A Grange Family Christmas

This year Christmas was a little bit different but it was still good. We didn't get to spend Christmas Eve with My sister and her family but they came over on Saturday and spent the whole afternoon! We made treats, played games and DANCED!! That is right casa de Grange is a dancing HOT SPOT! haha our favorite tune these days? Party in the USA... ya I know it is Miley (yuck) but you can't help but dance when you hear it... Check out Miss Shay and Aariel shakin their money makers!!!

Aariel shakin it!!

Shay likes to dance like me :0)

My daddo made some AWESOME gifts for each of us! I got a custom belt rack for my Martial Arts belts. Jade got a tool box, HarLee, Shay and Atta got jewelry boxes!!

Jade is not a fan of the Samiee style paparazzi

Surprise Surprise I was SICK over Christmas.... actually the big surprise is that of all things I had the CROUP... I use to get the croup all the time as a kid but you are suppose to out grow it.. Apparently my respritory system like the rest of me refuses to admit we are 27!!

HarLee, Atta and Shay playing with the AWESOME sticker books my Mom got them.



Aariel got her own laptop... so she will stop pushing the buttons on mine :0)

c'mon Samiee I don't wanna pose before I open my presents!!!

Holidays are here....

Thanksgiving is just a couple days away. This time of year always goes by too fast and is too quickly forgotten. This year this is what I am thankful for:

* My family. Without family this would be a very lonely very sad world!! I love my parents, my brother and sister and all of my nieces and my nephew. I love those kids like they were my own!!

* My friends. I consider my friends as family and I am soo grateful for all the different people in my life. They make everyday interesting and worth getting out of bed for!

* My training. I am so grateful for the studio and for the martial arts. The people I train with are my family and my friends and they have all helped me through some very very tough times. No matter how bad of a day I have going to the studio always makes me feel better. ALWAYS... I guess there is something about kicking, punching and throwing someone to make you forget all your troubles........imagine that... It also helps that our studio is full of amazing people!!!

*My job. In today's terrible economy I am VERY grateful to have a job. Especially a job that provides great benefits and values its employees. I am ESPECIALLY grateful for my co-workers and my manager. You make coming to work soo much fun!! I know that some of the customers we deal with are straight up CRAZY but they do make for good stories!

This time of year is always a little emotional for me, ok a lot emotional for me. I was fortunate enough to have the love and support from my family and friends after being hospitilized for 3 weeks after my blood clots. My family and friends where there to take me to and from my Dr. appointments, to work and where just there to support me. I know I don't tell them often enough how grateful I am for them.

Wyomin....... what a place

Derek, John, Danny, Kevin, Aubry, Kathy,Mark, Frank

FR: Midge and ME!

Well we made it back safe and sound from our yearly trip to Wyoming..... This year we went to Cody, Wyoming. I have never been there before and it was a long trip but it was fantastic. Danny and Frank tested for their 2nd dan and Kathy tested for her 4th. They were awesome!! My fave part of the test is when a friend from South Dakota came to tell me she loved it when Utah came b/c we just do whatever we want! HAHA This is VERY true.....

Frank, Danny, Kevin and Me after the test

We had to take a 200 mile detour because of a fire in Yellowstone.... this meant that we were a little late for the test and our group didn't get a chance to practice or really warm up. Despite this they still kicked butt! During our little detour the road we were on ran out of pavement! Ok not literally but the road was torn up for about 10 miles and thanks to the recent snow and rain it was MUDDY. So my little Mazda became an all terain veeee-hicle!

My car after driving on a muddy highway

On our way home we were able to go through Yellowstone, where I have never been, and we stopped to see Old Faithful.... and it SNOWED! We saw a buffalo and an Elk as we were leaving the park.

Me, Danny, Frank, Derek Mark and John in Yellowstone

Another year older..... but not a bit wiser!

