Craig Decker

I wanted to take a moment to remember a friend that Rand and I had the pleasure of knowing. For anyone living in Utah, you may have heard the reports of the search going on for a man who drowned in Utah Lake (they found his body this morning). That was our friend, Craig. I first met Craig about a year and half ago when we worked together in the EFY office. Then a few months later he moved into the same apartment complex of the singles ward that Rand and I were in.

At the time that I met Craig through work, I had some of my own stuggles and trials going on. One day while sitting at my computer I received an email that Craig had sent out to everyone in the office. It made such a profound impact on me that I still have it saved in my email to this day. You see, Craig had had one of his own trials not even two months previous to the time he sent the email. He had an accident with a firework and lost his right hand. I never even knew until I received this email, he just didn't play the victim. I asked him shortly after if I could share his email with some of my friends, to which he responded that he wouldn't mind at all, he was happy at the thought that he might help someone else with his experience.

I'd like to think he wouldn't mind that I share it with all of you.


2/27/07
Hi everyone- this was part of a grant I applied for. I thought you might enjoy it.

I haven't always been left handed. In fact, I still get weirded out when I look down at the stub where my right hand used to be!

Christmas vacation this year took me on a road trip to Mexico.

Question: Where can you buy better quality fireworks than in Mexico? (Answer: anywhere.)

On New Year's Eve I lit a harmless looking firework at midnight, and a moment later I looked down and realized that my hand was gone! I have learned some powerful lessons through that experience. (Surprisingly, most of them have very little to do with firework safety!) Although what occurred was tragic, I believe what I have learned has made me a better person and will continue to bless the lives of many individuals. I would like to share them with you:

1. Don't buy fireworks in Mexico!

2. There are some things in life that we simply cannot control. (If I hadn't blown off my hand, some other poor person would have.) It's okay. As we let go of those things quickly and completely, we become free.

3. "Men are that they might have joy"! Life is good. Laughter heals. Life is funny. There are funny things that happen every day even in the worst of situations. Bad days make good stories. There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. It's funny that laughter and tears come together so easily.

4. The atonement of Christ brings peace and healing "that surpass all understanding". We come to know ourselves and we come to know God through our trials. We are surrounded by miracles. When we trade self pity for humility, our eyes are opened to see them.

5. There is so much life to live! Why waste time worrying and stressing about inconsequential things? Spend time doing what matters most-the things that bring the most light and joy to life. Enjoy the ride.

6. Challenges make us stronger and better. With creativity and patience, we are capable of much more than we ever imagined. Our perspective determines our reality. (There is nothing that quite compares with the feeling of accomplishment gained from flossing with one hand for the first time!)

7. We can always lift others, no matter how bad of a situation we are in. It is a divine gift. The only true and lasting joy comes from forgetting ourselves and lifting those around us through love and service.

I would never wish another person to lose their hand. But I hope my experiences can help and bless others.

Have a great day!
-Craig

Rand and I didn't know Craig as well as many others, but we are grateful we were able to know him at all. He was a wonderful example of faith, optimism, humor (he threw a pirate party when he got his prosthetic hook), kindness and much, much more!

Memorial Day Weekend

Rand and I have had so much going on with school and work and other things that we decided just to relax and have fun Memorial Day weekend. Going out of town wasn't really an option for us for a number reasons, and so we just did some fun things around town.

Friday night, that weekend, we went out to dinner and then hit the Nickelcade up in Orem. That was actually a lot of fun. We played some skee ball, football, basketball, racing games, DDR, another game like DDR...but it's all with your hands. It was a blast. Rand beat me in most everything. I had a few good moments: winning one round of a car racing game the one time we did a four way race with two other guys (always nice to have the one girl win!), I also beat Rand as the DDR and hand-DDR games (but it was also his first time ever playing). Lastly, I did beat him in the basketball shooting game. That was pretty funny because there were a group of high school boys watching us. They had been stuck at that game for awhile and took break to let us play 2 rounds. I think they got a good laugh out of me beating Rand both times! Though to end that game Rand said, "Now let's go play real basketball!" I concur...he is the better athlete! That is why I will take this win and run with it!!!






