Surgery Day

Me on Surgery Day, I represented the Y.

This all started with me having random sharp pain in July and getting checked out. I had two ultrasounds which confirmed I had a cyst that was growing to 3.5 cm and a polyp in my uterus.  The obgyn thinks it could be part of the reason we are not able to get pregnant.  All the other tests ran normal.  Before the Nashville trip we thought the surgery was on November 12th.  As we were leaving for our Nashville trip we learned that they moved up the surgery on Nov 5th which is three days after our trip.  I had to turn around things and get work off.  I was very scared, this is my first surgery.  I woke up and had to be at the Faifax Hospital at 10:30am.  We valet parked the car which was new but the hospital was so busy there were no parking spots. I wore BYU clothes to the surgery to represent the cougars.

We checked in and I tried to stay calm in the waiting room.  I was called back and changed into the beautiful gown.  They gave me an Iv which made me nervous.  I am not a needle person.  Instead of breathing out I held my breath and there was splashback.  The nurse that was going to inject me kept dosing off so it made me nervous.  Luckily, her supervisor came in and found another vein and it was in my wrist.  It hurt a little and my arm became numb.  I was able to be reunited with Jason and life was better.  The anesthesiologist was a great kind man.  Nurses were so kind and helped me calm down a little bit.  Once they put in the anesthesia into my Iv and rolled me away.  I was kinda in and out of and all I remember is being wheeled into an operating room and staring at the ceiling and them telling me I was doing a good job.  The nurse held my hand till I fell asleep.  The next thing I remember is waking up in a room with a nurse I had not seen before.  I looked at the clock at it was 3:15. I had been in surgery for 2 hours.  The nurse gave me some pain medicine in applesauce.  Jason came in a little bit later and I was so glad to see him.  I was given ginger ale and teddy grahams and ritz crackers.  They would not let me leave till I went to the bathroom.  They had me get dressed and moved me to a chair and out of the bed.  They sent Jason to get the car and someone wheeled me out to the car.  I am so grateful for the prayers and the kind words and the food that was sent our way.  I am so blessed that the Lord watched over me while in surgery. Surgery went well and hopefully this helps us become parents. 

I am recovering at home and slowly able to walk, long walks take alot out of me but I am doing better.

Nashville trip and BYU Football game

October 30th we went to work for a half a day and I went to pick up Jason from work to go to the Reagan National Airport to fly to Nashville that night. We are excited to see old friends and be back in our old stomping grounds. The BYU football team is playing MTSU  (which we graduated from there) so it should be a good game. Of course the weekend we came it decided to be freezing cold and have a freeze warning.  We arrived and got a rental car and it was a cute blue Nissan.  We stayed at the Sleep Inn in Murfreesboro, TN and it was nice. 

Friday Halloween we went to visit with old professors of Jason's.  It was nice to catch up and see the changes that MTSU campus has made.  It was freezing cold that day and was sprinkling off and on. Friday evening we attended a fireside that the BYU football team put on at Central Middle school auditorium. It was a neat experience, we even made some of the pictures on the BYU facebook page which was funny.  It was a nice night and neat to see how the football team is in person. 

Saturday was game day. Lets go BYU.  I have to admit we were a little torn but stayed true to BYU.  It was another cold day. We got up and had lunch at White Castle burgers. It was so yummy.  We missed them since we do not have one out here in Virginia.  Some other person missed them to because he lives in Georgia and bought $126 worth of burgers to take back home.   We got to campus early and went to the BYU tailgating party and froze a bit.  It was fun to see all the BYU fans.  At the game we saw our dear friends the Gilday's. It was fun to catch up at half time.  BYU was winning and we were happy.  It was a cold game to cheer at but we stayed till the end. It was alot fun.  That evening we went to eat at a restaurant called Cheddars. It was so good.  

