its been a long year

It has been a long year.  I have not been dedicated to blogging.  Well I can feel the winds of change brewing.  Blogging here I come!

A lot has happened this year.  Our kids grew by one year, and so did we.  Our house is the same, our cars are the same (a little worse for wear).  One thing has changed... we are the owners of a new sub shop.  We opened on April 8th.  It has been a ton of work, but a lot of fun.  Adam has wanted to do this for a very long time.  We have had some really good feedback and hope to continue to grow our business.  This is a very hard economy, but you never know if you don't try right?

Some other happenings, some happy, some sad.  My dad left for Iraq.  He works there as a contractor.  You just never know how life will work out some times.  We miss him and worry about him all of the time.  Adam lost his mother this last spring.  The alarm on his phone still rings to remind him to call her.  It has been hard on them to loose both parents pretty close together.   We have 3 new additions to our family, they are african dwarf frogs, other wise known as Fish, Hovac and Julie.  Well we found out a few days later that fish is really fishette and julie is now jim.  I really did not see that one coming.   My mom bought a new condo and now lives about 10 minutes from me.  It is so nice to see her happy again.  I have started to run again only to be plagued with injuries.  So along with a new dedication to blogging, I am dedicated to a more positive outlook and look forward to finishing my 1/2 marathon in August.  The glass is half full, right?

its been too long

I have not posted for a long time. We have had a lot of fun the past few months. We had a great Halloween with my family. We took little maddon out trick or treating. he would go to the door and demand "chocate". He is so much fun. Adam and i went to Denver to see a football game against my steelerz. i was of coarse in my Pittsburgh colors and he was bronco'd out. people were stopping to take our picture. it was fun (well for me, sorry adam). Kaden had an undefeated football season and went on to win the Championship game. they had and 11-0 season. we are proud of his team and coaches. they had a great year. We had our annual thanksgiving with my grandma, mom and brothers family and Adam's brothers family. It was nice. Adam does a great job on the food. My sister and i hit the stores for black friday for the second year in a row. and for the second year in a row, we bought for ourselves and had a great time. Merry Christmas Everyone!

September

September has been busy as well. On September 3rd my brother Doug married the love of his life, Dani. They had a beautiful ceremony. Kaden played football against Bountiful, Stansbury, Brighton and Alta. They have won every game so far. The girls started dance and love it. We have had lots of birthdays, my dad and mine early in September and Kaden and my mom on the same day. Kathy and Jad both started school again and have new jobs. I am looking forward to the Holidays. I will add pictures later.

August

Well so far we have had a lot going on in August. We started out on August 1st with Camryn's 7th birthday. She had a cowgirl party with some of her friends. We had a great time, making bracelets, stick horses and learning the Hannah Montana shuffle. Later that night we got the news that my beautiful cousin Jackie lost her husband in an airplane crash. So, my mom, grandma, sister and I took a day trip to Boise, ID. Kaden has football every night. We have been school shopping. We also spent some time with my dad's family at the Phillips family reunion in Preston, ID. yes, i said it. the home town of napoleon dynamite. we did not eat any tots. but the food was good and plenty of laughs. We have a few more things coming up so i will update again soon.

The Adam's Family Vacation

So we were supposed to go on vacation this year the whole family, but it did not work out. So, we decided to go before all the crazyness starts with Kade's football, starting jr high and dance lessons for the girls. We had so much fun. Well the car breaking down outside of death valley was not fun, but everything else was.

Mom and Ed

I have been a blog slacker. I am committing to updating my blog more often. i enjoy seeing what is going on in the lives of my family and friends. I just wanted to take a minute to give a shout out to my mom. She had a tough week. It was 1 year ago on April 22 that she lost Ed. She loves him so much and continues to miss him. I hope that as time goes on she can continue to enjoy the memories of Ed and the pain gets to be a little less all the time. I heard once that the pain does not go away, you just get used to it. I am sure that is the case for my mom. I saw a different woman this past year and yet the same. She is every bit the strong woman that I have seen over and over in my life. Yet, this time she did not want to reinvent herself and so that has been a struggle. Mom, you are amazing. I know you don't intend to live by example sometimes, but thank you for teaching me, my sisters and daughters how to live and live well.

