Anniversary: Year One...

I would imagine that most people will say that they had a memorable first anniversary. I can understand why. Just by virtue of the fact that it is the first anniversary, it is memorable. Josh and I celebrated our one year anniversary last month (Nov. 20) and it was one of the most memorable weekends EVER!

My birthday is near our anniversary and his birthday is near Valentine's day. We each think our birthday's are a big deal. Therefore, I take care of the anniversary and he is in charge of V-Day. That means, this anniversary... It was up to me to make it fabulous!

The weekend actually started several weeks ago by starting a string of misleading hints. I kinda think I'm awesome, not gonna lie. Some time ago I started dropping hints about not having enough money to do anything extravagant and asking questions like, "You'll be okay if it simple, right?" and "Do you mind if I don't get you anything and we just do something fun here?" or "It might be kinda lame, but I hope you like it." I am so sneaky!

The celebration started on Friday (even though our anniversary is was on Sat). I kicked him out of the house saying that I had to "prepare" things. I didn't really do a lot at home, but get myself ready and pack for the night. I told him though that he could not come back into the apartment because I didn't want to spoil things. Hehehehe.

I called him at 2:3o and told him to come home and I would meet him in the parking lot, thus began phase I. We jumped in the car and we were off! I wouldn't tell him where we were going and took a round-a-bout way of getting there. We finally arrived at our first destination: GINZA! We both very much love sushi, so I thought, what better way to celebrate than with one of our favorites! (It sure did help that it was half price sushi roles!) We ate until we were full! Josh also got an appetizer. Here is a video... I think it is NASTY, but Josh loves them... weird.

After we finished eating and were sufficiently stuffed, we got back in the car for phase II. We had some time before phase II could officially begin, so we went back to the Aves and drove around looking at our favorite houses there. We also drove by some of our favorite spots in the aves. We went by the park on M and 6th were we used to go to read with each other. We drove through the cemetery where we used to go running or walking together, past our old apartments, and to the spot where he first told me he loved me. (Are you ready to puke yet??)

As it got closer to 5, I blind folded Josh and tried as best I could to confuse him without making him car sick. Once I pulled into the parking lot, I let him take his blind fold off. The parking lot was an unmarked parking garage that helped conceal the surprise that much longer. I popped the trunk and asked him to help me get what was inside. He looked so confused! It was GREAT! We walked out of the parking garage to a sign that said, "Anniversary Inn." We checked in and... yada yada yada, we were really tired the next day. ;)

We packed up and began phase III. I packed our church clothes and we got dressed and checked out at noon. We headed to Bountiful and ended up here:

We were married in the Bountiful Temple on November 20, 2009 and returned one year later to celebrate our marriage and one wonderfullysuccessful year!! It was such a wonderfully touching experience. I am so grateful to have a husband that loves me and loves the Lord. We are a blessed family and I look forward to the day we can add to it! (This is NOT an announcement, so don't even ask...)

After the temple we were both starving, so we went to another one of our favorites... Neilson's Frozen Custard. Ummmmm... custard. :) It was awesome. My sister Mari was working and bought us our custard as an anniversary gift! BONUS! We were both pretty tired from all the celebrating we had been doing and decided we would make it a quite night at home on Saturday. However, before taking off we thought we would stop by my parents house to see Cali (my adorable niece) since we were in the area. We weren't there very long, but while we were, it started to snow! When we left the roads looked like this:

It was sort of scary because I didn't have the snow tires on my car yet. I was just a little nervous, but I wasn't too worried. I was stupid not to worry. The product of my complacency? Please see the following:

My lovely car of 10 years was destroyed! We hit a patch of ice and it was all over. Neither of us thought it would be that bad since we were going so slow when we hit the telephone pole, but we were wrong. Thanks to a wonderful friend (Shout out to the Brooks!) we were able to get the car to JP's Auto and Collision. I knew we could trust JP and his assessment of the car. Unfortunately, not even he could save my baby. RIP Honey!

Although the night ended with a bang (hahaha! pun intended), it was a wonderful anniversary. I think I am so lucky and blessed to have such a great husband in my life. He takes great care of me. He watches over me and knows my soul. I am forever grateful that he was brought into my life.

7 Deadly Sneezes...

A week or so ago at staff meeting an interesting thing happened... my adorable co-worker, Rachel, sneezed. The sneeze itself was interesting because Rachel has a tendency to sneeze multiple times in a row rather than one huge blow out. The more interesting thing was the response from another co-worker, who shall remain nameless. She said, "What was that!? That was ridiculous. Just let it out." She proceeded to go on about the fact that a sneeze is like a fart or a burp, just get it out! I'm not gonna lie... It was hysterical. Not only that, it was super awkward! That is the reason that "Deadly Sneeze" number 7 is ...