Saturday and Sunday we got some things done around the apartment and spent some time with Rand's family. His Aunt Barb and cousin Brecka (sp?) were in town. Brecka's little girl is adorable. We had dinner up at Rand's parents house on Saturday and played some bocce ball in the backyard (tradition). Again, Rand usually dominates in the yard games...but Memorial Day Weekend was not to be his: I WON!

Sunday after church we all got together again, this time at our apartment. We had dinner (brought by Rand's parents) and then went to the cemetary to visit the gravesites of Dave's family (Rand's dad). It was a beautiful day out there with lots of visitors.

Monday we got up and did some triathlon training. Then we headed up to Sandy to the Living Planet Aquarium. When we first got there the line to get in was out the door. We started to wonder if it was worth going, but decided to be patient and wait it out. It was a pretty cool exibit. For most of it, I'm glad that all the creatures are behind glass!

But I did love the 'touch pool' with the rays in them. They felt so cool and wierd at the same time. It was funny to see all these kids just reaching in to touch them...and then there's this grown adult who is a little hesitant because you just don't know what they'll do (as if they'll put dangerous rays in there!)



But then it was Rands turn and I realized I wasn't the only hesitant one. Rand reached in to touch the ray, and as he did another one swam by and it touched his hand. It startled him and he flung his hand out with a small scream, splashing water all over the lady next to him and giving most the people around a good laugh. Literally, there were dad's and mom's around and across from us getting a good chuckle. He apologized profusely to the lady he got wet, and then turned back to see a small boy reach in, pet the ray and run his hand all the way down it's tail and grabbing the end and touching it. I told him he probably shouldn't do that (I watch the news), to which he so knowingly informed me that they are harmless and have had the stingers removed. haha...gotta love being shown up by someone almost a third your age!


If you haven't been to the aquarium...it's a great date idea. Especially with the 'touch pools', it makes for a fun experience.

After the aquarium we headed up to Park City to stay for the night. We went and had dinner up at the Park City Mountain Resort at Baja Cantina. Then we headed over to main street to walk around and get some dessert at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It had been a long time since either of us had eaten a carmel covered apple: it was worth the wait. So yummy!

After main street we headed back to the hotel and hit the swimming pool. It was located inside this little atrium area and was pretty nice. I thought it would be freezing because the weather had taken a dip that weekend and was rainy and cold. But the water was super warm (almost too warm). We met this really neat family there and talked most the time with them. They were from Kentucky and the father was in Utah to run a huge convention about alpacas (I didn't even know there was enough interest to hold a small gathering). It was interesting to hear about. His wife and daughter were along for the trip and some family vacation time. He apparantly comes out every so often to Utah, so we were telling them about the sites. We also found out that they do lots of humanitarian trips to South America and other places. This girl is in high school and has already been to the amazon a few times! This was our second trip recently where we met some really neat people who are out doing some really cool and great things and giving of their time. It's a great thing to see and be reminded of, and to realize that we really can do more!

It was a great weekend and going back to work was depressing (and we both love our jobs!) It will be a while before we get another chill, relaxing, don't worry about anything else, weekend again!

Disneyland May 2008

Okay, it's finally time to post some pictures from Disneyland. Again, we went with Rand's family to Disneyland and California Adventure at the beginning of May. I hadn't been since I was about 6, I think. So it's been over 20 years for me! Since Rand's mom and brother are Disney junkies, I was told I was not a true Erickson until I had experienced it with them. Here are some quick, fun highlights of the trip.

The Arrival!

Okay, so one of the first rides we decided to go on was Splash Mountain. Well, let me first prefice this by saying that I forgot one of my hoodie sweatshirts at work and we didn't have time to go get it before heading for the airport. Rand was telling me, "it's California, you don't need a sweatshirt". So...I didn't take a sweatshirt the first day. Mistake number one!

We went on Splash Mountain about about 11:00 a.m. There should be LARGE warning signs that say, "You will get wet...REALLY wet, so if you don't want to be wet for the majority of the day...don't go on this ride!" Now, you can't go to Disneyland and not ride Splash Mountain. I just should have been more prepared! And of course, being the smallest of the group, I get to sit up front. Rand's mom gave me her sweatshirt to wear so I would get less wet (though I was assured repeatedly that it wouldn't be that bad). The picture below is of me...getting very, very wet!

