Big Surprise...

So I was checking MSNBC.com tonight (I always check it before I go to bed at night to make sure there is nothing big going on before I sleep. Weird I know.). And I was reading a story about John McCain's running mate quest and stuff and as I was about to close it, at the top of the page where there are always advertisements I saw a picture of Christ and it caught my eye. Look at what is being advertised on MSNBC.com.... I thought it was pretty interesting!



and if you clicked on the link this is what it went to: Although it actually went to a slightly different page saying something like "Our gift to you- a Book of Mormon." or something like that. But, it went to this site.

Mormon.org

Anyway, I just thought that was interesting and that I should share it. I guess growing up in Utah I am used to seeing "Family, isn't it about.... time?" commercials and commercials for "The Living Scriptures" but it just shocked me to see it on MSNBC and I thought I'd share it.

Rodeo Time

Well this week we obviously celebrated the 24th of July. In my family, the 24th has always been a BIG deal because all of our cousins would always come into town. we would typically meet up with Allen's family up at Lagoon on the 23rd or so and play up there with them. On the 24th we all went to Grandma Roach's house. We would walk over to the Parade in Spanish Fork, go to the carnival, eat lunch, play games at her house, and just have fun as a family. The best part of the day, however, was the rodeo. This year we went on the 23rd (so not as fun as the 24th) but it was a blast all the same!


"Bop" and Landon in their matching Longhorns shirts that Aunt Becca got them in Texas


Me and my friend Katelyn on the drive to SF


Katelyn and I after eating Glades in our cowgirl get-ups


Katelyn and I at the Rodeo.


Miss Erika Lynn and I at the rodeo

Scanned Letters

Today I spent all day trying to get Grandpa's letters scanned in and photoshopped. It has been a HUGE project! I will keep you all updated on the progress!

Today I literally sat on my mom's living room floor, reading his letters as I scanned them, with tears streaming down my cheeks. What an incredible person he is! He was so loving and so kind! You cousins will appreciate this- in nearly every letter (all but one I believe) he asked about Grandma. He said many times how he has the most amazing wife and how he is the luckiest man alive. I will attach one of my favorite letters. This one talks about how Uncle Dale loves the farm and Grandpa says he'll have to live on a farm the rest of his life with how much "Dale likes the stock." At the end of page 1 it also is really cute- Grandpa is saying what an amazing wife he has. He is just such a sweet man!

Written: August 31, 1944 He was in Italy.

ww2soldier Blog

Once again, another post about the Lost Battalion. I am shocked at the interest all of the cousins have had in learning more about Grandpa and what he went through. I really feel as though all of us are being touched by the spirit of Elijah and that we all need to learn as much as we can about this man. I can tell you that in the past week my respect for Grandpa has skyrocketed. I am beginning to see a glimpse into who this man is, and how great it will be to understand him more and more.

Curt Huff, Cilla's son, has set up a blog that I recently found. It is http://ww2soldier.blogspot.com/ Curt has posted some of Grandpa's letters that you can zoom in on and read. His handwriting is a bit sloppy, but it is so great to be able to read his stories and see how much he was worried about Grandma back here in the states. Also, he has posted a few pictures of Grandpa as well. So if any of you are interested, check it out!

A View of The Lost Battalion.

This is from a website I found yesterday that tells the story of the 141st infantry from the beginning til the end of the war. Here are a few excerpts from the site that I thought you'd all enjoy. It tells the story of the Lost Battalion from the viewpoint of actually being trapped behind enemy lines. It was put together by a group of brilliant historians at the Texas Armed Forces Museum.

"According to the operational maps, progress was unbearably slow during our first few weeks in the Vosges. Yet our tired, blistering feet and aching backs told us another story. For every precious mile that we advanced, countless miles were hiked on foot up and down the circuitous mountain trails. They were wearisome marches with heavy equipment through the dense forests and crag-covered mountains. Even when the enemy was not immediately to our front, there were always the Schu mines and the tree bursts. Casualties mounted.

