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| FOLLOW THE FLAG |
FOURTH OF JULY
Emily always decorates her home with all things American. She also is one of the voices of the Provo Freedom Parade - this is her 5th year and we all get involved and help with the parade. We arrive at 6:00 AM to set up and she starts the morning off with cheering on the runners in the 10K, 5K and Fun Run that is part of the Freedom Festival activities.
Our neighbor, Jeremy is her co-host and they make a great team. I help with the logistics of keeping entries and narration in the right order.
For two hours we cheer on the runners and then she works the crowd to get them ready for the Parade. She plays games with prizes, has trivia questions, jokes and music that participants can receive merchant coupons and bling.
We have been participating in 4th of July Parades for many years - Arlington TX parades for over 30 years and now it is fun being a part of the Provo Freedom Festival and Parade. It is a fun way to be patriotic without the politics.
Always a great way to end the night - The Fireworks!
I don't know why but I never tire of seeing Fireworks and the bursting color in the night sky. So many memories with family.
We completed the weekend at The Covey Center for the Arts with our neighbors, The Glades.
What a wonderful evening of Big Band music and vocals.
Tad Calcara is the principle clarinet for the Utah Symphony and also has the band. He is so talented on the piano, clarinet and vocal. What an entertainer!
WEDDING TIME
Emily had the opportunity to help my friend, Rochelle Dunford and her daughter Anna's wedding on July 8 and since Emily and I are a team I was there to help her.
We make a really good team and had so much fun working together at this great venue in Provo with such a cute Bride and Groom.
Emily has such a talent for displaying the food (that I cook) and making the event beautiful. We served and cleaned up the kitchen just in time for the reception to begin. The Groom's family was doing the reception and we could see they could use our help and so we stayed and plated and served the food for the reception. We were so busy I did not get any pictures but it was AMAZING! They had done all of the food prep but it all needed to be plated and served. Between Emily and I we made the charcuterie boards look so good. They had people non-stop for the whole evening and we stayed busy keeping up with all of the food. It was so fun helping to make it a magical evening for these two families.
Two and a half years after Emily was in a very serious car accident she was finally able to have surgery on her clavicle. It has been a very long process and several Doctors to finally get a diagnosis that would lead to surgery and healing.
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| Mr. & Mrs. Smyth |
SURGERY DAY
Emily got as much in as she could before she was going to have surgery.
At the time of the accident the ER was very busy from so many accidents that day and Emily was not bleeding badly and they did not detect any broken bones so she was released and told to go see her Primary Care Doctor. That was the beginning of a very long journey to diagnosis and healing for many parts of her body.
She had back surgery two years ago and was still in a lot of pain. She had MRI's, X-Rays, CScans, etc and they said it would just take time for her body to heal. They started giving her injections in her knees, back, hip, shoulder and neck. She went to a Chiropractor for a year and it helped for awhile. She kept telling the Orthopedic Doctor that her hip and shoulder area were still in so much pain. At one point he told her that there was nothing in her upper chest/clavicle area that could be wrong and that it was all in her head and referred her to a psychiatrist . The Doctors she had been seeing in Salt Lake City told the Attorney there was no more they could do and were done with her treatments. At this point we found Dr. Chen - A pain management Doctor. After a year of seeing him and receiving multiple injections he was doing an X-Ray to know where to do the injection near her clavicle and saw there was a problem with her clavicle. He was stunned and called me into the room to show me the X-Ray. He wanted new MRI's and CScans ordered to see if she was healing or what was still causing so much pain.
Miracles DO Happen - just not always on our time tables.
Emily had a roommate 20 years ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming who was a massage Therapist and is currently an ICU Nurse and in school to be a PA. A few months ago when she was in so much pain, she called her friend Megan and asked if she could get a massage. Megan did the message and in the process looked at Emily's chest/shoulder area and said, "This should not be moving like it is". She said she would talk to some of the Doctors at the Hospital and find the Doctor she should see. It took a few months and Emily called her and told her what Dr. Chen had found in the current X-ray and that he had ordered additional testing. That started the process of Megan finding the right Doctor for Emily to see - a Cardiologist - who would have known? She got an appointment for the next week! Miracle #1. The day of the appointment came and it was canceled due to a surgery that went longer than expected. At 6:00 that night the Doctor called Emily at home and talked to her about her condition. He said, "The CScan does not show any problem. He also knew Dr. Chen had seen an abnormality. Emily and I talked to him for over an hour and she said, "Will you just see me so you can look at the problem?" He said, "tomorrow is not a day I am in the office but come in at 2:00 and I will see you."