I love you!

tagged!

okay i have been tagged for the first time by my friend tammy. so here goes
Here is how it works.
First - post the rules on your blog,
Second - answer the six questions about yourself
Third - let each person you tag know by leaving a comment on their blog.
So here goes.....
1. My eight favorite shows
Survivor
American Idol
Top Chef
Criminal Minds
11th hour
Desperate Housewives
Clean House
Amazing Race
2. Eight things I did yesterday
Stood over the Glen Canyon Dam
Ate Breakfast in Page, AZ
Finally finished book 4 of the twilight series
Started on a mountain of laundry
ate lunch in Beaver, Utah
Watched American Idol with my girls (Go danny)
Sat in my car for 6.5 hours
unpacked (its hard to find 8 things when i was in the car all day)
3. Eight things I am looking forward to
Going to Florida
Summer (ditto Tammy-I hate the cold)
Redoing my bathrooms
Running again
Finishing the Host
Seeing my mom feel better
finally loosing my baby weight
buying new clothes
4. My eight favorite restaurants
Olive Garden
Asain Star
Typhoon
Chili's
Red Lobster
Cafe Rio
Zupas
Cafe Trio (near the old mill)
FireHouse Subs (coming soon to Utah-tried it in vegas-oh man)
5. Eight thinks on my wish list
trip to Hawaii
New bedroom set
Go to Italy
Lose weight
Lasix
To be debt free
for my mom to be happy
nice back yard (deck-things like that)
6. Eight people I tag
Kallie
Dani
Andrea
Alicia
Michelle
Kristin
And who ever else wants to play along

Oh Man! I love my Steelers! I have been a Steelers fan FOREVER! It was a tough game and a lot of people were rooting for the Cardinals. I kept getting emails and people telling me what a great guy Kurt Warner is (the QB for the Cardinals). I stuck with them though. I mean come on, all is fair in love and war and this was war. I don't care how great you are, handicapped kid, bagger at the grocery store, all round good guy, they haven't won the big game yet, blah-blah-blah. Kurt, it had to be done, you had to go down. Now that its over though, I can finally say... he is a great guy and a true inspiration to young men and boys everywhere. I hope some time (not against the Steelers) he can take it home for the people of AZ.

WAY TO GO BIG BEN AND THE REST OF YOU STILLERZ!

Christmas

I am finally getting around to adding some Christmas pictures. We had so much fun. We had everyone over for breakfast and there was a huge snow storm. Kathy and Jad made it for breakfast, but almost didn't make it home. It made it fun. My kids were so excited. Later we all bundled up and made it over to my sister Shauna's house. We had a great dinner. I have the best nephews ever! I do still want a neice though you guys.

Adam and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Our families and friends have been so supportive this year. I want to send out a big THANK YOU!!!!!!

Carl's obituary

Carl Ronald Peterson
Carl Ronald Peterson 1935 ~ 2008 Carl Ronald Peterson passed away on December 17, 2008 in Salt Lake City after bravely facing a very aggressive and untreatable illness and has joined his beloved wife Vickie Jamison Peterson in the presence of God.Carl was born in Salt Lake City on May 28th 1935 to his parents Elof and Eva Marie Jensen Peterson. Carl graduated from Davis High School and later earned his MD and PH.D in Neurology, Philosophy, Epidemiology and Psychiatry from the University of Utah and the University of California at Berkley. His accomplished life includes service as an LDS Bishop, volunteering as a Temple tour guide for over 12 years, he was published, he served in and retired from the Armed Services as a Colonel in the Army and a Lieutenant in the Navy. He was the head of the Psychiatric Department at the University of Utah and on staff at LDS Hospital. He later pioneered and headed the Psychiatric Hospital at Oral Roberts University. Eventually he focused his medical practice on Bi-Polar disorder when living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Carl married Mitzie Wahlen Peterson, later divorced and married Vickie Jamison Peterson. Carl is survived by his children, Christy Schell, Carl, Adam (Sonya), David (Jennifer), Rachel (Steve) Bade, Curt (Susan) and Sean (Lisa), numerous grandchildren and great-grand children. Carl is receded in death by his parents, siblings and his daughter Mitzie. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 20th at the Grandview Ward, 5017 West Grandview Peak Dr., Riverton, Utah at 10:00 a.m. where friends may call one hour prior to services. Interment will be a Wasatch Lawn South Valley.