Platoon Sergeants and Squad Leaders appeared to be marked men and Privates rose to Sergeants almost overnight as they filled their places. The group of replacements that had come to us at Remiremont disappeared rapidly and our resources became low. We were weary and tired. Morale was ebbing. One topic hung on our lips: "When are we going to get a rest?" was the question in everyone's mind. Latrine rumor visited every foxhole and helped to sustain our morale with its optimistic reports on our long awaited relief. We carried mental calendars around with us and marked off our consecutive days of combat since the Riviera landings: 65, 66, 67 … wouldn't be long now. Still we fought on. Rumors persisted, but the relief never came.

Then on October 23rd we went into the Forêt Domaniale De Champ. The 1st Battalion went forward to take the high ridge and ground overlooking La Houssiere. Late that afternoon a strong enemy force worked its way in between the rifle companies and the battalion command post. That night a coded message from one of the rifle companies was radioed into Regimental Headquarters: "No rations, no water, no communications with Headquarters (battalion) ... four litter cases.,"

Up on top of the thickly wooded hill above La Houssiere 275 men were spread out in an area 300 to 350 yards, preparing positions. No one was making any noise. "We were quiet," a Red Battalion Squad Leader recounted afterwards "because the Germans were all around us. We were quiet because we were a 'Lost Battalion', and we didn't want Jerry (Germans) to know it."

"We pooled our rations," recounted an Able Company rifleman. "We collected everything from Coleman stoves to chewing gum. But our supplies didn't last long. Water soon became even more scarce than food. Fortunately we discovered a small pond near our area, but we couldn't get to it whenever we wanted to. You see, Jerry was using the same water hole." For some of us on the surrounded hill the days dragged and the nights never seemed to end.

We dug our holes a little deeper and tried to improve our circular defense. Patrols were sent out to fight their way back to the rear; several never returned, none got through. Only one solitary workable radio remained in our possession. It was coddled and babied like a child, for it was our only unruptured communication artery. Coded messages were continually sent emphasizing the desperateness of our situation. Word was radioed back that help was on its way. We wondered when — or if — it would arrive.

In the meantime the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, together with those of us in the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, had still been trying to break through to our besieged comrades. On the afternoon of the sixth day (October 30th) a 1st Battalion rifleman on outpost saw a figure approaching through the trees. Fearing it might be a Jerry, the rifleman remained in place and strained his eyes to obtain a better view. Then like a crazed person he ran down the hill laughing, crying and yelling at the approaching figure. Pfc. Mutt Sakumoto was at a loss for words as the rifleman ran towards him and hugged him and shouted words of thankfulness. About all he could think of to say was: "Could you use a cigarette?"

We were mighty thankful to the brave little men of the 442nd Infantry. Many of us owed our lives to them."

I just thought you'd enjoy reading this from what, I perceive as being, Grandpa Bingham's viewpoint.

The Lone Star State

WARNING LONG POST- A BIT OF BINGHAM FAMILY HISTORY...

Preface: 45 years ago, when my mom was 4 years old, her "daddy" hadn't been feeling to well. He went to the doctor and never came home. While he was at the doctor's office, he suffered a major heart attack and died instantly. The day my Grandpa Bingham was buried, any talk of him was buried with him. Therefore, my mom has never known anything about her dad.

Grandpa served in the 141st Infantry in WWII, which for any of you who aren't familiar with the 141st infantry, they are known as "The Lost Battalion." They were caught behind enemy lines for 7 days in the Vosges Mountains in France. They were under attack daily from the German troops that surrounded them. Hundreds of men of the 442nd Infantry were killed trying to rescue the 141st. Two pilots were killed trying to drop supplies into the Lost Battalion.


This past Thursday, my mom went to lunch with her two sisters. While at lunch her oldest sister, Priscilla, mentioned that the 141st infantry (Grandpa's infantry) was being inducted into the Texas Armed Forces Hall of Fame the following day. My mom felt an instant urge to go to Austin, TX to attend this symposium and to learn about this vital section of her Dad's life.

