Things you see at Spring Sporting Events

Good, bad, and...just plain gross!

Ry pulled his best friend Nathan's jersey out of retirement and sported it for the games this weekend. Nate has been playing college ball for the last four years and he considers Ry his little bro.

Ry was spotted holding hands with a girl. Doesn't he know they have cooties? Ick! Actually this kid has a really great girlfriend. Holy crap! My baby boy has a girlfriend.

This weekend marked the beginning of widowhood. I happily embarked on my lone journey south to watch my beautiful family take it to the opponents. Both teams made it to the championship games. We didn't win, but it sure looks like we may be onto something...stay tuned. It's going to be a great season!!

And, if you've ever wondered what amazing pitchers do during their break in the dugout...wonder no more!

Chels was stunning on the mound. She was smiling and working so hard the entire time. And having fun. She's definitely a site to behold. She was throwing smoke. Oh yeah, Chels also got to play catcher for the first time ever. She loved it.

Adjustment caught on film. That's the gross part...and Ry holding hands with a girl.

Oh yeah, Les, you remember Coach Essex? Well, he "ain't got nothin'" on Dan Lloyd. Grouchy old fart.

Double OH YEAH, the close up of Dan Lloyd...wowee! He's still so frickin' cute it makes my eyes hurt. I get to spend every day of the rest of my life waking up with that. AND, may I remind everyone, one of the things I'm most grateful for is that my husband doesn't look like an All Star Wrestler in his baseball uniform. That sounds bad, but, c'mon ladies. You know we're thankful when our men keep taking care of themselves.

Junior Prom 2011

My baby boy is a Junior. It's a terrible fact, but it was so fun to see him get dressed up with such darling arm candy. What an incredibly sweet, funny girl his date was! Alyssa Higbee from Alamo. Quite the scandal to invite someone from a rival high school to your Junior Prom.

Lincoln County is weird; parents escort Juniors for the promenade and then they dance with their babies. So, you guessed it, we get to spy on our kids and take lots of pictures. Really? I don't recall parents being invited to prom anywhere else that I know of. It was so fun but I won't lie, as Ry and I stood in line waiting for our turn to step out, I looked at my baby boy and almost lost it. I was so choked up. It seems like only yesterday that this beautiful baby came into my life and forever changed me. And here he is, looking more like a man than that handsome, sweet, chubby, cuddly little baby. I pasted a smile on my face and did my best to soak up every bit of this sweet moment. I am so proud of who my son is. As we were shuffling around the floor for our dance I couldn't help but think that only one more time will I dance with my son at a special occasion in his life; the day he gets married. I wanted to put my arms around him so tightly and never let go. Loving your children so much is both an incredible blessing and curse. But how very, very blessed I am.

After we got home (Ry and Allyssa beat us) we had to take the obligatory shots of the special shoes I bought just for this event. The picture is blurry, but you can still see how gorgeous and cool they are. Cam and Chels hammed it up for the camera; they both looked so pretty all dressed up in what my Gram always referred to as your "glad rags".

What a fantastic night. What a fantastic person. What a lucky, lucky mom that this boy chose me for such an earthly honor.

I love you, Ryan...to the moon and back...infinity. Thank you for choosing me.

Chelsea Jordan

It has been so much fun watching Chelsea play basketball. As a freshman on Varsity she did quite well. We are so proud of her. Chels and her team made it to state playoffs and got their butts whooped by a really good team. Chelsea's cousin Cerreta Jo Condie was the point guard who took it to 'em. It was a good season and, as ever, Dan and I are always so glad to see the end of it. Now we start baseball/softball...woohoo!

Beauty Shop

This has to be the most patient, Cameron-loving dog ever born. Due to the many illnesses we've all had, and shared, Cam was suffering a major case of cabin fever and desperate for something to do. Her efforts are gorgeous, Dahling!

Influenza B & Sinusitis

I want my mommy! The kids, Danny and I have Influeza B (no, I didn't get one of those stupid flu shots--but I wish I did now), and I've got a lovely sinus infection to go with it. Because moms never get a break, I'm still doing laundry, making dinner, cleaning house, etc. There, that's my whine for the day. And I feel like crap. Okay, now I'm really done whining. Donnie gave us all beautiful blessings and every one of us were promised we would be well. I'm going to rely on my faith and assume that means I'll be well tomorrow morning just in time for Board of Equalization hearings. :)

(Mom, if you're reading this you can't come here. We're extremely contagious and I'd hate it if you got this garbage.)

UPDATE: While I was still very ill for Board of Equalization, I survived and I have been fortunate enough to stay home all week and nurse my family. Someone in this family has run a fever every single day (they keep taking turns). I've cleaned a whole lot of house, made a ton of bread, put on 20 pounds, and am absolutely exhausted, but feel like a major success. I've survived nursing five people (myself included) round the clock for seven days. And, there is finally some hope for my chronic sinusitis. I have a new regimen of allergy meds to try. If this doesn't work...I'm off to another specialist (same one Danny saw several years back who fixed his problem). So, I'm incredibly hopeful this regimen will be just the thing to end the fiftenn month long battle with constant sinus infections. I'm feeling pretty good about it. Although, Allegra D works like meth for me...gives me tons of energy and makes it hard to sleep. Doc says this will wear off when my body adjusts. In the meantime, I'm sure getting alot done.

