THE PARK POST

Tuesday, November 24, 2015 is one of those days I'll never forget.  At 6:00 am I got a call from Licia telling me that Dad was in the hospital and had suffered a heart attack.  It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized he was on life support and his heart had stopped for 15 min. The doctors made no promises about his recovery and said he had a 50/50 chance of making it, his ribs were probably fractured from the chest compressions, and there was no guarantee that he would have normal brain  function.  Licia and I decided to get on a plane that afternoon to be with Mom and Dad.  It's hard to express the range of emotions I felt while I was in Utah for the next 9 days.  It was one of the hardest things I've had to go through, but it was also one of the sweetest and most sacred experiences I've had as well.  In New York we had talked about being unified as a family, and it felt like we were now putting that theory to practice.  I felt a...

These photos represent some of the life events happening in our little family prior to Thanksgiving week when my Dad suffered his heart attack.  Life just moves along and then sometimes it seems to just stop.  More on that in my next post.   Paige became a trainer and got a new companion, Sis. Bueno  Stake Fall Festival  Mike had a radiology conference in Tucson, AZ.  There is a different kind of beauty here in AZ but I have come to appreciate it. I am now working in Activity Days with Sydney's age group.  We went and served at an awesome organization called Feed My Starving Children.  It was so fun and rewarding! Sydney loves to bake, just like Paige did.  She made these hamburger cupcakes all by herself and cleaned up the mess too.  I was very impressed!  

 I'm so grateful for my neighbor Caroline who thought up the idea of the Three Musketeers and then made the costumes.  I am a little burned out of Halloween costuming.  But they sure did look cute and Sydney was so happy! We had a neighborhood block party the night of Halloween.  I think the kids had fun, Mike and I turned in early and came home and watched a movie.  I'm getting old I guess. McKell (and her best friend Paige) and Jackson came up with their own ideas too this year.  Black Mail and a Bag of Eminems.   Paige and Sis. Latu were freezing in Idaho Falls.  But she's never been happier!

Add caption I was so lucky to spend a once in a lifetime kind of trip with my parents and 6 siblings in New York for a week.  I had such a great time and made memories to last forever.  How did I get such awesome people for my family?  I'm so grateful that my parents help keep us close even though we live in different places and have different personalities and perspectives on life.  LOVE and UNDERSTANDING are the key!  Licia enjoying her first NY taxi.  It was an adventure! Times Square with the Girls! Those seats were sure tiny, but Matilda was awesome! Let's just say I learned a lot about myself on the streets of  New York. 9/11 Memorial Museum Gotta love Dad and his compression socks.  He was sure enjoying the wheelchair ride! Subway ride to the museum We expect this from my Dad, but definitely not from the Tonster!! Heath dreaming of being on Broadway.   ...