Merry Christmas

Every year I have written a letter to family and friends describing what a fantastic year we have had and the many blessings we have been given. This year, I decided to forgo the postage and killing of the trees with my many copies. I hope you all forgive me for not sending a letter. But at least you don't have to send anything out to the garbage and then feel guilty for throwing away MY picture.

So, this is the annual Christmas letter.....

We have had a wonderful year, so many fun things have happened to us. It has been our first full year since Scott came back from Afghanistan. Last month we actually got to celebrate the milestone of having him home as long as he was gone. I think we have finally found our comfy spot. I think we got used to each other again (it really was an adjustment-a good one!) Scott is still active in the Army National Guard. He has been having too much fun with his calling in Scouts (all he does is party with the boys-but perhaps he needs that living in our house). He also is still working at Brigham City Hospital. He also is the bestest Dad in the whole wide world!

Kristie (me) is still working at the University Hospital in SLC a couple nights a week. I have a lot of fun there, I learn something new almost every shift. Last time I learned that there really is such thing as a bezoar. (We are dealing with pleasant things here, so I won't give details!) I enjoy being a mom, but I wish I were better at it. I get to start school in January. I am looking forward to getting started with it so that I can get it over with. I am shocked that I dared apply.

Megan is in the 6th grade. She has been going to a new school with all the girls! I am so impressed with her ability to make friends- she is having so much fun. She is doing quite well at school. She is very plucky and determined.

Abby is in 5th grade. What a fun kid she is, she giggles all the time. She is a hard worker, we are so lucky that she is in our family. She loves animals and has been volunteering at the animal shelter. She is really great with toddlers and is a fantastic babysitter.

Ivy is in the 2nd grade. She is in piano lessons and works very hard at it. I wish I knew how to add her playing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" or "The First Noel" to the web page, but just imagine the most beautiful music ever, and you will come close to what she sounds like.

Annel always keeps us giggling. She is such a blessing to us. She tells us exactly what she is thinking and told me the other day that, "Six-year-olds never lie!" Even when she threw a golf ball through the back window. What A Blessing!

Well, I must add our testimony of the gospel. How exquisite it is that we have the gospel and the blessings of living it. We are all happy and healthy and grateful for life. Merry Christmas to all of you and thanks for being wonderful people. We wish you all the best!!

Scott, Kristie, and MAIN

Kristie N. Palfreyman, RN BSN

Well, what a shocker!!

I was accepted into the Bachelor's Program for Nursing! Woo Hoo! Hard to believe right now, but as you can see, there is a letter to prove it!

He he he he!!!!

****TWILIGHT****

Oh, the joy!

I think that this was even more of an event than a movie opening. I did miss the midnight showing. I went the first time on Friday night. I went on a double date with Scott and some friends. The theater was packed! The ratio of female to male was probably 100:2. I was so proud of the husbands that were brave enough to be there!

The majority of the women were not teens, but middle-aged women. Geez! I swear! There was so much giggling! It even got a little irritating. I felt so bad that I finally had to turn around and whisper "Shhhh, please!" to the giggly 40 year old in back of me. And then, I even had to tell Scott he was being too noisy! I was missing things! (I recognize that I probably have an "obsessive Twilight fan" syndrome.)

So, the special effects left something to be desired. I will leave it at that. I just heard that there will be "New Moon" sequel and with the huge money they made this weekend, let alone the next month, I am sure that the special effects will be much better in the future. BTW, I liked the *sparkle*

I took Megan and Abby today to the show. I like it so much better today. Not so much giggling. The crowd was a bit younger. But THEY all ohhed and awed appropriately! My girls loved the show, and didn't mind the adaptations. I think that I was able to prepare them before going, so that the changes in the story didn't shock them too much.

Anyway, I think that I will probably go again. Maybe Monday afternoon without the kids. I just smiled all the way through the movie. Oh, and I LOVED the soundtrack. Great music! Muse was fantastic for the baseball game! I also liked Rob Pattinson's songs that he sang. His music was featured in the restaurant scene, and one other scene that I cannot remember right now. The first time that I heard the songs, I wasn't so sure, but I think they fit the scenes nicely.

One last thing! Congrats to Stephenie Meyer for her success and cameo appearance in the film. That made me giggle, too!

Michi and Eita's New Baby

So, here I am in Burbank, CA! I am staying at the fanciest hotel I have ever stayed at! I am here with my dad and we are visiting the newest addition to the Nelson clan. We are in a studio with 2 bedrooms and a common room. (3 TV's!)

He is my sister Michi's baby, and he is so darling! His name is Noah Keita Asama. He was born 3 days ago in a swanky California hospital. He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz, and was 19 inches long. His hair is so luxurious, it makes you want to run your fingers through it! He even has dimples already.

