Eastern Idaho Perfusion Specialties, LLC

Possible Logo for Cam's new business. He doesn't like this one, but I do. I couldn't get any of the others to load, but when I do, I will poll the audience. Stay tuned...


This week has been a stressful one, but there always seems to be room for great adventure and opportunity. Cameron's employer has been contracted with the hospital here in Idaho Falls for 9 years. She has decided that she will NOT RENEW her contract and will try to sell her contract to a big company to take over.

The hospital is entertaining bids from any entity interested in the perfusion contract.

Cameron is now one of those entities!! Cameron is his own business owner and has submitted a proposal for a four year contract!! He is ecstatic, and I am just awed by his bravery and tenacity!! He is an EXTRAORDINARY perfusionist and deserves this more than anyone!! He has always been one of those people who works to change the world. He is strong enough and brilliant enough to do it, too!! Nothing is too hard or too out of reach for him. He knows he can do it and just jumps in. He is a true go-getter!! He has been waiting for this...and now it is almost in his grasp.

No matter what happens, I couldn't be more proud of my husband. He has worked so hard for this. No person or entity has the vision and the commitment he has for this heart program. If they truly want the best, they will choose him.

But just for the sake of increasing our luck, good fortune, and focusing our chi:

Make sure you are all praying for him...and us. We also implore you to walk around with your fingers crossed, legs crossed, and eyes crossed...just until the proposal is accepted. Feel free to send pictures of yourselves in those particular circumstances. We could use a laugh or two to ease the agony of waiting for an answer.

Thanks for your support!!

GO GET 'EM, HONEY!! WE ARE ALL CHEERING FOR YOU!!!

Kendal's in Kindergarten...

Well, it is official! Kendal is in school!! Real school. Like at a REAL elementary school. Hillview Elementary. He is an official Hillview Husky (GRRR!!)He decided to wear his camouflage rock guitar shirt, his matching green pants, his stegosaurus backpack, and his happy smile and he was off to school. I mean he was out the door after his father's blessing. He didn't even want to brush his teeth (I made sure he brushed).

His father's blessing was so great, and just for the sake of me being able to remember it, I am going to share it with you. The first thing was that Kendal should just be himself. He will make lots of friends and others will enjoy being around him by just being himself. Then he was blessed with a great mind and the ability to learn quickly and to be able to practice things he has already learned and be able to enjoy learning new things. Next, he was told that he would be protected at school and to and from school. He would be safe on the bus and whenever he is by himself. Then he was told that others would know who he was and would be glad to be with him.

I cannot believe he is old enough to go to school. I have missed him these last few mornings, and Avery cried for him when he went into the classroom, but we are happy to see him progress. Good Luck, Kendal. We know you will do well!!

We Are Going To Miss This...

Oh, school is starting, days are getting a little shorter, and there is a hint of cold in the mornings. We are on the brink of the end of summer...and I am really going to miss it.

We have had a sweet summer!! Some things we would have never done had it been less expensive to travel. We had to get creative and stay close to home!! And we loved it!! So many memories. I couldn't possibly blog them all. These are just highlights!! Happy Summer's End to you all!! Happy New School Year!!

I have a feeling there is just more fun to come!!

Wanna See Some Cute Kids??

Some days it seems like I will always be a crazy mom with little sleep and even less control. There is always laundry and dishes and messes. Some days I don't know when or if I will get a shower or even a potty break. We go from swimming lessons to playgroup to school supply shopping. Parenthood is a never ending, all-consuming, total commitment. Some days I think I would like to be anywhere else...but then, I would miss all of it, like our trip to the park today and all the green grass.

I got a flier in the mail today advertising the next Emergency Medicine Seminar in San Francisco, CA. There were lots and lots of classes I would LOVE to attend. I really thought I wanted to be a Paramedic/Flight Nurse. I really thought I wanted to wear the flight jumpsuit, leap into a helicopter in the middle of the night after being ripped from my sleep by emergency call tones. Every time I heard the ambulance wail, I wanted to chase the lights and see if anyone needed to be intubated (I used to be really good at that). I also thought this awesome career was some of the hardest work I had ever done.

Little did I know what life had in store for me. Now I am ripped from my sleep to comfort the most precious people I will ever have in my life. There is no life I can save more important than the three souls sleeping in their beds upstairs. If ever I thought I knew what hard work was, I had not yet become a parent.

Know what I did with that flier? Yep. Trashed it. And you know what? It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. This parenting stuff... is WAY BETTER!! Just look at those faces.

I may feel like the grass is greener somewhere else tomorrow (so I gotta get all the sappy stuff out tonight), but for right now, I am enjoying the shade of green right where I am standing.

Kaleidoscope Sidewalk Art Festival

Kendal drew a rocket...



Avery and I filled in the outer space.





Today's playgroup was the Kaleidoscope Sidewalk Art Festival. Everyone signed up for a spot of sidewalk (we signed up for a spot right under the large shade trees) and was given a huge amount of multi-colored chalks.

Kendal was off to a great start. It began looking like a railroad track...and then, it became a ROCKET. Well, you can't get any more creative than that!! Avery and I surrounded the rocket with shooting stars and vividly colored planets. Kendal then came back in and added an alien ship (see top left of first pic) with beautiful detail and precision.

It was a good day!!

"She Wore A Raspberry Beret..."

We started out with 24 pints (two flats)..


They were all this gorgeous...seriously!


This is our freezer jam...


And this is the cooked jam I tried!!

I have had this song in my head all day. Maybe it is because I have been elbow deep in the most beautiful raspberries EVER!! I had a great time mashing (with a potato masher), sugaring, and stirring, and stirring, and stirring...

I actually look forward to this time of year. I like to see homegrown (well, okay, not my home, but it is locally grown anyway) fruit and vegetables sealed in clear canning jars. I love to see it all stacked up in our food storage shelves. I love to spend the day with my mom with bandannas over our heads to keep the hair out, and sticky counters...wait, I hate the sticky counters...I mean, let's be real... But all-in-all I really like the whole process of canning. I guess it makes me feel like a Betty in the kitchen. Today was just the beginning of the year. Next comes the peaches, pears, beans, apples, and salsa. I am exhausted just thinking about it.

So I am just going to relish the moment of the raspberries in my freezer and even a few on the food storage shelves.

P.S. Just in case I didn't make myself clear...I like to do MY canning. Just because I like to can does not mean I will can for any of you. I love you all dearly. I just want you to have the same feeling of fulfillment as I do. But call me up; I will definitely come help you!!!