We will NEVER forget...

Small world

It amazes me every day how small this world is. You can meet someone, see them occasionally, chat it up, and never think a thing of it. And one day, you have a conversation that reveals just how interconnected people in this world really are. I spoke with a man today whose family was forever changed by an incident that happened almost 14 years ago. Coincidentally, it was the same incident that forever changed my family. He and I have been acquaintances now for roughly a year, year and a half, and neither of us knew that we were on opposite sides of this incredible tragedy that marked us both.

On October 5th, 1994, my uncle, Trooper Randy K. Ingram of the Utah Highway Patrol was conducting a traffic stop on a rainy stretch of I-15 when a truck driver hauling a load of pumpkins drifted into the emergency lane, crashing into Randy's patrol car, killing him instantly. He left behind a wife, two children, two parents, a sister & brother-in-law, three nieces and one nephew and many, many others that adored him. Our lives were forever changed by that night. I've always wondered how different things would be if he were still with us. I wonder if has met my children and my nieces and nephews in the spirit world before they were sent to us. It's impossible to list the what-ifs; you'll go completely crazy, but I've uttered a few. What if?


On October 5th, 1994, an acquaintance of mine had a brother who was driving a semi loaded with pumpkins on I-15. He drifted into the emergency lane, crashed into a patrol car and killed a man. His life changed irrevocably that night, as did the lives of his parents, who owned the trucking company and his kid brother, who was just in high school. I know that family has uttered a lot of what-ifs.


I'm sure there's a lesson in all this somewhere. Is it "watch what you say, you never know who's listening?" Or is it "judge not, lest ye be judged?" Maybe it's simply, "the past is gone forever and the future is unknown. All we have is the gift of today."

Today is your gift, use it wisely that tomorrow you can look back to yesterday with a smile in your heart.

Have you ever had one of those weeks? I'm not just talking about "one of those days," but one of those WEEKS? It starts BAD; normally Mondays are bad, but when it's a short work week Tuesdays are twice as terrible; and it just goes downhill. Your Tuesday is completely unmentionable and it takes most of Wednesday to recover from Tuesday and then WHAM, Wednesday night you get hit upside the head with something COMPLETELY out of the blue. By Thursday, you're completely numb from the Wednesday night bashing, so you really don't remember all that much about it, which is good, because you resolve Thursday night that at least tomorrow is Friday and then it will all be over, right? WRONG. Friday is just as cruddy as the rest of the week and you find yourself counting the minutes--yes, minutes not hours--until you can crawl into bed and not have to face an alarm clock the next morning. OH WAIT! Now you've suddenly remembered that you can't just go home and become a vegetable in front of the tube and order takeout, because you have a prior commitment. AND, you DO have to face an alarm clock, because you have to be at the State Capitol by 9:30 to meet your family for the Fallen Officers Memorial Dedication. So what does that leave? Sunday? SUNDAY! That blessed day--no alarm clock, no early commitments, just sleep, glorious sleep! YAY! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Oh wait, Sunday is the start of a new week.....ARRRRGGGG!

In pursuit of perfection

Well, here I am. Week 1 of my newest job adventure is in the books. So, how did it go? It was mostly good with a little stress and a little overwhelm-ment (is that a word??) thrown in, but overall I think we came out on the plus side. I have to keep reminding myself that PERFECTION is not a job requirement and that I can't expect to know everything about everything the first week. It's tough though; I went from being a spine expert to the new kid on the block and I don't know all about the computer systems yet, I don't know phone numbers or the names of all the people I should....I don't know where everything is!!! But again, perfection is not instantaneous...it takes time to figure everything out. I'm not being pressured by anyone but myself and I have to remember to take it easy on me! When I started at ISI I didn't know anything about spines--I just need to remind myself of that more often. It'll come; six months down the road I'll be clicking through IDX like a pro and scheduling surgeries without breaking a sweat!

As for the rest of my life...it just keeps getting better. The kids are back in school, Jax starts preschool next week and things are smoothing out. I gave up on selling stuff on eBay...I just don't have the time to devote to it now. So instead I'm going to have a MONSTER yard sale. I haven't decided yet it it'll be now or in the spring. Depends on what's happening the next few weekends and how the weather is.