Sunday we got up and checked out of the hotel and went to church with our old ward and caught up with a few people.  That afternoon we drove up to Nashville and visited with Jason's old boss. It was nice to see everyone was doing well.  We checked into our hotel in Nashville for the night and went to dinner with some old classmates of Jason's. Matt and Lauralee were so fun to catch up with. We went to a great Mexican restaurant, so good. It was fun for me to use my Spanish again.  We filled up the car to get gas for the next morning since we had to leave for the airport at 4am. As we were coming back to the hotel, we got pulled over by the police.  We got pulled over because the car lights were not on but the ones in the dashboard were on.  It was a weird car.  

Monday morning we headed to the airport and flew back home. It was a nice trip and the airplane was not full so we were able to have a row to ourselves. I sat by the window and Jason had the aisle. We held hands and had a great flight home. We were able to get our luggage fast and get to the car quickly.  I dropped Jason off at work and went home to unpack, do laundry and go to my doctor appointment.  I found out a few days prior to the trip that I was having surgery two days after we got home from vacation.  

Scoreboard

Johnny Red Floyd Stadium (BYU team in white)

BYU buses

Signage on campus

BYU Jamberry nails

 

Four year anniversary and Mysterious stomache pain

Today is our four year anniversary.  On July 18th we went to a baseball game to celebrate our four years together.  Sunday night we had the missionaries over for dinner and later that evening I was having stomache pains.  Monday morning I had some sharp pains but didn't think much about it.  All I wanted to do is go to dinner my cute husband to celebrate our four years together. I made Jason a candy poster and he got me a Washington Nationals hat.  We went to Olive garden for dinner and then went home and rested since I was a little uncomfortable with stomach pains. 

I am so grateful I have Jason in my life the past four years. He makes my life much better. He always knows how to make me laugh and when things are bothering me. I love that I married my best friend and we can have fun doing whatever. I also love that he shares in the joys of sports with me.  He is a great person and I love him.  I had lingering pain so I went to the doctor finally on Wednesday July 23rd.  The doctor ran all these tests and sent me to go get an ultra sound.  I went and got the ultra sound on Friday morning. It was neat to see how the ultra sound shows the insides of your body. It was neat to see my heart and other organs. No, I am not pregnant, I wish we were though.  The doctor called me and told me all my tests came back normal.  They found a cyst on my ovary and a polypod in my uterus.  Doctors are not too concerned but wanted to keep an eye on it and get re checked in two months.  We have been trying for a baby for a year now and no luck. So, we went to go see my OBGYN and she sent us to go get some more tests to see what is going on. 

We are praying that one day we will be parents.  It has been a hard trial but I know the Lord is aware of my wants and needs even before we ask. He is in charge and will grant us our righteous desires when the time is right.  I am trying my best to keep the faith and hope it works out well and sooner than later. 

Utah trip 2014 and Gabby's Wedding!

Our trek out to Utah started out at 2:45 am, yes it was very early.   We had to get to the airport by 4am to drop off our rental car and to check in and get through security.  When we got to the gate I was able to reconnect with a family from my church that I had not seen in awhile that was out in DC visiting. The ticket agent announced a few minutes before we were supposed to board that we were going to be delayed and would leave at 7:30am instead of 6am because of a lack of a crew.  Sadly they had offered people money to go on a later flight since it was over sold and we should of chosen that route.  We tried to get on other flights but no luck. So we went on this flight and hoped to get to Houston on time for our connecting flight to Utah. 

 We got to Houston with 8 minutes to spare before our flight left for Utah.  We ran from our plane to the other gate which was changed 2x before we landed. It was rather entertaining running through an airport that you had no idea where your going.  Jason and I got to the gate just as the plane was pulling away from the gate.  After talking to an agent we found out we were put on the plane for the next day at 2pm.  After expressing our frustration she gave us two first class seats on the last flight on July 4th at 6:45pm.  We spent our fourth of July in the Houston airport for 8 hours.  In the terminal they had Salt Lick which is great bbq.  It was nice to have real bbq again.  I forgot how good Texas BBQ is.  Sadly, the Houston airport is not close to anything so we hung out and watched the world cup and waited 8 hours to board our plane.  We got to Utah at 9pm and because we had been up all day we went to bed early. Monday my cousin Sara, Larry, Spencer, and Morgan came into town.

