Lab Results

So when was the last time you went in for a checkup with your doctor? I’m not talking about a visit to the pediatrician with your kids, or a flu shot visit, or an I-think- I-need-antibiotics visit, but what is known as a yearly physical. I think I have done this “yearly physical” twice in the last 11 years, and last week was one of those times. I had the dreaded pap and breast exam, needed a tetanus booster, a flu shot and had blood drawn for testing. (I have to say I’m not too sure about those flu shots. This is the second time I have gotten one and a few days later came down with a shortened version of the flu. Monday night until Tuesday night I was so sick!) I just got my test results back yesterday and was relieved to know that I am “normal.” It was surprising how much it put my mind at ease to know there was nothing I need to be worried about. Although I imagine that it would have been just as helpful for me to know that there was something I could do to improve my health had the results been abnormal.

The one area that I can use some work on is my HDL cholesterol level. This is the “good cholesterol” that helps get rid of the “bad cholesterol” (LDL). I did a little research and found some helpful hints for getting my 46 up to the 50’s range which is considered good for women. (Please do your own research and talk to your doctor about these things before taking them too seriously- Yes, this is my disclaimer) Here are a few:

1. Regular exercise

2. Increase Phytosterols (vegetable fats or “plant” cholesterol): *Soy products* Sesame, corn, sunflower and canola oil* Sesame seeds* Sunflower seeds* Peanuts* Rice bran* Green peas

3. Avoid saturated fats and increase monounsaturated fats: *Olive oil *Other vegetable oils *Nuts *Avocados

4. Orange juice and other fruits and vegetables with high anti-oxidants

5. Lose weight

So here’s my challenge: Make an appointment to see your doctor. There is just one blood draw that covers almost a dozen tests. I still have an ugly yellow and purple bruise because the guy put the needle in a bit too far, but it was still worth it!

Always Remember

Always Remember Me by Justin Kunz

You may remember my post about my cousin Tammy and her husband Bryce. Unfortunately, just 100 days after his diagnosis with cancer, Bryce passed away on October 25th at the age of 33. I have read through her posts the last few days and cried, and prayed that she and her baby girl will be comforted and taken care of. They seem to have a great support group and Tammy has a vibrant spirit that is just amazing.

Because of Bryce’s passing and the fires that have devastated much of our region, I was comforted when sitting in the Saturday night session of Stake Conference listening to our church leaders. We were lucky to get a visit from our newest apostle, Quentin L. Cook, who also spent time in San Diego yesterday. He told us how he gathered the LDS families together that had lost their homes (somewhere around 45 families) and talked with them. He shared this quote with them and with us:

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. . . .” (Orson F. Whitney)

This quote was used in a talk given by Spencer W. Kimball back in 1955 called Tragedy or Destiny. (I’m hoping to get Rob to add it to WhiteBinder, but for now I’m using the source I found it from.) The whole talk is wonderful and provides comforting and straightforward words for those who suffer tragedy and ask the questions “why me, or, why now?” I am so grateful for my belief that there is a greater plan and that we will all be reunited after we die. There are so many trials in this life, each person having their own unique experience. I hope that I will learn the lessons I need to from watching, and mourning, and sympathizing with those around me. I trust that the Lord is watching over us all and that His plan is best.

The above painting was done by my good friend’s husband who is a fantastic artist. I hope you will look at his site, JustinKunz.com to get a good look at his talent. This painting reminded me of Tammy and little Dani, so I hope he doesn’t mind me using it.

Office Party

Hunter (Darth Vader), Sabrina (Cheerleader), Rob (Quarterback), Hannah (Sleeping Beauty), Emma (Vampire)

Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without some sort of costume trouble. Hannah’s crown was sitting on the stairs and as I was running down them calling out, “Let’s Go!”, I accidentally stepped on it and broke it. I hugged her and said, “I’m so sorry sweetie.” She was really good about it answering calmly but sadly, “it’s ok Mommy.” I cut some pink ribbon to tie in her hair and we ran out the door.

Rob’s office party was a lot of fun. It was the first time the kids had actually been inside to see Daddy’s office and that was what they were most excited about. We went trick or treating down the hallways, ate a yummy dinner, played games, and watched part of “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”The kids were all very cute in their costumes and got lots of compliments. We are still waiting for word on the status of the scheduled Trunk or Treat for tonight. Rumor says it may be canceled due to the dirty air. The atmosphere would be great though. The moon glows an orange-red color that would be perfect for the festivities. 🙂

Ash Friday

This is a picture my brother Chris found of our city. It looks so horrible, almost Biblical. It doesn’t seem this bad living in it. There is a great metaphor in this for life too right? You get used to the dimness when you’re in the middle of it.

