THANK YOU HIPAA

Why is it harder to take a picture of a 3 year-old than a 6 month-old?

We're just trying to keep our school spirits up after a long, hard week of pharmacy school rotations. Christian is now on his 4th (could be 5th?) rotation. He is currently at Primary Children's in the ER/Trauma department. One thing I (Melissa) have learned from this rotation is how grateful I am for the HIPAA law. Christian comes home from these long, emotionally draining days and can't share the heart-wrenching stories with me. I have a feeling that I should be VERY grateful for that. I can only imagine the horror he has seen that day. It breaks my heart to have him see these things and really opens my eyes to the heros behind the scenes that save lives everyday. I have gained so much respect for individuals that do the jobs that people like me couldn't handle...especially involving children! So, I hope these next 3 1/2 weeks go by as quickly as possible. In the mean time, we're busy anxiously awaiting the day that we get to return to Omaha to celebrate all of the hard work that Christian has put in over these past 11 YEARS!!

On a side note: Isn't my Diva ADORABLE??

I'm glad my home's NOT where the buffalo roam!

26 hours...that's how much driving we did this weekend! Our summer has been extremely crazy, leaving us little time to do any traditional summer activities. Of all the summer traditions we have in my family, by far, my favorite are our trips to Yellowstone. I actually haven't gone to Yellowstone in 7 years and have missed it terribly! I've loved being able to introduce this love with Christian. Until our trip 7 years ago, Christian had never experienced Yellowstone. When my parents said they were going to take a quick trip, we couldn't pass it up! We were sad that not everyone in our family could go, but had a great time with those that did. I was so pleased with how well our kids did in the car. I loved seeing Anders' excitement to see the animals (that were very few and far between) and camp with his best buddy, Ryder. As much as I love Yellowstone, it is one of the main triggers of anxiety for me. Between the idea of roaming animals and giant holes in the earth's crust filled with 204 degree water, I find myself in an internal struggle. How can I hate to be somewhere I love so much? Believe me...that anxiety has intensified now that I have children! I joked about needing to take a Xanax, but if I had a prescription, I probably would need a refill after our trip. I am determined not to let my anxiety prevent me or my family from sharing these memories together. It made me so happy to see Anders pure excitement from the second we got there until we pulled in our driveway last night. I know this quick trip was long over-due because as we were driving through Pocatello (yes, Pocatello) I got a rush of adrenaline when I realized I was in a different state. At that point, I realized that I haven't left the state of Utah since PJ's baptism exactly 2 years ago! You know it's bad when you get a rush of adrenaline in Pocatello!