Merry Christmas!!

Christmas traditions are really important to our little family.  Not surprisingly, current events have altered some of our usual traditions.  Decorating the Christmas tree has been my responsibility, but I wasn't really up to it this year.  Emerson stayed up long nights to get the tree up this time.  I usually enjoy running around with Emerson to shop for or make gifts.  I did most of my shopping online this year.  We always go to midnight mass at the Catholic church to celebrate Christ's birth as a family, but my foot hurt too much last night and we decided to stay home.  Despite these changes, I feel like we pulled together as a family to have a great Christmas.  Times were leaner and we had to be more thoughtful and careful about our gifts, but I think that made each and every gift even more appreciated.

Dwayne got the dressy wool coat he wanted.  Dexter got a gift card for Converse so he could design his own shoes. They each got a good winter coat and shoes and some other wonderful clothes. Dwayne was also thrilled to get a new pair of shoes to replace his favorites that got worn out.  Emerson was delighted to get the entire set of NCIS dvds (his favorite tv series).  The looks on their faces as they opened the gifts was wonderful!  All the worries I had about this year being a smaller Christmas were dispelled.  What they received was love and there was plenty of it.  The shoes Dwayne got were exactly the same kind he got from his Grandpa Loren a couple of years ago.  He wore them out in Chicago trying to sell security systems and didn't expect to get a replacement pair from Santa.  Dexter's missing copy of "Sweeney Todd" turned up as a present under the tree as well as the poster from his last play - nicely framed and including two photos that his dad took during the play.

As for me, I found love in my gifts as well.  Santa gave me an Alvin and the Chipmunks set of stuffed animals.  I know it sounds silly to most people, but I have a soft spot for the chipmunks.  I grew up dancing around my grandparents' living room to a Chipmunks album.  That was such a happy memory for me and it was fun to experience it again.  Emerson took the time to work with my dog, Shadow, to take a really nice picture of him and put it in a frame (not the picture here).  It was so sweet!! I've been trying for the longest time to get him to sit still so I could get a good picture of him and I never could do it.  The next surprise was the biggest.  Lately I've been thinking about rings.  When we got married, we couldn't afford rings, so I got married using my mom's wedding and engagement rings. Mom wanted Rick to be able to have the rings, so I returned them and Grandma Myers gave me her wedding rings (she was using her mother's rings).  Unfortunately, as I got chubbier, my fingers did too.  Those rings didn't fit anymore.  On our tenth anniversary, I got a storyteller band-type ring with a Navajo man and woman by the campfire.  It was wonderful!  But I continued to expand and that ring no longer fits.  I've been wearing a silver and turquoise ring Emerson's grandma gave me years ago, but I've been wanting something more romantic.  Emerson's gift to me today was a beatiful silver and diamond ring!  It's exactly the style I like and I can't wait to get it sized to fit my finger!

I've had some time to reflect today about family. We've had such a rough year - losing my dad, family struggles, Emerson's job loss, and my accident with resulting injury.  In every instance, Emerson's mom, brothers, sister, cousin, uncle, and their families have been the first to call and offer their support.  Dwayne posted information on Facebook about my accident and we were getting calls from Tapahes before I even made it to the hospital!  They have never wavered in their support and devotion and I can never thank them enough.   One of the things I admire most about the Tapahe family is how they value family.  Even when one person is mad at another, they still rush to each other's aid in times of  need.  I'm so glad I married into this family!  The phone calls from my brothers have also been nice.  Both moved to new homes this month and they are very busy, but I'm glad they have time to talk to their big sister.  I've also noticed how our Heavenly Father provides us with other members of our family.  I can count as my sisters two amazing women I work with, my dear visiting teaching companion, my powwow sister Angela, and my brothers' wonderful wives.  I don't know what I would do without them!  Of course, I still miss my mom, dad, and grandparents, but God has provided me with others who lift me up.  Emerson has done so much for me, especially with my injury, and I can't imagine life without him.  I'm so glad to have him by my side as well.

George Family Gift Exchange

Since nobody asked, I hadn't put together the list of who to send gifts to.  I'm listing the schedule below so you can see how it works and plan ahead:

Sender's family     Recipient family- 
                            2006     2007      2008        2009
Karen................. Rick      Kathy      Bill           Rick
Kathy................. Bill        Rick         Karen      Bill
Bill..................... Kathy    Karen       Rick        Kathy
Rick..................  Karen    Bill           Kathy      Karen

Almost Christmas Surprise

Here it is, the last weekend before Christmas.  Yesterday was my first day with my injured foot back in a shoe.  I was really looking foward to it, but it was somewhat anticlimactic since the only shoe I could squeeze my swollen foot into was my Crocs and they were still super tight.  My muscle strength and stamina need to be built back up again, so I still resort to a wheelchair for long bouts of walking and shopping.  Using a cane still helps me take some of the weight off my foot.  Dexter is now on his Christmas break and learning songs for his next big role as El Gallo in "The Fantasticks."  Performances will be around mid-February.  This will be Dexter's final high school theatrical production.  Dwayne is working through a temporary service and has a good chance of being hired on permanently.  The bad news is he will have to work on Christmas day.  Emerson is still job hunting, but he is also preparing his materials for the class he will be teaching at Utah Valley University beginning in January.  He has come very close on a couple of jobs and we're still waiting to hear on one more.