Christmas...

was absolutely wonderful. So peaceful. Spent with those I love most. And the gifts were a hit. I mean, who doesn't love a Kindle, an iPod, a new electric razor, an XM radio to make the work day better, a gorgeous new watch, and new pj's?! By far one of the best Christmases in the Dan Lloyd household. It was awesome to see how surprised some of us were when the realization dawned that we got the very thing we'd been told for months Santa or mom/dad would never give us. "If you want it, you'll have to work, save your own money and buy it."

Colder than...

A well digger's ankles in Alaska! That's how doggone cold it's been here. Highs of twenty something and single digits for the lows. Brrrr! The remedy for such temperatures...a roaring fire and a good book. Amazon really loves me these days.

Daniel Rulon Lloyd

You Are My Everything
© By Powell

When I went to bed last night, my last thought was of you.
When I woke up this morning, my first thought was of you.
You are my everything; my sun, my stars, my sky.
You are my everything... and this is the reason why:

For when we met it was fate, fate from the soul within.
For when we met it was choice, choice to be your friend.
For when we first laughed together, I knew it was meant to be.
For when I fell in love, I knew you had fallen in love with me.

You are my everything, my breath belongs to you.
You are my everything, hold these words to be true.
You are my everything and I'll always love you...
and what's more
I know you'll always love me too.

Christmas at SLC Temple

This is a small peek at our trip to Salt Lake with the YW; just Madge and I. Temple Square is my favorite place in the entire world. Especially at Christmas. There is so much peace to be found here. The Spirit is so strong and it testifies so loudly of Christ, our older Brother who gave everything. My beautiful older Brother, who loves me unconditionally and suffered so that I might be with my family forever. My wondrous older Brother, who bore the brunt of all of my poor choices so that I might have a chance. My gentle, kind older Brother, who brings me peace in the midst of my trials. Greater love hath no man than this. Thank you, Brother, for the sacrifice you have made on my behalf. Happy Christmas to all.

MIA

Wow. We have been so busy lately, yet not really. Weird. We've had a few weeks off from chasing kids and their sports, have gotten settled into our wonderful new home, and spent all of Thanksgiving weekend chillaxing together and watching movies. Needless to say, I s'pose I could've spent a bit of that time blogging, but just haven't felt like it. At all. Haven't felt like picking up my camera. Or doing much of anything, really. And it's been fabulous. I've been reading like a fiend (just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin, great read!) and crocheting like there's no tomorrow. It will be my New Year's goal to blog more and keep everyone updated as to the kids' activities. Maybe. :)

CT Scans, Allergy Tests, and X Rays

Thank you so much to all of you who have asked how my tests came out. Everything looks good. There is some unexplained swelling in my inner sinus that the doctor's watching and I'm allergic to everything you can imagine...except for dogs. That's a good thing because I'm not giving up my Tru! Also, I've been having 2-3 nosebleeds a day; that stumped the doc, but he seems to think it'll go away. In the meantime, I just have to fight the desire to walk around with snock rockets stuffed in my nasal passages.

Ryan's bones have come together nicely and there will be no need for surgery. That's the best news! If he continues to heal well, he will start rehab the middle of December and should be all ready for baseball season.

So, we're on the mend and so grateful for good health and caring friends.

Crazy odds...

I was shooting for the newspaper tonight, covering Lincoln's last football game of the season. Standing about ten feet from the players when the ball was snapped and they headed in my direction, Ry running the ball and the opponent from Calvary Chapel in hot pursuit, they came hauling towards the sidelines where I was at. What are the odds that I would be snapping away at the very moment that my son was tackled and, you guessed it, sustained an injury. Ryan's collar bone is broken. Snapped in half quite cleanly. I heard it and knew he wasn't kidding when he yelled out to the ref, while laying prone on the field, "I broke my collar bone." Much confusion ensued at that moment and Coach Ottley turned to me and yelled "Yeah, Lisa, it's broken. I can feel it. Do you want him to ride down on the ambulance or are you gonna take him?" The ref, obviously confused, thought Ottley was talking to him and hollered "That's a call his parents are going to have to make, ambulance or not!" Ottley, half mad, turned to the ref and growled "I'm talking to his mom right there. With the camera. What do you want to do, Lisa?" Of course we opted to take him. Ryan was furious. "Unfricken believable! The last fricken game of a sport that I hate. Gawwl. I'm not going to cry but holy crap this hurts." We loaded him up and headed to the ER. Halfway to Caliente he was white as a sheet and said "Dad, hurry. The adrenaline is wearing off. I'm losing my adrenaline and this hurts like crazy." We arrived at the hospital and who should be on duty? Bart Anderson. Chelsea's boyfriend's dad, our friend, and just an all around cool guy. The Xrays are beyond obvious that it's literally snapped in half and something in his shoulder also dislocated. Awfully handy that I had my camera at the hospital, too, isn't it? Poor dang kid. This was one of those moments where I just wanted to pick my little boy up and hold him in my lap and make it all better, but I couldn't. He weighs too much, he was finally loaded with some really fine pain meds, and I probably would've made him pass out if I bumped him. So, my beautiful boy is sleeping sitting up in a Lazy Boy chair tonight, full of Hydrocodone and nuttier than a fruitcake. Probably the best way for him to be right now. But, WHAT ARE THE ODDS? Last game, me with my camera at that precise moment...

