HELLO!!

Hello Family!!

I'm still here, sorry you haven't heard from me in a long time. I've been...well, we can say busy...but what I really mean is playing in the German pool with my German host siblings in GERMANY! I have a little sun burn, from the German sun... I'm not obsessed really!

Yep, thats right, I'm still here and I'm going to be for another two months. It's weird to think that I have spent almost a whole year in another country away from Family and Friends.... Weird! I do have to say, the weather here is amazing! It's the warmest/sunniest April Germany has had in many years. Everybody is saying that I'm lucky to be here this year cause it's been so beautiful. I must agree, I am lucky to be here, regardless of the weather. It's almost been unreal...

Enough rambeling, I wanted to let you all know that I'm still around....well in Germany but still alive at least. For awhile I thought I was going to slowly turn into a German cause I'v been here a long time, but then I realized, that's what they want!! AHH!! Don't worry I'm still me....mostly!

Love you all so much! My family means everything to me, it hasn't been the easiest 8 months of my life without you. I'm looking forward to seeing most of you (I hope all of you) in June for my big sister's/best friend's wedding.. Until then!

babysitting info again, please.

i have a question about the whole babysitting thing for the wedding. do you have babysitters available or do we need to find someone? we would like to come but we don't know what to do with Robyn. She will be 10 months then if that changes anything. we have family in provo but we don't want to leave robyn there because we would like to stay as long as possible.

Changes to Powell Family Blog

Due to comments from non-members of the blog on May 15 I have decided to restrict the blog to just those who have been invited to use it. The process now for reading the blog will require you to sign in first with your username and password. If the 'sign in' box is not showing, all you need to do is click on the big blogger "B" to get it to show. If you need another invitation or you know another family member who would like one, let me know.

Time to Plan for 2008 Family Reunion

Gramma Rainy will be sending family members a proposed schedule for the 2008 Family Reunion. If you do not receive one either by e-mail or regular mail, contact me or Rainy to receive one. I would like as much input from family as possible and as soon as possible. It's not to early to start planning for next year's event!

No Wedding Brunch Afterall

This is to inform you the Wedding brunch that was tentatively scheduled for Saturday morning (June 30) has been removed from the schedule altogether. Everything else is the same. Official announcements should be going out the first week in June.
Lots of love!

Asphalt, sandals and skateboarding

So today me, Richard and Andrea were over at Richards mothers house on a hill. Well we brought the long board (extra long skateboard), needless to say no one would go down the hill on the board so i decided to be the courageous one and attempt it. As i was flying down the hill my board started to tip and ...well... i went flying through the air landed on the asphalt and slid about two feet on the asphalt. My main concern was my board, but i ended up with 10 abrasions and i split open my toe because... i was wearing sandals.

The moral of this and as i later explained to Richards nieces and nephew was... you never go skateboarding with out the proper equipment, ie helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and of course real shoes!!!! So what does asphalt, sandals and skateboarding have in common???? A real rough ride and yet another embarrassing moment foe Meghann.

Good Question

Someone asked me the other day if the wedding plans have changed because of Richard's accident. I figured others might have the same question in mind. Rest assured, although Richard's recovery is going very slowly, wedding plans remain unchanged. He will be on bed rest for another few weeks, he is scheduled for an MRI this week, and still antsy to get back to work.

Recap of wedding plans:
June 27 - Bridal Shower in Logan
June 29 - Open House in Logan
June 30 - Wedding brunch (Place, time, cost still to be determined)
June 30 (evening) - Wedding* and reception*

(*reminder: no children under 14 allowed. This isn't our rule; it is the wedding/reception place's requirement.)

Looking forward to seeing you in June!

Who Would have "Thunk" It!

The results of a major research study comparing every city in the United States has recently been published. The study focused on a number of factors including population growth, income, employment, education and higher education, etc... and ranked the cities from best to worst in the US. It blew me away when I saw the number three ranked city was none other than Logan, Utah. All these years I've been bitching to get the hell out of Logan only to discover it is the third best city in the US. Who would have "thunk" it.

It's ironic that the only negative comment made about Logan was that its population is 70% mormon.

Please pray for Richard

All hospitals have a "Code Blue" team, that is a team of employees that is called when there is an medical emergency, and Richard is on that team at Pioneer. On Feb 20 Richard responded to a code and was giving CPR. During the compressions the person working the defibrillator did not yell clear and Richard touching the patient got the full blow of 360 joules of the shock. To non-medical this type of shock is to stop the heart and reset it in a normal beat. This bolt of electricity went through Richards body making all of his muscles cramp up, the doctors say that it crossed over his body in his chest and exited his left big toe. Thank goodness it did not stop his heart, but it did throw him into a slower heart rhythm . For the first two weeks Richard has been dealing with his arm being numb and chest tightness.

But Richard has been complaining of chest pain the last week, so he got checked out and they found that when electric bolt crossed his chest it burnt his right lung and nerves to his lungs giving him a hemorrageic contusion. Because of that blood has leaked into his lungs and he is at risk for pulmonary embolisms(PE which are deadly) and he has contracted an infection and pneumonia. He has been put on bed rest with very little activity-he can't get his heart rate up because it would cause his lungs to expand and dislodge a PE. This is very serious because this can cause permanent damage.

So that is all the news i have to update people on sorry its not good news but hey news is news.

Passed the First Time!

Dylan passed his driving test the first time! The ironic thing is that neither Jeff nor I even knew he was taking his road test. He did it at school with the Driver Ed teacher. Dylan may have his license now, but Jeff and I feel he needs more driving experience, especially highway driving. So we will be taking a road trip to Vegas one of these upcoming weekends. We'll let you know when--look forward to seeing you!

The POWER TO POST!!

