Diagnosis: VeRtiGo

If you don't know what vertigo is and have never had it before.... I pray you NEVER have to find out! I'm a relatively healthy person, so when I woke up to the room spinning out of control last Monday morning I was soooooo scared! Feeling like you are on a roller coaster ride that you can't get off of is pretty terrifying. Eyes open or shut, the room just kept spinning which of course lead to motion sickness. Trying to walk was "interesting"... my equilibrium was completely out of whack, so I would just tip over when I stood up. I literally laid in bed for 6 days.
After 2 days in bed and a long talk with my dad (he's a retired paramedic and worked in the ER for years... so I trust his judgement), I gave in and went to the doctor. Honestly I don't know what was scarier... the tone in my dads voice when he told me to go the doctor immediately or the look on the doctors face when he told me how lucky I was that I came in when I did. I have never been to the doctor for anything even remotely serious, so I guess I didn't understand the urgency of it all until the doctors face turned from pleasant to concerned.
As of right now the doctors think my vertigo happened because fluid had somehow collected behind both of my eardrums and an infection had begun.
I'm not out of the woods yet either. After a week of antibiotics and medication overload, my head is still pretty cloudy, the dizziness continues, I have a headache that won't subside and my ears, neck, jaw, shoulders and arms are still very sore.
Lesson learned: if things don't feel right with your body... listen to your body and GO TO THE DOCTOR!!! Don't wait for it to get better all on it's own, because sometimes it just won't!

Anyway, I just want to thank ALL of the friends who came to my rescue. Unfortunately this all happened over spring break and my girls were stuck at home with a mom who couldn't really do anything or go anywhere... so thank you all soooooo much! I just really wanted to thank my sis-in-law Liz for entertaining my little missy, Steph for taking my girls to the Easter egg hunt, my step-mom Nette for doing my laundry, and all of the countless friends who sent well wishes. I really don't know what I would have done without you!!!
I just feel so blessed and so loved! I really have the most incredible friends and family!!!

A little prayer for mom...

Monday morning the alarm went off and as I rolled over to shut it off the room started spinning and wouldn't stop. I thought maybe I was having some sort of nightmare or something, but no, it was all too real. I vaguely remember sending my girls out the door and off to school. I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the day... and when I was thinking clearly, realized that this was anything but normal and wondered if maybe, just maybe, I should go to the doctor.
Later that afternoon I hear my girls return home from school. The only thing I remember is Krystian kneeling on the bed next to me rubbing my forehead with her little hand. Then I hear her say, "Dear Heavenly Father, please help my mommy get better. She's really sick and she needs to get better so she can go to work and go to the store and take care of us. She's such a nice mommy and I love her, so please make her better. (then she leans over and says mommy, I need help with the ending... what do I say again?) in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen"
She then hopped up and went running off to play.
I'm such a lucky mom!

Oh my daughter!

So, I'm at home this week on Spring Break... my girls however are NOT! yay!!!!!!!
Anyway, I got an incredibly weird set of text messages from Kayla this morning as I was enjoying the blissful silence...

Kayla: What movies does Tom Cruise play in?
Mom: Uh... a lot of movies.
Kayla: Like...
Mom: Mission Impossible (It's the only one I could think of!)
Kayla: Besides that...
(Dang now what do I tell her?)
Mom: Top Gun
Kayla: What?... No seriously mom. Is that a real movie? (I guess she's a little young!)
(mom finally wises up...)
Mom: Kayla, are you cheating on a test or something? And it's only 9:30 in the morning... you're not at lunch, so are you texting me during class?
(I have yet to receive a response!!! ...Oh my daughter!)

ps... she finally told me why she was asking.... apparently some boy in class was making fun of her for not knowing who Tom Cruise was. And yes, she WAS texting me durning class!

Someone please humor me by telling me that I will survive the teenage years! :) Honestly, if texting during class is as bad as it gets, I'll count myself LUCKY!!!

"PURSE"~uit of Happiness...

I was asked to speak at the annual relief society dinner for our ward. The theme was the "purse"~uit of happiness. The theme centered around different purses... specifically the different kinds of purses you carry during the different times of your life (college years, mom years, career years, retirement...). The idea was that no matter what stage you are currently at in life, there are many things that make each of us happy. We each have many different reasons to be happy and enjoy life. One of my favorite quotes goes right along with this theme...

"In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."
~Gordon B. Hinckley

I often think about that quote. I have always been a pretty positive and optimistic person, which I would say makes me very happy! Life should be enjoyed... not just endured.
A few years ago a friend of mine said, "you are such a happy person all of the time. I don't get it. Why are you so happy? I mean it seems like you don't really have a lot to be happy about" (meaning: raising a family alone doesn't sound like much fun... so therefore I should be enduring rather than enjoying). Now, I know that sounds a little harsh, and my friend definitely didn't mean it the way that it sounds... it may have actually been a compliment? Anyway, that comment has always stuck with me... it's really made me think a lot. Why am I so happy? In my mind there's no question as to why I am so happy. I attribute my happiness to many things, but I would say the basics are the Gospel, my family and my friends. Everything else just kind of comes together because of these things.

Needless to say, I was surprised at how easy it was to give this talk. It was one of those rare times where I was asked to speak... had a month to think about it, but didn't get nervous about it once! Don't get any ideas though... that doesn't mean I want to make this a regular thing! :)

vegas... Vegas... VEGAS...

My partners and I attended the Design Market in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. So much to see... so little time...
4 fun~loving designers + product overload + Las Vegas =
1 incredibly fun~filled, exhausting week!!!
All in all it was a very exciting and productive week. We worked hard, took a lot of photos... and had a tun of fun!
Business or pleasure... you decide!!!
*disclaimer: what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay in Vegas...

Taking a break at the market...

Market wouldn't be market without the shimmering sofa and accessories...

Out for dinner on the strip at New York's Chin Chin restaurant (aka: really, really bad Chinese food)

Katie, me, Tracy and BarbaraMe likee rug... me want rug for my dining room!!!

Taking a ride on the double decker bus with an incredibly crazy bus driver... there was a point where we seriously feared for our lives!

Tracy laughing at me as I "rock out" to the counrty music blarring on the tour bus sound system... yes, I may have been a tad tired at this point!!! By the end of the ride we were laughing so hard that we were all crying!

Tracy and Katie... our night out on the Las Vegas "strip"...
Okay, okay... so let me explain... 1 very loopy girl + 1 upholstered velour headboard = hours of fun making "impressions" on said headboard! Thank you Tracy for capturing the moment... and my guess is, the butt print is still there???Katie and I waiting and waiting at the LV airport... completely exhausted and very ready to go HOME!!!
We had such a great time. I've decided however that Vegas is best in small (make that, very small) doses!