Well, when my mom came home on Thursday from the lunch (at about 7 PM) she told me about the symposium. Seeing as that my mom has no memories of her dad, and hardly knows anything about him, I have no knowledge of my Grandpa. When I heard about the Symposium, I felt so strongly this urge to go and learn about him. Within a few hours, dad and I booked flights and hotels and got everything set to go to Austin. We flew out at 8 AM the next day.

At the Symposium, the Texas Armed Forces Museum was introducing new items that they were adding to their museum from the 141st infantry. Two of these items have had such an immense impact on my life. While the troops were trapped, the Allies were trying everything they could to get supplies into them.

Since it was November, in the Vosges Mountains, there was low visibility and therefore, flights were out of the question for the majority of the time. So they launched basically missiles that were filled with medical supplies and food and batteries. Unfortunately this method failed because the artillery would dig so deep into the ground that they couldn't dig it out.

So one day when the weather seemed to be a bit more clear, the air force deployed 12 pilots (after having 3 previously failed attempts) to drop belly tanks full of medical supplies, etc. to the Battalions. Well, two of these belly tanks actually made it to the troops and not into the hands of the Germans. These two tanks, rusted, battered and beaten, were discovered by two brilliant historians and archaeologists, and was transported to Austin to be placed in the Museum.

It was so moving to see these belly tanks and picture my grandpa being one of the men that was pulling out all of the supplies, the supplies that saved their lives.

At the symposium there were 4 speakers. 1: The author of the book "The Lost Battalions" it was very informative and full of historical background. 2: The Forward Artillery leader of the 141st Infrantry, A Company (My grandpa's infantry and company). His speech was all about what it was like to be behind enemy lines. His wife informed mom and I later that day that he hasn't talked about it, but when this symposium came up after 64 years, he pulled out all of his old war stuff and was able to talk about it. It was incredible to hear from somebody who was right there with my Grandpa. It was incredibly. 3: Arch Archilla, he was one of the pilots who dropped supplies in. It was so incredible to shake the hand of a man who helped to save grandpa's life. 4: A member of the 442nd Infantry who, until this weekend, never received credit for all they did because they were Japanese-Americans. Once again, it was so incredible to shake the hand of 4 different men who were on the ground at hand to hand combat fighting to save the lives of the men who were trapped.

I could truly go on for hours, but I won't! :) All in all, it was an incredible weekend! I cannot even describe how it feels to finally be able to get a glimpse into my Grandpa's life and to finally be able to understand what he went through and what an incredible man he is. It was a huge blessing to both mom and I to be able to go down there and I am so grateful. I am so grateful for all the service men/women both past a present who risk their lives daily to protect our freedoms. I am so grateful for those brave men of the 105th Fighter Squadron and the 442nd Infantry for risking their lives, hundreds of lives were lost, in order to rescue the men trapped behind enemy lines.

Tagged by Donelle!!

How to Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

JOYS!
1. Rebecca JOY Gilbert (ME!!)
2. Nette JOY Gilbert (My Grandma)
3. Allison JOY Poulson (A friend from Jr. High)

Ok...these are just three people that happen to have JOY as part of their name!

Here are some of my actual JOYS!
1. My family and great friends!
2. Reading
3. Finding something that I really want for ultra cheap while shopping!

FEARS!
1. Heights
2. Being held underwater
3. Plane Crashes

GOALS!
1. Get married in the Temple and be a good mama!
2. Get a good job doing design
3. Do something every day to make another persons' life better.

OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS!
1. So You Think You Can Dance!
2. NUMB3RS (The greatest TV show ever!!!)
3. China

RANDOM/SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT MYSELF!
1. The left side of my body is a lot larger than the right- because my brain is uneven.
2. I am accident prone, but usually don't get hurt doing anything cool!
3. I can make my nose go completely flat. The cartilage is really soft, and really short.

