Pitt family happenings

2011-02-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

Lauren, Turner and Molly came to visit. We met at the cabin and snowshoed in. Molly had such a great time! Of course, so did I. This all happened 2 days before I had to give a talk in church, teach my young women lesson, and the same week I received an assignment from the Bishop to help each youth in our ward get an ancestral name to take to the temple by Youth Conference in June. And Mom had cornea transplant surgery Monday and on and on. I'm so glad I got to have fun with Molly, Lauren and Turner in the middle of everything that was going on!

This month is my 51st birthday. I picked the personal history question about my birthday. I was born on February 29th. Yep, I am a Leap Year baby. So, technically, I will be 12 3/4 this year. When I was a kid I kinda liked the attention that came from having an unusual birthday. I celebrate on the last day of February. Or whenever anyone thinks to wish me a happy birthday. My sweet husband usually gives me a big celebration when it is my "real birthday." Nice. I love it! I need to figure out a good way to remember other peoples birthdays better. I will have to work on that one!

Just in case you want to know

2011-01-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

My friend, Joy, answers a question in each blog about her personal history. I decided to copy her and we will see if I actually follow-through with it. Also, I hope I keep up better with current events in my families life.

My name is Stacee. I don't know where the name came from or why I was given the name. I do remember hating it as a child and really wanting my name to be "Kimberly." I still can't figure out why Mom and Dad didn't name me Kimberly and why they chose to spell it with the double "e." It's never spelled correctly. My Grandma Reed was kinda angry that they spelled it that way and NEVER spelled it any other way but "Stacie," which is how she thought it should be spelled. Over the years, I've gotten used to it.

Now my favorite names I get called are: Honey, Mom, Oma, and Sister Pitt. They are usually names used with love.

Speaking of Oma. . . here's some favorite new pix of me being the Oma! I can't wait until I get to have my picture taken with Danny again!
This is a cute hat I made Molly.

Slow, but sure start

2011-01-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

So, my daughter, Lauren, is pretty amazing. I am impressed that she has the courage to put her new year's resolutions online for the world to see. I guess I've never been that committed to make it that public. This year, though, I did tell my friend, Joy, my goals. We made a mutual commitment to improve our scripture study. Thank heavens I have to account to her each week!

My scripture study is going well. I have never been good at daily stuff, but I am improving a lot! And when I study now I am really studying instead of just reading words (which is what I do a lot.) This week I read about Mary's visit by Gabriel telling her she is going to be the mother of Christ. Her response was "behold he handmaiden of he Lord, be it unto me according to thy will." It reminded me of several incidents in the scriptures where people were visited by a messenger telling them about a calling/ assignment/ mission. They all answer similarly, but with the words "Here am I." In Hebrew there is a word that means "here am I, I will do whatever is your will." The word is "hinani." I learned it in my Isaiah class. The concept of being willing to do whatever the Lord needs me to do is the ultimate discipleship, or supreme humility. I'm still working on it, but I feel that the more I learn, the more I understand what is required of me. I had fun finding lots of examples in the scriptures, Samuel, Isaiah, Jacob, Paul, etc. Then todays lesson in RS in Lauren's ward was about sacrifice. Fits right in.

Changes are good!?!

2010-06-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks Lauren for reminding me that it has been way too long since updating the blog. What has been happening with us?

In April, Jessica and Danny visited us for a few days. It was wonderful!!!
Jessianne graduated from BYU with her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.

In May, we got to go visit Lauren and Turner because she graduated with her Master's degree in Education. The week before that, on Jessianne's 22nd birthday to exact, we signed papers on a new house and moved in. We now live at 479 West 1810 North, Orem, UT 84057 with the same phone numbers. 4 days after we moved into our new house, Dad decided it was time for them to go home. I am so proud of him for going to blind school to learn how to manage and cope so he can take care of Mom. And Mom is making great progress!!! Together, they are figuring out how to manage on their own. What courage it takes to start a new life when most folks their age would give up and move into a home!

The camera got packed when we moved and I haven't discovered it yet. But unpacking is still happening so there is a chance I will find it soon :) Then I can post photos of the house.

I am liking the new house a lot! I am still adjusting and trying to find the right places to put things away. That is hard for me because my brain doesn't think in a very orderly way. But I am deciding where I want a few things, like some of the art and some of the photos.

The Sun is Shining

2010-03-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

Mom's been home for 2 weeks now. We are falling into a nice routine. She gets a lot of therapy; physical, speech, occupational and an aid who comes in to do the shower stuff. I feel like Mom is making really good progress. Each day she is a little stronger.