Me at 22 on my way to Vegas

There are several old adages about age. "Your only as old as you feel." "age is a state of mind." "Age is just a number." etc. Well today I turned 27 (although if you ask me I am 22). 27 is still plenty young but it is a number that encroches onto the age of maturity. A mature stage in life that I am not sure I am prepared for.

Proof I am not mature... Me and Vicki 2008

First off I still live with my parents!! Sure I have a mound of health related debt that eats up a majority of my income along with the fact it is difficult to live the way I do and keep my precious Dayzie Maye. I am grateful that my parents let me stay with them and even MORE grateful that they let Dayzie stay here too and that they help me care for her. I could not do it without them.

Me and Ginna Oct 2008

Secondly- I am a kid at heart!! Get me around my neices and nephew and I act my shoe size (which is a 7 1/2)!!!!! I tickle them tease them and teach them things there parents wish I wouldn't (HAHAHA). I often have pink hair, wear crazy clothes and use curse words as punctuation.

Me and Har Aug 2009

So ya I guess I am another year older........ a little closer to the age of maturity but not even an inch closer to understanding what anything means!!

Me and Ness at the 5k for breast cancer May 2009

Newest Morbid Obsession........................

So the newest show I can't get enough of is Dexter. This Showtime drama is so captivating I can't help but watch!! I know this show is about a sociopath serial killer that has no discernible emotions (at first). As the show goes on you see he really has strong emotions towards his sister, girlfriend and some co-workers. It is intoxicating!! I am half way through season 2........ thank heavens for netflix!!!!!!

Falling in to Fall.........................

Me, Aariel and Midge studio bbq 2009

Wow what a summer!! It went by so fast and I didn't get the chance to do anything sumer-like! I basically worked and read the Stephanie Plum series. Exciting life 'eh? Ya I know I am livin it up like a rockstar!!! If you are looking for something to fill your life I HIGHLY suggest this series. However, I must post a disclaimer that it is highly addictive and you will develop a STRONG desire for a coke and fries as well as donughts in times of happiness, stress, anger or boredom.


My birthday is fast approaching and I have decided to skip it this year.... and maybe next. If you feel the need to buy me something shiny and/or buy me food I will not argue. I will not however acknowledge the fact I am another year older. LOL I am not sure what it is but it really bums me out that I am another year older. *sigh*.

It doesn't help that HarLee is now in HIGHSCHOOL!!! AHH are you kidding me?? It seems like just a few years ago I was a Sophmore at Lehi excited about turning 16 and getting my first real job!! Here is Har playing Lacross, making friends with seniors, talking about boys...... AGH if only she realizes what she is getting into! Where the HELL have these years gone???

Me and Har 2009

So in an effort to not embrace aging this year I have chopped my hair off.... AGAIN!! It was totally impulsive but I love it! My fam... not so much. I love the short hair now I look as sassy as I feel... look out!!!!!

So in like 2 weeks we (the studio peeps) and I are making a trek to Cody, Wyoming. *pause for you to be JELOUSE*. We are going to this magical, star filled place for a Martial Arts tournament and test. The totally awesome thing is that while the common folk do not know they are in the pressence of greatness I KNOW!! HAHA AMAZING!!!

A bad a$$ group!

K well I am running low on time I will add images soon..... as long as I don't forget. In the mean time peace out!!!!

When it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun......

Ok don't get your hopes up I am NOT in love! hahaha Instead I have experianced a NEW kind of pain. In the form of a Migrane.... not just any migraine but the ones that cause extreme vomitting, sight and sound sensitivity and send you to the ER in the wee hours of the a.m.!! Holy crap 2 mornings in a row I awoke to a headache and withing minutes of being awake begain the viscious routine of throwing up about every 2 minutes!!! My family thought I had the swine flu!! I don't. The swine flu consists of runny nose, cough and sore throoat. My throat was only sore from the sudden exit of my intestinal acid!!
In summary people with these kinds of headaches are not kidding! Life sucks! you can't open your eyes, listen to people talk or make sudden movements or you loose their cookies, even if they have not eaten cookies!! hahahaha
I have decided to keep track of when I don't go to the hospital... that is what we should be documenting!! I am feeling better today. I am at work. I am doing my best to not open my eyes and/ or listen to people.... but sadly at work BOTH are required. Mirane or not! Although that loosing cookies thing might get people to leave me alone!!! hmmm not a bad idea!