I TAG... (and please don't feel obligated to do it, but it is kinda fun!)
1. Jen
2. Kelly
3. Necia
4. Stacy
5. Becca Halls

Temple Square Shoot

In order to build my photography portfolio, I went up to Salt Lake to shoot some photos of downtown. Unfortunately, it was incredibly hot, and we didn't plan very well and so we didn't last as long as we thought we would, and went over to the Gateway to eat some lunch which took a bunch of our time. We spent almost the whole afternoon shooting at Temple Square and then ran over to the City Library and the City & County Building for 5 minutes to shoot. Here are my favorite images.

Update???

I think it is about time I update my blog... here we go!

First of all- we just got family pictures taken- here are a few of my favorites...

"Grandma" with Camila and Landon

Eduardo, Mikey, Jen, and I

Dad right after Landon spit up on him- the look on his face is priceless.

The whole crew having fun

The girls

The Men in my life!! :)

I have no idea what happened here, but apparently it was funny!

If I were a celebrity....

So I was bored in class today and my friend, Sharlene told me that I looked like this actress from a long time ago. (That made me feel good... i look like an 80's chick?) Anyway, I did the celebrity look-a-like thing and my results were quite interesting. One of my look-a-likes was Vanna White.... Needless to say I removed her quickly. What do you think?? I don't think I look like most of them.

Although I do feel honored to look like Katie!!

The Beauty of Photoshop!!!

So last week Tiffany, Jen, and I decided we should take new pictures for the ward directory. Instead of doing a boring picture of each of us, we decided to all hop in the picture together! There was one small problem though, J-Lar (our other roommate) was the good one of us who was actually attending Sunday School!



Well, today I woke up with a migraine but decided I should tough it our and go to church! By the time we began to sing the sacrament hymn, I could no longer read the words because my vision was so blurred. It was not fun!!! Tiffany told me "Bec, you don't look good at all," and then we decided that I should probably go home after sacrament. Tiff, Jen Bunney, and J-Lar took a roommate picture.....



Well, we had 2 options: 1. Go do another photo shoot with all 4 of us, or 2. Photoshop J-Lar into the picture of Tiff, Jen, and I, or photoshop me into the one of the other three. I decided photoshopping would just make our lives easier. So I ended up photoshopping Jen Bunney and J-Lar into the picture of Tiff, Jen, and I since Jen's face in the first one was a little goofy! Just thought people would enjoy seeing how easy it is to manipulate photos. It took me about 10 minutes to completely photoshop the image.

Gotta Love Spring Brandings!

Well as I posted earlier- I need to live on a ranch! I had the opportunity last weekend to go up to North Powder, Oregon for my uncle's and cousin's spring branding of their cows. Since I had just had surgery I didn't get to do a whole lot of work, but just being up there is the best! And hey, my uncle's couldn't even tease me for not throwing the calves. Here are just a few of the pictures I took up there.


This is a view from the Truck (F-350 Quad Cab King Ranch Edition... BEAUTIFUL TRUCK! Thanks for letting me take it Uncle Allen) of Talley-Dobbins Lane. We moved the cows from the highway pasture to my cousin Jake's corrals, which is on Talley-Dobbins.


My Uncle Allen on his horse, AJ, dragging a calf over to be branded.


This is probably my favorite- This is my cousin's wife Wendy. She pregnant and Due May 5th... you'd never know it! She was out branding!!! She also made the best enchaladas I have ever had in my life! That lunch was AMAZING!


This is just another picture of my Uncle Allen on AJ- this time he has already drug a calf over and is just making sure it stays there!


This is a picture of my Uncle Dale, cousin's Eli, Wendy, and Jacob. They were making sure the fire pit was getting the branding iron's hot enough. The wind was blowing so bad that we ended up having to dig a fire pit! I think that was a first for me up there!


My cousin Jacob.... Cowboy anyone??? We were working his cows that day.


How cute are these kids?? Roper, Cash, and Megan had a blast being down in the action. Roper is 5 and actually roped his own calf by himself! He's bound to be a cowboy!


