It's Almost Time!!!

Graduation is only 3 weeks away!! We are sooooooooo super excited to be done!!! (Really I am already done and my diploma is hanging on the way in a super cool frame that my in-laws gave me, but I haven't done the whole walking thing yet.) So we decided to order announcements that had both of our names on there, since we get to walk together. And we decided to have a Graduation Lunch. And of course we needed to take a picture to include with that and our awesome upstairs photographer neighbor even agreed to take some one evening for us.
The only problem is that the weather has been so up and down that we couldn't really schedule a day. So one day it was kinda warm and not cloudy, so as soon as Kaleb got home from work I made him, yes I made him, shower and change so we could go take pictures. One of the electives in Cub Scouts is photography, so I thought Maxwell could try taking some pictures and he did pretty good for his first photo shoot. With digital pics we could take them and look and teach him how to make them better and always just erase the ones that didn't work. And if all else failed we could use the little tripod and the timer.


In front of Old Main...an okay picture but we were squinting a little and I don't really like the open door in the background.


A fun spot to take pictures, but the lighting just wasn't right and neither were the looks on our faces!!!

Jensen wanted a picture with Mommy! The sun was just right in my eyes, hence the wonderful look on my face.

This is Old Main, a famous old building on the USU campus. At night the A's on the top are lit with white lights. Then when the Aggies win a game they turn on blue lights!

This was a pretty good picture, just the sun was in our eyes and made it hard to get good facial expressions!!

Tradition on campus is that you aren't a "True Aggie" until you've kissed another "true aggie" on top of the A on the night of a full-moon. However, since we were already married when we started going to USU we decided we really didn't want to kiss some stranger on top of the A. So we decided this worked for us and we are "True Aggies". We've put enough time and money into this that I think we get to decide that!

However, the boys are both at the age that they said "EWWWWW!" when we kissed!

Since we were all there we tried a family picture on the A. I think we will go back another day when the light is a little better and it is a little warmer and see if we can't get a better picture.

The winning picture! We ended up using the tripod and the camera. The boys got tired of taking pictures and it was getting cold.

Sorry if you didn't get an announcement in the mail, being poor college students we could only afford so many. Here is a scanned in one. If you are in the area that day we would love for you to come to the lunch!!! (Let me know and I will send you the info, cause I didn't want to post it all on our blog.)

Baby Animal Days

Every year we have wanted to go to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center. Every year it seems to be yucky weather on those days, but this year is wasn't too bad and the boys were on spring break so we went. We bought a family pass, good for a year, so we can go all summer. Our next trip is planned for this Saturday and the boys want to ride the ponnies and the train. Hopefully the weather will be good!

We started out at the billy goats.


Then we saw a calf and some piglets.

Went on a treasure hunt where they had to read the signs and then answer questions about the history of Cache Valley.


Another calf and a lamb. All of the volunteers either had on a black shirt or were dressed in pioneer time clothing.

A bunny and then we went to stand in line to see the baby bears.

The bear cubs were from Yellowstone Bear World and had been born in January. There were three cubs and three workers from Bear World. We didn't get to touch the cubs, but we were pretty close and it was still pretty cool to see them.


Jensen was telling me where he wanted to go next and when I turned back around to find Maxwell I saw him holding a baby lamb. So Jensen hurried in to the pen also.


Then Maxwell handed the lamb to Jensen and I really wasn't sure he would be able to hold it.

But he did and it's almost as big as him!


As we were leaving the boys saw the old farming equipment and insisted on having pictures taken up on them.


Maxwell enjoyed it so much that he wanted to volunteer there!

Hopefully the trees will start to get some leaves really soon. We are all ready for spring here!

Fibromyalgia Study - week 17 & 18

Yes, I missed last week. It was the boys spring break and we tried to do as much as I could. We also went to Salt Lake on Saturday and Sunday so I didn't get a post up. But I am just plugging along. I do my exercises and I get very tired, but I just keep going. I have noticed the hump at the top of my back is getting smaller, YEAH!! Now I'll post some funner stuff, pictures from the boys spring break!

Fibromyalgia Study - week 16

My neighbors have certainly had something to talk about this week! It gets boring really fast, walking around a 900 square foot apartment for 20 minutes. So when the weather is nice I go outside and walk around our apartment complex. I saw a few neighbors one day and they looked at me weird. So I walked around in circles while I explained to them what I was doing. The boys have enjoyed it though. I let them come out and ride their bikes while I walk around. Too bad they are forecasting more snow for tomorrow and Tuesday. I really thought spring had come, since this week is spring break for my boys, but I guess not.

Ideally I should be doing traction, wobble, and weights three times a day. Some weeks the ideal can't happen. I have managed to do what I can and I am feeling better today, so next week should be better. We did find out that when I wear the posture strap it applies pressure in such a way that my hands go tingly. The Dr said that wasn't good and had me a do a couple things, took the strap off, said is the tingly/numbness gone, and yep it was. So I don't wear the posture strap for now, might wear it again in the future, we will have to wait and see. A few years ago I did physical therapy for numbness/tingling in my hands and arms and the posture strap seems to irritate the same nerve.

