July Part II

Just last year I was able to add another reason to my long list of why July is the best month.

At the time I was not happy, but a year later I am happy to take the Best Month to remember my Grandpa Naegle. He passed away on the 24th of July and his funeral was on my birthday, which caused me to forget all about my birthday that year and I am forever stuck wondering if I am 21 or 22. Or now I wonder if I am 22 or 23. I hope I can get over this. . .

This year, Robert's Grandpa Mangum passed away July 14th, and his funeral was the 21st.

He wished to be buried in Bicknell, Utah. I didn't even know there was such a place as Bicknell in Utah and expected, I admit, a dull weekend in some podunk town.

Well, I was wrong.

Part of the reason why I was wrong is Robert's family refuses to be bored, and they find adventure where they can.

 Bubbles and Fat Boys at the funeral in honor of Grandpa Mangum's cheerful personality.

 Finding where Grandpa grew up and visiting the fish hatchery. Turned out to be really interesting.

 The other reason is...Bicknell is full of adventure!

 Near Capitol Reef, Bicknell is beautiful. Can you see Robert? :)

 Robert had a good time and all the younger cousins thought he was so cool. Well, he is.

We got home from Bicknell on Monday the 23rd and the 4 of us went to the 24th of July Parade in Salt Lake. Pretty good. Then we headed over to City Creek! I had not been yet and for some reason I was having the time of my life.  I don't even like shopping but I was giddy to finally be a part of It.

The Best Month (Part I)

Ever since I can remember...I've been poppin' my collar?

No. Ever since I can remember, I have considered the month of July to be the Best month of the year. Every year.

In July there is no school, it's warm, I swam every day (who cares it was swimming lessons. I loved being in the pool!), and there is an electricity in the air.

Or maybe more appropriately, there is FIRE in the air! The 4th of July and the 24th of July were fascinating. I LOVE them.

I have been living in Provo during the school years for 5 years now. Last summer I was in Island Park for the 4th, but this summer, we were here in Provo for the Fourth and OH MY WORD! It's a never ending party!

We had family over for a BBQ...

 ...complete with Flag cake.

 I updated our communal laundry room white board. 

Over the top? No way, Jose.

 We went to see the Balloons early the 4th.

(I couldn't go to the parade because I had work. I was so excited to go. People camped out for days and I'm pretty sure University Avenue stayed up all night.)

We went to Robert's Grandparents for a family BBQ and water fight in the afternoon.

We decided last minute to go to Stadium of Fire with Robert's family since we got pretty cheap tickets. It was AWESOME!! 

The Beach Boys were never my favorite but they were that night! So fun.

Been

I've been:
1. Riding
1. Running
1. Swimming
2. Reading The Hobbit and The Help. Next on my list, Les Miserables. Is it December yet?
3. Re-potting my dying plants in an effort to save them. They're really perkin' up!
4. Under-cooking my lemon zucchini bread. Ugh.
5. Doing dishes. I actually kind of like doing dishes.
6. Burning my lemon zucchini muffins. Dang it!
7. Watering my lawn and plants by hand every morning. I really like being up and awake before the sun comes 'round, but this rain has been nice.
8. Working 8 hours a day but really only working 2-3 hours. The rest of the time I am frantically searching for honest things to do. Cleaning, organizing, brainstorming, making a cute board...but really I feel I'm wasting time.
9. Listening to Conference talks. So good.
10. Doing laundry. I also don't really mind laundry, but I think I only "like" cleaning because it sooths some OCD tendencies deep within. I don't believe I just love scrubbing and folding.
11. Planting cilantro in an adorable mini greenhouse.
12. Squealing with delight as my cactus plant that I thought was dead and hadn't watered in months sprouted a new little cactus from its side. Turns out I was watering it too much.
13. Wishing I was pregnant so I could blame my tiredness on something.  I guess I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that training for a triathlon is actually hard and it actually makes me very tired.

I'm not pregnant.

14. Trying to fulfill my Relief Society calling in a ward of 800 members when I'm not exactly sure what a "Relief Society Board Member" does. I guess I'll start getting to know the ladies in the ward, starting with the "A's." :)
15. Making lists.
16. Watching the fruit trees around my house get ripe, wondering if the ear wigs will get to them before I do. Hate those things. It also makes me think about what a lovely neighborhood this must have been about 70 years ago. Fruit trees spring up here and there and I know people planted all kinds of yummy things in their yards. Then south Provo got dumpy and those trees get filled with ear wigs. Hate those things.