This is my Uncle Dale- He is pretty much my hero! He's my mom's oldest brother so I never really got to know him, but the last few times I have gone to Oregon I have gotten to know him so much better and he's just awesome!

Sleep..... Entertaining?

A few nights ago I was laying in bed- not sleeping of course (just like I am doing right now... 2:28 AM). And my roommate Tiffany started making very silly noises in her sleep. It took everything in me not to bust up laughing, but I knew if I did the noises would stop.


The next morning I told her about it and she tried to remember what the dream was about- sorry folks- no luck! She couldn't remember! Then she said, "You know what you do in your sleep?" My immediate response was "say embarrassing things??" (I talk in my sleep pretty bad. Apparently my cousin and I have had full on conversations in our sleep. We have also gotten into fights in our sleep). Ridiculous, I know.

Anyway, my lovely roommate corrected me immediately and said, "That too... but your feet shake! Seriously, when you are asleep your feet bounce and shake and stuff." I have noticed sometimes when I am in that state where I am almost asleep and then I wake up for no reason that my feet are bouncing up and down but have never thought anything of it. Well- apparently when I sleep I bounce my feet up and down. I thought that was kinda funny!

100 Things About Me...

I saw this on my step-cousin's blog and thought it was a good idea... We'll see if I actually make it to 100.