Yaaaay!!! I regot the invite!! Ahem, I forgot my user name and password from before.... :-)

Oh wait, I should have something to say, huh? Um, Meghann's forwards are really funny. I'm trying to find a Wii for Dylan, because they ROCK and I bet the Beverly will even get totally into it. Um, well, that's about it. Seriously thinking of moving to Utah in a year, but we'll see.

Okay, that really is it.

Love you all!!!!
Kim

Snow At Last!

We were beginning to fear the trees would bud early because of how warm it's been in the valley. But no fear snow has finally come! There are only three inches on the ground and the mountains still have more trees than snow visible and it will probably melt by tomorrow but... at least there's snow for today!

Samantha Doll Gets Ready For Easter

The Christmas costume was getting out-dated for the wonderful spring weather we are having, so Samantha Doll asked me to get her an Easter dress. The only problem I'm having with her right now is she doesn't want to take off her elf hat. She said that if I find the "most perfectest" Easter bonnet, then maybe she'll reconsider. Golly gee, she is as stubborn as her name-sake!

Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

I've looked all over . . .
and still can't find my Sammy!

Good and Bad News

Bad news first. Jeff won't be transferring to the Aircraft Sustainment Division as Branch Chief afterall. Everyone in his current division (and I do mean everyone from the Manager, Supervisors, Engineers, and the workers on the floor) went to the Senior Branch Manager and put in a "stop request" on his promotion and transfer. Because of this he has been deemed "Mission Critical" to the Airforce in his current division. :(

Now the Good news. The Airforce will be giving him a promotion of title and the pay increase he would have gotten with the original promotion just for staying where he is and doing what he has been doing. Plus, being deemed "Mission Critical" is now in his file. This will dramatically increase his chances for promotions and advancements within his current division. :)

Missed Photos read 'a wonderful new year...not'

here are the pictures they didn't work the first time sorry

What a wonderful New Year....NOT!!!!

After a wonderful Christmas with the family, Richard and I had a sucky New Year. We both got the stomach virus that was going around SLC. It consisted of vomiting and major diarrhea, you cannot go more than a room away from a bathroom because there is no warning when it comes…it just comes!!! It causes you to get extremely dehydrated, which physiologically makes your muscles cramp. So not only are you constantly expelling liquid from both ends but every muscle in your body is aching. Needless we celebrated our New Years hooked up to IVs in the Emergency Room at Pioneer Valley Hospital in complete misery.

After recovering from that we continued life as normal, but I had the added bonus to plan for a wedding. My soon to be sister-in-law is getting married in September so we planned to go to bridal fairs together. I never realized how much a person can spend on a wedding…it is insane!!!! I want a nice wedding to remember-special to Richard and me, and that is what we are going to have… Our wedding.

To top off the New Year Richard's grand parents give him a truck, at no cost, just gives it to him. As he pulls in the drive way it dies. A week and a couple hundred later it works. Then a week after that on the way to the hospital the clutch goes. So another week and another couple hundred and it works. Well something was still not right so yet another week and another hundred and now it works just fine…knock on wood.

Well on Jan 26 around 2pm on my way home from work a (here come the racial slurs) stupid un-insured non-english speaking Mexican runs a red light and smashes…let me repeat SMASHES into my car. I get out to look at the damage and he says, “I from mexico…no insurance… I pay… I pay…give me your number…I pay.” Luckily for me there was a cop who saw the accident and came over. I had to file a police report-that whole shebang. I hit my head on the side of the car and got a major head ache and had to go to the hospital (Pioneer Valley, home away from home) There I got checked out with nothing but whip-lash. But my head has not stopped hurting so more medical testing is being looked into. Here are some pictures of the car. I was hit on the driver’s side front tire to the end of the front end, it shifted everything over by about 6 inches. My guess is that I will need a new hood, bumper, and 2 fenders, a door, and a window.

So I want to make sure that everyone else is having a better year so far than I am!!!! And you all better be. I love you and wish you the best.

Totally Random

When I lived in New York and Nevada I would get compliments on my long straight freshly washed hair. Since moving to Utah, strangers approach me weekly complimenting me on my long, full head of hair. No lie, people approach me at the grocery store, doctor's office, and even at the temple! So what's the big deal you ask? Well, I only get compliments from Utahns when my hair is 3 or more days dirty and I have to back-comb it so it doesn't stick to my head. I never get compliments when my hair is freshly washed, shiny, straightened or styled. So this leads me to believe that one of the following is true about Utahns: 1) they long for the big hair of the 80s and their sense of style is freakishly antiquated, 2) they have no sense of style, or 3) they only compliment my hair when it's dirty to be nice. Either way it is really beginning to freak me out!

To make matters worse. Yesterday a complete stranger complimented my fingernails and asked me where I got them done. The only response I could muster was, "I grew them."

God help me; I need a break from Utah!

WazUp?

Some news to share...

Meghann and Richard have found a place for the wedding/reception. It's a greenhouse garden reception hall. From what I saw it looks beautiful. Meg will tell you more later.

Jeff applied for a promotion and got it. He is now the Branch Chief of the Aircraft
Sustainment Wing (division). (That makes him equivalent to a Major in the Air Force.)


Meggie and Richard's bird, Twilight, doesn't like Jeff because of his beard.
Here is a once in a life time shot of the two of them together.

Love to all!

Hi everybody. Some of you have asked about the wedding plans. Well, we are still working on them. The date is set for June 30, and it will be in Salt Lake City -- somewhere. The place is still undetermined. I want an out-of-doors late afternoon wedding (4 ish), then a family dinner, then a reception (6:30 ish) Sorry nothing set in stone yet. But at least you have the date! I hope you can schedule to attend.
love ya
Megs