To be blissfully unaware........

Remember when you were younger and you pretty much believed what everyone told you? Like your teachers, parents, family or basically any adult. I miss those days!! I am not sure when/where or why this happens but as an "adult" I have basically become suspicious of every ones intentions and to me most peoples "promises" are not valid. In fact I am usually SHOCKED when someone genuinely does something they tell me they are going to do! This is a sad sad way to live! At what age did we all become so dis-honest and flaky? Why does everyone say what they think you want to hear? I would rather people be up front and honest with me rather than say what they don't really mean. I know that I personally make it a point to not promise anything I am not certain I will deliver on. Who knows maybe it is just me people lie to. I have been told I am "intimidating" but if you tell me what I don't want to hear it is not like I will turn into The Hulk or something. If anything I will like and respect you more for being honest and straight forward.

Doggie Weight-loss

So I took little miss Maye for a walk last night to the post office and back. I noticed while we were out that she has put on a few pounds since Leo passed away. I am not sure if it is because she no longer has to fight for her food or she is sad/lazy. Either way baby girl is going on a DIET!! Already she is nagging me for treats and food! It hasn't even been a whole day! I want her to live as long as possible and to be as healthy as possible! So this means more walks and less snacks for her. She will like the walking but not the less snacking :)

People come and they go but they leave a mark on our hearts

Ok so in my short life I have met lots of different people through many different experiances. Work, Hobbies, mutual friends etc. This last year I have REALLY struggled with the fact that most of my closest friends live hundreds of miles away from me!! don't get me wrong, I love and cherish all of my friends I have close by and I really hope that they don't move away!! I just won't have it! hahaha It is really interesting how people come in and out of our lives and I am so grateful for the technology we have so that I can stay in contact with all of these amazing people!!!
All of our lives have taken us down different paths! It is just so amazing to me! Today I had dinner with a lovely girl (Norma)that is now leaving the salon. I am so sad that she is leaving but I know that her life is taking her in a different direction and I really hope she and I stay close! I mean she and I have a 5 year plan!! HAHA as long as she doesn't join the marriage bandwagon! Stupid men coming in and falling in love with my amazing friends promising you a life of love and happiness! Losers! Ok I am totally joking b/c I want nothing but happiness for my friends!

OY! Surprisingly Funny!!!

OK so when I initially saw Russel Brand clips after the MTV VMA's I thought he was a total douche. His jokes were inappropriate especially regarding the US politics. However, I saw him on Leno on May 11th and he was BRILLIANT! He was down to earth, real and not the condescending British prick he seemed to be. So after seeing him on Leno I watched his Comedy Central special called Russel Brand in New York. I HIGHLY recommend it!! He mocks himself a lot! My favorite bit is about the death threats and him meeting Mcully Culkin! So check it out on YouTube. There are 7 clips total!

Goodbye Leo my friend...

I am very very sad to say that today my dear sweet Leo Marvin returned to heaven. Leo passed due to age. He was 10 years old. Leo came to live with me and my family in 2007 when Mark and Kathy decided to move to Logan and could not take him with. Mark and Kathy got Leo in 1999 as a christmas gift. Leo stayed with me and my family until Christmas eve and was a mischevious puppy. In the few days he was here he pulled down the tree and opening presents!! However when we found out Mark and Kathy were not going to take Leo we could not imagine him living anywhere else. Leo is the father of my Dayzie Maye. It has been a wonderful 2 years and I am going to miss Leo very very much. He was a big part of my
family.