Emerson's brother, Gene, is heading out of town on vacation with his family for Christmas.  They came over last night to exchange presents.  They brought a gift basket with assorted items - cookies, kitchen items, cocoa mix, etc.  Also in the basket were orange cards for Emerson, Dwayne, and Dexter.  They contained tickets to the Jan. 3rd Denver Broncos football game!!!  The guys were so excited and it really revived the holiday spirit around here.  Once again, I just have to say how amazing the Tapahe family is and how they seem to know just how to lift each other up.  It looks like our Christmas gifts to the rest of the family will be mailed kind of late.  Better late than never?  We have yet to hear from my side of the family other than from Aunt Marti, so who knows what's happening over there.

Is Anybody Out There?

I've been trying to be good about posting updates so our families know what's going on with us, but I'm starting to wonder if we're out here in cyberspace alone...
Rick and Holly have posted some, but it seems like the rest of the family has disappeared.  Are you guys out there?  What's up? How are you doing?  Everything okay?  Blog, email, call, or something to let us know how you're doing....

Joy to the world, my pins are out!!!

The past few days my foot has been itching furiously in a very annoying and somewhat painful way.  I finally gave in and took off the bandages to see what was going on.  The top of my foot had broken out in hives and the incisions were weepy with clear liquid.  Emerson took me to the doctor and he told me I was having an allergic reaction to the betadine they used to clean my foot for surgery (only because it was left on my foot so long and never got washed off).  That led to an infection in the top layer of my skin.  He prescribed antibiotics and an antibiotic cream.  Since I was already there, he also pulled the pins out of my foot (be glad I am skipping a description of that and pictures).  A quick round of xrays showed sufficient healing and I now have permission to walk....very carefully and slowly.  I have to keep the big plastic boot on when walking for the next week, then I can remove the boot and switch to hard soled shoes for a few more weeks.  One more okie dokie from the doctor at that point will allow me to be deemed "fully healed."

The nonjoyous news of the day was finding out I didn't get my dream job at UVU.

We have spirit, Yes we do!

I awoke this morning to find that an elf had put up a Christmas tree in our living room.  It looks like we will have some Christmas spirit in our house after all...

Christmas Spirit?

With Emerson still job hunting and me still hobbling around on crutches, there's not a lot of Christmas spirit in our house.  There are a few presents that the Tapahe side of the family dropped off early and we still watch almost every Christmas movie to be seen on satellite tv.  Our usual spot for putting up our tree in the living room displaces our dogs' beds.  That causes a bigger problem this year since I need the room to get through the living room on crutches.  I'm thinking of doing a small table top sized tree or go with a paper tree on the wall like Gene and Sharon did when they were in their tiny little BYU apartment years ago.

Yesterday, we visited the Festival of Trees up in Sandy. This is our yearly tradition and it's awesome to see so many trees lit up and decorated and the fanciest gingerbread houses known to man.  Add in children's groups dancing and singing on the stage and a wonderful assortment of sweets, scones, and cinnamon rolls, and it's hard to avoid feeling the Christmas spirit.  Emerson's brothers and their families joined us at the festival and we later went out to dinner and then to Gene's house to play games.  It was the most enjoyable time I've had in a long time.  There's something absolutely amazing about Navajo families.  Sure, we've had our ups and downs and squabbles over the years, but when it really counts, they are always there for you.  Family really means something to them and they would do anything for their family.  I feel so blessed to have married not only the love of my life, but also his family.  It's wonderful to be part of this family and have the love, respect, and support of the entire family.  Our Christmas celebration may reflect the lean times we are going through, but we will find ourselves warmed by the love of the Tapahe family.

November Pain

These aren't the prettiest of pictures, but this is my foot now that I got my cast off.  I had an appointment the morning of Nov. 30 and was happy to have the cast removed.  The bones seem to be healing well and I may get to have the pins/rods removed in a couple of weeks.  It will be the best Christmas present ever!!  You may notice some writing on my foot.  They had me write "yes" and my initials on the foot to be operated on so there wouldn't be any mistakes.  The doctor put me back in my original boot with some modifications to keep the pins from pressing into the bottom of the boot.

The better part of the day came later.  I had my interview as a finalist for the Assistant Dean position at Utah Valley University.  First, I went to lunch with the Dean, Associate Dean, and Library Director.  Some chitchat and informal interviewing during the lunch.  Next, I gave a 30 minute presentation on my amazing skills and experience and how I'm the best person for the job to the faculty of University College (formerly the School of General Academics).  A question and answer session followed.  The last step was meeting privately with the Dean and Associate Dean for the next hour.  It was a fun experience and I feel good about it.  Fortunately, my foot didn't bother me during the 4 hour experience.  On the way home, the pain was unbearable and we had to make a stop by the doctor's office for help.  A few more modifications to the boot made things better.  Now I have to wait about 2 weeks to find out if I get the job.  It's an amazing opportunity and I will be absolutely crushed if I'm not selected.

Emerson's continuing his job search.  The jobs in his field just aren't showing up anywhere.  He's been taking great care of me in the mean time.  I just hope something will turn up for him soon.  He's preparing for teaching a course at UVU next semester.  It's only one class and adjunct pay isn't great, but we're pretty excited about it.  If I get the UVU job, he could go for his master's degree and possibly teach more classes.