Research

So, here is a funny kid story!

Ivy and Nellie found a dead mouse that Bluebell caught 2 days ago. When Scott saw it, he asked the kids to throw it away.

So, yesterday, Nellie said to Scott, "Dad, Ivy lied to you last night."

Scott asked what she lied about. Annel's response was, "We didn't throw the mouse away, we wanted to keep it so that we could do research on it."

Gross!! But she did bring the thing down to me and we threw it away. Without the reasearch.

Mariko and Patrick's Baby

My littlest sister just had her baby yesterday. He is a beautiful 7 lb, 3 oz 21 inches long little boy. As far as I know he does not have a name. But he is so handsome, I needed to post a pic!

Halloween's a-comin'

Oh, is anyone else ready for Halloween? My kids are getting so excited. Abby is going to be a Japanese girl, Ivy and Megan are planning to be vegetarian vampires(in honor of Twilight) and I am not sure what Nellie is planning on, though.

I am sure that Scott and I are both going as parents. "The toughest job in the world!"

I am so enjoying the change of colors of the leaves this year. My only complaint is that it didn't last long enough. Everything sort of skipped yellow and went straight to red! I hope to post some pictures of the beauty that Ben Lomond and Lewis Peak treats me with every day.

More to come!

Hunt '08

Well, I went today and picked up the girls in Wyoming. They had spent the weekend with Dad in the Uintah's hunting deer and elk. Scott got his deer this morning. He gave me the pictures and I saw a beautiful animal lying in it's gore. It makes me want to be a vegetarian again. As time goes by, I realize that I am not a good hunter's wife. It just hurts me to see an unnecessary kill.

I don't know, I guess if it were necessary, it would be alright. But I have learned to dislike the sage taste of the animal, and deer are just so beautiful! I am tortured each fall because I am supposed to cheer and be supportive of my sweetheart's desire to provide for our family. It must be some kind of leftover prehistoric instinct that causes him to do this. I swear I must be more evolved!;-)

Well, his deer is beautiful, but if you want to see the pictures and hear about the story (how he had to kick it down the hill) you will have to ask him personally.

But for my part, I will post a couple of pictures of the girls that I liked. First off, here is a pitiful picture of my girls passed out asleep on some rocks. Next, a sweet picture of the two of them looking for deer. And lastly, a gorgeous picture of Uintah Yellow.

Red Leg Social

I just wanted to post this picture of Scott and I before the Redleg. Which is a dinner for Artillery and partners. Scott looks soo soo good!!

A Delicate Constitution

It has been a little while since I posted....Not too many exciting stories to tell. First of all, we finally found the battery charger for the camera! Fun!

ha ha ha

Well, there is this ONE story! We had a fun family vacation right before school started and we took one day and spent it at Lagoon. We were having a great time, but I think we learned that Scott has a "Delicate Constitution."

Scott and the three older girls rode a ride that turned them upside down and around in a fountain. It held them upside down for quite a while!!! Well, when they got off, they were all drenched with water.

Scott came over to me and asked me to check his pulse. I felt his wrist and his pulse was doing the rhumba, the polka, and the swing--all at the same time. Well, he was feeling alright for a while so we rode a few more rides. We were secretly hoping that somehow a ride would flip him back into a normal rhythym. NOT!

As we began to travel home, Scott said that he wasn't feeling that great. We decided that it was time to go to the emergency department at his hospital. We took the kids home and got someone to watch the girls. We called the ED Physician and told hime that we were on the way.

We got there and they hooked Scott up to the monitors. Sure enough, his heart was in atrial fibrillation. So fun! (By this time, Scott was having a little pain and nausea--completely normal but still worrisome.) His heart rate was around 170, and jumping all over the place. Our choices then were, (1) Stay there all night and use medication to adjust his heart or (2) Shock!

So guess what Scott picked....that's right! Shock! So, he had 2 shocks of increasing intensity that reset his heart. In case anyone was wondering, it looks a lot like the movies. This was Scott's second time he has deserved a little shock. Bless him.

Well, it did work. We just had to hang out for all the sedative drugs to wear off and we were home in a jiffy! I guess the moral to this story is "Scott can only ride the kiddie rides at Lagoon."

Pathophysiolgy 2230--B+

Wahoo! I did it! I did it! I did it!!! With some hard work and a lot of prayer, I got a B+ in Patho. I am so relieved. That was a tough class.

I am so happy that I get to spend time with my family. I think the most valuable lesson that I learned was "Never again take a Summer class!" I spent so much time trying to remember different diseases, my kids did suffer a little too much.

So, I have been spending the afternoon cleaning the house. Oh, it feels so good! It is like a new beginning.

