALLY GOT OUR LETTER!!!

After much waiting, lots of frustration and one minor incident of

stalking the church, we can now officially set our date.

Here it is:

August 5th, 2008

YAY! I couldn't be more excited!

Our Apartment!

2008-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

It seems like things are slowly falling into place. Just when we hear that the letter is on its way, Joseph's Sister and Brother-in-law decided it was time to move and offered us the basement apartment of their new house for a very decent rent. We get to start moving in at the end of the month/beginning of next month.

Top Six

2008-05-27T19:56:00.001-07:00

Pictures... Yay!

2008-05-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

In exchange for dinner, Jeff and his girlfriend, Liz, took some engagement pictures for us downtown. It was awesome! We took about 300 pictures, then from those we narrowed it down to about 100 that we both kinda liked, then from there narrowed it down to 6 that could go on the invitations. Here are a few that didn't make the cut.

Joseph was very proud of those pictures. I think they turned out pretty cool, but not practical enough for the announcements.

So, Joseph knows how addicted I got to the Twilight Series.

All in all, I think it was a pretty successful picture day. I can't wait until we can actually put together the invitations and send them out!!! Yay!

His version of the beginning

2008-05-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't notice Kelsi, really until I met her dog. After that, I knew I'd do anything to be with that little puppy. Even if it means enduring an eternity with Kelsi.

Wedding Plans

2008-04-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Planning this wedding has been one of the most exciting, and most frustrating things of my life!
First we have a date, then we don't, the we have a plan, then we change it, then we have a window, and then we don't... blah, blah, blah...
Here is what we have, concrete:
Eachother.
The dress.
The flowers.
The colors.
The ideal location.
The two options for receptions.
...That's pretty much it.
For everything else, I am open to suggestions.

Our first date(s)

2008-03-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Joseph and I have two dates that we consider our first.
The First First date was the night of August 13th. He and Amber had met me at a fireside and afterward (wanting to spend more time with him) I asked them to watch a meteor shower with me. We (all three of us) drove up Emigration canyon and parked at the reservoir their to watch the show. Amber ended up falling asleep (thank you, Amber!), leaving Joseph and me to chat for a few hours.
Our time was spent picking out shapes in the clouds, counting meteors, and sharing interests and hobbies.
After we'd gotten our fill of the meteors (and the cold) we packed up and drove home. We stopped at Joseph's apartment and while Amber was using the bathroom he invited me to go climbing. I thought he was keeping things casual, until he added dinner and a movie to the climbing.
That brings us to our Second First date.
He picked me up at my house and (after he let my dog out) we left for the climbing gym. We spent a good amount of time climbing (he was showing off, and I was trying really hard to not be a wuss). He was very complimentary and encouraging. It was the most fun I'd had climbing. Ever. Aftwerwards we went to Jamba Juice, then back to his apartment where we watched some movie with guns and killing. I didn't want the night to end, and after he took me home, in my prayers I said:
"If I don't marry him, I want to marry someone just like him, who makes me feel just like that."

The Beginning (Her Story)

2008-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

I have known Joseph, and harbored a secret crush on him for about 6 years. It all started when...
In my Junior year of high school, I started my first job at the local Target. There I met Amber. We became fast friends, and soon started brainstorming ways to keep our friendship going. One of her brilliant plans was that I marry into her family. She had a brother (Joseph) who would soon be off his mission, and we could certainly meet, date, fall in love, and get married.
We did meet, but the whole dating, falling in love, and plan for marriage... that came later.

Prologue

2008-01-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard.... we're engaged!!!!!!!!!!!

I would have waited until we were legally wed, but I get impatient.

We've been engaged since January 19th, approximately 11:30pm.