So, for now, we chalk life up to "not bad for a first week, be patient with yourself and just enjoy the ride."

MWAH to all my readers!

Abandoned

Guess I kinda abandoned this blog, didn't I? S'ok, I don't thing anyone reads this! But we'll try to revive it. So, I'm hanging out at work--my NEW job, which I absolutely love! I have my own desk, my own computer and it's really just fabulous. Tomorrow I have a training class *yick* but then I'll be back and there will be actual patients to see! It was a really long two weeks, but now we're going strong. I'm so glad I made this change. I can't believe the difference it's made, already! I'm home early, EVERY NIGHT! I actually have time to DO things when I get home from work, instead of rush through dinner, get the kids bathed and in bed and then fall into bed. It's kinda strange sometimes, but overall it's been incredibly nice to be home by 5:30pm every night! No more late night, no more getting home just in time for the boys to go to bed. I know Shane's a happy man; I think he was getting a little tired of the old routine. Anywho....

BYU football season starts on Saturday *Go Cougars!* And we're going camping with Grams and Gramps and we'll have the girls and it'll be soooooo nice to have one last weekend of summer fun before it's time to be serious about work and school and winter. It'll be nice for everything to kind of calm down and for everyone to be on a schedule again. Maybe now that we're back into a smoother groove I can get some scrapbooking done!

Our baby is growing up so fast! He's smiling and chattering and laughing out loud! He's a VERY happy baby!

Our baby has arrived!

Hayden Ray arrived right on time on July 25, 2007 at 7:35am. He weighed 7lbs 12oz and was 19.5 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing great!

Kaitlyn, Shannon and Jaxton adore their new brother!

For the last day of our Memorial Day weekend with the girls, we took all the kids to the Scera Pool in Orem. They had a blast! This will be the first of many summer swims this year!



Dad and kids in the pool



Jax LOVES the water!




Jax splashin' around with Dad




Done swimming, ready to go home!

In Memoriam

Loren C. Park

Loren C. Park 1931 ~ 2007 NEPHI- Loran Cleston Park passed away on Sun. May 20, 2007 in Provo, Utah. He was born October 6, 1931 in Nephi, Utah to Loran Hugh and Alice Enola Barnes Park. He married Marilyn Kay January 13, 1951 in Texas. The marriage was later solemnized in the Manti Temple October 22, 1951. Cleston is survived by his wife Marilyn; sons, Michael (Sheila) and Marlin (Denise); 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; brothers, Grant (Iris) Park and Steven (Shirley) Park; sisters, Iris (Charles) Tolley and Sylvia (Robert) Ostergaard. Preceded in death by his parents; sister, Valeen Braithwaite; son, Craig Loran Park. He was a member of the Utah National Guard from 1948-1991, in the 1457th Engineers GP and the 115th Engineers GP. He served in the Korean War. During Desert Storm he cared for the wives and children of soldiers serving in the 1457th Engineer GP. He retired in 1991 as a Command Sergeant Major (SGM). While in the guard, he and Marilyn made many life long friends. After his retirement he worked for Nephi City and the Juab School District for 15 years. He coached many of his sons' youth sports teams and was an avid Juab High School sports fan and bus driver. He was member of the Nephi City Fire Department for 35 years and a member of the Lions Club. He was also an active member of the LDS church where he held many offices and enjoyed singing in the choir. He also enjoyed spending time with his friends and family camping at the 1/2 of Ten and Yuma, Arizona during the winter, playing with his family and friends, shopping, and going for a drive with his wife. He will be greatly missed by his friends and family. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 24, 2007 in the Nephi 2nd Ward, 222 S. 100 E. Friends may call Wednesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at the Anderson Funeral Home, 94 W. 300 N. and at the church one hour prior to the services. Interment will be in the Nephi Vine Bluff Cemetery.

This is the most recent photo of our cute kids, Spring 2007:


Kaitlyn 13 years old; Jaxton 3 years old, Shannon 8 years old.