Oh, we also took a celebratory trip to see "WALL*E." What a sweet show. My kids bawled at the part where Wall*E had to leave the cockroach. That movie also made me want to go for a walk.

Well, now I get to go and make dinner. (Oatmeal and Pancakes, Yahoo!!!!)

Tragedy #2

Oh MY Heck!!

Abby woke up this morning and went to check on her birds and there weren't any in the cage. I am sick about it, but it looks like someone left a door open. Well, upon closer inspection, there was carnage in the cage and a trail of feathers around the house. We found one pile under my bed and it looks like Murphy the dog has his little feast there. Absolutely TRAGIC!!

I think that we have proven our home unworthy of providing a good home for birds. At least for now. I know that we can love our puppies and kitties. When they see the other side of the veil, perhaps it will then be time for birds. Or maybe we can figure out some way to keep the cage out of quadriped range.

Trek '08

Well, I spent last week on a Pioneer Trek at Deseret Land and Livestock with the Young men and women from my stake. I was one of 5 nurses called to take care of 300 or so people over 25 or so miles. I have to admit, it was exhausting. I am pretty pooped, even today (three days after it is over!).

I think that it was an overall success, and all the youth learned some valuable lessons what the pioneers suffered for us to get here to the Salt Lake Valley to persue religious freedom. I am ever grateful for their sacrifice. I am directly blessed, for all of my ancestors came to Utah as a pioneer in one way or another. Most were LDS pioneers, one or two came with the Army sent to "watch the Mormons."

Here are some beautiful pictures of the trek. One is me kissing a little lizard. Cute little thing! There were some beautful blossoms, a sego lily and cactus flowers.

Tragedy Strikes

Well, we had a bit of trauma today.

Scott and I have been bribing Abby to get her to cut off her long locks. Her hair is just too long to handle. Three days ago, Scott asked her what it would take to get her to cut her hair. At first, she asked for a horse, then a trampoline, then I think she settled on 6 finches. She wanted birds that would sit on her finger and be able to play with them. When I told her that finches weren't "holding birds." So, we decided to get a parakeet or two.

This morning, Abby and I made the trek to the pet store and we both fell in love with this beautiful little parakeet. It was yellow with some green splash on it. It had little periwinkle blue cheeks that were so precious. So, we walked through the store and picked up all the little toys and treats for the cage. We were so excited! We brought the birdie home in the little box that the clerk gave us, Abby held it so carefully all the way home. She accidentally dropped the box when we pulled into the garage onto the floor of the car, and that scared us both. But the bird was fine.

Well, we came into the house and put the cage together with all the toys and the seed and the water. We got the whole thing put together. Murphy, Leila and Bluebell were all close by wondering what all the excitement was about. They were soon to find out!

Abby reached into the little box to get her new baby, "Cami" (short for camoflouge). She pulled Cami out and Cami jumped out of her hands and into BLUEBELL'S MOUTH! Luckily, we were right there and grabbed Bluebell. Blue let go and the bird flew toward the front door. Murphy got so excited, he was down the stairs and got the bird as it hit the floor. He proudly started running to the doggie door, as Abby, Ivy and I were chasing him and screaming.

We caught the dog before he left the front room and got the bird out of his mouth. I had the bird in my hand and the little thing looked up and me and slowly closed it's little eye. Of course, Abby and Ivy were still screaming and then I started to bawl, too. Megan and Nellie were awakened by all the commotion, and they saw the pretty little bird- dead in my hand.

We all held the little thing, cried and prayed. Bluebell couldn't stand all the noise and attacked Ivy's leg. (She is a very sensitive cat) So, then we had more nursing to do. Well, we all bawled for 45 minutes and then I had to go to work. We have saved the body for burial when Scott gets home.

I am sure that we all have headaches from the trauma to all of us. Murphy has been skulking around the house, I can tell that he feels bad about what he did. Bluebell is only annoyed at all of us, as she usually gets cheers when she brings home little dead things. I have told the kids that this is no one's fault but mine. The cat and the dog only did what comes naturally to them. I should have kept the animals locked away until we got the bird in the cage.

So, that is the trauma o'the day.

I am sure that someday, this will all be something we will laugh and shed a little tear for.

I am still going to make Abby's hair appointment today.

My Girls

Okay, I am going to try to post my family's pictures so that I can show how beautiful they are! Let's see how computer literate I can be! Okay, Here are some pictures of my beautiful girls!

I just got done attending a review class for my online patho class. My brain is fried. I wish that I could use this time coming home on the train as useful study time, but I am afraid that I am just bushed.