School has been canceled for tomorrow because of the ash and unhealthy air conditions. The fire is moving away from us into the more mountainous areas, so we are not in danger here. Friday we are planning to hunker down and watch movies, and maybe sneak in some extra cleanup jobs. Here are the latest stats on our fire:

Acres burned: 26,000 / Containment: 30%
Destroyed: 14 homes, 12 outbuildings
Damaged: 8 homes, 12 outbuildings
Injuries: 4 firefighters
Time of Start: 5:55 p.m. 10-21
Official cause: Arson
Point of Origin: Silverado Canyon and Santiago Canyon roads, then crossed Hwy. 241 to the west; moved toward Portola Springs, Northwood village of Irvine.
Firefighters: 1,000
Evacuations: 43,000 people
Location: Silverado Canyon and its 700 homes are “far from being out of the woods,” fire officials say; firefighters have had success keeping the fire away from Trabuco and Live Oak canyons, the most endangered communities. Modjeska Canyon appeared safe for now (5:45 p.m.)
Costs: at least $10 million in damages

Local Fire

Last night around 6 pm a large fire started about 8 miles from our house by what is now believed to be arson. We received a call shortly after that to be ready in case there were any necessary evacuations. The church stake leaders were immediately communicating via a ham radio network and checking in on high risk members. It’s so nice to have such an organized system for safety.

These are pictures I took this morning around 9:00 from our front yard. The sky is an ominous orange, I didn’t do any touch ups to these photos. I was in Costa Mesa this morning and returned around 11:30 to find that things are still just as smoky and dim. To read up on us check out this ABC story. You can also see another guy’s cool pictures here on flickr.

One Night, Two Adventures

Adventure Number One:

So, last night, on a bit of a whim, and with some prompting from my secretary, I took Hunter and Emma to see our very first live NHL game. We saw the Anaheim Ducks play the Nashville Predators. It was tons of fun. My firm has a suite at the arena that’s mainly for “business development” (i.e., schmoozing clients) but if no one is taking clients to any particular event (which seems to be the case fairly often) then any attorney that wants to can use it.

We had a great time and Hunter and Emma really got into the spirit of it, cheering whenever the Ducks scored or had a great save. I did my best to explain the rules and everything else I knew about the game but I’m not sure how well I did. I don’t think I lived up to my Canadian heritage very well. “Daddy, why did the referee blow the whistle and make everyone stop playing?” “I don’t know, son. I don’t know.”

Is it just me, though, or is it weird that the Ducks started out as a marketing tie-in for a Walt Disney movie? And how weird is it that they won the Stanley Cup last year? Anyway, it was a great time. We watched the Ducks beat the Predators 3 to 1, we ate some nachos, took some pictures, and when it was all over, headed out for the approximately 20 minute drive back home, which leads us to…

Adventure Number Two:

It’s 10:00 o’clock at night, we’re about half way home and cruising along the freeway when I look down and notice that the tachometer on the dashboard is showing 0 RPM’s. I realize this would only happen if the engine is no longer running (hey, I’m a bright guy). I test my theory by pressing down on the accelerator and, sure enough, nothing. We’re in the car pool lane but, fortunately, we’re right at a spot where there’s a wider than usual median on the left. I pull over, we glide to a stop and I put on the hazard lights.

This now is where a nice mix of modern technology and good people turns something that could have been a really big problem into a bit of an inconvenience. I call the highway patrol on my cell phone and get a really helpful officer on the other end. He gets our location, dispatches a patrol car and then conferences in a AAA dispatcher. The woman at AAA was really helpful, too. She orders a tow truck and tells them it’s a priority call, figures out the closest repair shop to tow us to and orders a cab to be at the repair shop to take us home.

Hunter and Emma were great, too. They made a contest of who could spot the police car or tow truck first and then compared notes with each other over everything they’d have to tell their friends at school the next day. As for the car, we’re still waiting to get the whole story on what caused the breakdown. At first the mechanic thought it was just a problem with the distributor, but they replaced it and it’s still not working so they said they’ll dive back into it tomorrow and see what they can figure out. Yikes! We’ve had this car since our BYU days and I’m really hoping we can squeeze a few more years out of it before it totally bites the dust.

So, basically, it was just another day around the old homestead. Mostly fun, with just a little bit of crazy thrown in to make things interesting.