A Slew of Graduations and Congratulations!

I Graduated.

Brian Graduated

Steph Graduated.

Congraduation!

And a very special congratulations to Eric for receiving his  

Mission Call

to Tulsa Oklahoma! 

Steph made the cute cake.

And one last congratulations to one of my best friends, Mady Mitchell Malouf! She was married June 9th and it was a beautiful day. She looked gorgeous! I didn't have my camera with me but check out these engagements!

What else have we been up to?

Other than that fateful day, these are a few of the other things we've been up to.

For starters, I graduated from Brigham Young University...

...along with a few of my best friends.
Random roommates freshmen year = best friends for life. 

oh Brooklyn.

This was Thursday and Friday. It was the following Monday that Robert crashed. I had my camera with me because I had gone to lunch earlier with the girls, but didn't think to take pictures of the fire truck, ambulance, police cars, and that darned truck. Oh well.

Next on the menu is Robert's surgery, which was the next Wednesday.

It's a little difficult to tell from this picture but the anesthesiologist was HUGE. When he walked in and announced he would be the one to knock Robert out I thought,  
"I bet you will."









Robert got a little bored while waiting for surgery, as you can see from this robe instruction pamphlet.

The very next day was our First Anniversary! Yep, I spent the day at work, got home at 9 p.m., watched a little Perry Mason with Robert, then we went to sleep. We did not save the top of the cake but my mom surprised us with this frosting rose she's been keeping in the freezer. Thanks mom!

It looks about as good as it did on our wedding day...

We didn't feel too bad about having no fun on our anniversary (though I liked Brian's suggestion that we celebrate by BOTH taking Robert's percocet...which we did not, by the way) because we've been looking forward to our trip to Florida with the whole family!
It started out that our first flight was delayed, so they gave us each $25 to spend on food in the airport.
Robert got a fortune cookie that said, "From a past misfortune, good luck will come to you." Dad got one that said, "Share yourself and your profession with close friends." HOW DO THEY KNOW?!

Thanks for sharing your profession, Dad. We really needed an advocate. One call...it was just *snap* that easy.

 When we finally arrived at midnight, our rental car was not there. So they upgraded us to a sweet van for freeeee.

LIZARD!

I never knew, or didn't remember, what it was like living with a toddler. Robert and I interrogated Charlotte about this. The only answer we got was, "I sink it's toospaste."

Hide and seek. Silly Robert. 

SMOOOOOOTHIES

 True to the Hawaii sand sculpture tradition, we hatched our own sea turtle.

Gorgeous!

Beachin'

She LOVED the beach and the ocean and the airplane.

 We grilled every night! Hamburgers, fajitas, shrimp, kabobs. We had breakfast burritos, pancakes, German pancakes, french toast. Mmm Mmm!

The view from our backyard.

Bye bye, House!

A wonderful vacation!

Robert and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Today is Thursday.

So far it has been easier than Wednesday...

which was harder than Tuesday...

 which rivaled Monday...

which was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

On Monday I got a call from Robert whilst at work. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, not because he called me at work, but because I knew he was out on a bike ride. He always lets me know when he leaves for a ride, so by the end of the first *ring (Robin Hood ring tone) I had done the calculations in my head and determined, indeed, he was still supposed to be out on the bike.

A call when he's supposed to be on a ride always means trouble. And I'm always worried.

"Hey Chris,"
he says, calm and collected, but still breathing a little hard.
Step 1 in my head: Ok, at least he's OK. He probably has a flat tire.

"I've, uh, got some bad news..."
I hear a car wiz by fast in the background.
Step 2 in my head:     o.o   . . . . .SPIT IT OUT THEN!

"I, uh, crashed..."
Step 3 in my head: He crashed, but he's talking to me so he's ok. Thank God. But, must be real bad news about the bike....his TIME TRIAL BIKE! Well, I'm just glad you're ok. So tell me your TT bike is in two pieces. Go ahead. I can totally handle it. 

"...and I... I think my collar bone is broken again."
Step 4 in my head I forget everything about bikes: Oh. Oh no. This was supposed to be his season. He has been working so hard, training, studying, building his race bike, honing in his time trial bike. This can't happen. Noooo! I am so so so very sorry. Oh, what awful timing. 