Dad is continuing at the blind school. Last night as he was practicing his Braille, he said, "I feel like this is finally coming together." He is enjoying socializing with other blind people and seeing what they are accomplishing without sight. It has to be giving him confidence to try new things. He takes pride in coming home telling us what he has cooked at school.

My cat is huge! Miles weighs 10 pounds now! He is a big, lovable ball of soft fur. I love holding him. He is learning how to take naps with me. That is wonderful!

Meantime, spring will be here soon. And this morning the sun is shining!

My new motto is "One Day at a Time."

2010-02-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

After 50 days in the hospital, I got to bring Mom home yesterday. I must admit that I was a little nervous about having both Mom and Dad here to take care of. Yesterday's discharge was a long, drawn-out process. But, it turned out to be a blessing because the very minute I was pulling out of the parking lot, my phone rang. It was the Moran Eye center calling and I was able to go pick up some documents I need for Dad that otherwise would have taken several more days to receive. Glad the timing worked out that I was able to pick up the documents while I was still at the hospital campus.

I know things will smooth out and I'll be able to figure out a routine with Mom and Dad once Dad is in school M-F and we know when home health will be coming. This morning it was 10:00 before I got my breakfast and 10:30 before I got my shower. But I did get Mom dressed, breakfasted, teeth brushed, toileted twice and up and down the stairs before then. Dad is really learning to be as independent as he can be and that will improve I know.

Another blessing is that the blind school arranged a ride for Dad back and forth to school until he gets trained to use the bus. That is a huge relief off my shoulders!

I am constantly praying for patience and long-suffering so that this can be as pleasant as possible for all of us.

One day at a time!

The wait is over. . . or is it?

2010-02-14T18:43:00.001-08:00

Monday when Dad and I went to the hospital they moved Mom to rehab! What an interesting experience this is for me. I am learning so much about brains and how they work. I am amazed at how many processes are involved in eating. Picking up the spoon, rotating it in your hand properly, getting the spoon to the food, getting the food on the spoon, keeping the food on the spoon while you bring it to your mouth, getting the food into your mouth, closing your mouth on the spoon, pulling the spoon out and leaving the food in, then swallowing! Whew it makes me tired watching Mom re-learn all this. She has made incredible progress this week with rehab. She is awake most of the time and working hard to re-learn. She still has no short-term memory. I don't think she can read, although she can recognize letters. She repeats the same questions over and over. But she is walking with support and a walker.

This week I feel like the critical part is finally over and we are on the road to recovery! Finally! But she still has so much to learn. And so do I as care-giver. We have such a long road ahead of us. But another bit of good news. Dad is starting "blind school" this week as a day student. So, I will drop him off at 8:00 am and pick him up at 4:00 pm. While he is learning, I will go to the hospital and help mom with her therapy. We are going to have to re-figure this if Mom is released from rehab before Dad can get into the apartments and be a live-in student. But the sooner he is self-sufficient and independent, the sooner he can help me take care of Mom :)

I have a wonderful family! Lauren provided me with an opportunity to get away to play this weekend. Jessianne facilitated it. So, I went ice-climbing for the first time! In Ouray, Colorado. It was as hard as I thought it would be, but it was MUCH, MUCH funner than I thought. It was a really great weekend. Thanks girls! for giving me a respite! I love you!

Still Waiting

2010-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

I keep wanting to wait to blog until I have news that Mom has been released from the hospital. But she hasn't. The doctors are keeping her, watching, hoping she will be strong enough to go right to rehab rather than a nursing facility and then rehab. In the mean time, she needs another surgery on Thursday to repair a small leak. Poor Mom!!!

Dad is staying with us for a while. This is all so up-in-the-air! We don't know how long Mom's recovery will take and we don't know what her abilities will be like when this is over. It's hard to make any plans. Still just taking it a day at a time. Still appreciating all the friends and family giving us so much love and support!

Emotional Rollercoaster

2010-01-20T20:13:00.001-08:00

It has been a hard couple of days. But today we had a mixed bag. First of all, they took Mom off the ventilator to see how she could do on her own. So far, so good. She is working harder to breathe on her own, but her oxygen levels are staying good. Today she coughed, too. I learned that when you lay there the normal saliva your body makes and you swallow instinctively just stays there and goes into her air passage. One reason they had her on the ventilator was so they could easily suction out those fluids. But her ability to cough forces the fluids out of her lungs. The challenge now is that her swallow reflex isn"t working. So they suction out the back of her throat when she coughs and can"t clear her airway. That is a step in the right direction.