My little house today was a "Grand Central Station." I can't believe all the little kids that came over. It was tough to know where my kids were and where the neighbor kids were all the time. It was a little fun, I must admit, seeing all the friends playing, and doing so well together. I only got a little "put out" when I had to clean up some of the mess. My kids are getting pretty good at cleaning up after themselves.

I do enjoy being a mom, but sometimes I feel like I fail miserable at it. I hope that my kids grow up knowing that I love them, and I hope that they do somehow, someway, learn to enjoy cleanliness.


well, my stop is coming up, gotta go!!!

Wow! I am sick...Boo hoo hoo! I called in sick to work tonight, I feel pretty guilty for doing that. But everytime I sneeze, cough or cry, I don't feel so bad. I think I over react when I feel guilty about calling in sick because I abused the privilege when I was a teenager. I hated working at KFC, and I think I called in sick too many times. Conversely, now, I really love going to work. I learn so much when I am there. When every employee is there (and no one has called in sick) it runs rather smoothly. I know that it can be a bad night when an ED is short-staffed.

Scott took all the kids to the Demolition Derby at the fairgrounds, they have sent me a couple of texts that say they are having a blast.

I decided to stay home and do a little homework. So far, it is going well, with the exception that Leila ate a page in my homework and I can't finish part of it, because I don't know what to do. Silly dog!

Every once in a while, Murphy comes over to me and kisses me. Then Leila gets jealous and attacks. I think I have had a nice doggie-spit-bath tonight (a couple of times over!)

So, this new college class that I am taking is proving a bit more difficult than I expected. din't score very well on the first test (70 %), I am going to have to do much better if I want to get a B+ in this class. Anyway, so the studying is taking a bit more time away from my family than I would like. Especially mentally--I keep thinking about the class, even when I am supposed to be playing with my family. Like even right now! My little family are all outside playing with a little campfire that Scott made.

So, I guess I better get out there!

Ripping out carpet and new callings

Well, I got a bug this week and decided to replace Megan's carpet with Pergo this week. I got her room cleaned out tonight and ripped out the carepet, the pad, the little nail-down thingies, and the baseboards. Scott came home about then and helped with the rest of it. He did the little detail stuff-the getting the staples out.

Right near the end, one of the Bishopbric came over and asked me to teach a new Sunday School class. I think it will be fun. I think that I will enjoy it. We will see. I was getting so comfy in not having a call right now. I may have to adjust the thinking a little!

I am excited to figure out how to post pictures, I would love to show the room progress!

College Chemistry = B+

Well, I found out that I did indeed get a B+ in the college chemistry class. I was quite desparate for the grade, I worked pretty hard for it. I tried to understand the material. But I think it all came down to Heavenly Father helping me, once again. I prayed before the course and asked him to help me just enough to get the B+, and He came through for me. He always does, even when I don't deserve it. It amazes me and makes me think that I am meant to move on in my education.

Even in High School, I remember asking for help with studying. I knew that I needed a certain score on the ACT to make it into the Nursing Program, and I worried and worried about it. I have never been strong in Math, and I was concerned about my grades and ACT score.

The night before the ACT test, I remember having a dream. It was a scary dream, I was in a hotel lobby and I was with a man that was hurting me. I cried out, asking for help. Then, a little blue eyed girl came up to me and took my hand and told the man to stop. He got angry and walked away. The little girl took my hand and took care of me. Then, all went dark, and I heard a voice, a man's voice say, "Ask and ye shall receive, Knock and it shall be opened to you."

It struck me then that Heavenly Father would be there for me when I asked for help. That He would help me to achieve those things that would help me in my life achieve the things that are good for me. Over and over, He has answered my prayers, always for the best.

I am now looking forward to the new class (hurdle) to jump. Pathophysiology. I think that I should do alright. My Goodness, I have Been a nurse for 17 years, should understand the nature of disease by now, don't you think? I think I will pray this time, too.

So, I have a week between these 2 quarters. I think I will start ripping apart Megan's room. Our sweet puppy, Murphy, loved the closet to potty train when he was a puppy. I can't stand the thought of having a stinky closet anymore, so I am about ready to rip the carpet out. I am so excited to start.

The beginning

Well, I think it is time to join the "blog" game. How fun! So much to talk about, and so little time. Right now it is Saturday afternoon and Ivy is in the tub, Abby is trying to get ready to go to a friends house, Megan is cleaning her room and Nellie is playing "monkey" on my eliptical. Scott is somewhere outside cleaning out weeds and making the garden ready to plant.

I just finished my chemistry class, my attempt to get back into school. I am hoping for a B+ out of the class, I need it so that I can apply to the BSN program at a University. (It doesn't matter which one I get into, just so long as I can get in!) The long term plan is to get my Doctorate in Nursing, I think it would be fun to be called "Dr. Kristie."

Well, the kids need me. I will see you all soon!