Under The Microscope

For Good?.... Or Bad?

So I found out today that I am currently sitting underneath a microscope at work. To give you the back story without boring you with all of the specifics there is currently a contest going on at work. What it comes down to is who performs the best customer service on calls. There are 5 things that they look for. This competition is for all employees located throughout 6 different call centers that Discover has. I have no idea on the exact number of people that were originally involved but I know that between the 2 call centers based here in salt lake there are more than 1000 employees. I think that those are two of the bigger call centers. The winner gets $2500!

The first cuts took it from however many employees are involved down to 300. And the second cuts just came out and took that down to 12. And my name made that list which means I get at least $50! I found that out this past Saturday and being the Wood that I am (sorry to any Wood's that take offense to that, I am definetly the worst at this) had no plans to mention it. That was until I got called into my Department Manager's Office today. I recently (2 months ago) got a new Department Manager and I don't think that I have spoken to him at all. There has been the nod as we pass each other but that is pretty much it. He is a really quite guy and you should know that I am quite as well until I get to know someone. He called me in because in a meeting yesterday with many of the upper management of the slc call centers there my name got brought up as person that was doing on phone calls what they want each of us to do and what they are trying to get us to emphasize. (My department has always been about sales and only sales, but they want us to be more customer oriented than we have been before. While still including a solid product offer.)

Apparently it doesn't end there. A couple of hours later, my coach tried to listen in on my calls to do some coaching with me as he is required to each month. He told me afterwords that he wasn't able to, because my calls were already being listened to by someone (or someones who knows). So for who knows how long I have had / and will have however many people listening to my calls. I am honored by this as it is for a good reason that they are listening to me but at the same time I don't like being watched. Because while I am sure they will see all of the good things that I do, I have to be on my best behavior so I don't get in trouble for cutting any corners that I may or may not have done on an occasional call. I can't imagine them listening to me that much more, but they have already done it more than I would have expected so who knows. (Comment on my own post, I definetly went into more detail than I originally intended. Sorry to all who got bored.)

STAR WARS CAROLS?

Watch out Nickel Creek, here comes Bluegrass Thunder!

Tonight was a great night. I went to see my brother Ben in his bluegrass band. It was so awesome! They played some great Christmas music, and it was amazing to see my brother up onstage performing and totally rocking a fiddle.

This video was Ben taking the solo on Orange Blossom Special. It's so freaking crazy how fast he is playing. I love it!



My parents, Ben and Ben's violin teacher, Jeanne Grover, after the show. He took violin for I don't know how long. She came down to support him with about thirty other people.


Other Fans: Kylee, Mckenna and Dallin came down to see Ben.

So did brother Mike.

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings!!!!

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. And it was a great day. Full of two different families and traditions. Lance is below getting the turkey ready. He ia a phenomenal cook, and I love to go over for great foods of all sorts!


We started our day at the Wood household. Below you see a very common occurrence. The three oldest grandkids gathering around their favorite (I admit it, I'm not ashamed to be second, or third) Aunt Stephanie. She is amazing with kids, and had loads of activities to keep them entertained for hours.
Nicole, one of the most charming people you will ever meet, lays across her Aunt Wendy. If you knew this girl, she would probably be lying across your lap too. There is no one she cannot wrap around her little finger.

After dinner, Dave showed us his VIP contact in his phone: Santa Claus! Yep, Dave has the actual number to the jolly guy. I love Justin's face. He is so elated!


Then Jeff and I ventured over to the Plowman clan. Below, Jana and Jessica demonstrate what has become the most disgusting tradition (that I included) we do. Jana, Jessica and I gather around the turkey as it comes out of the oven, and we peel and eat the skin. I know it's disgusting, but it is so good!



Annual football game. It was a little colder this year than past, but it didn't stop the game or lessen the numbers.


Baby Kira... yes, she is sticking her tongue out at you.


"Want to touch the camera!" Baby Jackson.


Grandpa braved the weather and took three grandkids to the park!

Don't be a scrub.

Joseph B. Wirthlin

Elder Wirthlin passed away this week, and I would feel badly if I did not mention how much I love this man. He has been my favorite speaker in conference for years. Probably since I seriously started watching it over ten years or so ago. I understand that he did not always have the best delivery, but what he said touched me each time, and somehow, it would always be the talk that I remembered. He is my favorite. He always speaks on love. He almost always spoke about overcoming trials and pain. I feel like he speaks right from his heart to me.

