Cedar City Arts Festival

For the past 3 years, I have been in the Arts Festival trying to sell some of my photography and I sold 5 pieces this past Friday and Saturday. So I made $29, even though my prices were probably low, but that is okay, I don't know what the prices should be. I had many good compliments from people, that really loved my photography. Some of them bought and some didn't, but I am just grateful to be involved with this. Last year, I didn't sell any, the weather wasn't that great and the year before that was my first year and I made $45. The last 2 years, I just had 5 by 7's and 8 by 10's of the pictures. This year, I decided to mat my 5 by 7's and 8 by 10's and the pictures actually looked better. Saturday, my friend Talisha joined me and she was probably there for 3 1/2 hours and I was grateful for the company. I also started a book Friday and I finished it on Saturday and it was 294 pages. The title of the book is "Tangled Roots" by G.G. Vandagriff and it is a Genealogy murder mystery. She is LDS and I guess she is the first LDS Author to write about a Genealogy Murder Mystery. This is the 3rd book in this series and she wrote the other 2 in the 1990's and this book came out last year. The other 2 books are "Cankered Roots", which came out in July of 1994 and the other book "Of Deadly Descent, which came out in Sept. 1996. I know I read this one first, before the other 2, but that is okay, I really loved this book, so I need to read the other 2, but Deseret Book doesn't have them, but amazon does, so I will see when I get those 2 books. I think some of you guys will enjoy them, that is if you like reading about a murder mystery.

THE TV SHOW ER

Okay, some of you know I still watch ER and I have watched it since it began way back in 1994. Anyway, of course I watched the new episode of ER on Thursday and let me tell you something I thought the writers did a good job. Okay, so I don't think I have ever cried watching a TV show before, but I cried during this episode and I know its only a tv show, but when they have a main character die, I think it is sad, especially since Mekhi Phifer who plays Greg Pratt has been on the show for along time and I really liked him, he is a good actor I know some of you probably think I am nuts for crying over a character on a TV show, but hey I have watched this show since the beginning and I can cry if I want too.

Southern Utah University Special Rodeo

Zach with Miss Rodeo Iron CO and 1ST Queen Attentant
Zach, Will and Malinda

Cute Zachary
Zach riding a bull
Roping a Steer
Zach with Mrs. Mom
Zach on a horse

SUU had a special rodeo for special needs kids in Cedar City and Zach was able to participate. Will and I came to watch him and he had so much fun. When he came in, he had a cowboy hat on and he looked really cute. They had 5 different events to be in and Zach had fun at all of them. All of the events were used by dummy animals, except for 1, which is the horse, which he got to ride on twice and this was his first time on a horse and he loved it. All of the SUU students that were there helped out all of the kids and the guy that helped with Zach, was so good to him and I feel bad I forgot his name. Anyway, his aide is Sherly or as Zach calls her, Mrs. Mom and she is the one that helps Zach out at School and she also helps out a girl in his class too, but Zach needs more help than she does. Zach also has another aide come into help him and this girl after lunch. All and all, Zach really enjoy himself and I am glad that Will and I were able to come watch him and to meet Sherly and she is really good with Zach. Sherly says that Zach makes her laugh alot and I also got to meet her husband and he helps out a few special needs kids at Canyon View Middle School and that is where Ethan goes.

I'M SO EXCITED

I love going to the Parade of Homes each year and we have been to them since 1996, but we missed 2004 because we were in Phoenix. It is always Labor Day Weekend and the weekend after Labor Day. Anyway, for many of the houses they have drawings that you can win something and Will and I have never won anything, until this year. I got an e-mail from one of the homes and said I won. I could either choose 2 movie tickets, a Chili's $20 gift card or a massage. Will and I love to go the movies and we also love to go out to eat, so I chose the Chili's $20 gift card. I talked to the guy that send me the e-mail and the gift card will be in the mail, so I should receive it in a few days.
I guess this year they changed the name of Parade of Homes to the Festival of Homes, since this is the Festival City because of the Shakespearean Festival. There were 16 homes to see and we saw all of them, except 1, it was at Panguitch Lake and that is over an hour a way. Plus you got to see a house twice if you wanted and Will and I choose the one by the golf course here, usually those houses are expensive. This house was nice because it was 1 story, it only had 3 bedrooms, but all of them were good size and it was an open floor plan, which we need. Over all it was a nice house and the front and back yards were all ready landscaped, so that was nice.

Can't Do it anymore.

Sadly, today I had to go to the Senior Citizen Center and talk to Connie, who is one of Directors there. I told her about the problems that I have been having with my back and neck and that it wouldn't be a good idea if I kept on volunteering there. I really didn't want to it because I really enjoyed driving the truck and delivering the meals to the Senior Citizens that was on my route. She thanked me for volunteering and if I wanted to start volunteering again to come back in.

On another note, I had a Chiropractor's appointment this morning and Will came with me, which was very nice of him, I really needed him there. My neck has been hurting quite a bit today and it is only 11:33 am, so I hope my neck and my back get better soon. I hate being in so much pain. Some days are better than others.

Back and Neck Problems

If you read my blog titled, "My Best Friend Talisha", you know that she works for a husband and wife, who are both Chiropractors and I have been seeing them, since the end of June for lower back pain and well it is also for neck pain too. Anyway, everything was still hurting and well I should of started feeling better, but I wasn't. Ethan suggested to me that maybe I should get an X-Ray and so when I went to see the wife last week, I suggested that to her and she thought it was a good idea. They didn't do x-rays at their office, so she gave me a name of another Chiropractor in town that does x-rays in their office. So, this past Tuesday, I got the x-rays done in the morning and they gave them to me and I then dropped them off with Talisha, since I was seeing my regular Chiropractor later that day. I went there that afternoon and she showed me my x-rays and now we know why nothing is working. She showed me my spine on the x-ray and it is straight, until you get to my lower back and it shows it being all twisted and so I am like oh great, but she says I don't need surgery to fix it, which is very good, she says there are things that they can do in their office to fix it, so that is good. Then she showed me my x-ray of my neck and that isn't good either. It curves the other direction, then it is supposed to and she says usually whiplash causes that and we knew that is why my neck has been hurting me, but we didn't realize it was that bad, but at least she can fix it in the office, I hope she can. She also says there are things that I can do at home too, like be careful how I turn my neck when I look at something, I am trying to do that, but that is hard to do sometimes, especially with 3 kids to look after. Also, I got this pillow that should help with my neck, but the pillow is going to take awhile to get use too, I have only used it twice. As far as my back is concerned, I need to be careful how I pick things up and well sometimes that is hard, especially when I have 3 boys to take care of. I sometimes wish Will had a job that he can work during the day, that I think would help me out a lot, but as long as he works at Metal Craft, he has to work Mon-Thurs. 3:15 pm-1:45 am and so Fridays are considered overtime. He gets paid $1.00 more an hour if he works that shift and we need the money. Anyway, enough about Will's job. Who knows how long my back has been that way and as far as my neck is concerned, I think that happened in 1998, when are car stalled in the middle of the intersection and we got hit from behind, but we thought everyone was okay, well everyone looked okay on the outside. No wonder, I am tired all of the time, especially when it comes to cleaning the house and being outside doing some yard work, that is why Will does certain chores around the house. That is also probably why I don't go outside that much with the kids, cause it hurts a lot to keep an eye on them, cause Connor is to fast and Zach is to slow and Ethan is okay on his own. I am going to be seeing the Chiropractors at least once a week, maybe twice a week for the next month, so hopefully with seeing them more, I will start to improve. I really hope so, I need to be there for my kids and my husband and somedays I am okay and other days, it hurts to really do anything.