Our weekend in St. George.....a grateful list!!!

What a weekend!!!  I am feeling so much better about things, I think I really just needed to be in St. George with my kids for few days to feel rejuvinated!!  I'm going to recap the weekend by writing another "Grateful List," because that's how I'm feeling right now........just grateful.

I'm grateful........

That "home" is only 4 1/2  hours away from Primary Children's Hospital so that we were able to come here for the weekend!!

For the compassion, empathy, and understanding that people have for Abby and the rest of my family right now.  I could feel it so easily when I talked to some of you this weekend.  Thanks for caring about us, thanks for being excited to see us, thanks for crying when you talked to us, thanks for helping my kids when they need it, thanks for trying to understand what we've been going through, thanks for being a part of our last 3 months.

Swig-They have the best Diet Dr. Pepper.....ever!!  I love that place, and visited it daily while I was in St. George :)

The teachers and staff at mine and Abby's school.  Abby's teachers are going out of their way to get her homework to her, I know it's a pain-I'm a teacher too-but they've been awesome.  Thanks Ali for helping with that too!  We felt so welcome and loved when we stopped by this week to see everyone and get Abby's work.  I'm grateful they'll work with me and I know that when It's time for me to teach again, they'll be ready to help me in any way and they'll be ready for me.  I also know that when it's time for Abby to go back, they'll have a plan set in place to make it easier for her.  We love the teachers, staff, and kids at Sunrise Ridge and can't wait to get back there!!

The community of St. George.  I just can't believe the support we have here!  The fundraisers just keep coming, it's incredible.  I know we still have the Fargos car wash next weekend, the Kalamity dance concert next week, a Zumba event at Zumba Warehouse-date will be announced soon, and little league  games donated and in honor of Abby!!!   Plus all of the great things that have already been done, it's just unreal.  Thank you everyone!  I have to admit, it's a little surreal to drive down the Boulevard and see Abby's name on signs!    Then at the Desert Hills game Friday night, Abby got to be the honorary team captain and walk on the field with the other captains and coaches...How cool is that?  It was awesome to hear the crowd cheer when they announced her name, thank you!  Funniest thing this weekend was when we were sitting down eating breakfast Saturday morning and Abby said, "Hey, look, that's a picture of me on the front page of the Spectrum!"  We all just had to laugh!  We were treated like VIP's at the game, thank you Desert Hills High School!!

The TV show Hoarders.  I've become obsessed with it, maybe it makes me realize there are people out there crazier than me.

Brittany.  I know I don't have to worry about her getting into trouble when I'm in Salt Lake, I can always trust her to do the right thing.  With her knee being blown out this year and having to give up sports, plus all of this stuff with Abby, she's had a hard year and I'm grateful she's been able to keep it together and remember who she is.  She's also been so helpful getting Brock where he needs to be and helping to take care of him.  Britt-you are the best big sister ever.....don't ever forget it.

Being able to do "normal" things this week.  Going to the football game was the first really "normal" thing we've done since May 18th.  Brittany and Abby were there running around with their friends, I was sitting in the stands with my friends and family, and Brock was out on the field being a beast!!  I loved every second of it!  Brock played awesome too......nothing better than my sophomore son getting some major varsity playing time!  Way to go Brock, you deserved every second of that time....you worked hard all summer!!  I also got to drive my kids around, do their laundry,  buy things they need for school, stay awake until they got home by their curfew, and just do "normal" for a few days.....It felt good.

Krista and that she's taking such good care of our dogs.  We got to go visit them on Saturday and thank goodness they remember us, I have to admit, I was a little worried they would have forgotten who we are, but they didn't, they were so excited to see all of us; But it was obvious that they feel very comfortable with the White's too, and that they are being treated just like their other dogs.  Thanks for being so good to them Krista, it was really hard for all of us to leave them again but it made it easier knowing that they are being loved.  Just remember, we are taking them back when we get to move back here :)

I'm still working really hard on trying to be grateful for this tremendous trial we've been going through, but I don't think I'm there quite yet.  I'm grateful for so many things that have happened because of the last 3 months, but I haven't gotten to the point that I'd say I wouldn't give it up if I had the choice.  I've heard so many heart people say that they wouldn't ever take back being able to go through the struggles of being a mom of a heart kid or of being a heart kid themselves........but I can't say that yet, I would love to go back to 4 months ago and to what we were doing and who we were then.   I'm hoping that a little bit farther down the road, I'll be able to look back and honestly say that I wouldn't change a thing!!

I'm so grateful for Abby's transplant team of doctors and nurses and that I know that after reading this post, they'll realize how much we need to come to St. George and that they'll give us the okay to come here every weekend until we can move back :)  Abby and I have some serious convincing to do at the cardiology clinic tomorrow morning!!  I just keep praying that Abby will continue to feel good so that we can get home as soon as possible!!

This is long, I know, but I have a lot to be grateful for so it's okay.  I've had lots of people tell me that they haven't been able to comment on the blog....but I think finally fixed it so that everyone can comment now, so please leave a comment!!! We love to see who's keeping up with us.  Thank you everyone, our weekend in St. George was sweet.  I only got to do about half of what I had planned and see only about half of the people I wanted to see, but hopefully we'll be here next weekend too!!!