Monday morning on July 7th we went to go pick up my Aunt and Uncle at the airport. They were coming in from Minnesota, unfortunately my Uncle could not come because he was sick. Later that night we had a bbq at a park and got to know both sides of the family. It was a good time by all. Jason and I made a trip down to Provo to visit with our old boss at BYU and with some of our family members.  Also, stopped by the BYU store and picked up some chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Tuesday night my cousin Nick and his family came into town.

Wednesday July 9th my little sister got married to her best friend Colin.  I am very happy for them.  Gabby and I went to get our hair done and we made it back just in time for her to go to the temple. They got married in the Draper temple at noon and we took pictures after. For lunch Jason and I went to Del Taco and everyone else was on their own. Gabby made a beautiful bride and they make a great couple.  Later that evening we had a reception in American Fork.  There was an ice cream bar and cake, it was a great night.  It was a good time. Gabby and Rafa danced to a father and daughter dance. It was a beautiful moment that made us all cry.  Jason and I took the presents home and stopped at In N out on our way home for dinner.  

Thursday my cousin Nick, Haja, and Terrence headed back home to Minnesota. It was so good to see them. Thursday for lunch we went to Tucanos Brazilian Restaurant for lunch.  It is a restaurant that has a salad bar and brings many choices of meats to you. My favorite is the grilled pineapple and the sirloin.  Jason and I were in heaven.  We went with my mom, my sister and her husband Colin, my aunt, and my cousin Sara and her family. It was a good time. Gabby and Colin showed us their apartment and we parted ways. 

Friday we went to pick up my aunt and went to lunch at Cracker Barrel.  She was flying home that day. It was really nice to see family. My mom is in the middle of selling her home so we helped clean and went house hunting.  As some of you know my mom hit her head in February and is recovering from a concussion. Her memory is slowly coming back and she is gaining moe strength each day.  It was hard to see her struggle but so glad the Lord is looking out for her. 

Gabby and Colin with the Batterman and Bracewell side of the family

Saturday evening Rafa and my mom dropped us off at the airport.  Jason and I were flying on a red eye flight and arriving in NYC at 5 am.  We fell asleep for a little bit on the flight and woke up to orange juice and water.  It was neat to be on a red eye.  We ate in NYC and had eggs and omelets for breakfast. The NYC airport is crazy but has lots of food to offer. We went from NYC to Dulles, we arrived at 9 am.  A neighbor and sister in our church came to pick us up and brought us home. We fell asleep and woke up later that afternoon. It was a tiring flight but it was good to see everyone and be there to celebrate my little sisters wedding.  Now back to life. 

The bride and groom

Gabby and Rafa

Jason, me, Rafa, Colin, Gabby, Mom

Cristina and George Bush at the Houston Airport

Jason and me with Morgan

 




 

Fairholm Family Reunion

The Fairholm reunion started on June 22nd at a home in Ashburn where we all got together to eat dinner and talk. We watched the USA vs. Portugal game as a family.  It was so fun, it was so fun to hear 30 people cheer when we scored. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again.  We had a delicious turkey or ham, funeral potato, salad and roll dinner with ice cream for dessert.  The next day we went down to the Lincoln, Korean, WWII and Vietnam monuments. It was a nice day, a bit hot but we enjoyed our time there.Monday evening we went to Clyde's for an dinner just for the adults.  It was a very nice restaurant and very tasty.Before dinner Grandpa was not feeling well after all the walking in the sun we had done that morning.  He asked for a blessing from his sons and grandson.  It was so sweet to be a part of that.