When I was sick last year, by dad printed out a quote for me from my most favorite of Elder Wirthlin's talks. The quote is as follows:

"Each of us will have our own Fridays-those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death-Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

I love this quote. I repeated it every morning to myself during my treatments. The simple words "Sunday will come" was my mantra and gave me strength when I needed it. I can't really express how this talk has touched me, but it truly changed the way I look at things.

Maybe the most wonderful thing is that Sunday really does come, and for me, it came. I had Jeff through that whole experience. He was my light during a dark time. He loved me through cancer. He asked me to be his wife. We were sealed in the temple surrounded by family and loved ones. I didn't know that life could be so wonderful.

I am grateful for this good man, and his legacy that is left behind. Here are a few more quotes from his most recent talk, "Come What May and Love It" that I love:

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.

He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong

The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.

If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.

A Hero of Mine

This is my nephew Dallin. I heard the coolest story about him today. A girl in his class at school was just diagnosed with cancer. So eight boys in the class, including Dallin, shaved their heads to show support for this little girl. (Dallin is just eight years old, and already able to make choices that are blessing the life of others.) She has started treatments, and like most lucky candidates, all her hair fell out. These boys didn't just buzz their heads, they shaved it all off. What a great feeling I got when I heard about my nephews service. I cried to think of the Christ-like love that he was willing to show. He has always been a sensitive and tender guy, I'm just so proud.

Anyone who wants to see the story on ksl here is the link.

Good Luck to my friend Kim, who just got some news of her own. Our prayers and love are going out to you Kim. Thanks for the courage and the example.

Diverticulitis

So I found out that officially it is not sympathy pains that I am dealing with. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. Simply put it is inflammation in the intestines. I am glad that I went in and found out especially after talking with Ginny and finding out that it was diverticulitis that sent her cabinet guy to the hospital. They prescribed antibiotics and it should clear up within ten days. Yay! I have been doing pretty well today and hopefully that means that I am on the right path.

Sympathy Pains

So this past Tuesday I (yes Jeff is actually writing a post) started to have a pain in my abdomen. I was a little worried about it as I haven't experience any pain that I would say is like it. I was thinking it might be appendicitis or something similar even though there weren't any other symptoms to go along with it.

So I called the doctor to set up an appointment. I went in that afternoon and they told me that since it is on the lower left side, there really isn't any organs there that I needed to worry about. The appendix and gallbladder are both on the right. They said the only thing that is there is the intestines and since the only symptom was pain that we should wait a couple of days and come back in if it got worse or I got nauseous or something like that.

So the pain got worse on Wednesday and even worse on Thursday. So Thursday I went back in to the doctor and they drew blood and scheduled a CT for today. The CT was scheduled for 7 am this morning which meant I had the pleasure of waking up at 5 to start drinking the wonderful tasting barium. That said, I still think I got more sleep than Elizabeth last night.

I got done with the scan and now I just get to wait for the results of the blood tests and the scan. I have been taking it pretty easy since Friday and overall feel quite a bit better. There is still pain and especially when I either get up, sit down, or walk. Until I get told otherwise I am just going to assume it must be sympathy pains for the pain that Biz has been having. If you want anymore details on that just look down a couple of posts.

My First Video

This video isn't really about either of us. It is the first video that I have created and thought I would share it.




GO JAZZ!!

I love art!

I really do. I have always wanted to be some sort of artist myself. To the right is a picture from James C. Christensen's collection, entitled, "Sometimes the Spirit Touches Us Through Weakness." The description for this photo is, "a hunchback, an 'everyman,' being visited by an angel and receiving the message that we grow through adversity - we can make our weaknesses into strengths. The hunchback is seated on a box inscribed with a Latin phrase that translates literally as 'after clouds, sun' -the equivalent of 'look for the silver lining." Funny how much more I enjoy the picture when I know the meaning behind it.

I love James C. Christensen's work. He is a close second for me on my favorite artists. I have a book of his work that he has done for the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. He has also done the art for inside the Nauvoo Temple.

I also realize that this is the picture I have chosen for the gallery this week, but I don't care. I think the message and the simplistic beauty of this pictures deserves its own blog spot.

My Trip To The Hospital.