The hardest part of today was hearing the doctor tell us in concrete terms what to expect. Mom will be several weeks still in the hospital, then to a nursing facility until she is strong enough for rehab. Then a month of rehab to see what she will be able to do. Dad asked outright "will she ever be back to normal?" The doctor said, "I doubt it, but we hope she can get pretty close."

A good thing about today was that my brother, Chris, is here from Alaska and was able to be there at the hospital to hear all this. I am so glad he is here to see for himself what we are dealing with so he can have a better understanding of what is going on. It relieves me knowing that he knows exactly what we are going through. And with him here, I get to come home for a few days. :)

As I told Dad today, we just have to take this one day at a time and we"ll get through it!

Looking at Blessings in a Hard Time

2010-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

As most know, Mom had a brain tumor removed Thursday, Jan 7, 2010. As of today, she still hasn't woken up. I first got a clue something wasn't quite right when Friday morning my phone woke me up. The doctor at the hospital called to get permission to put a drain in Mom's brain because she was building up fluid and pressure pretty fast. They drilled a hole in her skull and stuck in a tube to monitor pressure and drain off fluids. By Friday afternoon, they were asking permission for a second surgery to relieve pressure that had gotten to a critical level. The surgery removed part of her brain (an unused part) and bone so that the swelling wouldn't damage her brain stem. The surgery was successful and they didn't have to remove as much brain matter as they anticipated. Since then the swelling has gone up a bit but leveled off. Now we wait. That is so hard!

As of today, all her vitals are good. Her heart, lungs, kidneys, bowels, etc are functioning well. She's just asleep. She is showing a very small baby step toward improvement. She has begun opening her eyes a bit for a few seconds. She still can't follow commands, but because the swelling isn't worse, the doctors are hopeful that once her brain swelling begins to go down she will wake up more.

This experience shows me how many people love us. Mom and Dad have such great friends always calling to give Dad support, love and offers of help. My own friends have been great, too. Emails, texts, and phone calls offering love and support give me courage and strength to know that I am not alone! And then the family . . . . what would we do without you? Thank you all for giving us a shoulder to lean on when we need you!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Life really does evolve, doesn't it. The rhythm of my days has changed since Marin moved out. I miss her and her comings and goings. I have learned that I need to look outward and find more opportunities to serve. It doesn't come naturally to me, so I need to change that.

Here are my New Year's resolutions:
Blog more!
Journal more!
Temple more!
Scriptures more!
Pray better!

I am excited about my callings. I am really in love with my Primary class. I am learning so much from them! Mostly I am learning to be more patient and learning to develop more teaching skills. And I love the spirit that is in my home when the Temple Prep class is here. Those valiant young men preparing for the temple and their missions bring an amazing spirit with them. It uplifts me! And I am having fun preparing to teach classes at the Family History Center. I sure have great opportunities to rub shoulders with great people! Hoping their greatness rubs off on me!

Happy New Year!

Save the Last Dance For . . .

2009-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I helped Marin with her hair in preparation for prom. My last girl, going to her last school dance. Sigh! I guess I passed another mommy milestone. Some days I feel relieved that my last child is graduating from high school. No more programs, no more parent-teacher conferences, no more late night homework, no more lunch money . . . But today I feel kinda sad. No more warm hugs and cookies when they get home from school, no more pride in their accomplishments, no more tears of joy watching them learn something new. But I am still a Mom and I still get to share their joy in their accomplishments, and watch them learn new things. It's mostly from long-distance now. Bitter-sweet day.

What a ride!

2009-04-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bill and I rode our bikes around West Mountain. I knew it would be hard since it was my first ride of the season. And it was hard. Especially after Bill's tire blew out and I was left to ride into the headwind alone to get the car. But, during that stretch, I averaged about 12 mph which is good considering how hard the wind was blowing. Poor Bill got cold waiting for me. Just as I got back to the car, he called and said a nice man had picked him up and was bringing him to the car. Nice people make the world a better place!!!

The ride around the lake was beautiful. Spring!!! The water levels are very high. We saw a lot of pelicans on the water, saw a few other birds, but it is still early. There is the most peaceful feeling riding next to the water. It's almost as nice as canoeing the Boundary Waters, but not.

This morning I am a bit stiff and going up the stairs hurts, but it was definitely worth it! Yeah my first 35 miles of the season! Can't wait for my next ride. Maybe I'll head up Provo Canyon to see how far the snow has melted. Hopefully all the way to the top of South Fork Canyon!