This is the aftermath! It's more humid in Cali than Utah and so the time to straighten my hair that morning was doubled! Total waste of getting up early!!! I was SOAKED! My shirt had some dry spots because of Susan's sweatshirt, but every other bit of me was drenched. Did I mention it was an overcast day?!

As the day went on, I did start to dry out (as seen by my hair starting to do some crazy stuff).

We grabbed some 'theme park' food classics while there. Rand and I tried the chimichangas (huge), though I knew it wouldn't satisfy Rand. As usual though, he finished off both his dad and brothers turkey legs.

This picture below is pretty funny. We were in line for Thunder Mountain when we looked up and saw a couple 'stars': Harry Hamlin and his wife Lisa Rinna and their kids. You may know them best from Dancing with the Stars (they each appeared on different seasons). Rand's mom was pretty excited and went to take a picture when Rand and Jason gave her a hard time because they were on vacation and didn't need pictures snapped of them. Susan replied, "What, I'm just taking a picture of Jason." We laugh everytime we see this picture now. If she had just brought the camera up some above Jason's head, you'd see them standing on the wood deck up to Jason's left. Instead, we've got a nice random picture of Jason!

So we stayed at Disneyland until midnight that first night to watch all the fireworks and ride some rides one last time before it closed. While watching the fireworks we met this really cool couple who was there with there 2 little kids. They had a little boy who was about 4 who was SO excited to watch the show...until it started! It was too loud for him. He covered his ears and started yelling to his parents, "vamanos, vamanos!" His dad turned to translate for me and we got talking about how Rand knew spanish. This couple lives in San Jose, California...but both are latino (I can't remember exactly where they both were from). But the husband had been to Chile and so he and Rand had a connection. He travels alot for his church and it was neat to hear the good that he was striving to accomplish. He was also intrigued at the work that our church does and how 19-year-old boys go out and serve missions for 2 years, striving to bring others closer to Christ. He also told us of a program he works with (started, maybe) to travel to third world countries and help educate them and give them the ability to better where they live through the knowledge they give them. I of course thought of the perpetual education fund and all the good that program has done on such a grand scale, in the same way. What a neat opportunity we have to be a part of such a great program, even if we can't physically go to these countries and places ourselves.

I do have to say that I started to feel really sick by the end of the night. I think it was the TWO LARGE hot chocolates I drank to try to keep me warm. Susan even gave me her brand new Disneyland sweatshirt to wear that night (while she had a semi-damp sweatshirt still drying from the Splash Mountain drenching.) Literally, Rand had to help walk me out to the shuttle, where the whole ride home I thought I was going to lose it. I hadn't felt that sick in a really, really long time. I'm totally surprised I didn't throw up. BUT...we made it back to the hotel where I immediately fell asleep...

until the next morning then the fire alarm went off. At first I thought it was some random alarm clock and I wondered why Rand wasn't turning it off. I finally realized it was saying, "There has been an emergency reported on your floor, please exit the building immediately. Do not take the elevators." So...we head down 7 flight of stairs (picture below), along with an older woman who had just had knee surgery a few weeks before and was really struggling to get down. We get down to the bottom and realize that life on the main floor is just going on like normal. Ends up it was a false alarm and nobody else in the building was even aware it had gone off. That poor old woman!!! They better have given her a free stay in the future!

The second day we hit California Adventure, and then back to Disneyland, mainly for this ride:

I must admit that Space Mountain was awesome! Hands down my favorite ride there!
So we of course had to get a family picture with it in the background! haha!
Please note that I did bring a sweatshirt the second day!

So we were in the airport in Salt Lake waiting for our flight to California. Susan had a magazine (home journal or something like that) to read while travelling. Of course I look down at the cover and one of the stories is about theme park rides gone wrong!!! So, to make things more fun and interesting, I read the article. There was a really sad story in there about a teenage girl who was on a ride like the one below when a cable broke as they were heading up on the ride. As she went up, the cable flew down and caught her ankels and cut her feet off. So that was the thought in my head as we decided to go on this ride. As you can see, I was probably saying a little prayer as the ride was about to take off. Nice soothing thoughts!

These next two pictures were part of some I took for my niece and nephews. The parade wasn't too exciting for me (I'm very well aware they are actors and actresses...sorry to ruin the surprise for all you believers out there), but I just kept thinking about how excited they would be to see their favorite characters 'in real life'! The little kids loved it!