So, this is me these days

This is day six of the round of Prednisone the ENT has me on. So far I've been really lucky and the only major side effects I'm battling include: waking up at 3 a.m. ready to start my day (sometimes this is great as my house is clean, laundry caught up, and the dog is walked; all this before I leave for work), weight gain (quite a bit...I'm cerain my skin shrunk somehow), nausea, which doesn't seem to slow or suppress the incessant need to eat anything and everything. I feel like Fat Bastard, running around the house with steps that simulate an earthquake all the while saying, "Get in my belly!" Seriously, you parents with small children, if you love them keep them inside as I might be tempted to eat one.

SECOND PLACE!

I can't believe it...still! It's been three hours since I opened up my email looking for information about Cam's Girl Scouts trip to find notification that I won second place in a photography contest. Out of over 17,900 entries, my photo was chosen. Talk about a fantastic surprise. I almost cried, and certainly know I gasped since Teresa asked if I was okay. I have been so blessed in the last few months with the return on all my hard work and studying (I still have a million miles to go, but...). Two dreams have come true since August: I am freelancing and I've made it to the top ten in a contest. I just can't wrap my brain around it.

This is the press release from BetterPhoto:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10/17/2010 Photographer Lisa C. Lloyd of Pioche, NV, has won Second Place for September in the prestigious photography contest sponsored by BetterPhoto.com, the site's founder, Jim Miotke, announced Sunday.

More than 17900 entries were submitted to the online photography contest, which attracted contestants from around the world and featured 10 separate categories.

Lloyd's stunning image, "Frightening Beauty", garnered top honors after being submitted in the Details & Macro category.

All of the winning images can be viewed at BetterPhoto.com's contest page: http://www.betterphoto.com/contest/winners/1009.asp

The contest is conducted each month. Categories include Nature and Landscapes, Animals, People, Elements of Design, Digital Darkroom, Travel and Place, Flowers, Details and Macro, Catch-All, and Monthly Theme. Judging is performed by a panel of professional photographers.

Oh, Lover. Lover, Lover...

These have been my best friends and companions for the last week and a half and will continue to be for another three weeks. This is the AVC Edge, Lincoln County's very streamlined, high tech electronic voting machine. Can't lie. I love these babies. They're fun to program and demo.

Only three more weeks and the fun will be over.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Been thinking about you today. Wondering the usual stupid things...do you miss us? If you had it to do over would you have done things differently? Are you proud of who we are? I think you should be. We're all very productive, good hearted, honest people. I'm thankful for the impact your choices have had on my immediate family. I think I'm a much better mother because of the lessons you left me. You've made me more determined to be a good companion to my spouse. You taught me that I have to hang on as hard as I can through the hard times in order to get to the sweet times. You taught me that the only relationships in life worth having are the ones you would fight to the death for. You taught me to be stubborn and not quit. You taught me to give everything I have to my children because I only get them for a short time. You taught me that I never want my children to go to bed aching for their parent. I'm strong, Dad, because some of your choices gave me no other choice but to be that way. And, I have the most amazing mother. Dad, she showed me every day what it means to be a resiliant, graceful, loving, strong woman.

I miss you. I remember going to the Jerry Lewis concert with you and thinking no one in the world had a more handsome daddy. A more fun daddy. A daddy with a better laugh and kinder hands.

Remember when you let me tear up the kitchen making goulash? I was seven and didn't know anything about cooking, but you let me do it anyway. And then you toasted bread, sat down at the table, and ate it as thought it were the finest meal you'd ever had. You even had seconds. Thank you for being a good sport. I felt like I could do anything because you believed I could.

You would be so pleased with who my children are, Dad. You couldn't help but fall in love with them. They would be three of the most amazing people you would have ever met. They're talented, funny, compassionate, stubborn, beautiful, and just really good people. They're really good people. I can see you in them, Dad, and it makes me smile.

I love you. Happy Birthday.

HAPPY FALL!...Life is soooo good

Today is the first day of my absolute favorite time of the year. Welcome, Autumn, Welcome! I can hardly wait to smell the first wood stove burning and pull out my lovely, warm, bulky sweaters. The leaves are starting to change and the weather has cooled somewhat. My goodness, I adore this time of year! It's dang near impossible not to be happy today. AND, Zac Brown Band just dropped a new album. Don't you just love fat, furry singers with a real knack for expressing the truth in life? Ahhhhh, life is so doggone good.