Dad's Passing

Carl R. Peterson passed away on December 17 about 8:15 am. We are sad to have lost him, but feel comfort knowing he is with Vicki, Mitzie, Eva May and his mother. He spoke of these women many times on his death bed. Dad, you are gone, but not forgotten.

Love always,

Adam, Sonya and kids

Well it has been awhile, so the blog is in need of an update. Halloween was a mothers dream. Our kids started a new school this year and they are not allowed to wear costumes to school. I thought this might be traumatic, but it wasn't. I did not have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to get my kids dudded up. i did not have to race over to the school to sit for 2 hours -1 1/2 hours waiting for the parade to start and 1/2 to watch the actual parade. It was early day at school, so there was plenty of time for a healthy dinner (much to my kids dismay) and cleaning their rooms. They went trick or treating for awhile. When they came home they watched a movie. We did not have to hurry to bed for school the next day. So, I would like to propose a change. I propose we change Halloween to the last Friday in October. All in favor?

A lot has been happening in the last few weeks. We are throwing a bridal shower for Kathy on nov 22. We are almost done with the planning of the wedding. just a few details left. We passed the anniv. of my grandpa's passing. it has been 4 years. i think him everyday. My mom has been having an emotional time lately. I wish life could be easier for her. She deserves some peace and happiness. Carl has been up and down. Up-he has more moments of clarity. down-he is trying to deal with his past and present and making peace and sense of it all. He has been praying for the Lord to release him. He has been very emotional and agitated. A nurse visits him every monday, wednesday and friday. he still has aides that come 2x's a day. This is a lot harder on him than I expected. He always said he was ready to go home to Vicki. So i did not consider that he might not welcome this with open arms. He forgets easily and thinks she is still here and he should be fighting to stay here with her. Adam has to break the news to him sometimes. Sometimes we just say "when she gets here you can go with her" That seems to bring him the most comfort.
well this is long enough i will post more this week end and update pics.
sonya

Dad

These pictures were taken on Sept 18th. We will post more recent ones later in the week. Dad is not doing very well right now. A lot has happened in the few short weeks he has been sick. He does not know who we are most of the time. He has been having conversations with his mother, father and a young boy (he tells me its my oldes son? Adam thinks it is Kenney.) Carl has been so easy to take care of. He is so sweet. Everyone of his nurses and aids tell me how sweet he is. He tries to be positive. He is not eating much at all and cannot drink well. His kidneys are showing signs of failure. He sometimes has an elevated body temp which is another sign it is close to the end. Yesterday Adam walked in around 9 am and Dad said to him "Hi, I really appriciate you feeding me breakfast" Adam said "oh Dad are you hungry now?" Dad said "well if you have a breakfast laying around some where that would be fine" So Adam went and made him some eggs. He could not eat very much but is was really funny. He was feeling somewhat emotional the last few days and he told adam he was a "flungin good fella" he cried as he also said while holding my hand and pointing at Adam "I am so proud" I want to add that I am too. It's not very often in life you watch your husband care for his father. Adam has been so loving to his Dad. My heart has been touched. I have watched these two somewhat none emotional men some how be very intimate with each other and grow closer together than either one had imagined. I can't say enough about my husband. I am proud that he is the father of my children and he is such a good example to us. and I am proud that Carl is my father in law. This is hard thing to face and he is so strong and brave. He has faced even this with grace.

-Sonya


I don’t want to turn this into a “no, you’re better than me! No, you are!” contest, but I must say that it is my wife Sonya who is the angel sent from heaven for Dad. I am amazed every day at how much love she has for everyone in her life, including the old man who invaded our house about one year ago. We had no idea his stay would only be just over one year. He could have been here 10 or 15 years, but Sonya was more then gracious in accepting him into our lives. When Dad is holding her hand and talking to her I can see love in his eyes for her, the love of a father for a daughter. When I walk into the room and Sonya says “Adam’s here.” Dad looks at me with an “oh-it’s-you-again. I-would-rather-talk-to-her-right-now-if-you-don’t-mind” look in his eyes. I could have searched the endless galaxy from the beginning of time to the end of ages and I could never have found a more wonderful and beautiful bride than the one the Lord gave me with Sonya. When all time passes and the last star finally expels its last light and all life has ended, my love for her will still be burning hot and I dare say will be lighting the universe for ever.