So I went to the hospital this week. I was in a bit of a panic because I found a lump. If your stomach just dropped, I know how you feel. It was in the area where the hip and femur connect. The leg itself had been sore for about a week, and then it started to spread down the leg, and then I felt this tiny little lump. What scared me most was the lump was right where a lymph node was likely to be. (I know that we have hundreds of lymph nodes, but since I've had lymphoma, I have become very aware as to were the lymph nodes are, and what ones are likely to be infected by cancer first. This was one of the spots.)   Basically I couldn't stop till I knew one way or the other. So I went to my regular doctors to see if she thought there was any reason to be concerned. She thought that it was likely a pinched nerve, because of how the pain wrapped around the leg, and didn't follow a straight line. Still, she said I should get a ultrasound, and just make sure that everything was alright. 

So, I waited about an hour and a half at the hospital to get this ultrasound. I now have a little more sympathy for pregnant women, cause the tech did not hold back on how hard she pushed down to take those pictures. Imagine having strep throat, and then having someone pushing down and in all along your throat, taking pictures. Good times. Well, they said they would have the results in two hours. Six desperate and slow hours later, I get the call. It was the nurse (always a good sign when it's the nurse and not the doctor) and she said that it was my lymph nodes. There was an infection, similar to what happens to your throat when you have strep, and they were swollen. They were still within regular size, and the swelling was benign! Good news to hear. Sad news: there is nothing that can be done but to let it ride out on its own. This, apparently is fairly common, which also gives me relief.

I feel a little justified that there was actually something wrong. Weird to say maybe, but I feel everything now. Every twinge, pain, discomfort, I can't help but stop and assess. Am I missing something? Is my body telling me something? The problem is I didn't have any signs before. It came silently, and it was a miracle that it was even found. I hate to feel this way. Like my body and I are on opposite sides. I am reading Trust Jesus by Jeffrey Holland right now. I am grateful to have this book, because it helps to remind me that all I can do it my best. I personally can't guarantee that my cancer will never come back. I can only trust that Jesus has a better plan for me, and that He is aware of me. This is not easy for me to give such power away (like it is even mine to begin with, right?). I am afraid. I feel small sometimes because of it. This has stretched me in ways that I never would have before. Still, it has opened my mind up to the miracle of the atonement. That the physical and mental and emotional scars that are left on me will disappear. It's not easy for me to get to this mindset, but I always find myself coming to the same conclusion. I am grateful to know the truth of it, and that our Heaven Father has set a way for us to be happy, if not always now, then someday that will last.

I have my second to last scan this month. The last will be in May 2009. From there, I will have just over three more years till I'm in recovery. 

Shout out to my girls from OZ!!!

This is just a little post for my sister-in-law Jana and niece Kylee who have just been cast in The Wizard of Oz at Rodger's Memorial Theater (holla!(dang you Greg for getting that into my vocab!!).)









Jana was cast as the whimsical Glinda, the Good Witch!
(The additional munchkin is my nephew Jackson!)











Kylee was cast as a munchkin, with the chance of being a Flying Monkey. (Again, the additional munchkin makes an appearance. Oh well!)

I know that this picture really is unrelated to the post, and to be honest I can't find a reasonable segue to justify it. But while Jana was at her call backs for The Wizard of Oz, I got to cuddle this guy to sleep. Heaven! He is such a sweet little cuddler. And he has the cutest little laugh, whether it is his a amused murmur to his outright laugh.

Heads Up

Just thought I would give all of you a heads up that the address is going to be changing this next week. I am not sure if there is going to be a link that you would be able to follow or not so thought I better give you a heads up. I am shooting for JeffandBiz.blogspot.com If any of you steal it I will track you down and beat you with a wet noodle.

Why I am Pam from "The Office!"

There are many reasons that I consider myself to be Pam from The Office. Jeff is my Jim, I like to draw, I am a secretary (though I much prefer to say office manager, which I am sure that Pam would agree with), and more I won't bore you with, but trust me, there are some.

Anyway, the point was cemented for me a while ago. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. I have waited an undisclosed time to write the blog, in hopes of protecting those parties, as I don't want to hurt feelings. But it was just too funny to miss.

So many of you Office fans will remember that Pam went to Phyllis's wedding, and everything was what Pam had picked out. Yep. That's right. I went to a wedding and it was totally my wedding! They had it at the same location for their wedding dinner, same temple, same reception center, very similar table settings/ideas (but nowadays, how can you not, right?) and DA DA DA DA!!! same DRESS!!! I know what you are thinking, coincidence...maybe. But this is a friend, and they were there at our dinner and reception! Gasp! They weren't engaged at the time, so the only thing I can surmise is that I have great taste, right? Well, Jeff said that, but of course I had the same reaction as Pam: "That's MY Dress!"