If you haven't been to Disneyland since they added the Bug's Life area, you have to check it out. It's a really cute idea how they put it all together. Then the 3D show is really fun as well! Of all the 'little kid' type attractions they had, this was probably my favorite.

Gotta get a picture giving a shout out to the great state of California from whence I come!
(Soarin California...ride it!)

Interesting...of all the characters you could be named the same as and Rand is the weasally monster from Monsters Inc.

It just wasn't meant to be, no sword for us!

As we were pulling on it though, the thought came to me of how funny it would be to pull a 'candid camera' prank here. Nobody expects the sword to come out. One small push of the button and people go flying!

The Departure

The Happiest Place on Earth

Okay...so some people consider this the "Happiest Place on Earth". And I must concur that it is a pretty happy place! Rand and I were able to go there this last weekend with his family. We spent all Friday at Disneyland, and then we spent Saturday at California Adventure and back at Disneyland. It was a ton of fun and I will post some pictures as soon as I get them all from his mom.

BUT...I must admit that in the spring time, the happiest place on earth for me is here:

Spring ball has begun. I love playing softball all spring and summer long (intramurals, city league, pick-up...doesn't matter!) I also LOVE going to baseball games and just chilling and watching the game with friends! Nice weather, a stadium hotdog (it's tradition...no matter the cost), 7th inning stretch, stolen bases, double plays, diving catches, knowing the second the ball is hit that it is out of the park! I love this game!

In the movie Field of Dreams the question is posed to Kevin Costner's character from his father who is standing on the field, "Is this heaven?" Well, I'm going to make the assumption that heaven is a little bit better than a ball game...but I'll have to say that for me, being at a ball game is one of the happiest places on earth!

A Friends Moral Dilemma

My wonderful friend Cameron had been looking for a job. She and her husband Ben live in the Bountiful area in Utah. Ben is a die-hard Ute fan (University of Utah) while Cameron (obviously the wiser of the two) is a die-hard Cougar (BYU) fan. It may be the only source of contention in their relationship, especially during football season. This last fall they were featured in the Daily Herald here in Utah. I took a quick picture of the front cover of the paper below (sorry, the paper had been folded up). This was only one of about 4 pages:

Well, Cameron found a job.....at the University of Utah!!! I was shocked, I never knew she had that in her. BUT...we've found some positives to it! She has crossed enemy lines and has infiltrated their system! Her office will be a bright shining beacon of BLUE in a sea of red! Many of you may know that one of the motto's for BYU that is etched in a sign as you enter the campus says, "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve". Well...I've suggested that Cam frame this newspaper cover, along with the cover of the page when BYU beat Utah this last football season, and hang them in her office, and then above both frames a nice sign that says, "Enter to Learn...Go Fourth and Eighteen!" (If you saw the game, this makes sense! And I can't take credit...Rand saw a guy on campus wearing a shirt that said it! Genious!)

Congrats on the job Cam! Good luck and stay strong!

Back to School!

Okay, so here is my BIG NEWS!!!


I was accepted into the BYU Executive MBA program!

What does that mean: it means that I continue to work full-time and will attend classes on the weekend (Friday and Saturday) up in Salt Lake. The executive program is for those who work full-time in their career and want to get their masters. It's going to be a lot of work and will make things really busy for Rand and I (since he'll be finishing classes, taking the DAT, and applying to dental school). But I'm really excited for it and ready to put in the work and go back to school and further my education. An MBA will open a lot of doors for me in the future, as well as give me added knowledge to help Rand with his practice and for me to be able to do some small things out of my home while raising our kids. We would also like to get involved some day with some charities and this will definitely help with that. Another fun fact...Rand and I will be able to graduate the same year (again!) It's been 6 years since I've been in school, so hopefully I can get back in the swing of things! Wish me luck!!!

Triathlon Training has begun!

Rand and I are both signed up to do a couple triathlons this summer. After a very inactive winter, we have started our training! I don't think we have enough ice packs to cover the both of us!!!

Wish us luck! Here we go!!!

