Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Around this time of year people are always sharing what they are thankful for and I have decided to follow suit. But in true "Sandy Fashion" I have decided to do it my way. Instead of just sharing a simple list of things that I am thankful for I have decided to share some of the happy memories that I have collected in my pretty, little head over the years. 

I know I have shared this story in some capacity somewhere but it is still one of my favorites and the memory that this idea spawned from. Shortly after my niece Karley was born (I think she was only a couple months old) we were at my brother Layne and sister in law Kara's house. Karley was in her room taking a nap. While we were in the other room we heard her wake up and start to cry. I volunteered to go get her out of the crib (I was baby crazy so of course I offered to go get her.) I walked into her room and looked down at her in the crib. At first she looked confused that it was me standing over her and not one of her parents and I was pretty sure she going to start crying again. I don't remember if I said something to her or if I just smiled, but all of sudden she smiled back at me and kicked her little feet under her blanket. Never fails to make me smile.

My brother Bart told me, "You can't learn how to drive from a book, Bookworm." He then proceeded to give my driving lessons in the parking lot at Hillcrest High School. In the Dragon Wagon. I wasn't a very good driver but he was very patient with me and I learned a lot. And it was fun anyway.

My sophomore year of high school we were assigned to do an "author project."  We had to pick an author and read, I think 1,000 pages, by the author we had chosen and then present a report to the class about the author. One person chose Amy Tan, another Robert Ludlum, of course Steinbeck and Hemingway were picked. I chose Chuck Palahniuk.

I donated blood one afternoon for a blood drive at Home Depot, where I worked at the time. My brother Jay needed a babysitter for his baby Kimber. I drove home with baby Kimber to the apartment I lived in at (the top floor of an old Victorian house.) She had fallen asleep on the drive over so I carried baby Kimber, in her car-seat, up the two flights up stairs. By the time I made it up the stairs I was so light headed and tired I collapsed on the floor next to the baby and just looked at her praying that she would not wake up until I regained enough strength to pick her up out of the car-seat. When she did wake up I had to lie on the floor next to her feeding her Cheerios until Matt got home to help me take care of her.

One year when I still lived with my dad we decided we were going to go cut down our own Christmas tree. I don't remember how cold it was but it was definitely below freezing. We looked around one spot for a while but couldn't find anything good. Then dad suggested we look on the other side of the lake. I thought he meant drive around the lake in the truck. He did not. He wanted to walk across the frozen lake. At first I thought he was joking because I have seen many a movie where someone falls through the ice. But he was not joking. So the two of us walked all the way across the frozen lake. But we didn't find any good trees on the other side of the lake either, so we turned around and walked all the way back across the frozen lake. The whole time I just kept thinking that we were tempting fate. It was so cold that we had to share a pair of ear muffs. He would wear them for a while and then my ears would get too cold and then I would wear them for a while and we traded them back and forth the whole day. We did eventually find a suitable tree though.

The preschool I went to was at Hillcrest High School where my brother Layne happened to go at the time. The time of day that preschool ended was the same time that one of Layne's classes let out and some days I would get to see him in the hall and give him a hug. I thought that was so cool that I got to go to the same school as my big brother.

Last May Matt and I drove to Spokane to see The Koffin Kats play. We missed their shows in Montana because they were all on weekday nights. This was the first time we were going to see them play with their new guitarist. It was an amazing show, as always. They played a cover of a Hall & Oates song "Maneater" that was just amazing. After the show we were talking to the band by the merch table when Matt suggested we buy one of their vinyls and have the band sign it. I still need to get it framed but it is one of the coolest things I own.

The week of my 14th birthday I was sicker than a dog. On my birthday I got a present from my Grandma Barlow. It was denim quilt made using all different colors of denim squares. I LOVE this quilt. (Bart actually told me that I was her favorite because I got two denim quilts without one being a wedding present.) Apparently it had taken her years to find all the fabric to finish it. My mom also told me that my grandma was worried that I wouldn't like it. I have a picture of me snuggled up on the couch with my new quilt and a bottle of Ny-quil. Before I had gotten sick we had my entire birthday party planned. Rather than cancel the party my mom agreed to host and entertain a dozen or so of my teenaged friends while I slept on the couch. Not the ideal birthday but still one of my favorites.


