Grateful for Plan B!

There was an oddity tangible in the air on February 5, 2015 in our small apartment.  It was nearly 5:00 pm as Tara and I made final preparations for what would be the most important 24 hours of our lives.  These next 24 hours would be our last without a child.  That is right, we were making preparations forour upcoming journey to the hospital where Tara would be induced a bit later that night.

Tara and I had spent hours together talking about and studying in preparation for these most sacred of hours.  While Tara by no means had a strict "birthing plan", we both had a vision of what our experience was about to be.  Luckily, there was a different route than our Plan A.

We arrived at the hospital around 8:00 pm on February 5th.  The doctor had Tara taking medicine overnight that would hopefully act as a catalyst in the labor process.  After a fairly uneventful night and early morning, the doctor broke Tara's water at 7:30 am on the 6th.  This is when our Plan A really began to take shape.  With her water broken and some medical help from Pitocin, Tara began feeling contractions.

Tara in the delivery room.

To make a long story short, Tara's progressing in getting little MJ out went slower than expected.  By about 4:00 pm her dilation was not as much as hoped and Tara was beginning to feel ill with nausea and a fever.  Tara's fever would not subside as her's and MJ's heartbeats were consistently increasing.  Plan A was not going as planned.  Suddenly, we had another visit from the doctor.

They let us know that the plan for a normal birth was not going to be an option and that an emergency c-section was quickly in store.  Tara's fever, and the increase in heart rate were all signs of an infection in Tara's amniotic fluid.  We had only a few minutes to pack our bags, call our families and prepare ourselves for what would be the most important moments of our lives.

When we received the news of the C-section, both Tara and I grew a bit upset at the idea of surgery.  On top of that, the doctor let us know that MJ would need to spend at least 24 hours in the NICU to monitor for infection.  Tara and I were at an emotional low.  Nervous for surgery and devastated that MJ would need to be separated from us immediately after birth.  Quickly, the doctor said something to us that has been engraven in my mind since.  She said, "You guys, at least there is a plan B."

At least there is a plan B...Yes!  Suddenly, both of our moods changed.  While the fear and the emotion did not change or leave, our gratitude for the gift of modern medicine molded our perspective.  Tara was wheeled to surgery, our beautiful baby was born and mom and baby are both healthy.

Mom's first time to hold MJ after C-section.

I am so grateful for all of the times that I have had to resort to plan B in my life.  I am grateful that because of a plan B I have a healthy wife and an amazing son sitting next to me tonight.

Often times it is easy to get upset when life throws us curve balls and take us off of our planned route.  But, let's quickly turn to plan B and be grateful that there are additional paths.  Plan B means the world to me!

Day #3 - Tara's Pregnancy

Day #3 - Tara Being Pregnant in December!

I don't want you to think that I am an emotional sap, but this Christmas season has been extra special for Tara and I.  It all started when we were in St. George, UT during the Thanksgiving break.

Tara and I had the chance to attend a live nativity at Tuacahn Theater.  The nativity started by reading the story of Christ's birth.  After a few minutes, we saw sweet Mary in the distance travelling to Bethlehem with Joseph.  As she approached the city, the following song was being played.  The version we heard is by Amy Grant.  If you would like, listen to the song and continue reading our experience:

As the song was sung, and Mary made her journey with Joseph, I could not help but think of my sweet Tara who is currently sharing the experience of being pregnant with our first child, a son.  This Christmas season truly has taken on a new level of sacredness for the two of us.

While Tara may not be facing the same harsh and difficult experiences that Mary did, she too is pregnant during this magnificent time of the year.  What an amazing situation that Tara is currently in!  Being pregnant and carrying one of our Heavenly Father's children is such a sacred experience.  I am grateful everyday for the strength and care that she already gives to our little baby.  I truly am thankful that Tara and I can be sharing this experience during the "most wonderful time of the year".

I love the Christmas season.  I know that Christ was born in the most humble of circumstances and that through him, we can be happy and endure the experiences of this life.  I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who gave the most wonderful gift ever given, more than 2,000 years ago.

Day #2

Day #2 - The Utah Jazz

It does not matter how much time I spend in Virginia, the Utah Jazz will always be my team.  Whether they make the playoffs, lose most of their games or lose all of their games, I will continue to be their biggest fan.

From this shot in the 97' finals:

To this shot from Gordon Hayward a couple of weeks ago:

The Utah Jazz are simply amazing.  Come Heck or high water, I bleed Jazz through and through!

Last year in early March, I had the great opportunity of helping give a tour of the United States Capitol Building to the entire Jazz team and coaching staff.  I got to spend a couple of hours walking around the nations most iconic building with some of my biggest idols.  I spent time with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Richard Jefferson (former Jazzman), Matt Harpring (former Jazzman and announcer), and Rudy Gobert.  Easily, one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Showing the Capitol Rotunda to Derrick Favors and "Marvelous" Marvin Williams (former Jazzman)

When I woke up the morning of the tour, I had no idea that I would be walking with giants.  I knew that the team would be coming into our office, but had no idea that I would be spending hours with them.  I love the exciting moments that come to us unexpectedly.  I may not be able to hang out with the Utah Jazz on a daily basis, but exciting things can happen every day if we are in the right places, at the right time.

We have so much to be grateful for!

Day #1

Some days never seem to end.  Others, never seem to start.  Then, there are the days that have moments that feel like an eternity.  Today, I had one of those moments, and I am thankful for it.

Work was normal today.  Average amount of phone calls, emails, and projects.  Toward the end of the day, I decided to call a colleague of mine  to see if there was anything I could help him with.  When I called, I received some news that was completely unexpected.

He quickly let me know that he had seen a certain video of me and my  wife.  A video that I thought was well hidden, slowly being forgotten and hopefully, never to be seen by my co-workers.  As the words, "I saw the video of you and your wife..." left his mouth, time froze.  Everything seemed to stop.  I had what felt like minutes to calculate a smart and clever response.  Those few seconds led not to a clever response, but rather, to babbling and justification.

Not only had he seen this embarrassing video, but he watched it together with my boss.  Yes, MY BOSS!  I needed to act quickly to make sure that this video crisis did not get out of hand.  So, I crafted the following email and sent it to all of my colleagues:

Well,

The word is out about my famous YouTube video.  I know that a couple of you have seen it, so word is now going to go around the office.  If you would like to add some Christmas cheer to your holiday, go ahead and watch my version of "Love is an Open Door" from Disney's Frozen.

I never thought that any of you would find this video, but, you did.  I would rather you hear about the video from me than from somebody else.  I would take it down, but Tara will not let me.  She likes to show it to all of our friends and family to put me in my place.  The link to the video is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcxGmODOuQ

Merry Christmas,

Several minutes after sending the video, I received a phone call.  Not recognizing the number, I picked up with my typical greeting and quickly heard the comforting laughter of my boss.  She let me know how much she had loved my video and shared how it had brightened her day.  My silly video had helped her to forget some of her pains and feel some Christmas joy.

I am truly grateful for eternal moments of embarrassment and joy.  While my embarrassing video was discovered, so was true happiness and joy.  I am grateful that I have moments like these for myself, and to share with others.  Feel free to enjoy the video along with my colleagues by clicking the link above or clicking below.