New obsessions

Ok so when I like something I tend to REALLY like it haha. Sarah and I have discovered we are become slightly obsessive about things for a while then move on to something else. I am currently obsessed with Chelsea Handler. Not in a I wanna make out with her way but in a OMG she is hilarious and I want to be like her someday! Her t.v. show Chelsea Lately on the E! network is HILARIOUS! I love the round table when Loni Love, Jo Koy, Brad W and Michael Yo are on! I also recently read Chelsea's book "Are you there Vodka it's me Chelsea" I HIGHLY recommend it! It is a tad vulgar but it is still great! After reading it I really felt like my life is not as insane-ly weird as I thought it was. I especially learned that my father is not craziest father out there. Lord knows I love him but sometimes he does things and says things and I think to myself.... "Are all Dads like this?" apparently they are... and more importantly there are some that are crazier!

NEXT: Since Christmastime I have become a HUGE fan of the tv show BONES. I have bought the first 3 seasons and have seen all of season 4 thus far! I love it!! Seriously when I have down time, which is not often at all I pop in a DVD of BONES. I love the comedic and serious-ness of the show. After watching it and seeing the lead girl being socially awkward I realized just how socially awkward I can be! Yes it is true I am socially awkward in some aspects... mostly when it comes to relationships with men.... but hey that is for me and my therapist to work through! HAHA

Music wise I have not been able to stop listening to Lady GaGa!!! The entire CD is amazing! there are a few songs I do not like but overall I LOVE this CD! It is a GREAT way to wake me up in the morning. I have listened to it so much that little Aariel sings "Poker Face" and "Just Dance".

I am FOUND but not LOST!

Ok I am REALLY bad at updating this blog! I apologize. So here is the recap:

*Billings was AWESOME! I passed my pre-test even though I totally broke my toe. Not just broke but dis-located it. Ya I am awesome. But I kept a going and no one knew I was hurt till after! hahaha I tried to compete on the broken foot but did not do so well. I dropped my weapon LOL. Other than that the trip was amazing!

*On April 13th I had my spinal nerve block done and it went REALLY well. I still feel fantastic! This is the best I have felt since my PE's. No more taking pain meds daily! In fact I have not used them since 2 days after the procedure! I go in a week or so for my follow up!

*April 25th was my final 2nd Dan test and it was fantastic! I am glad it is done and over with! whew! I am offically a 2nd degree blackbelt.

*VEGAS BABY! I went to Vegas to Visit Vanessa one last time before they move to Indiana. It was a wonderful and long overdue trip! We went shopping, walked a 5k for breast cancer and saw Carrot Top at the Luxor. (He was hilarious!) It was great to not worry about work, the studio, testing etc.

So to sum it all up things are good! I have been way to busy these last couple months and I am hoping that this summer will be less hectic and I can enjoy it!

I am "pre testing" in just over a week!!!

Ok I am going to Billings on the 12th of March and on the 13th I am PRE testing for my 2nd Dan blackbelt..... Holy shit I am freaking out!! I am scared about how I will do before and after this test as far as my lung/chest is concerned. I am really frustrated right now b/c I know I won't perform as well as I would like too but hey this is my test in life right?? not being in control and having to deal with what I am given. I know that I have HUGE expecations for myself that probably are not "realistic". It is at these times that I resent my current condition and I know that by resenting who/what I am is really inhibiting me instead of spurring me on but I am not sure how to overcome it. I do not consider myself as someone that covets what others have but right now I can honestly say I do really wish I was like most people my own age. That I could be the athletic vigourous girl I was before but I am going to go and do the best with who and what I am and hope I don't push myself to hard and do to much damage.

Well 1 step forward and 2 steps back

So I have been in and out of the hospital since May 2008 with constant chest pains. Every time I have gone to the hospital it was in fear I had either another blood clot or worse fluid on my lung. Yes I know that a blood clot is WAY more serious than fluid on my lung but if you have ever had a needle put into your back then into your lung to drain fluid you would know what I mean it is AWFUL!!!