7. The Staff Meeting Sneeze

I think we all have learned that it is not possible to sneeze with your eyes open. Thus it is not smart to sneeze while driving... I'm just sayin'... it isn't safe! Cha-Cha reports that, "An estimated 2 million UK motorists have had an accident, near miss, or momentary loss of control due to sneezing. No death tally." Ok... it may not be deadly, but I'd rather avoid the accident!

6. The Behind the Wheel Sneeze

Josh has been riding 4-Wheelers pretty much his whole life. When we got married I tried it out for the first time. I am still not great at driving and obviously do not have my my own. This means I am usually on the back riding with someone else. Generally that someone is Josh, but I just so happened to be on the back of my mother-in-law's ride at a really bad time. My little brother William had come for a ride with us and he didn't feel comfortable with anyone but Josh. Well... ever since the radiation for the cancer, my bladder is a bit sensitive and when you are straddling a four-wheeler it is not possible to clinch! Thus #5 is...

5. The Straddling a 4-Wheeler Sneeze

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "Dang, I am so hot that I even look good when I sneeze!" If that is the case let me just remind you that 1: you are not able to keep your eyes open so you have no idea what you look like and 2: I promise it is not cute! I googled images for sneezes and there are some really ugly sneezers out there! I even found this picture of a classy actress from the 50's that doesn't look so classy...

So, I have come to the conclusion that the #4 most deadly sneeze is during an intimate moment. Now, to make myself clear... I don't mean during hanky-panky. I mean during those quiet sweet moments where everything seems right in the world, until you sneeze and blow spit and snot all over the person you were sharing a special moment with... NOT attractive!

4. Totally UN-sexy Sneeze

I think this next deadly sneeze is relatable mostly by the women in the audience... I have talked to several women who have said that they have the same trouble with bladder control after having a baby. This means that if you have anything in you bladder, unless you are clinched, you WILL have leakage. Two particular instances come to mind. The first was an occasion when I was hiking with my awesome friend, Brenna (Shout out!). She was pregnant at the time. As we were coming back down the mountain trail she had to stop me a few times so she could sneeze. The trouble was that we kept making each other laugh as well and we had drunk a lot of water! There was no trouble on the trail... it was just funny and makes me smile when I think about it. :) Love you Bren!

The second story is what really gets me going... I don't exactly have permission to tell this story, so I won't tell you who it was. :) I think this was about 7 or 8 years ago. I was at home with my family and such. One particular individual was standing at the top of the stairs trying to get the attention of those at the bottom of the stairs. As she was standing there, she sneezed. She had to clinch, but was standing a little close to the top of the stairs... She lost her balance and headed down the stairs! Luckily she landed on her butt, but unluckily she was wearing silk p.j. bottoms! She made it all the way to the bottom before stopping! My family STILL laughs about it! This story is the reason for the #3 spot:

3. The Clinch Sneeze

We are nearing the end! The last 2 are, for me, the most frustrating sneezes... We all know that there are certain foods that just take longer to chew: beef jerky, celery, carrots, certain cereals (dry), etc. When eating these foods I am always pretty self conscience. Not only do they take a long time to chew, but they linger... You know what I mean... you feel like there are still stray pieces for 10 minutes after you eat! That is why a sneeze after you eat a carrot is so bad! Not only are the left over pieces slimy and all chewed up, but they are bright orange! Who isn't going to see that! Plus, having small bits of orange lodged in my nasal cavity is not exactly comfortable. All you can do is pray that when you eat a carrot your allergies are well under control! So, for that reason here is #2:

2. The Carrot Chew Sneeze

I remember very distinctly the day that I was released from the hospital after the surgery to remove the cancer. I was so excited! I hadn't worn make-up in almost 2 weeks and had my mom bring all my stuff so I could get "gussied up." While I was getting ready to go, my mom did some filming. She was doing a video of the room and the people and when she got to the view it was a very sentimental moment until from that bathroom she heard this, "AchOOOO! Awww, SUCK!" Yes, it is forever caught on camera! Why was I so upset? I had just put on my mascara! Now for all the boys out there, let me explain... mascara takes time to dry and when you sneeze you don't just lightly close your eyes, you shut tight... This leaves marks all across the bottom of you eyes and you end up looking something like this:

That isn't really the look I was going for that day! Or any day for that matter... It is NOT an easy one to clean up after. I always do my best to prevent a sneeze while doing my makeup, but if it happens you better hope that you have a q-tip at hand! So, the final deadly sneeze:

1. The Mascara Sneeze

Happy Sneezing everyone! Just be careful. ;)

Learning to Laugh: Journey with Cancer
Disclaimer: THIS IS A LONG POST, but I think it is worth reading! Thanks.