-Adam

Look dad I can do the worm

Callie is alot like her Aunt Shauna (remember the Phillips strut?). Callie does the craziest things. She has taught herself how to do the worm. And pretty well I might add. She just needs to master the centipede.

In the begining

This is Kathy and Jad. The were in high school. I thought it would be so cute to post some old pics. I hope they think so.

Camryn is getting ready for Halloween

Camryn has been getting ready to scare the pants off of her friends for Halloween. She is going to a be a bride just like Kathy. The only people that are scared by this are her parents. This is just the begining!

Flag Football

Kade and his friend Dustin played flag football again this year. They really love the game. They play at school, after school, after dinned and instead of homework (if that were an option).

San Francisco or bust!

This trip to San Francisco was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Sonya and I could not afford a real Honeymoon when we got married and 15 years ago and I have always wanted to make up for that. This trip was a product of my spontaneity...which is good because had we put too much thought into it, we would probably have talked ourselves out of this indulgement. I have posted only a few pictures taken during the very few but highly meaningful and romantic days. I am unfortunately unable to capture the beautiful music and sounds of the streets of San Francisco, but I will never be able to erase from my mind the beautiful late night music that played so freely into the streets from the tenor saxophones, trumpets, clarinets and small four or five instrument ensembles...nor will I ever forget the early mornings being awakened by the "ding, ding" of the trolleys as they passed our hotel.

-Adam Peterson

Dad's coming home!

Dad making peace...


Happy Day! Dad will be home today! The doctors have been working very closely with us in preparing Dad to be back in our care. We have arranged for in home care that will start immediately. Dad is perplexing for the doctors in that there are long periods of time, sometimes days, when Dad seems to improve and have a very good grasp of his senses and surroundings. Based on that I am hopeful Dad will be around for a long time. I would, however, encourage any of you who wish to make arrangements in your schedules to visit Dad in our home at your convenience. Please contact Sonya when planning your visiting plans. She is the calendar girl of the house. Love, Adam P.S. This picture was taken the day Dad came home. I had just informed him of his sickness and that we didn't know how long he would be able to understand things. He was sullen for a few hours and then he started praying. This picture was taken without his knowledge.


09/11/2008

Here are a few updates on Dad.

I could go into a lot of detail on each point but I don’t quite have the time. If you would like more details you are free to e-mail me on specifics. Dad is talking better than he has in a couple of weeks. But he isn’t making as much sense lately. He keeps saying “we ate it all” and “is that compatible” or “are they compatible” and “so long as they don’t duplicate it” and more. I asked Dad if he enjoyed visiting with his children and Dad said “why, did they duplicate it?” He did mention David and Christy specifically yesterday but I couldn’t quite understand in what context. I’ll try to keep that information when it comes and share it when I can. I have been reading the Bible to him every night after work. His favorite Bible books are the Gospel of John, Romans & Isaiah. We have started with John and we are in Chapter 5 as of today. We will then go to Romans and then on to Isaiah.

Dad has found a new reservoir of strength. He keeps trying to get out of bed hoping to locate his car keys. Sonya says he keeps saying “I want to find my car keys” so “I can drive to Don’s” and “talk Bible.”

I was watching TNT last night with Dad in his room. We were watching Midway. During the movie, Dad found an old pair of reading glasses and for about an hour tried to take the nose guard off the glasses. He kept commenting on the show saying how “hard things were back then” (WWII) when Japanese citizens were forced into camps. I asked if he remembered that. He said “yes…I was about 7 at the time.” When he finally managed to pull the nose guard off the glasses, he put the glasses to his mouth and tried drinking the glasses. He kept pulling the glasses away from his mouth and looking at them with a perplexed expression on his face. He would make a few adjustments and then he would attempt to drink the glasses again. He finally put the glasses down to his side and said “that wasn’t very good.” I believe he thought he was holding a can of diet coke.