Below is my new favorite quote that I heard in a talk today during General Conference. As soon as they post the text on-line I can find out who said it. I was listening while I did my hair and heard this said. I hurried and wrote it down, but didn't get the name.

Never let an earthly circumstance disable you spiritually.

Fibromyalgia Study - Week 15

Its the end of week 15 and nearly the end of the day. Today was a busy day! I had to get up at 6 am so I could do traction, wobble chair, and weights before we left for Salt Lake for the day. We hunted eggs with Kaleb's family, went to an 80th birthday party for Kaleb's grandma, and stopped by my sister's house to play with the cousins for a little bit and pick up a bag of clothes. We got back home around 7:30 pm. It was a long day and my knee started hurting by the middle of it. I played the piano for about an hour at the 80th b-day party, and that may have started the knee pain; however, I really do enjoy playing the piano and since we don't have one I take all the chances I get to play. It really isn't too much fun to ride 2 hours home in a car when your knee is hurting. :)

So this week on Thursday I started the weights. Someday I will post a picture of how I look when I have all of my weights on, but for now you will just have to image how funky I look. The first night I put them on Kaleb said that we should take a picture so I could see how I look. I quickly reminded him that we have a full-size mirror in the hallway so I can already see how "cute" I look with them on. First, I strap on 8 pounds around my waist. They are in two pouches that hang from a belt that I buckle on. Next, I put on a posture strap, no weights attached to this. The strap is supposed to keep you in the correct upright posture while you are wearing the weights. Then, I add what looks like half of a vest on my right shoulder and buckle it around my chest. In the front part of the vest is 5 pounds and in the back 3 pounds. Last, I put a strap on my head that holds two 2 pound weights. These stick up above the strap, making me look like I have metal "bunny" ears. The strap sits right above my eyebrows and wraps around the head. Once I have this all on, I set the timer for 20 minutes and then have to walk around. I can walk in place, which gets boring really fast, or I can walk around and around my little 900 square feet apartment. I have to try and keep my eyes and head level and look out level in front of me. Luckily, the time doesn't drag too bad. At the end of the 20 minutes I sit down and unbuckle all of the weights. Wow! It sure does feel good to take off 20 pounds in less than a minute.....sure wish I could take off 20 pounds of extra body weight that fast!!!

So here is my new daily exercise schedule:
Morning = traction, wobble chair, weights
Mid-day = traction, wobble chair, weights
some time during the day = 6-way dorsal stretch, 20 thoracic rolls
Just before bed = traction, wobble chair, weights, blocks

Traction = 60 pulls for 7 seconds each
Wobble Chair = 4 warm-ups with 10 reps, 1 warm-up with 25 reps, 100 front-back, 100 side-side, 75 figure 8's w/down first, 75 figure 8's w/up first
Weights = 20 minutes walking
Blocks = 20 minutes

It really is quite a work out!! It takes me about an hour to do traction, wobble, weights. On Monday and Thursday I also go into the clinic. There we have to do traction and weights and then get adjusted as needed. I had planned to complete tons of half finished projects after I graduated in December. But then we found out about this study. I was so blessed to get into the group of 11 that get all of their care fully paid for. I was soooo excited to get the opportunity to get to change my life and get feeling better and hopefully cure my fibromyalgia. They told us it wouldn't be easy and that it would take a lot of work. I don't think I thought it would take this much work, but I'm not complaining about that. I'm excited to be learning how to heal my body and how to care for it for the rest of my life, but all those half finished projects...?.... Well I have finished a couple.....but the rest will have to be patient. Eventually I will finish all of them, but right now the most important thing is that I take this opportunity to get better!!!

Fibromyalgia Study - Week 14

Yes, I missed week 13...that's what happens when you have fibromyalgia and a cold...your brain doesn't always work right! I totally forgot about posting! So anyways....

Week 14
The cold is getting better, but it is still lingering around. The weather has gotten warmer and that should help me start to feel better also.
Up till now the study focus has been to align the neck and strengthen the muscles to prepare to start the head weights. And now, we are ready for the head weights. On Thursday we are having a meeting and the dr is going to explain it all to us and what other exercises we will still need to do. Supposedly when you start the weights you start to see bigger changes in how you feel...I am really hoping this is true!! I've been very tired, but really when you look at all I am putting my body through right now it is understandable. My knees and elbows have been hurting and the dr checked them and put them back into place, not necessarily a very fun thing, but now they are feeling better. I just keep going because I've been in pain for so long, that I figure that what is some more pain.

Fibromyalgia Study - Week 12

End of week 12
--- good news -- I don't have to do the turtle exercise any more. The muscles it was working are now strong enough. Dr says I'm almost ready for the weights.
--- bad news -- Major fluctuations in the weather! Nice and sunny one day, snowing the next, makes my fibro hurt tons more. Add in the lovely time of the month and you get Alicia in lots of pain.