We went to see Dr. Mitchell - the Cardiologist and he showed us the scan that looked good and then he touched Emily's clavicle and it moved. He said, "lay down on the table - this is going to hurt." He immediately knew what was wrong and said he is part of a team that would do the surgery. He called Dr. Gillette while we were in his office and made the appointment for two weeks. Dr. Gillette is an Orthopedic that is the only Doctor in Utah that is trained to do the needed surgery. He said when the scans are done you are laying down and the clavicle is in place but when you stand up it would then fall off from the Sternum. He said the other Doctors are only trained for the shoulder and would not have known how to diagnose or treat. Miracle #2 that we found these two Doctors - Emily's friend Megan was the catalyst that made it all come together and we are so grateful.
Surgery was scheduled immediately. The Doctor filmed the whole surgery - I will spare you the pictures - the technology is amazing. The picture to the left is the opening and you can see the clavicle and the screw with a cadaver ligament making the repair before they closed the incision. She is in a sling for 6 weeks and starts Physical Therapy this next week. She is healing well. We found out at her two week check up that this was only their 4th time to do this surgery. Dr. Gillette was trained at the Mayo Clinic in the procedure and said it is a rare injury - his previous patients are professional athletes. I am glad they did not tell Emily that information until after the surgery! She is a recipient of a Donor and they gave her a letter with the Donor families name to be able to thank them.
Emily has been really strong through all of this even with so many challenges with her children and personal life. She continues to be blessed with good friends and parents that are just downstairs to help.
The MRI showed that the tear in her hip did not heal but that it has gotten progressively worse. Dr. Gillette has a colleague who is a hip specialist and we were able to get in to him last week. Emily will have hip surgery in September when she has more use of her arm/shoulder. She will be immobile for 21 days and on crutches so she will need to be able to use her arm.
We are hoping by December she is healed and ready to enjoy Christmas and all that that entails in our home. She is not able to work during this time and that is a challenge for her financially, but she has been blessed with some extra jobs she had before surgery and was able to sell her car last week so things are working out. We are with her for the long haul the next few months and know it will help in her healing and moving forward in her life.
MUSIC AND THE SPOKEN WORD BY THE TABERNACLE CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA AT TEMPLE SQUARE 5,000 EPISODE SPECIAL CELEBRATION
On Sunday, July 13 we were able to go to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City for the 5,000 Episode Celebration of Music and The Spoken Word. We have listened to the Tabernacle Choir since we were children and it has become a part of our Sunday mornings for many years. We always enjoy attending their concerts in person and this Celebration was very special.
On July 15, 1929, a small radio broadcast on KZN in Salt Lake City began with one microphone attached to the ceiling and a wire running a city block back to the control room. The broadcast was not flawless - the microphone picked up shuffling of feet and the tapping of the conductor's baton - but it received a rousing response from the president of NBC, saying he was "eagerly awaiting your next." No one involved knew it at the time, but it was the first of a history-making broadcast run that continues today. It is the longest continuously running weekly network broadcast in history. The inspirational program has served as a beacon of peace and hope for nearly a century, bringing comfort to people through The Tabernacle Choir's glorious singing, accompanied by virtuosic pipe organ music and now the Orchestra at Temple Square, and humble, heartfelt spoken messages.
We really enjoyed the program and the stories they shared that people submitted of how the Choir broadcasts had made a difference in their lives. They received more than 1,100 inspirational stories and experiences from viewers and listeners around the world. There was one consistent message in all of them, "Music & The Spoken Word stirred something deep within me - a feeling that gave me the strength to continue forward."