OK back on point... so the Dr's have never been able to give me a cause, or explanation for this severe pain except to call it "pleurisy" or "chest wall pain" which means "yes we know you are in pain but we cannot tell you how or why so here are some pain meds go sleep it off." Well by the end of January made another trip to the ER and I told the Dr. that if he told me I had "pleurisy" 1 more time I was gonna go ballistic (joking of course) so he referred me back to my lung Dr. I went to see Dr. Harris and she sent me to the cardio/thoracic surgeon, the same that had done my surgery after my clot and he was able to give me a diagnosis!! Finally after 8 months I had a REAL diagnosis. The scar tissue from the dead part of my lung and from the chest wall surgery had adhered together and THEN to my rib cage!!! This tissue is SOOO thick that the surgeon cannot even operate and remove the tissue and if I ever have to surgery on my lung they have to do it open chest. This 'condition' is called a scar tissue adhesion. This is why I cannot do push-ups, sit ups, jumping jacks and why sleeping was becoming VERY hard b/c no matter how I lay the scar tissue makes breathing painful. It makes SOOO much sense!!

So the only way to treat this is either continue on my path of narcotics and possibly end up on disability OR I can go to an anestesiologist and have a nerve in my back burned so that I cannot feel anything from my armpit to my waist. So on March 18th I am having this procedure done. I won't lie I am totally scared but compared to the constant pain and the emotional wreck I am while on narcotics it is the only option. The procedure is kinda like a permanent epideral but it will only affect my right rib cage. The procedure is a same day thing and I should be feeling better quickly.

The ONE brightside to this all is that this "adhesion" prevents me from developing fluid on my lung and from getting pnemonia! however, if I ever had another blood clot that caused an infarct I won't be able to feel it.

Once this procedure is done I will still have physical limitations... no running, exercise within my current limitations. But I won't be in constant pain. I will continue my Martial Arts training no matter what. I know my limits (for the most part) and I can work around them. Another good piece of news is that the surgeon was VERY impressed by the health of the lung that is still good!! and he attribuites it to the fact I am active! WOOHOO! so to those Dr's that think I should not train!! SUCK THAT hahaha!!

Ok this is WAAAAY long and I am going to bed. My meds have kicked in and the lights are starting to dim!

Love you all!

Samiee

Goals... well not a special one but one anyway

Ok so in 2006 I chopped off my hair and I have kept it short since. I came to the decision that I am going to grow it long again and then cut it off to donate it. I had extensions last year and it really made me miss my long long hair so we shall see if I actually do it. I figure this can be my way of "giving back" since my blood and organs are not useful to anyone... and hell barely useful to me! hahaha j/k so ya there is my "goal"

Where my thoughts are.....

So my sisters' youngest daughter ShayLee went in this morning to have an edoscopy done! they think this poor little thing has Celiac Disease and an ulcer! She is 6!!! Apparently right before Christmas the acid was so bad it was burning her throat and tongue! So my thoughts and prayers are with them today I hope they can find out what is going on and get it resolved so little Miss Shay can get back to being her sweet adorable happy self!!!

My sister called me a bit ago to let me know that they were on their way home and things went well! While ShayLee was in recovery she started wheezing and I guess that freaked out the nurse but it was just her asthma. Afterall the air quality right now is crap! The test results from the biopsy will be in next Wed. I talked to Shay and asked her if there was any treat she wanted and all she wanted was gum! How cute is that?? So I am going to visit her between jobs and taking her some gum!

La Villa

Ok so there was a time when we thought LaVilla was going to close but a miracle happened and we are open for business and doing great! Yes, things have changed but it is still the same place we know and love! This is a picture of Me, Tammi (a client/friend) and Nikki! Tammi's new do was inspired by both Nikki and me so we call it the "SMICKI" hahaha. I have decided the pink in my hair is a "quiet rebellion" against getting older. Yes, I know I am not "old" but I am not 21 anymore....... so ya the pink hair is here to stay.... for the time being! hahahahaha Love ME!