The S.S. Tippetts Family: June 2011

I love Sundays! I'm now the secretary of the Primary (children's sunday school) in our ward. It's fun seeing all the kids and singing songs with them. Of course, music time is my favorite part. It's also been great to have Sherman's parents visiting us. We are going to miss them!

Yesterday, we had the elders (male missionaries from our church) over for dinner. I decided that I wanted to make a Mexican dinner that I hadn't made for Sherman yet. It turned out great!

First, I made some homemade salsa which Sherman and his parents loved!

Then I started a pot of pinto beans, which I later made into refried beans.

Sherman's favorite is my mexican rice. There's wasn't much left after dinner. :)

For the main dish, we fried up some taco empenadas (we don't know what to call them because the family that I learned to make them from called them soy tacos, but I used ground turkey instead of soy).

Of course, Sherman was a great husband and helped me in the kitchen!

Everyone joyed the dinner and it was fun to cook, but not to clean up. lol.

I've enjoyed reading many of my friends' blogs so I decided to start one myself. So, here is goes!

First, I'd like to let you know what's going on in our life right now. Sherman is looking for work and planning to continue his education this fall term at Chemeketa Community College. He has been working on his general studies and hopes to eventually attend Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to become a Physician's Assistant specializing in pediatrics. I'm very proud of him and how hard he has been working to make his dreams a reality! I know he will become a GREAT physician's assistant! I am also going to school at Chemeketa Community College and after much debut I think I have finally decided on what I will wish my degree in. As many of you know, I received my Associates of Science in General Studies from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland in May of 2008. After graduating, I moved to Logan to study Deaf Education at Utah State University (GO AGGIES!!!), however, I didn't finish the program and there are no Deaf Edu degree programs in Oregon. So, after much thought and prayer, I've decided to apply to OHSU's nursing program in hopes to receive my bachelors in nursing and a master's in nursing midwifery! I'm very excited!!!

As well as going to school, I work for Wells Fargo Bank as a teller. However, I have not been able to work since early April. In March, I become very ill which made it difficult to do anything including working or helping around the house (I'm very grateful for a wonderful husband, friends, and family). After much testing (including 2 CT scans, hida scan, ultrasound, multiple visits to the ER, upper endoscopy, and lots of blood work) they found that I had a very bad virus and a displaced disk in my back. Thankfully the virus has gone away and I am now able to keep food down (for the most part), but the disk in my back is pushing into my spinal column and pushing against the nerves. I try to hide the pain from most people, but it's hard to do a lot of little things such as stand in a shower, put clothes on, drive, climb the stairs to my apartment, ect. I have started physical therapy and will be starting epidural steroid injections in a few weeks. My neurosurgeon is hoping that we can avoid surgery (cross fingers). In the past few weeks, new symptoms have developed like pain, numbness, tingling in my legs and arms and body shakes. My doctors aren't sure what is causing the new symptoms so I get to have 2 more MRIs this week. We will see what happens.

This is a picture of one of my ER visits when I had been so ill that my blood vessels on my face blustered and caused red spots all over my face.

On a happy note, Sherman and I have found much joy in our lives even thru the trials. We were sealed in the LDS Portland Oregon temple last Saturday on June 18th! Sherman's parents' have been visiting us which we've enjoyed a lot.