1. I love Kimchi
2. I am addicted to my phone- I can't go anywhere without it.
3. I text way too much.
4. I had a $390 phone bill one month- refer to #3.
5. I love to play basketball
6. I hate not being the best at things- if I am not good at it I won't do it.
7. I have blue eyes
8. I want to live on a ranch.
9. I think cows are awesome!
10. I have incredibly thick hair.
11. I hate my incredibly thick hair.
12. I recently discovered I am terrified of heights.
13. I could live at Lake Powell and be happy.
14. I am supposed to wear contacts or glasses but hate them, so I just don't.
15. I would LOVE to serve a mission.
16. I would LOVE to serve my mission in Rochester, NY.
17. I love traveling.
18. I have been to almost as many countries as I have states!
19. I am a Daddy's girl- I hate to see my dad anything but happy!
20. My niece and nephew are my best friend.
21. I am afraid that I am not my niece and nephew's best friend.
22. I love my niece Camila and I don't even know her!
23. I have a severe jaw disease, not fun,
24. I no longer have a gall bladder.
25. I am terrified of getting cancer, which with my family history, is a very high possibility.
26. I refuse to let people see me cry, but I cry a lot.
27. Little things make me cry but big things don't. But once again, I don't let people see, so if I cry I turn my head so nobody can see.
28. I am afraid of forgetting my grandma.
29. My greatest fear is that my children will stray away from the church.
30. I bite my nails.
31. I hate plucking my eyebrows
32. My eyebrows are usually out of control.
33. I LOVE ANIMALS!!! well, all but cats!
34. I would be happy if I married a cowboy and lived on a ranch the rest of my life.
35. I think wranglers are hot.
36. Cowboys are hot.
37. I love Dancing With The Starts and So You Think You Can Dance.
38. I apparently can't type numbers when I am laying down and can't see the keys.
39. I would make a great accountant, but would kill myself if I had to be one.
40. I am marginally obsessed with Garth Brooks.
41. I have so much respect for my step aunts and uncles for the way they loved and helped take care of my Grandma when they aren't even her real children. You never would have known.
42. I can't talk about my Grandma without crying.
43. I found the last card my grandma gave me the other day, and cried for probably an hour because I missed her so bad.
44. I discovered this past weekend that my Uncle Dale is probably one of the most loving people I have ever met in my life.
45. I love all of my aunts and uncles- and that's pretty rare. My mom has the greatest siblings EVER
46. I can't wait to be done with school.
47. I am afraid of failing.
48. I would give up any worldly possession to make it to the celestial kingdom. Even if that meant being homeless for the rest of my life. As hard as it would be, it would be worth it in the end.
49. I want to go to Africa and do a humanitarian mission,
50. I want to get rich so that I can retire and spend the rest of my life doing humanitarian mission,
51. I love kids, and am always afraid they don't love me back.
52. I have serious separation anxiety!
53. I think my brother-in-law is the greatest one I could ever ask for.
54. I get migraines all the time.
55. I type 98 WPM
56. I hate taxes!
57. I secretly wanted to be a doctor my whole life, but I shake too bad so I gave that up.
58. I love Grey's Anatomy, buy have stopped myself from watching it. Addictions are never good,
59. My best friend in the World is Spencer Scott Bean.
60. Whenever I have a bad day, all I want is to have a hug from Spencer.
61. If I see somebody else cry, I cry.
62. I look like a cocaine addict when I am tired (according to my roommates)
63. I want to be like my sister when I grow up.
64. I want to go to every country in the world by the time I die.
65. I am afraid of being afraid.
66. I hate cats
67. I am really bad at blogging.
68. I am really bad at Ping Pong- but I am working on it!
69. I love all korean food!
70. My favorite thing in the World is being in a different country, not understanding a word, and feeling so much love for the people.
71. I love trucks!
72. I am afraid of divorce.
73. My brain is uneven.
74, I love horses.
75. I like to pretend to not be afraid of things because I dont want to be a wuss.
76. I am shocked that I have gotten to 76 and am not totally out of things yet!
77. I hate exercising.
78. I am obsessed with bag balm!
79. I am very tired most of the time, but rarely sleep.
80. I love ice cream but rarely eat it.
81. I think Diet Coke with fresh lime is the best tasting drink ever.
82. I am depressed that I can no longer endulge in #81.
83. I have a really bad callic on the back of my head.
84. My niece has more of my weird features than my sister's.
85. I get overwhelmed very easily but pretend not to.
86. I pretend to not be afraid of anything
87. I pretend to not have any real weaknesses.
88. I have the greatest family in the world.
89. I have the greatest big sister ever and it only took me 17 years to realize it.
90. I hate waking up in the mornings
91. My favorite thing to do is lay on a mat on the top of the houseboat in Lake Powell and take a nap!
92. I hate being nauseated more than anything in this world. I would rather be in so much pain than be nauseated
93. I am marginally in love with Garth Brooks
94. I have serious issues with people who are inconsiderate. Just get over yourself for crying out loud!
95. I am anal about brushing my teeth.
96. One side of my body is drastically larger than the other.
97. I love boating and could spend all day every day (as long as it's warm) on the lake.
98. My best friend gets home in 36 days!!!!!!!! and i am SO excited!
99. I tap my toes non-stop when I sleep. I didn't know this but my roommate told me that I do. Which makes sense why my calves stay toned when I NEVER work out!
100. I am grateful for every day I have on this earth and do my best to live each day to the fullest and learn everything I can while I am here.

Baby Camilla!!!

My brother, Eduardo and his wife Debbie had their first baby this morning at about 5:45 AM. She was born just about 8 weeks early and is so tiny! She is in the NICU but is doing so well! She has so much hair and is so incredibly beautiful! The pictures don't even do her justice because she is that beautiful!!!


This is a picture of Camilla in the NICU- Check out the hair!


This is Eduardo- I don't think I have ever seen a more proud Dad! He came to the office earlier today and showed me videos of her! He is going to be such an amazing Daddy!


This picture just shows how tiny she is! She's a little miracle! It's amazing how much you can love someone you don't even know!

North Powder- Here I Come!!

So a few weeks ago I posted about how I need to live on a ranch just like my Uncle's in North Powder, Oregon. Well, a few weeks ago my cousin, Eli (who is from N. Powder) told me he was going up for the big weekend! My Uncles and cousins are accountants, so the weekend after tax season is when they catch up on all the ranch work. It is the best week of the year to go up there! It is so busy and fun!

