This week and the end of last week Dan has been working on the SLC temple. Since it is so big and very intricate they were only able to do the Celestial room during this shutdown. Due to this temple being so big and frequently used by the leaders of the church there was a lot of extra security. The company Dan works for had to sign a ton of legal documents stating they wouldn't bring anyone in who wasn't working, they would park in designated areas and wouldn't spill any kind of fluids in the parking, etc. We didn't think I was going to be able to go in. I was so devastated because this is my absolute favorite temple and where we were married. I've always loved the SLC temple. It not only has such a rich history and is absolutely beautiful, but it is one of the only temples with such fine detail. Every part of the temple has unique designs, carvings, paintings, etc. Even the doorknobs. I remember that the most from my first visit to the SLC temple when I was 12ish. I remember grasping the doorknob and almost dying over the fact that I had to put my hands on such a magnificent piece of work. I told Dan it was okay if he couldn't allow me to come in and see his work since I can always come back for a session (unlike the temple in Hawaii). However I was able to go in and see his and my father-in-law's work. As always it was amazing. I also love all the insider information we get from such a job. None of it is stuff that others can't know, or stuff that is supposed to be hush hush. It's just things people wouldn't know unless they were a part of the building process. For example, there are 3 or 4 stairs in one room, but with a push of a button they change it to a ramp for those in wheelchairs. How cool is that? Also, almost every time they update these temples they use different carpet designs, different chairs, different fabric on the chairs, and other things. I never knew that! It makes sense but it's not something you think of. I think it is so wonderful to go to these temples and get to spend some time in them. When you go through for a session your mind is in a very spiritual and different place. When we go to do a job we get time to sit there and notice the detail put into these temples. Which always makes me so grateful. I think about how this banister/railing was carved and painted by someone years and years ago. Yes it has been touched up and probably had to be repaired at times but parts of it are exactly what these people did so long ago. They put so much effort into it without all the high tech equipment we have. It's also fun to meet the people there. I got to meet the SLC Temple President. Which was amazing, although I think my hand is still searing from definitely not being worthy to touch such hand. I was also able to talk to the chair installers who traveled back from Fiji with Dan. It's great to see how many people are so proud of Dan/Gregg and how grateful they are for the work they do. It makes all the hard times worth it. Even the times when I have to cope with the loss of my precious baby while Dan is 19 hours ahead of me in Fiji. I love thinking of all the people who are influenced by what they do. Then I get jealous and realize my job is totally shabby compared to theirs. "I get yelled at all day long. :) " Anywho SLC is done for now and we're moving on to Vancouver and Sacramento.

Some of you may already know but Houdini passed away 1/13/2010. He essentially bled out from his Juvenile Lymphoma. The disease progressed to where we believe he had tumors on his adrenal glands (as indicated by red splotches on skin) and tumors on his thymus gland (as indicated by labored breathing. Unfortunately Juvenile Lymphoma is 100% fatal, regardless of any treatments, surgery, or chemotherapy. The Prednisolone was helping his spleen a ton. His belly was much smaller and he was putting on some weight. It was very hard for me to come home and find him dead. Especially with Dan miles away in Fiji. However we are glad that we didn't have to put him through surgery and other procedures to ultimately have him pass away. He is all better now and mom CANNOT wait to see him. We placed him in a beautiful beach box my mother-in-law bought. He was wrapped in his pouch that I would wear around my neck all day with him in it so he could be close. He was even in it earlier that morning eating a bit. We also placed a few of his rubber duckies in the box that he loved so much. His tiny frail body was placed to rest at my in-laws house in the backyard by the herb garden. There is a bench right in front of his spot so I can sit and talk to him whenever I want. I've purchased two memorial stones, one to go above his grave and one to go in our ferret room with another rubber duckie. I miss him so much. It has been incredibly hard to deal with his passing since he was so young (turns one tomorrow) and to me the ferrets are my babies. They mean the absolute world to me and I'd do anything for them. However he needed to go so he could feel better. Every night before I go to sleep I tell him I love him, like I told him all the many times we were in the bathroom trying to get better. He will be missed dearly and we love him so very much!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. School starts this week, we have mandatory overtime at work, and Dan is in Fiji. These past few weeks have been very rough. Houdini is sick and the whole family is distraught over his future. He has an enlarged spleen and a tumor on the top of his spleen. Ferrets are prone to tumors. There are three main tumor diseases that are deadly to ferrets insulinoma, lymphoma, and adenoma. Lymphoma happens either as an adult or as a young ferret. Juvenile lymphoma is deadly, despite trials of chemotherapy and radiation. Houdini's vet is starting to feel that he indeed has juvenile lymphoma. At this point we are not 100% sure, so we're going to try to help him as much as possible first. Houdini is on a VERY high dose of Prednisone (a steroid) in hopes to aggressively attack the tumor, reduce the size of his spleen, and help him gain some weight. Houdini has been very lethargic and rapidly lost weight. He will return to the vet's office on Friday and we will determine if it is time for surgery. It is sounding like the vet is most likely going to operate since he is trying to bulk Houdini up and his spleen is so big it isn't likely to go down to a normal size. Unfortunately Houdini almost exactly fits the mold of a typical juvenile lymphoma ferret. We're trying not to give up hope but it has been challenging. Houdini is a very loving ferret who is always taking care of the others before himself. He's the only one who will ALWAYS give us kisses and loves to snorkel in the water dish. Our family will be so very different if we lose him but we know that only he can choose when it is time to part. We're trying to give him the best quality of time while we still have him since we may find out soon that he only has days or weeks to live. We ask for as many prayers as possible and lots of support during this challenging time. Our baby means so very much to us and we only want the best for him.