I invite you to tune in on BYU TV or YouTube and listen to the beautiful music of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. We have a few friends in the choir and orchestra and it is always fun to see them perform. If you ever come to Utah for a visit we would love to take you to hear the choir.
SISTERS
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building - formerly Hotel Utah - just reopened after major renovations. We went to the new Garden Restaurant for lunch. Walking into the building filled us with awe. It was majestic, light, airy and so beautiful. The restaurant caters to local business people and was so delicious. The raspberry tarts were the BEST!
Our parents met 85 years ago in front of the building where my Dad had parked his car. My mothers best girl friend was meeting her boyfriend for lunch and invited her to come along. He was friends with my Dad and when he saw his car parked in front of the building he said, "Let's get in his car and surprise him." The rest is history. A few months later they were married and were married almost 75 years.
What a special day to spend together in such a memorable place.
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| ceiling of Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg. |
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| Brenna Chariton |
We also took a walk with the family to show them the Lindon Temple. The picture on the left was taken in what we call the "Golden Hour". It is before the lights come on and the sunset shines through the stained glass windows and it glows gold. It is so beautiful. Below is about 30 minutes later and the lights were on. We look forward to the upcoming opening of the Temple.
JULY 24TH
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| overlooking the Valley at War Memorial |
PROTEIN BALLS
CHICKEN CRUST ALFREDO PIZZA
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 large Eggs
Toppings:
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup fresh Spinach (optional)
1/3 cup Red Onion sliced thin
1 cup Mozzarella cheese - shredded
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400*. Line a pizza peel (pan) with parchment paper.
Stir together the shredded chicken, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and salt.
Whisk the eggs lightly, then add in. Mix well.
Spread onto parchment paper as thin as possible, about 1/4 inch. Slide the parchment paper onto a pizza stone.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until firm and golden on the edges.
Let rest for about 10 minutes.
Add desired toppings. I used Alfredo sauce, shredded grilled chicken, red onion and Mozzarella cheese.
Bake additional 10- 15 minutes.
This has become a really good Pizza replacement for us. I have made it with Pepperoni and olives as well.
WICHITA KANSAS
Brian picked us up at the airport in his new hybrid Volvo - great day of flying - all of our flights went well considering we had to leave home at 4:00 AM and then had to wait and hour and a half at the Provo airport because of a mechanical on the airplane (that has become the norm at Provo). We missed our first connection but made the next one and arrived early afternoon in Wichita.
We went to Opening Night and it was Fantastic. It had an amazing cast of professionals from all over the US. Nora took a real liking to "Jack" - the main character and was so cute after the dress rehearsal when he gave her a high five - she said, "I am never washing this hand." After the Opening Night performance she gave him a hug. They really had a great experience and put in two weeks of really long hours at practice.
They are the cutest "Newsies". It was so fun to see them so engaged in the performance with their singing and dancing. We are so proud of them.
It is always a treat spending time with Brian and Beth. Great food, board games and just hanging out together made for a wonderful few days.
Will and Nora after the performance in their "skims". They have to get out of costume before they can come out after the show. And they received lots of flowers for their wonderful performance. They are rising STARS and we look forward to future performances.
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| William & Nora |
Our return flight was a little more of an adventure. We left Wichita at 8:30 Thursday evening and were to arrive at midnight in Provo. While we were in flight the Dallas connection to Provo was delayed 2 1/2 hours due to weather. We did not leave DFW until Midnight and arrived in Provo at 2:30 AM. We made friends with another couple who was traveling to Provo and helped them book a Hotel in Provo and then we took them to their Hotel on or way home. It was 4:00 AM by the time we made it to bed. So good to be back home.
So that is a wrap for July. I was a very busy month with family, activities and taking care of Emily. There are about 30 steps between two staircases between my house and Emily's room. I have certainly gotten my steps in every day attending to her needs. We are so grateful to the friends and neighbors who have brought in meals and visited Emily the past few weeks. It has been so good for her mental health and has helped me out a lot. Taking care of two homes is a lot of work - the few breaks away were much needed for our health.
We hope the final days of Summer are good to each one of you.
Russ and Linda Grimmett
