I have been thinking about having Lasik surgery for the last few years.

I wondered if I would be a candidate for the surgery. My dad went for an evaluation a few years ago and he wasn’t able to have the surgery. His corneas were too thin to qualify. Apparently corneal thickness is genetic. I also wondered if my Ankylosing Spondylitis would disqualify me.

This week we had to decide how much money we will contribute to our cafeteria plan. I decided I would have the evaluation as soon as possible, so that we could max out our cafeteria plan to pay for the surgery.

I went for the evaluation today at Hoopes Vision. I was very impressed with the facility and the staff. They have the newest laser, the Allegretto Wave, which looks fantastic. They did a very thorough 3 hour exam. They did tests to measure my prescription, check my intra-corneal pressure, measure the thickness of my cornea, map my eye to check for astigmatism, and a bunch of other things.

I was happy to learn that I am a candidate for the surgery.

I still had a few questions, but I am really thinking that I will have the surgery next year. One of the things I wondered about was my future vision and what will happen when I start to develop presbyopia–or old eyes Right now there is a Lasik surgery where they adjust one eye for close vision and one for far vision. I asked if I would still be able to do that in the future, if I choose to have Lasik now. They said there is no guarantee, but with the thickness of my corneas, if the healing process goes as they expect it will, I should have plenty of cornea thickness left to have future surgeries.

I feel very confident about using Hoopes Vision for my Lasik surgery. I know they will take good care of me and do everything in their power to get me the best vision they can. Now I just need to decided when to schedule the surgery.

The last few days we did so many little projects, I kind of feel like I am nesting I think I am–I am getting ready for the long winter. LOL.

It was another beautiful day here yesterday, so we got the rest of the garage done. We made a quick trip to Home Depot to get a few more hooks and hangers. I have been wanting to hang up our wheelbarrow for quite some time. I finally found the perfect thing for it. This hanger was a close out at Home Depot and it worked great. Having it up off the floor sure cleared out a lot of space. Our 3rd garage bay actually looks like we could park a car it it now.

While we were cleaning out the garage I found an extra shelf for one of my bathroom cabinets. I had wanted Scott to cut it to fit after we first moved in. So while we were doing projects I had him cut that too. I put it in my cabinet this morning and it is great. Just one more shelf gave me so much room, and it looks much more organized. The next thing I need to do when I am feeling motivated is to go through all the random bottles of things I have in my bathroom cabinets. I am sure half of it could be thrown away.

Last, I cleaned out Emma and Ian’ pjs. Ian kept getting dressed for bed in pajamas that were floods. He still had some in his drawer that were size 24 months! No wonder they were so short.

It was a nice weekend. I always feel good when I get projects done. Going into the garage this morning was a treat. I’ll see what other projects I can come up with in the next few days. I’m sure I can think of something

I am an organization freak. I love my day planner. I think I got my first Franklin Day Planner when I was a freshman in high school. I haven’t been without one since. I loved just going in the store and looking at the binder covers and picking out which one I would choose next.

There is something about a paper planner that I love, too. Quite a few years ago I tried to switch over to a PDA. I just couldn’t do it. I missed having a place to write things and hold all my random slips of paper. I love transferring all my info to a new planner at the end of the year.

Once I had kids, I still needed a planner, but I had to downsize. I just couldn’t lug around a big planner with all the diapers, wipes, toys and all the other baby paraphernalia. I switched over to a simple black little Day Runner. I have been using the same one for about 7 years now. I just reused the cover and got new pages to go in it each year. Since it is getting close to the end of the year, I wanted to order the 2009 refill.

I went to the Day Runner website and was bummed to find out that they stopped making the refills for the size I have been using. The next size up was too big, so I had to find a new one. I checked a lot of sites and couldn’t find any that were small enough that I liked.

I finally found this one. I thought it looked like a good size and it came in some cute colors. Even better was that it was only $22 including the pages. I ordered my favorite color–pink!

I’ve spent the last couple of days transferring all my info to the new one. As a bonus this one came with the last few months of 2008, so I get to start using it now, and I don’t have to wait until the first of the year.

I can’t wait to start using it!

Today was my 36th birthday. I really didn’t mind turning 36, especially since I have been telling people for the last few weeks that I was turning 37! I forgot how old I was. I finally realized one day that I was 35, and not 36 like I had been thinking. Ha! So this birthday I actually lost a year

My birthday started out a bit rough. I always have a hard time on my birthday. I always play it up in my head and think about how wonderful it is going be. Then when it actually gets here, if things aren’t perfect, I get stressed out.

But I talked to Scott about it and I started to feel better. It ended up being a really nice birthday.