I have recently been spending a lot of time contemplating my experience with cancer. For those of you who don’t know, I am a 5-year colon cancer survivor. I may reserve a post for a later date to retell the story of my diagnosis, but tonight I want to focus specifically on the humor that helped me survive. I have recently had a few experiences that reminded me that the humor has to be carried with me the rest of my life if I want to make it through the issues I continue to face due to my battle 5 years ago.

As I reflect back I remember specifically the wonderful friend and nurse who told me jokes in the bathroom after my surgery to make me laugh so that I didn’t have to have the catheter put back in my bladder. I was actually glad t

o pee I was laughing so hard that day! I also remember sitting in the waiting room for Chemo to start and having to fill out a survey about my emotional state and what I was feeling. I was doing Chemo… think about it! But my mom sat with me and made it so funny that we were laughing so hard it was inappropriate! I got so many NASTY looks that day from people that didn’t realize I was there because I was a patient. It was totally worth it though because now my mom and I have some really great inside jokes! Another learning moment was just a few months after my diagnosis and I was at a friend’s home for a party. We were playing Scatergories the game. Someone rolled the letter C. The card just so happened to have on the list… disease. That means that you have to name a disease that starts with the letter “C”. You even get double points for two words that sta

rt with C. I hadn’t had the diagnosis long and I knew everyone in the room was still concerned about offending me, so what did I do? I took the double points and wrote down colon cancer! 2 points baby for taking advantage of my friends’ attempts at sensitivity! What saps. ;)

I can name so many more instances where people around me either helped me laugh, or learned to laugh with me. However, recently as I have continued to deal with the issues that are caused by the treatments I received 5 years ago, it has become harder to laugh. I have asked myself over and over again, “When is this going to end?” “When is enough enough?” Well, I had a moment a few weeks ago where I didn’t laugh. In fact, I couldn’t even retell the story without wanting to cry. I wondered what had changed. Why is it that I can no longer laugh? I decided that this is why I need to share the story. I

need to be able to laugh about it. I need to be able to look back and say, “That was hella funny!” Mostly because it really is hysterical the more I think about it and determine that laughing about is better than letting it bring me down, so without further adieu…

The Journey at Delicate Arch

Josh and I recently went camping in Moab. We decided that we were much in need of unplugging and enjoying just each other for a whole week! We had a blast. I loved being able to spend all that time with my husband and only him. On one of our last days there we spent the day perusing the shops and having a great time watching the rain! We decided that we would hike Delicate Arch that night so that we could see the sunset there. We had read that was the best time to go. Before heading up there,

we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants in town, Pasta Jay’s. Oh man! It was delish! I had a Pesto and Gnocchi dish that was to die for! It was really heavy though so we were looking forward to hiking it off. Now this is the moment in my story when people that know me start to think, “Oh no! This is not going to be good.” For those of you who don’t know me… this is the time when you should be thinking, “Oh no! This is not going to be good.” You may wonder why. If you are wondering why then you either don’t know much about food you generally eat when camping, or you just don’t know what a colon cancer survivor’s digestive system is like. The food we had been eating was mild; sandwiches, cereal, hobo dinners, etc. Pasta Jay’s does not fall under that same category. Just keep that in mind.

When we arrived at the arch, the sun was just starting to lower and we were excited that we would be able to witness such beauti

ful creations. As we hiked up towards the arch, Josh and I both made several comments about the fact that we are totally out of shape and even stopped a few times to slow down and take a drink of water. As we were nearing the summit, it started, a low rumble about my midsection. This is when I really was starting to think, “Oh no!” We were 1.5 miles away from the car. I figured though that since we had gotten that far, I would continue on and get to the top. After all the rumblings were only at my midsection. When we reached the top, it was beautiful! We were planning on waiting up there to see the sunset and we had just decided to take a picture when it happened. “Oh no!” had just turned into “Oh S**T!” I turned to Josh and gave him that unmistakable look of panic that says that we have to go NOW! With out arguing my loving husband headed down the mountain. We made it about a quarter of a mile down the mountain and I realized that I just wasn’t going to make it. If any of you have ever hiked Delicate Arch you know that it is a mostly barren t

rail that has few hiding places. Well, I had to make do! I have to say though… squatting so close to the trail that you can still see the people walking by is really awkward! I think you can all get the gist of what happened next without gruesome detail. Don’t worry though it gets worse. I squatted there for a few minutes ensuring that it was safe to move on and it hit me… That was when “Oh S**T!” Turned into “#%^*&@&%$!!” I looked around and realized my only option was this:

I turned to my loving husband and presented the dilemma… This I believe is proof that my husband truly loves me. He offered his sock. I was mortified at the idea of using HIS sock! I slowly bent further and grudgingly untied my shoe. I really liked those socks, but now it is a part of nature, returning to its roots. Well, I determined that it was safe to move on and we began our decent off the mountain once more. I wish at this point I could say that was the end of the story, I wish I could even say that my other sock survived the climb down the mountain, but alas. Neither is true. Thankfully my husband is a patient and loving person who doesn’t judge.