 Tuesday the 23rd we went to spend the day in Baltimore.  We came up at like 1pm and went to take a shuttle to Fort McHenry.  It was neat to learn the history there and to learn more about this great nation.  We got to walk around in the fort and they had a great presentation of the Star spangled banner song.  After that we went to dinner with Grandpa and Grandma and ate at Uno's.  Such good pizza.  Jason and I walked to the Baltimore Orioles game and met everyone else there.  It was a fun game, even though they lost.  We are Washington Nationals fans but they were out of town. It was fun to have everyone together. 

Wednesday was a slow morning since people were so tired from the game the night before.  Jason, me, Chad and Ann went to the American history museum. On our way to the museum there were taxi's honking their horns and going very slow.  We found out later that they were protesting.  It was interesting.  That evening we went back to Ashburn for dinner.  We had tacos and smores and these crescent rolls that you make into bowls with filling inside. They were so delicious.  It down poured that evening, it was pretty but made the night humid. 

Thursday everyone but me went rafting up at Harper's Ferry.  Grandpa and Grandma Fairholm went home that morning because they weren't feeling well.  Everyone had a good time rafting, some fell out of the raft. The stores they told were funny.  I went couponing and got a few things for a free and joined them later that evening for dinner.  Pizza and birthday cake was so good.  Jill celebrated her birthday with the family. We called it a night because everyone was exhausted from rafting.

Friday most of us went to the air and space museum in Dulles.  It was neat to see all the shuttles and fighter jets.  They had the space shuttle Discovery that came on a boeing 747, it was neat to see.  After that we all departed and went our separate ways. It was a fun week of seeing family that live so far away.

Us at the Baltimore Orioles game.

Catching up

It has been awhile since I have blogged.  We have been busy attending sporting events and just spending time together. We got to go to a Washington Capitals game with Jason's Dad and his wife Laura.  It was a fun night.  At the end of March I was able to attend the General Women's meeting.  It was inspiring to be able to feel the power of Womenhood and how spirit it brings. It was great to feel the Savior's love and that as women we are special in his eyes.  

At the beginning of April we were able to watch General Conference, which is a meeting for our church were we are able to learn and hear from a prophet of God.  It was neat to feel of his spirit and learn the words we need to hear for our day.  I love Conference weekend.  Later in the month we were able to go down to Jason's parents house to visit and see his brother again when he came home from school.  Jason had a birthday on April 3rd and I had fun decorating our apartment with balloons and I made cupcakes.  It was fun.

Easter came and it was neat to remember all the Savior does for me each day.  It was thought provoking to think that our elder brother and Savior Jesus Christ died for me because he loved me.  He suffered everything I experience so that we are not alone in our trials and daily adventures.  It is comforting to me that he never wants us to be alone.  He truly is there for all of us because we are brothers and sisters.  


On April 26th we were able to have the sister missionaries over for dinner and it was one of the Sisters birthday.  Sister Duncan and Sister Schooley are awesome. They really brought in a breath of fresh air and helped us feel a desire to want to do missionary work more.  We made pulled pork sandwiches, fries, a salad and beans with chocolate cake.  It was a fun dinner, Sister Duncan was a great sport and we have become great friends with them.  

I love the gospel and am so grateful for all the tender mercies that have come into my life this past month. It is very touching for all the great things that enter my life and Jason's. 

February 2014-Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was on a Friday this year.  We were expecting lots of snow on Thursday the 13th.  Jason was so sweet and bought me a dozen roses earlier on Wednesday because we were not sure if we were going to be able to get out with the 10-12 inches we were expecting.  Unfortunately, I came down with a cold that weekend so we went to work on Valentines Day after we shoveled our cars out of 12 plus inches of snow.  We stayed home and rested on Valentine's Day and watched a movie.  We exchanged gifts, I got Jason a new white tie and some candy.  He got me some candy and some new bracelets and my beautiful flowers.  