I had a great lunch at Siegfried’s with Scott, Sue, and Sarah. And a really nice dinner tonight with Bryan, Mary, and my Dad at a new Thai restaurant.

I was overwhelmed with how many people called, texted, and emailed to say “Happy Birthday”. I don’t think I have gotten this many birthday wishes ever. Emma showered me with birthday presents. She made me about 10 birthday cards. Scott bought a pie for me (since I don’t like birthday cake ) and we sang “Happy Birthday” with the kids.

Scott surprised me with a new lens for my camera. I was so excited! I have been wanting it for quite a while, and it was really sweet of him to get it for me.

So it turned out to be a really nice birthday. Thanks to everyone for the gifts and all the nice birthday wishes!

I first saw these adorable camera strap covers on a blog I read called Momshots.

I already have a really cute strap that I got from My Funky Camera. I get lots of compliments on it, and it really does look cute. But, it isn’t really comfortable. It is made out of the same nylon that the original strap was made from. It just feels kind of scratchy on my neck.

I decided to splurge and I ordered one of Shealynn’s Camera strap covers. It was my first Etsy purchase, and I am thrilled with it. It is so cute and it is so much more comfortable having soft fabric on my neck!

Here is the one I got:

I love it!

We spent the past couple of days fly fishing at the Green River with Jason and Mariella and my brother Bryan and his girlfriend Mary. We had a fantastic time fishing. The weather was amazing–it was in the high 70s both days, and the scenery was breath taking.

The Green River is probably my favorite place to fish. Scott and I used to spend as much time as we could there when we were first dating. We loved to fish the banks, but the best way to fish the Green is with a guide on a float trip. We did it a few times, but we really couldn’t afford to do it very often. This trip we stayed at Red Canyon Lodge in the Ponderosa Cabins. They were perfect! They were right on a beautiful lake with fire pits and picnic tables. We spent 2 nights sitting around the camp fire cooking and making smores. We floated the A section of the river for 2 full days, and it was as amazing as I remembered it.

The river is beautiful. The water is so clear and the fish are abundant. You can just look into the water and see them swimming around. We did a little nymphing and a lot of dry fly fishing. Dry fly fishing is the best. There is nothing better than spotting the fish, making a perfect cast to it, and watching the fish come up and slurp up your fly. We mostly nymphed in the morning while it was still cool, and then switched to dries as soon as it started to warm up.

Scott and I fished with the same guide, Anthony, both days. Bryan and Jason had different guides each day. Our guide was nice and funny, but he seemed like he wouldn’t have much patience for people just learning to fly fish. We figured we should stick with him for both days, since we were the most experienced at fishing.

The whole trip was really a lot of fun. It was nice to get away from the kids for a couple of days, and just spend time with Scott. The drive down with Jason and Mariella was nice. It was good to get to spend some time together again and just enjoy each others company. We stopped at the Spring Chicken Inn and had some great fried chicken and a lot of laughs.

The second day as we floated down the river, I got really sad as we approached Little Hole. I knew that meant that the trip was coming to an end and the fishing was almost over. I had such fun on the river, and I didn’t want it to end. It has been nearly 10 years since I have fished the Green, but this time I know I won’t wait another 10 before we go back again.

Saturday Scott and I did the Heber Valley Century. It was my first 100 mile bike ride and it was HARD.

Earlier in the summer, when I got my road bike, I saw this century ride and I wanted to do it. I didn’t think we would be able to do it because some of our friends were getting married that day. Last week I looked at the schedule again, and figured out that we just might be able to fit it in. The ride started at 8:00am and the wedding was at 5:30pm in Milcreek Canyon. I figured we could go planning on doing the century, and if there wasn’t enough time we could just do the 65 mile ride. We ended up doing the 100 mile ride and we just barely made it!

The weather was beautiful. It was a gorgeous fall day. The leaves and the scenery were amazing. The course was nice, but it was hard. Scott has done 4 other centuries this summer, and he said this was the hardest course of all of them. There were a few big climbs and a lot of little rolling hills. I felt great until we got to mile 59. From mile 59 to 70 I really struggled. I felt exhausted and the course was very hilly through Wanship. Those 11 miles seemed to take forever. I kept telling myself that once I saw the mileage turn to 75 I would be home free.

And it really was true. The last 25 miles went by pretty quickly, even though there was one of the biggest climbs at about mile 85. I just put it in my granny gear and kept pedaling. It was a long steep hill, but I felt great. I knew once I got to the top it was all downhill back to the finish.

I was really proud of myself for doing it and completing the ride. Scott was an awesome partner. He waited for me and let me draft when I was tired. I had such a great time just being out there with him. It was really neat that we were able to do it together. I am looking forward to doing some more centuries next summer!