He told me where he was, I google mapped it, grabbed my purse, and left.
Step 5 in my head: Waaaaiiiit just a cotton-pickin' minute. Where he told me he crashed is totally flat. He must have been hit by a car!
Someone's gonna get it when I get there...

Step 6 in my head: I am speeding this time. Last time it took me an HOUR to get him. This time will take me 15 minutes, I swear, and any cop who dares pull me over is gonna get it.

Robert was headed north on Red Wood Road and turned right onto 2100 N. The Truck was headed south on Red Wood Road and turned left onto 2100 N, both heading east. See that first dirt road on the right? The truck, without ever seeing Robert, and without any signaling, turned right onto that road, right in front of Robert. Bam.


View Larger Map
The police man in charge of the incident was nice but just...not...getting it. He came over and said, "I'm not going to cite either one of you but the fault is on Robert."

After sufficient yelling and enacting Robert "going around the truck" (as the cop suggested) into 50 MPH traffic, the kind police man decided to change his mind about putting fault on the cyclist, versus the truck driver, who, I might respectfully add, (description was removed because my mom said it wasn't very nice. Though it WAS true) and claimed he "never saw Robert." Isn't that a clue that it might be HIS fault? Anyway...not pointing fingers.

Next stop, Emergency Room. We know the drill. They took x-rays and verified a broken collar bone, and sent us home. Gram and I got an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon Tuesday, who told us surgery wasn't needed. They'd put him in a figure 8 sling and check on him that coming Monday.

Step 7 in my head: I hate that sling. I already hate it because it means he can't get on his bike as soon as he wanted to. Just operate. Call the real surgeon (we were talking to the PA) and get him in here (he only comes in once a week) and just get it done. Robert is an athlete, for Pete's sake. PLEASE. Someone just understand that!

In the mean time, the automatic chlorine feeder at the pool was broken and I had an appointment Tuesday evening for it to be fixed. Guess who came Tuesday morning to check chemicals? The Health Department. Guess who shut down the pool even though I explained "By nature of a treatment center, no one swims unless I schedule them. It wasn't being used. It's CLOSED!" Health Department.

I am frustrated with people not understanding what I am saying to them. I just want the police man, the surgeon, and the Health Department to set procedure and habit aside and use a little bit of common sense. Just hear me out:
1. It wasn't Robert's fault. I know you claim to be a cyclist, Mr. Police Man, but he wasn't cruising along at 10-15 MPH, he was flying at around 30-35. It happened faster than you are imagining.
2. He needs surgery. He wants it stable so he can ride. We've been working towards this season for so long. Mr. Doctor who only comes in once a week. Just come SEE him. We have plans, we have a family trip paid for, we have our first anniversary coming up. PLEASE. Time is of the essence!
3. The pool was fine. I had the problem under control. I just didn't have time to put up a "Closed Pool" sign (A. because it was obvious, and B...) because I was rushing off to pick up my husband off the road after being hit by a car.

Then yesterday I was trying to help Robert put up pictures in our room and I dropped it on his brand new race bike, which isn't even finished being put together, and hasn't ever been ridden...and now there is a big ol' scratch on the frame.

I cried.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and I cried for about 45 minutes.

We got in the car and went to see the Disney Nature Chimpanzee movie.

We got two large popcorns and Sour Patch Kids. 

Today is MUCH better, and things are looking up :)

I'm so thankful that he is ok, that it is the summer, that we're insured, that my dad's a lawyer, that I have a full time job, and that we have a window unit to keep our bedroom nice and cool since Robert does a lot of sitting around at home these days.

We may have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days...or weeks. But life is full of wonderful, spectacular, joyful, very good times.

My final finals

Oh, the things I accomplish while avoiding Econ.

But the end is in sight! Or perhaps the beginning...
the beginning of gardening, reading good books, cooking tasty meals, staying on top of the laundry, getting a trim, biking, swimming, spending time with my sister and her babies, sculpting, finding a new passion. I will do all these thing.


I have my econ final Tuesday at 7:00 am. 

I have my math final Wednesday...or Thursday morning. 

I have breakfast at Kneaders with my girlies Thursday morning (after math test).


I have GRADUATION Thursday and Friday!!


I have a race to attend Saturday. (East Canyon. One of Robert's favorite races.)

We will celebrate the close of a semester as we have always done (starting last semester) by going to 5 Guys.