Portwood wedding

We went with Nick and Stef to Rob Portwood's wedding. Rob married Crystalyn and their reception was really nice. They had the reception at Millcreek Inn up in Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures that had Crystalyn in them, but she looked beautiful. We also weren't good at getting pics with other friends who were also there (including Ryan, Rob's brother, and his wife Stef...sorry guys!) We'll be better!

Congrats Rob and Crystalyn!

Nick, Rob and Rand

Us with Nick and Stef

There was one thing I really wanted at our reception that just ended up getting taken off the list because it really wasn't the most important thing. But I always love the look of these chinese lantern balls with the lights in them. My brother Shaun and his wife, Lacey, had these at their wedding which gave me the idea. Then I saw a picture in a bridal magazine that had the coolest looking set-up with tons of them (still have the picture in case another event comes up to use them). Would have loved it...oh well. Maybe I'll force it on one of my kids someday for their wedding so I still get it! haha!

ALL CAUGHT UP!

Yahoo...I'm all caught up on the blog!

FINALLY!!!

Some of you may be wondering why I even bothered to go back and put everything in rather than just to start where we were at. Well, to quickly explain myself: I eventually want to print off the blog into a book, and therefore wanted to have it start off with Rand and I and cover everything in our relationship. I'm not sure how often I'll print a book off, or if I'll eventually learn how to do digital scrapbooking and decide to do that instead, but I wanted to make sure to cover everything so that way if I do decide to just print blog books off, then I haven't missed anything. So that's also why there are so many pictures and more detailed descriptions of everything.

Thanks for being patient while I caught everything up and I guess I can say that we are ready to GO LIVE!

Some thoughts on some of my favorite people!

Okay, I had to add this in because I wasn't able to at the time they happened (I wasn't caught up on the blog then). So...I didn't want to just not put them in because I was behind...so here they are:

Happy Anniversary!



On April 14th my parents had their 35th wedding anniversary. Just thought I'd throw in some fun pictures for my friends to see of them (for kicks and giggles). I probably don't say it enough, I just assume they know, but I love and appreciate my parents very much! In so many ways they are wonderful examples to me of the person I should be. It's funny to me too as I've gotten older to catch myself doing something where I say, "oh my gosh, that's totally what my mom/dad does!" But as I have also gotten older and have grown closer to my Heavenly Father, I have been even more grateful for my parents and what they've done for me. They have been a tangible, on-this-earth example to me of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. As I've looked back on all the 'rules' they gave me as I was growing up (even ones I thought were there to purely ruin my fun and were a little strict...but as my cousin Ashley knows, you just didn't argue, it wasn't worth it, you just obeyed!) As I've been able to look back and have seen the wisdom in these 'rules' and the blessings I've received from them (or the heartache I got from not following them), and I think about how they held their ground even if I talked back or was rude to them about it, it shows me how much they really cared for me and loved me to do that...to take all the flack I gave them knowing they were doing something better for me. Recognizing this, I've been better able to grasp the concept and understand the relationship and care our Heavenly Father has for us as he gives us commandments and guidelines to follow. He loves us that much! Sometimes I may not really understand why He's given us a certain commandment...but I don't need to. I just need to know and understand that He loves us more than we could know, and therefore only has our best interest in mind. And He puts up with all the 'flack' that is given Him because 'we don't want that' or 'why this or that' and even those who choose not to even recognize Him as who He is, because He loves us and He wants the best for us. I will always be grateful to my parents for the example they are to me in that way more than anything!



Thanks Mom and Dad...and Happy Anniversary! Of your 35 years of marriage...I'm sure the last 28 were the most enjoyable (right?!) Ha! Ha!



