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.

She's Back!

Or at least her kid. She's frighteningly lovely and so fun to watch. Her web is breathtakingly beautiful.

Idiots!

Boys are stupid. And just where in the world does one get off making my baby girl cry? Gotta run...going to go beat him up. Any of you have enough money to pool for bail?

Full Metal Jacket

Well, not really, but the title sounded good. Chels spent Saturday afternoon taking lessons from her dad and practicing her skills with the muzzleloader. Chels has a youth deer tag and right now it's muzzleloader season. If she doesn't bag a monster now, she can hunt all the way up to December. I hope she gets a mossy horn and he's ten times bigger than anything the boys have ever gotten. Yep, Lloyd chicks are extremely competetive. Please note the fire coming from the muzzleloader when she's shooting...critters beware!

(I can't help it, but looking at Dan Lloyd's picture, him being so masculine and all, makes me want to beat my chest and act like a proud cavewoman.)

Forever My Babies

Ever heard Kenny Chesney's song "Boys of Fall"? Listening to it right now and every time I hear it I think about my own beloved boy of fall. His first football game is this Saturday. I love football, but I love it even more when my baby gets up out of the heap in one piece. Stay healthy, boy howdy. Your old mom can't take another scare like the one I had last year.

My sweet Chelsea has her first ever volleyball game this Saturday. I can hardly wait to see if she's going to be like me and fall deeply in love with the sport. I've heard she's strong as an ox and has a killer serve. Saturday, hurry and get here already!

Cam, I think, is having withdrawals because big bro and sis are so busy now. Since school started, and Dan Lloyd's been working late at his mom's, it's just been the two of us chicks chillaxing in the evening doing whatever we feel like. Cam has been working really hard on her temper. She blew her top at me this morning, got really snotty, and ten minutes later, of her own volition, apologized and really meant it. I am so proud of her acknowledging the need to rein that Lloyd temper in. What an amazing girl.

So lovely...

This is on Cedar Mountain. One of the prettiest places I've ever been. And it smells so dang good.

Sparklers are fun...and illegal.

Dan and I went to UT to pick up yet more building materials from Home Depot (will our house EVER be finished?) and found a fireworks stand. Fireworks are illegal in NV, but so darn fun. I mean, can you really start a fire with sparklers if you aren't investing a very concerted effort? Not sure, but I found out the night we were lighting them that Dan knows how to make his own. Not another word on that subject other than to say he's a genius with gun powder.

Look closely. The girls were spelling their names.

Still the cutest boy I've ever seen...

It's so awesome to look at this man and still find him the most beautiful boy I've ever seen. Still. After 18 years of loving him. He's such a hard worker, so funny, and so kind to old people. Really. Carries things and opens their doors for them. And yes, he is a great example of what a Boy Scout should be. What it means to serve your fellow man. And what Christlike means, except for the potty mouth.

Haint Blue. Western style.

Imagine my surprise to learn that Haint Blue exists in the western United States. It does. Especially around Santa Fe, NM. And this is what it looks like. Beautiful.