I’m taking a Photoshop class tonight and I am really looking forward to it.

The class is specifically geared towards photographers. It is being taught at a camera store in Sandy called Pixels Foto and Frame. It was highly recommended by the instructor who taught my photography class last winter.

I have a pretty good working knowledge of Photoshop. I use Photoshop CS3 to edit many of my photos, but I am pretty much self taught. Everything I know I either learned by trial and error, or by tutorials I have found on the internet. I know that some of the things I do can be done so much faster and easier. I am looking forward to learning where I can save time, and how I can make my photos look better.

I forgot that today was September 11th.

I pulled out of my driveway to take Emma to school, and noticed the flags that the Boy Scouts put out in front of the houses on holidays. I racked my brain trying to think about what holiday it was. I asked Emma about it, but she didn’t know of any holiday either.

I turned on the radio and heard the names of all the people who had died in the tragedy being read. It took me by surprise, I gasped and then sighed. Emma wanted to know what was the matter. I couldn’t tell her for a moment, I had to wait, or I knew I was going to go from teary eyed to crying.

When they said that it had been 7 years ago, I was shocked. I felt like it was 2 or 3 years at most. Then I remembered I was pregnant with Emma at the time. I have such vivid memories from that day. I know that most people do. People can describe exactly what they were doing the moment they heard. I can too: I was flying on an airplane.

I was on my way back from Chicago. I had been there for a meeting. I left early on a non-stop flight bound for Salt Lake. About an hour into the flight the pilot came on. He said “Ladies and gentlemen, we are just over Des Moines, Iowa and we are going to go ahead and land here.” We were all confused. Why? Was there something wrong with the plane? Were we going to crash? A few minutes later he made another announcement and said the plan was fine, but there had been a “situation” in the United States.

As we landed, we saw fighter jets and National Guard pilots on the runways. I knew something was wrong, but it was hard to imagine what it could be. Immediately people started calling home, and while we were still on the plane we found out what had happened. Scott and my parents were very relieved to hear from me. They knew about the planes, but not where they had come from.

We deplaned, and everyone ran for the TVs to see what was happening. It was chaos. It was still in the early stages, and nobody was sure what was going to happen next. Were we safe in the airport in Des Moines? Nobody was sure, so they wanted to evacuate the airport. I knew we would be stuck there for a few days, so I decided to rent a car. I couldn’t wait to get home!

People were different to each other that day. Everybody talked to each other. It was like we were all friends. People made deals in the car rental lines, and drove places together. I met a couple from Utah, and we drove back to Salt Lake together. I don’t remember their names, and I never spoke to them again, but on that day it just felt normal to be friends with everyone.

Today when I turned on the radio, I was flooded with the same emotions I felt on that day 7 years ago. I am glad that I remembered. I think there are too many people in our country who have forgotten. Today we were all reminded.

One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip to the east coast was spending the night at my Aunt Linda’s house on Long Beach Island. My mom grew up in New Jersey, and they had a house at the shore. They bought the house in Beach Haven in the 1948. It was a tiny house on the bay side with 4 lots. They paid $500 for it! My mom spent every summer there from the time she was a little girl until she was married.

I can even remember spending time there when I was around 4 years old. There was a little shed in the back of the house that I can remember playing in. My mom’s dad, who died before I was born, and my dad’s dad built the shed together. I think it is so neat that they were friends like that. Everyone always says that they were a lot alike. That makes me kind of feel like I knew him, in a small way. My dad’s dad, Pop-Pop, was a kind and hardworking man. I can still remember how much he liked working in his garage and how organized it was. Everything had its own place, and he knew immediately if someone had moved things around.

All around the house there were these small tan stones. I can still remember the crunch they made under your feet. Those stones still remind me of Beach Haven. My mom said that every year or so they would get a new load of them, and they would have to spread them around. There was a water tower in the back yard, too. My mom said that every summer some neighborhood boys would climb it and get in trouble!

We went to see the place where her old house used to be. We knew that it was gone, my uncle had visited recently and told us that they had torn the house down and built a new one in its place. I felt sad when I looked at it. I imagined the old house there and the fun times that we all had there. I wished that the house was still in our family, and that it still looked the way I remembered it from my childhood. This little house across the street was for sale. A part of me wanted to buy it and recreate the fun beach memories I had for my kids.

This is the house that stands in place of our old house. It is a nice house, but it isn’t our old house. The trees on the lot are the same ones that my grandfather planted. The stones look like the same ones that were always there. The same water tower stands in the back ground. The house was different, but standing there I still had those same old memories running through my head.