Lately:

- I have been obsessively reading The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. Poor Brian. I didn't tell him that there are 12 altogether before I read the first one.

- Sean got sick with a fever at 103. It's finally gone today. So don't worry travelers - Sean will not infect you or your children at the airport!

- We're going to Arizona on Monday! Brian will come later, but Sean and I will spend about 10 days down there. :)

- Sister Carter died last Sunday. I'm pretty sad about it and even more sad I missed seeing her again by a week and a day.

- I love making muffins. Which means I'll be getting more muffin tins soon.

A tribute - Short, but Heartfelt.

It's funny that when sad things happen to those around us, we are compelled to act as though nothing is happening and try to go on normally. But our thoughts are constantly on what's going on. What those in the terrible circumstance are thinking. How we can possible help them. What there is to do. How sad they must be when we are so sad ourselves.

But we put on a brave face and try to be a strong shoulder. And that's just what we do. And what I hope to do when I visit home in a little more than a week.

A good friend of the family is dying quickly of breast cancer. It came as a shock after we all thought she was in remission. Those sleeper cells are sneaky with their deviousness and destruction. And now she could go within the week, back to a Father in Heaven and all the good things she has earned in this life and gets to work hard while she waits for the rest of her family.

I remember when I was little she would laugh at my quiet little knock on their door to see if her daughter could play. She was always in the kitchen or her sewing room or helping her husband at work. There was always a certain way she did things and her ways endeared her to all of those around her. Always serving and teaching. I still have a little patchwork dog my friend, her daughter, gave me for my birthday that this talented woman made. I love it and the creativity she has to make such things.

Now, I know she wasn't perfect. Who is? But she will be dearly missed by all who knew her and especially her family. I know that when I go back home and visit my parent's ward, I will miss seeing her and talking to her and laughing at something she said.

I'm so grateful to have known her. I am terribly sad that she's not going to be around forever like I counted on in the back of my mind.

So farewell, Sister Carter. Godspeed.

Irony

For years now I've been struggling with being really tired. Tired after little sleep, no sleep, lots of sleep, a regular sleep schedule, always tired. So I finally decided to do something about it.

I called a doctor's office to try and get in so he could run a blood test on me. They said they'd call back and then they didn't.

Ok, what now? I knew that I'd had low iron levels while I was expecting the now-toddler (yup, he's a walking terror! Woohoo!), but just thought he's been sucking all of my nutrients (a fair guess, since he was. There was an inadvertent caffeine experiment involved).

Today I took a multi-vitamin (see: left-over pre0natal vitamin from said expectancy) that had copious amounts of iron in it, just as a test. Then I got in the shower. After the shower I was feeling more awake, but that's normal so I shrugged it off and went about my day. Sean was all whiney and giving me a headache so I put him down for nap #2 an hour after he woke up from nap #1 and then went downstairs.

And I actually still had energy.

What, you ask. You had ... energy? After a whiney annoying son?

Yes, yes I do. Still do in fact. And, what's even MORE amazing is that I walked into the kitchen, saw the dirty dishes, and didn't get depressed about it!!! There was no confusion or despair. No, I just got the old playlist going and cleaned the kitchen.

And I liked it.

I am chock full of iron, people. And I'm feeling good. In fact, I might even be feeling good enough to make dinner tonight on top of cleaning my heart out. It's a miracle!