Saturday I was feeling a little better so we weathered the cold weather and went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  It was so delicious and of course you cannot leave there without a piece of Cheesecake.  It was a great Valentine's Day weekend, we got to spend time with each other.  

Monday was President's Day and at work I had to be at a training from 8-5.  It was a long day but it was good.  After the training, Dad and Laura came to visit.  They took us out to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse.  It was so delicious.  

Christmas 2013 in Utah

This Christmas we went to Utah to visit my family and some of Jason's aunts and uncles and dear friends.  We left on December 18th and returned Dec 26th.  It was fun to meet my sister's new boyfriend.  He is a nice guy.  Thursday the 19th it snowed 8 inches.  The weather man said it was only going to be 2-3 inches.  We shoveled snow three times that day, it was crazy. That night we went to hang out with Jason's aunt and uncle and younger brother Chad at their house in Bluffdale.  It was good to play catch up with Chad since he has been at BYU-I for the past few months. 

Friday the 20th we went to Provo Utah to visit some of our friends and coworkers that we had while we were at BYU.  It was so good to see Julie and June our old bosses and see the changes on campus.  We both love the chocolate covered cinnamon bears and they did not have any, but we found one bag left and bought it.  Later that evening we met up with Mandy and Trevor and had a good dinner and visit with them.  It was so good to them. Saturday night we went on a double date with my sister to see the lights at temple square and city creek.  City creek has a water fountain in the middle of the shopping center. It has a cool light show and fire in the middle.  It was so cold but neat to see the lights and feel of the Christmas spirit a little more.  Sunday we went to church and got to see some close friends from when I grew up.  It is neat to see them and their families now.  Monday we went shopping and I accidentally left my purse in a dressing room.  I made it all the way to the car and realized I didn't have it. Luckily, no one had taken it and it was still in the same spot where I left it.  We watched movies with family and played games.  Christmas Eve we had burgers and mac and cheese for dinner.  It was yummy.  It was different than what we normally eat but it was good.

We read the birth of our Savior that night and opened up Pj's for Christmas.  Christmas Day we woke up and opened gifts and ate our french toast casserole and bacon.  Later that afternoon we had some of the elderly ladies my mom takes care of come over for lunch with ham and all the fixings.  It was delicious.  Rafa, me, Gabby, and Jason went to go see Frozen.  It was such a good movie.  It was funny to be a big kid at a Disney movie but it was good.  We sang the songs all the way home and Gabby wants Olaf.  While we were in Utah we had to eat at In and Out burger. So good, going to miss them.  It was so good to see my family and know that all is well with them. When they dropped us off at the airport I told myself no crying.  Gabby started crying and then I cried.  My family and I are close but we will see each other this summer.  We got home Thursday night at midnight and Jason went to work the next day for half a day.  I got us all repacked to turn around and go to Richmond that afternoon.  We went to spend the weekend with his side of the family.  We had a good visit, exchanged gifts and spent time with them.  We went to lunch with the grandparents and had dinner with his dad and Laura.  It was good to see them as well. New years eve we went to a basketball game and spent time at home resting and relaxing. 

Photos my sister took on Christmas Eve

Jason and I's Christmas card picture

Washington D.C temple lights

Salt Lake City Temple

Jason and I with the temple

Jason and I with the Christmas tree in the Joseph Smith Building

Joseph Smith Building Tree

Halloween 2013

Our ward had a trunk or treat and it was a lot of fun.  Jason and I got put in charge of a ghost velcro ball toss.  It was fun.  We made chili and had lots of good food.  I work in the Sunbeams class so it was cool to see all my kids dressed up.  Jason and I got dressed up but as you know us we are huge sports fans.  So, since it was a ward activity we dressed up as BYU fans.  I know so creativity.   For my preschool Halloween parade I am dressing up as a Hawaiian girl.    

Here is our pictures: 

Us in our costumes, I also have  Y on my face

Our 3rd down stop sign