Love,

Adam

Dad's is sick. These emails detail the beginning of his journey.

Dad has been sick since about August 3, 2008. We took him to the hospital on August 18, 2008. We are marking his journey. I am including emails that were sent out to his family.

Aug 21, 2008
I had just left the hospital after waiting a couple hours for the doctor to show up when he called me with an update on Dad. He actually had good news. He told me the tests they had done checking for viruses that had come back were all negative. He told me a new doctor was now checking him for Lupus. If Dad has Lupus that is great news because he can receive steroid treatments…and it will only take a few days and he would leave the hospital for rehab…and then…back home. I am hopeful we will know what is causing Dad’s sickness by Saturday or Sunday.
When I know you’ll know.
Love,
The Adam’s Family.
P.S. I wish all of you could have seen Dad giggling at Rachel and me when we were visiting him on Thursday. I will never forget that smile.

Aug 24 2008
Dear Family,
Dad’s condition has taken a turn for the better. He is about as good as or slightly better than he was a week ago Monday when I drove him to the emergency room. Here is the current scoop. Dad’s progressive dementia was so rapid the hospital has assigned a team (and I mean a TEAM) of doctors to him. He also has someone from the CDC keeping an eye on the information coming and going. The doctors have not ruled out CJD, but this virus does not create white blood counts which he has in his spinal fluid. They have not ruled out a few other diseases, but all of these do not cause the physical manifestations he is showing, specifically his diminished capacity and mental dementia. At some point they will stop testing him, either when they run out of tests or he recovers. These tests are not painful or terribly intrusive. In the mean time, they have been treating him with steroids for meningitis. He was on his third day of treatments as of yesterday…and I attribute his improvement to those treatments. That is good news. If he makes reasonable improvement and can come home, we will continue having him tested but as an outpatient. The tests are extremely important for a number of reasons, some of which have more or less to do with the safety of my family and the community. I am aware that these tests and his stay at the hospital may seem pointless, but I assure you they are not. However, if they do become pointless because Dad is diagnosed with a terminal illness, at that point the tests will stop and we will make Dad as comfortable as possible and as happy as possible. Additionally, he will be cared for in an environment that is as friendly, familial and safe as possible.
Sincerely,
Adam

Aug 28, 2008
Dear family,
I've had to pass on difficult news before, and this stands with some of the most difficult. I had a meeting with Dad's doctors yesterday after they called and requested I come in and speak with them. After almost two weeks of extensive, exhausting and numerous tests all ran on Dad in hopes of finding a treatable cause for his illness, they have finally albeit reluctantly settled on a diagnosis. They finally found a very safe way to run an MRI on Dad. The MRI had very specific findings that supported their original belief that Dad is suffering from what is called "Creutzfeldt-Jacobs disease." Because this disease is untreatable and is terminal, we are preparing our home for Dad to return post hast under the direction and recommendations of hospice. The life expectancy for someone who contracts this disease is as short as 4 months and as long as 12 months after the initial symptoms manifest. Dad started showing these symptoms about August 3rd. Our hope is to have Dad living with us for the duration and to open our home to anyone who feels like visiting during the interim. Anyone one or any family is welcome at any time and for any reason. Please make 24 hours notice arrangements with Sonya and we will be sure to prepare for any privacy you would or wouldn't want. (Because of the full house situation we won't be able to accommodate sleeping arrangements.) Here are some details that my be helpful: The doctors have assured us that we are completely safe having Dad come home to our family. The doctors and nurses are not taking protective measures when handling him, other than the usual. Dad may have contracted this early in his military career or maybe when he was on one of his numerous travels with Vicki, or perhaps spontaneously. Dad was able to remember who I was only two days ago, but now he only recognizes that I am someone he can feel safe around. But he does not know me as Adam his son. When you visit do not expect him to be able to talk or respond much and do expect to do 100% of the talking. I can't think of anything else to add at this time. Please feel free to respond with questions.
All my love,
Adam