Now it seems funny, but Jeff will attest to the fact that I did not have too much fun that night. Poor guy. Little did he know what he was getting into with me.

Now as a close, if any of you know the couple (which I don't think anyone will) please do not say anything. Please do not leave a comment with any names. I really don't want to hurt any feelings. Just enjoy the hilarity that is my life!

Bragging Rights!

As a wife, it is well within my right to brag on my cute husband. Jeff was employee of the month at his job!!! He is always working so hard for our cute little family. The letter said things like "self maintained/trained" and "good example of hard work" for the other employees. This is just the kind of guy that My Jeff is. He is always going the extra mile for things, and when he does them, they get done right. How did I get so lucky? Jeff gets to work by 7:00 am every morning, and he never complains. He always works a hundred and ten percent, and then, if I work late, he will usually make sure dinner is already ready. Sigh.

Isn't She Lovely!

Kira Nancy Plowman
10-6-2008

Welcome little Kira. Our little niece was born yesterday afternoon at LDS hospital. She came two days before her scheduled C-section, much to the delight of her mother, Jessica, who was ready to go about a month ago. Proud Papa Dave had only been at work for a minute before he got the call and was on his way. This was Jessica's second C-section, and since this one wasn't an emergency, it went much smoother, and Mama felt better than the last time. It only took about 45 minutes before the family of four became a family of five.

First family photo.

Big Brother Luke was probably the most excited to meet his new sister. He has been talking to Jessica's belly for months now. You can see how elated he is to finally meet Baby Kira.

Jenna was also excited to meet her sister. No one could have been happier that Kira turned out to be a girl then Jenna.In my arms she moved around, but inJeff's arms, she fell into the deepest sleep she had had all day. Typical.

Proud Auntie Biz. Underneath that hat, there is a cute little fuzz going on.This is Kira deep in thought.
Her cute lower lip. She did not like to have her picture taken. But it was so cute to see her little lip pout like that.

Thank you for viewing the cute pictures of the newest niece. I have to say, I have the cutest 12 nieces and nephews out there. Pictures don't lie.

To Blog or not To Blog!

Well, it happened. Whether or not I know what I am getting myself into, I am now an official blogger. (Ginny, I hope you appreciate this, as I had to rise to your challenge!)

I guess to start with my exciting news: Saturday was not only Women's Conference, but my one year anniversary of being in remission! Only four more to go! It feels good to be where I am. It's funny how the last year has flown by like no time at all, and the four months of treatment felt like years. To celebrate, my mom took me out for sushi...mmmmm, sushi!

Maybe that's because life is so great right now! I can't tell you how blessed I feel. I have this cute little home, that I share with my cute husband. I get to go to a job that I love. I have an awesome family, that just about doubled in June. I'm not trying to rub things in, but I just didn't know that life could be so wonderful! (Yes, I realize how I just tempted fate. Sigh, I will never learn.)

Also, since Jeff may never mention it but in passing, here is a picture from our wedding day!

Gavin

So I got an email from my Mission President's wife today. In reading it I first heard about this little tike and his story. I do have to say that I am sorry that I will not have the opportunity to meet Gavin and all the joy that I am sure that he brought in to this world during the short time that he blessed those around him with his presence. I'm not going to go into details of his story, if that is something that interests you feel free to click on the picture and it should take you to his website. I will let you know that he was born with a genetic disorder called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency that caused his liver to go into failure.

Hearing about what my mission companion must be going through has helped me stop to think how precious this time on earth is. We need to take time each day to stop and smell the roses so to speak. We can never be sure about what is around the corner for us in this life. Let us all take each day as a blessing from God and look to what we can do to bless the lives of those that are around us.

Shakespeare Festival

So we went down to the Shakespeare Festival a couple of weeks ago. This is a tradition that Biz has had with her parents for several years. The first night we watched Cyrano De Bergerac. I originally was looking forward to this as I was somewhat familiar with the story line from seeing the movie Roxanne. If you haven't seen the play, stick to the movie. It is much better.

The next day we went to see Fiddler on the Roof. This is a musical that the movie ruined for me many years ago. That being said, I really enjoyed the production. It was put on very well and was much better than the movie. If you had the chance to go to the Shakespeare Festival I highly recommend it.

