When we were kings...

We all know sleep is a precious commodity. When inactive, because of sleep, we run around in REM, dreams, and restroom breaks. It's a wonderful rhythm; a dance of serenity. I feel, when you have the power to sleep, you can live the life of royalty. Outside forces no longer determine your mood, activity, or choices. The power now comes from within. Unless, of course, you have yielded this power through the act of marriage :) Please don't misunderstand, I think marriage is a celestial arrangement. But it still comes with sacrifice. Last night, during a peaceful slumber, Anna embarked on a restroom break. Upon her return, she tucked into bed and threw a right with her elbow, landing it directly on the forehead. I could hear the crowd yell outside the rings. Not to be outdone, I went in with MY right to stroke her hair and accidently jabbed her in the eye. With two thuds, we both fell down like potatoes, with the sounds of the crowd giving way eventually to our royal realm of sleep. The experience reminded me of one of the best documentaries ever produced. Entitled, "When we were Kings," it follows the famous Ali/Foreman fight in Africa. It's a story of courage, faith, and brute strength. Just as Foreman is replacing Ali as the world's premier heavyweight, Ali stages one more defiant stance, even though most writers already cast him into the sunset. He trains on a foundation of faith in his God, and faith in the people of Africa. If Field of dreams brought you an inch closer to the tissue box, this will bring you two inches closer. Here's a link to a clip from the documentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N44vdCqI7LI

While amazing, the fight is not as intriguing as the story leading up to it in the documentary. It's worth your time, if you have any.

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS

January has been such a fantastic month for us! Fantastic and busy...hence the lack of blogging. So I thought I'd cover a few highlights:
1-I STARTED NURSING SCHOOL! It's been such a funny roller coaster of plan a, b, c, d, e, f, g...I finally stuck with plan k or so and it is working out beautifully! I love it and I'm actually doing very well. True, our classes consist completely of learning the tasks I've done as a tech for the last year and a half, but I'm not complaining. Not at all.
2-Spencer is still breathing, walking, functioning, even smiling and excelling through one of the hardest blocks in all of medical school. Seriously, he has been incredible balancing all the studying with serving and making me happy. But spring break can't come too soon, that's for sure!
3-I got to go up to Utah to visit my family and meet our newest member, Alex (Carrie's third). It was a dream weekend packed with skiing, sledding, b-ball games, card games, a good movie, fabulous food, and of course LOADS of chatting and laughing. Thanks to all the fam for hanging out and making it so fun!
4-We got $50 of free groceries at our favorite grocery store, Sunflower Market. It just opened across the street from us. I guess it had a little bit of a price--we had to stand in line in the rain at 5am and read numerous Jehovah's Witness pamphlets given us by our neighbors in line for two hour...but who wouldn't for 50 bucks of goodness?
5-We got free Chipotle today for sporting our Cardinals' colors, which leads me to
6-Cardinals being in the superbowl! We are definitely band wagon fans, but how can you not be when a team like the Cardinals actually makes it? Wish them luck tomorrow!
7-Our blinkers work again after a year and a half long tantrum (and some magic mechanical work by Spencer).
8-We're a month strong without air-conditioning.
9-

Artwork

2009 is upon us. New resolutions and goals are made and determination rises like yeasty bread. I have not seen much of Anna lately, nor played with her, despite our holiday break, because I was busy preparing for a test. Two roads diverged, and we both seemingly took separate paths. I wanted you to get a glimpse of what we see on our paths. One path leads to beauty, the other to...I'll let you decide. So Friday night, I'm in the medical school, walking down the hallway. The lights are off, except for a few guide lights which cast a yellow, cadaverish glow on the floor. To compound my loneliness of a night studying hormones and prostate cancer, I looked up on the wall to see the artwork of Andreas Vesalius (this bottom piece on the left). But the grass in always greener on the other side of the hill, and that's where Anna's path has led. She has spent the last couple days painting and I wanted to post her artwork before she could protest. None of this is for sale so don't ask...

Beleza

In class I learned the most accurate predictor of falls for the elderly is a previous history of falls. I never learned when someone should start documenting such falls. So, to err on the side of safety, and to avoid possible future litigation, I think it right to report the beginning of my wife's fall history. Enter with me into our pre-dawn bedroom three days ago. The window was open and a chill was in the room. There we were, with blankets over our bodies, praying to start the day, looking like two bears foraging for berries who were probably fast asleep, and therefore, motionless. When Anna finished her prayer, she got up to get ready for her 12 hour shift and I continued to pray/sleep in my bear-crouch. All of the sudden I heard a thud and looked over to see Anna lying motionless on the ground, right next to my closet. I jumped over to her and asked her if she was okay and it tooka good five seconds for her to respond. In classic Anna style, the first response from her was a long laugh. This was the first time I had actually seen someone faint and it was just like the movies. And so begins Anna's medical history of falls. Technically, fainting is outside the scope of a fall, but it still should be noted. Anna is the little engine that could. She goes, goes, and goes. I don't know many people who can work three straight 13.5 hour shifts in the hospital and still have as much energy for life as she

Go! Ok! Go!

This weekend was a fun one with the parents/in-laws. I was able to ride the El Tour de Tucson (no editing this post Anna :) with my Dad and Anna spent the day with Mom, shopping. The best part of the day was our convergence with half of the LDS Saints in Tucson to Rusty's Family Restaurant and Sport's Grille to watch the Utah-BYU game. I polled the members and found most simply opened the phone book looking for a descent place and were attracted to the "family" part of the title. Yes, there still was beer, neon lights, and waitresses that must freeze their tushes off every shift because of their lack of attire. But all eyes were focused on the game and our chicken smothered in teriyaki and pineapple. The Tour was great, long but great. The best motivation came with five miles left of the 109 mile race with a sign that read, verbatim: "Go, OK, Go!" It was so inspiring. It made me think of the scene when William Wallace rallies his troops to face Edward "Longshanks" in Braveheart: "And dying in your beds, years from now, what would you give for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and face your enemies and say, 'you may take our lives, but you'll never take our freedom!." Go, Ok, Go! No, of course my biggest inspiration was my own Anna Montana! It was a fun weekend. Always is when you can ditch the books and play a little. Another highlight of the day was Anna's awesome Minestrone. If you haven't tried it, ask for it the next time you spend an evening with her. Scrumptious.

OK, OK!

So 100% of the people we've asked have known exactly who she is and have been incredulous at the idea of anyone not knowing! Then, to add insult to injury, the book I'm reading (which takes place in Afghanistan!) talks about her and what a big deal she is. I guess I need to broaden my education of world news further than the Yahoo headlines!
Speaking of education...I finally made a (hopefully) official decision about nursing school! The last year and a half has been a roller coaster of trying to find what I want and what can actually happen. But last week I got a call from the program at my hospital offering a place in their program starting in January. It's a quick 14 month program with a job guaranteed at the end. I'm THRILLED! scared out of my mind, but thrilled. Thanks to Spence for being so dang patient with the roller coaster... Nurses (and all students out there) if you have any advice about getting back after an 18 month sabbatical, I'm open!

In a time of polls we offer..."The Poll"

In a friendly exchange on the way home from Stake Conference with Anna I mentioned something about Margaret Thatcher. The conversation continued and we ended up with a bet that the next person we saw would not know who she was when asked about her. Of course, the next two people we asked knew, and responded with a slight "do you think I'm stupid?" roll of the eyes.
So Anna and I are interested. Do you know this lady?