Trying to Catch Up

2009-04-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

I feel horrible that i haven't posted in so long. I guess I got busy with Jessianne's wedding, Christmas, Jessianne's reception, life, etc. Here's a photo of the wedding. It was so nice to have the whole family together for the wedding.

Now We are gearing up for Marin's High School graduation next month, then in June she and I are off to Greece!!! We are very excited for that trip!!! Ahh, summer fun! I keep reminding myself of that when I look outside and see the 10" of snow we got. But graduation means that she will be moving out soon, too :( I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

August 2008

2008-09-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time in Colorado August 8-10 celebrating Lauren and Turner's marriage with their Colorado family and friends. Marin got to visit with some of the friends she made over the summer while she was staying with Lauren. Turner has a really great family and it was fun spending time with them.

August also saw everyone back in school. Marin, Jessianne, Skyelr, Turner and Bryan all hit the homework routine. Bill, Jessica and Lauren all began another school year teaching. While they were getting used to textbooks again, I headed to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area for my annual women's canoe trip. Once more I had fun paddling, camping, laughing and generally being a girl in the wilderness.
This eagle watched over us from an island across from our campsite. It was fun to see otters in Lake Superior on our way up North, beaver near our campsite, and turtles sunning themselves on logs.
When we need to portage, this is how a canoe is carried. Except that it is carried level and not touching the ground in back. All food, canoes, camping gear, etc. has to be carried across. We had 3 portages into the lake we camped on. We set up a base camp and took day trips each day from their. What a beautiful place to spend some time! Can't wait for next year.

One Amazing Week!

2008-07-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

July 18 was Marin's 17th Birthday! We had a very nice Birthday Breakfast before leaving for the temple for Lauren's endowment. That afternoon the Sessions hosted a dinner at Los Hermanos. We got to sing to Marin at the restaurant. She is one good-looking 17 year old!!

July 19 was a magical day! Lauren and Turner were married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple at 10 am. After which they were glowing! Their family luncheon was beautiful, yummy and fun! It was nice to share the day with so many of our family. Turner's family is absolutely awesome! We had a great day! One of the best ever.

July 20 was another incredible day. It's a good thing that Jessianne caught Lauren's bouquet yesterday at the luncheon! She got engaged to Skyelr Baird. They will be getting married Dec 20 in the Sacramento Temple. Waaahhh! We are excited!

Just about here!

2008-07-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Not much happened this last week, except Bill has been in Washington D.C. and got to visit Bryan and Jessica a bit. Now he is in New York at a conference. I stayed home and put together the final touches for the wedding and girls camp. Saturday Jessianne and Skyelr came over and helped me in the yard. It looks soooo much better! Right now I have Hollyhocks, Shasta Daisies, and Day Lilies blooming! I can't wait for Tuesday when I get to pick up Bryan and Jessica and then Wednesday, Bill, Lauren, Turner and Marin all arrive! 5 days til the wedding!!!!!

July 4th Celebration

2008-07-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

I know. We just got back from Cancun and now we're off playing again!!! We had so much fun at the cabin this week. On the 3rd Bill and I slept in and then went on a bike ride. We left from Tabiona and headed toward Hannah. Bill looks pretty hott, huh!

Then we turned up the canyon. It was hot, but nice.

On the 4th we went to the Tabiona Rodeo in their new arena.

Our favorite event is called the Hide Race. One person on a horse rides down the length of the arena pulling an animal hide around a barrel where the second person is waiting to jump on. Once they are on the hide and holding on the horse takes off back down the arena pulling the hide behind. The hide rider has to learn how to hold on and not eat too much dirt/manure!

This rodeo is small, quaint and definitely takes me back to my barrel-racing days.

Saturday, the 5th we went to the parade and then were joined by Skyler and one of Bill's students John and his wife Sara. The 4-wheeling was very fun, but dusty.

We had a great weekend! Hope everyone else had as much fun! Hugs and love

Tulum is Amazing!

2008-07-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

I loved Tulum! It is probably the highlight of the trip for me. The ruins on the coast have withstood hurricanes for hundreds of years! The iguanas were fun to watch, too. The beach at the bottom of the cliffs was one of the best we've ever been to. Let's go again!

Cancun Trip

2008-07-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Cancun. Sunday we drove down the coast to Playa del Carmen. A beautiful city on the Mexican Riviera. Monday we took a bus tour to Chichen Itza. Tuesday, I don't remember. Wednesday we went to Tulum, Thursday Isla Mujeres and Friday we were beach bums at Cancun.