We made it off the mountain just in time. I say just in time because if it had been any further, Josh would have had to give up a sock. Thank goodness for porta potties.

Well, I hope that I have been able to make you laugh. I don’t think I do enough of it. I am hoping that this note to myself will remind me of the need to laugh at moments like that.

Why I do what I do...

When I was a child I always dreamed that I would do something amazing with my life. "I want to help people," I would respond when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Throughout the years I have contemplated a million and one options. I thought about being a teacher at an elementary school, a drama teacher, a daycare provider, a therapist, a school counselor, etc... I'm not really sure if there was one particular moment that lead me to where I am now. I have wondered about that several times... What was it that finally made me decide that my profession would be a caseworker? I have been pondering this because this afternoon I was talking to a former supervisor of mine and he asked me, "If you had it to do all over again, would you still do the social sciences?" I didn't even hesitate and I said, "yes." I turned the question back on him. He leaned back in his chair contemplated for a few minutes and said, "I only have two years until I retire. The only reason I stuck with this is that I am determined to get a pension out of the state!" He didn't really answer my question, so I asked again. He slyly smiled and said he too would do it again.

I doubt anyone really aspires to be the despised, and yet, there are many of us in the same position. I never thought I would have a conversation stopper for a profession either. Just imagine the dread that comes a long with the question, "Oh, What do you do for a living?" How does someone in my position answer that question without either totally killing the conversation or at least making it far too serious? I have tried on occasion to make it light, "Oh, I take kids away from rotten parents and give them to good people." Imagine how well that goes over, especially with people you don't know very well... every one has a story, just keep that in mind. The one time I tried that it turned out there was a removal in that persons family at one point. Open mouth, insert entire leg! There is no way to recover from that, so you just move on.

So, how does one get to this point? The truth is... I don't know. I look back trying to determine how I got here and I can see a lot of small moments that lead me to make the choices that got me here. You can call it fate, serendipity, destiny, guidance of the Spirit, the Hand of the Lord... whatever you are more comfortable with, but something was for sure there. Something "lead" me to where I am.

I have spent my whole life believing that I am meant to help other people. I still believe this is true, but I today made me wonder if I am doing any good. I had a few moments today that truly made me question if I am helping anyone. When I first started this job I was blessed with cases that provided me with the confidence in the work of the child welfare system. I knew that I was helping those families. I knew that they were better off after we helped them. I knew those kids were happy and healthy and had permanent and stable environments.

How did things change so quickly? People always said that burnout happens for people who care too much. How can I care less? These are children's lives we are messing with. These are real people with real issues and real concerns. Today made me really wonder about my job. The circumstances of the cases don't matter. The reasons the children were removed don't matter. The family dynamics don't matter. All that matters is that I had to tell a parent today that they do not ever get to have their child back. I had to tell that person that a family outside of their own family will be adopting their child. I had to tell that parent that after the adoption is finalized it will be totally up to the adoptive home what type of contact they get with their own biological child. When I got back to my office I was yelled at by a man that I have worked endlessly to help. I then prepared a file for a group of four siblings that will now and forever be living in four separate homes. How do I care less? How do I leave that at the office?

So you ask, "Why do you do what you do?" I do what I do because I care too much. I do what I do because that one child will now be in a safe and stable home that will never abandon her for a substance. I do what I do because even if he yells at me, his family is safe. I do what I do because I have been able to reunite four children with their fathers. I do what I do because I have coworkers that care and support me. I do what I do because I want to make a difference with one child. I do what I do because it is something amazing.

A Blog of Bosh: The Title...

My family has an odd sense of humor. It is difficult to understand it at times and outsiders generally give regular odd stares when joining a party or gathering of the Lindsay household. My husband lucked out. He too has an odd sense of humor and fits in very well. My family started a running joke when we first started dating that it was impossible to see the one without the other and decided that we were an entity and not a couple. They decided we needed one name instead of two to make it easier. Thus the name Bosh was born. You see, Bosh is a combination of my first name, Beth, and my husband's first name, Josh. It was certainly the best of the name options that were thrown out, since suggestions included things like: Jeth and Bethua.

When we decided to start a blog we determined that the name had to be as full of as much nonsense as we are. We lucked out! I googled the name "Bosh" and discovered that in 1846 Edward Lear had published a book entiled, "A Book of Bosh." My first though was that it was a cool name and thought to use it as the title of this blog. It got even better though as I researched the book! It turns out that in the 1800's "bosh" acutally meant "nonsense"... What luck! Josh and I are always full of nonsense! It only made sense to name our blog after a book that was written by another author that was full of sillyness. From this, we named our blog, "A Blog of Bosh" and plan to fill it with sillyness.

Brace yourselves for a blog full of BOSH!