That's all I for now. This was a really fun post to write and it may become the first in a series, who knows. Thank you for reading and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Back to Blogging

I cannot believe how long it has been since I posted. My life has been a bit crazy this past year and a half but I will try not to bore you with ALL the details. Let's see. Last December I was given a full-time coding position at Helena Orthopaedic Clinic and by April I was the senior coder. Over the past several months I have been learning all I can about Orthopedic coding and trying to keep things running smoothly at work. It has been a long road but I think we are finally in a good place and have a good rhythm. Right in time for ICD-10 to hit, but that is a whole other story. Tomorrow will be my 2 year anniversary at Helena Orthopaedic Clinic!
In June I had my first surgery ever. A bilateral maxillary balloon sinuplasty. Say that five times fast. Basically the nasal passages were narrow making it difficult for my sinuses to drain causing lots of pain and recurrent sinus infections. I am feeling much better since my surgery. I still occasionally have ear pain and sinus issues but not even close to what is what before my surgery.
The in August I had my second surgery ever and got my very first stitches. I had a "finger bump" on my finger for years and it never really caused any problems it was just sort of there. Well, after my sinus surgery the finger bump (which ended up being a cyst) tripled in size and became very painful. It was on the palmar side of my hand and it hurt to open doors, hold the steering wheel, open and close my mascara, etc. It has been healing very well and the scar is almost invisible. (Thank you, Dr. Bergquist!)
I started roller derby in September. The local team The Hel'z Belles had their Fresh Meat program this fall and I joined. I am not a very strong skater yet but I am improving. I love being involved with the team even if I am not a bout skater yet. Everyone has been so welcoming and very encouraging. So far it has been such a positive and warm atmosphere that makes you want to try harder and succeed. I look forward to getting to the point where I can pass my White Star test and eventually my Belles test. And especially picking out a kick ass derby name!
October 6th I got braces! Yes, I did. I have been toying with the idea of getting braces for years now and I finally decided to take the plunge. I was so worried that I would look ridiculous but I actually do not mind the look of them. They are kind of a pain in the ass as far as the maintenance but the end result will be so worth it.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

June 26 was Matt's birthday. We didn't really go out or do anything. Matt's not big into birthdays like me but I did get him a pile of presents! Who doesn't love presents? I made him sit on the couch and close his eyes, then I set the pile on his lap. 

Pile of Presents!

Let the opening begin!

New Sunglasses!

Zombie mug and Mega Man air fresheners from Think Geek!

Fancy new keyboard!

"The Bag of Holding" He had been looking for a messenger bag for a while with no luck. I was super excited when I found this on Think Geek.

All Together!

Happy Birthday, Bubba!

Six month probation is over!

Okay, if you don't know what I'm talking about that can sound a little weird. I started my new job at Helena Orthopaedic Clinic in November and they have a six month "probation" period for new employees. May 19th marked the end of my six month probation. Things are going great so far and I'm looking forward to the next six months and more!

Lego Birthday Card

My nephew Killian turned six on Thursday and had a Lego themed birthday party. So, naturally I bought him Lego's and decided to try my hand at making a card to match. Here it is!

I was really happy with the finished product. Happy Birthday, Kicky!


(Also, a special shout out to Matt for helping me get the dots spaced right. Thanks, babe!)

Goodbye, Shopko!

That's right, I'm saying goodbye to my job at Shopko. After 18 months working there as an Optician. A couple weeks ago I got a phone call, out of the blue, from the office manager at Helena Orthopedic Clinic. She had my resume on file from a previous job opening and wanted to set up an interview for a job opening as a Medical Secretary. It is not a medical coding job, which is what I went to school for, but this job does require a lot of the same terminology and background as coding. The interview went well and she called the following Monday to offer me the job.  I was so nervous. I am definitely my own worst critic when it comes to interviews. I still cannot believe how fast it is all happening. I put in my two weeks notice at Shopko and yesterday was my last shift. I start my new job tomorrow morning! I am excited and very nervous. I hope my hard work in Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology will not have been in vain. Wish me luck!

Happy Anniversary!

At the end of September Matt and I went to Park City for a few days to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Yes, 5th! I can't believe we have been dating for 5 years already. It's really neat to look back at how much we've accomplished together over the years. Since we've been dating I have moved 4 times. We've each gone through 2 cars. I've changed jobs several times. We both started college. A couple ER trips. Holidays. Birthdays. Trips. It's been quite a ride.
We were only in Park City for three days but it was still fun. We got to see my mom while we were there are we also got to visit my brother Bart, who was in Utah working for a few days. We spent a lot of time shopping and Matt helped me pick out some nice work clothes for winter. It just so happened while we were there Odyssey Dance Theatre was performing Thriller at The Egyptian in Park City. I had seen it before but it was Matt's first time seeing Thriller. After the show was over we drove all over trying to find a place to eat that was open that late. There was nothing. We finally ended up at a bar on Main Street and had burgers. It was quite the adventure to end up back pretty much where we started.
I can't believe it's been five years already. I'm definitely looking forward to the next five years.