Anyway, I was planning on going, and then thanks to my nice little stint in the hospital and organ removal, I didn't think it was a possibility. Well, thankfully I have been healing really well!! So today Eli texted me to see if there's any way I could possibly go, so I called my mom and got the go-ahead!

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

We are leaving tomorrow morning, and I will probably be posting pictures when I get home! I am so so so so so so so so so excited!!! I probably won't be able to do any riding seeing as that I only had surgery a week ago, but still, just being up there will be so much fun!!

"Did Becca Boo have a baby??"

Well, about 30 min after my last post I was informed that a general surgeon who happened to be taking care of my Grandma in the hospital wanted me to go to the ER immediately. 5 hours later, and an endoscopy later, I was in the O.R. I said some funny things- which I will probably post later- but the comment of the night came from another family member (my favorite family member......... :) Sorry Jen!)

Erika, my little niece, was very concerned about me. She had called me earlier crying saying "I been lookin for you in the basement and I can't find you!!!" (She was at my mom's house looking for us, but we were at the hospital).

Since she was so concerned, my parents decided it was a wise idea to bring her down after my surgery to see that I was ok. Apparently, before my parents came my sister explained to her that I was at the hospital and that the doctor's fixed me. Erika said, "Mom, did Becca Boo have a baby??" I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD WHEN SHE TOLD ME- which was a bad idea seeing as it HURT!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, after a very long week, I am on the road to recovery!!! I actually laughed today without wanting to die! Oh, and the swelling in my abdomen has gone down- so I don't look like I am 4 months preggers anymore!!!!

Gall Bladders.... What a Pain!!!

This has been an interesting week. I started on Sunday when I just didn't feel well all day, but I kept telling myself it was just because I was crashing from pushing myself so hard all week. Well, around 4:30 AM on Monday, I decided I was lying to myself. I started throwing up.... a lot. That continued and at about 9 I called my mom and asked if she would drive me to work (since it's tax season missing a day is not really an option.... or so I thought). The weird thing was, it wasn't that I was just nauseated, I was in so much pain. The right side of my stomach hurt SO bad, like I was being stabbed, and my back hurt really bad too, like I had thrown it out or something.

Well after being at work for about 2 hours, Sheron, who I have appropriately named my "Work Mom" since she has worked for my dad since I was born- literally- came in and kicked me out of the office! She ended up driving me home because I obviously was too sick to drive. Well, a few hours later I kept throwing up and was in so much pain that my mom decided it was time to go to the E.R. After about a 10 minute wait (literally! It was fast!) I was back in a room. All the doctors and nurses kept talking about was my gall bladder. After a sonogram, being poked multiple times, and being given some very strong medications, I was sent home.

I went in 2 days ago for more tests, which came back normal. So I get to go to the doctor's today to see what other tests he wants to run. If it is my gall bladder- it would explain all the stomach issues I have had for so long that we always sign off to "ulcers." So we'll see! Anyway, that's my update!!! Hopefully we will know what is going on in the next few days so that I can go back to normal life! Oh, and I still haven't gone back in to work.......

Best Buddies

Well, I have this problem where, if I don't keep updating my blog I will stop permanently, so here we go....

I have the CUTEST niece and nephew ever!!! They are my best little buddies! I love babysitting them, and get the opportunity to do that often. Erika is 2 and Landon is 5 months. They are two of the best kids!

Erika is such a big helper! She loves helping Landon and always tells me when Landon is crying (Landon DOESN'T cry- he just talks when he is upset so I usually can't hear it, but Erika Lynn can and she always makes sure I know.) She is usually the first one in his room as soon as he "cries" to make sure he is ok and to help out.

I took a few pictures the other day when I got to babysit them. Erika LOVES "holding" Landon. Unfortunately for Erika, I think Landon weighs more than her, so when she holds him, he tends to tip her over. It's pretty cute!

Nearly there

I just had to post about the most exciting news.... two weeks from right now I will be laying in bed being SOSOSOSOSOSO happy that TAX SEASON IS OVER!!!!