President Thomas S. Monson



K, I get another small perk at my job that I really enjoy. BYU encourages all their employees to attend the weekly devotional. Some years I'm really good about attending, and not so good other years. But I always enjoy them and there is always something you can gain from them if you go with the right attitude (kind of like church). Another great thing is that when something big happens, like the announcing of the new First Presidency, everyone at my work wants to see it and so we gather into the meeting room and turn it on the TV. It was neat to hear President Monson answer questions in such a casual setting. He is the master storyteller! There was a question that was asked that seemed small and 'get to know you fun'...and yet he gave my favorite answer to it. A reporter asked him his favorite color (along with other 'favorites'). His response to this was so thought provoking...he responded 'yellow'. He said that as a man who worked in the newsprint business he learned the importance of the color yellow because it was the color that gave life and light to all the other colors. It is also the color that will fade the fastest. He mentioned that he can see a picture and know right away if the yellow has faded because all the other colors will have faded as well and will have lost their 'light'. I loved that...so much like the spirit in our lives. I can't tell you how many times I've met people who aren't members who say, "there is something about you" or "there's just this light about the mormons", etc. That light, the 'yellow', is the Spirit. If we don't take care of ourselves and our testimonies...that spirit fades and in a sense, so do we as well. It's very obvious when you see a person who once had that light and you see it fading. And how awesome it is to see it come back, the contrast. SO...next time you see a picture and the brillant blues and greens and red...don't forget about the yellow!

President Hinckley's Passing

The night that President Hinckley passed away Rand and I were at a ward Elder's Quorum dessert night at our neighbors when one of the couples there received a text from their parents. It was a neat experience as it was announced to everyone there in the room to feel the reverance there for President Hinckley. I think most all of us there were not surprised or caught off guard by the news. That night Rand and I went home and turned on the news and listened to all the coverage about his passing. I definitely was grateful to be in Utah at the time where the church does get so much coverage and we could see and hear so many people pay tribute to this wonderful man and prophet of God.


That next week had a lot of coverage about his life and service and the forthcoming funeral services. That Saturday morning I watched the funeral proceedings. It was really neat to see all the people lining the streets as they headed to the grave site. I loved seeing everyone with their canes in honor of him! Following this they showed the video of his life...what an amazing, hard-working and faithful man! What an example! I thought alot about this during that week as I listened to everyone talk about him with such high regard; not just those who were members, but so many other non-members as well who loved and respected him. I thought about what it was that made him so loved and respected universally. The answer I came up with is that he was SO Christ-like. He did all the things that I, and I think most of us, would like to do and be. He knew who his Savior was and he learned of him and studied his life and served him so much, that he truly had the Saviors image in his countenance.

If you haven't read his biography, Go Forward with Faith, written by Sheri Dew, I suggest you do. One of the best books I've ever read! Just like when you would see him or hear him speak, it makes you want to be a better person! That was always his message, to "stand a little taller and be a little better".

One quick story: I am really grateful for the employment I've had at BYU and the opportunities it has afforded me to meet different people as well as different leaders in the church. In June of 2006 I was working for the Campus Visits office. Because this office would eventually be moving into the new Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center, we were invited to attend the groudbreaking. I went with my boss and some others from the office. We were able to sit about 3 rows back and were able to be a part of this event with President Hinckley and other church leaders. Following this event, my boss Troy, was so kind and let me take his ticket to the birthday luncheon for President Hinckley (the groundbreaking was held on his birthday). Troy could tell I was so disappointed that I couldn't attend this because I wasn't an administrator...so he gave me his ticket and he went to lunch with some of his friends. I attended the lunch and it was so awesome and amazing to be sitting just 2 tables away from President Hinckley. I wish now that I would have had the guts to go up and shake his hand...but I didn't want to bother him and intrude on the family table (and security would only bring him in once everyone was seated, and escorted him out before we left). It was still a really neat and humbling experience to be so close to a prophet of God and such a wonderful man!

Destined for 2nd Place!

I think my first few years in intramurals was a fluke! I won three t-shirts: soccer, co-ed basketball and softball. It's been a dry well every since! Sure, we put ourselves in position to get another one...but then fall short! Well, after doing this in the fall with flag football, add basketball to the list for winter! At least we had fun!

This team was kind of randomly thrown together my myself and my friend Krista. We wanted to play and so we each just asked some friends. It ended up being a really fun team and we just played better and better together as the season went on. Not only did we have a decent team, but everyone had awesome attitudes, which just made playing together that much more enjoyable. Even though we lost the championship, we had a great time playing together and made some new friends! I call that a successful season anyway!

Back row: Chelise, Jessica, Nancy, Becca and Krista (who couldn't play from pregnancy sickness)

Front row: me, Kelly and Veva

Here's some of the action shots during the game!

Thanks for taking pics Trish!



At the end of regulation play we were tied!



But as you can see from the final shot...they pulled off a three point victory in the end.