The guys at the Malt Shop

I am still alive.....

So yeah it has been a while since I last updated this. I just sent an invite for Biz to update this as well. So hopefully you all hear more about what is or what is not going on.

This past Saturday, we went to the BIG BLUE BASH! Biz was nice enough to let me go and to come along with me. It was great to hear from former and current players about the program and the TRADITION SPIRIT and HONOR that is BYU FOOTBALL. We heard from Max Hall, Austin Collie, Brandon Doman, Reno Mahe (or Maje depending on how you decide to spell it) and Setema Gali. We are down to a week and a half until game day and I am stoked. It will be interesting to watch this season unfold. There is a lot of potential with this team. They will have to play their "A game" every week though as there are a lot of teams that would love nothing more than to dash the Cougars "QUEST FOR PERFECTION."

My stake plays Flag Football in the fall. I am looking forward to this. I am not sure how many games there are going to be. It will be fun to extend the usual Turkey Bowl that I get once a year though and play in several games. I guess I better get out and practice though so if anyone wants to play catch let me know.

So we are getting down to crunch time. Just 17 days left until the big day. I am very excited. I think we have all of the major details nailed down just a lot of the little things left to get done. We are going to have our Bridals and Groomals done on Monday. For being one that doesn't like pictures of himself taken, I think i have done quite well with it. I think having a great photographer and of course spending the time with someone that I love make things go very well. I'm not even dreading the pictures yet. Now by the time we are all done on the 18th, I may be but for now all is well.

So for those who don't know I am a server at Denny's. It has for the most part been very enjoyable. About a week ago two couples who were definitely Asian walked in and I sat them. I wanted to be their server but it wasn't my turn to be seated so I sat them in another server's section. When I got a chance I went over and asked them where they were from. They replied that they were from Japan. I then asked them, "Nihon no doko kara kimashita ka?" The look of surprise and the "Ehhhh" that came from them was wonderful. I had a chance to talk with them for a little while and they were from the Osaka area. It was a lot of fun to be able to use the language again especially with Japanese people.

I love my phone and Daylight Savings Time

So last night before I went to bed I changed my clock back and set the alarm on my phone to wake me up this morning. All other cell phones that I have had automatically updated (I assume at the right time, but at least before I needed to be awake.) Well, I had a meeting at 8:15 and it is safe to say that I missed it because my phone said it was only 7:15. All those who know how much I absolutely love to be late and or miss things that I am supposed to be at know how happy that made me!

Going out for Lunch

So this afternoon I went to lunch with some of my friends. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing that we decided upon. I thought that Elizabeth had a work meeting that she was at but decided to call her and check with her to see if it was over and if she wanted to come. Well, she declined coming along because she had some things that she wanted to get done first. I completely understand and had no problem with that. (Although, everything is better when she is around!)

So we set out for Cafe Pierpont. Well it turns out that Cafe Pierpont closed back in August. I was quite upset as I have been craving Cafe Pierpont since last summer, but just hadn't found the right time to go.

We decided to go over to the Olive Garden instead. We sat down and ordered our food. Which if there is anyone that hasn't been to the Olive Garden you are missing out. And if you aren't a fan of Italian food, than I suggest the Stuffed Chicken Marsala. It is really good. I am facing the towards the entrance. I can't see the waiting area, but as people are being seated, I can see them walk in to the area of the restaurant.

So we are sitting there eating our food and I look up and in is walking Elizabeth and her mom. Neither one see us (I am also with Elizabeth's brother Jon) even though there aren't any tables in between. We weren't right next to them, but fairly close. So I sent Elizabeth a text message asking her how the Olive Garden was. She looked at her purse shortly after I sent the text so I assume she got the text, but she opted not to look at her phone to see who it was.

I then tried to call her and if she didn't answer had decided to go over and try to take their order for them. Well while Elizabeth's phone is ringing, her mom looks up and sees me and then ruins the fun that I had planned by telling Elizabeth to look at who was sitting at the table directly behind her.

I guess the moral of the story is that Elizabeth and I enjoy the same restaurants which is a very good thing. Then to top it off, someone paid for my food. I think that someone will be in trouble later on.

Welcome

So I officially created this a couple of weeks ago and it is still a work in process. I thought I might as well go ahead and get it going for all of you as I doubt I will ever be 100% happy with it. I will try and get some pictures for you soon.