Family picture attempts

This time of the year makes me cringe...that is, at taking pictures of my GIGANTIC family!  Not only do I need to think what will everyone wear, but does everyone have the same color.  The answer is always NO...so we usually choose two colors....this year it is black and white.  There was a bit of pressure this year on the photo as last year seemed to bring in lots of comments: 

Our kids' dentist has the photo up and he tells us not one day goes by without someone commenting on the photo and how awesome it looks.  The photo was taken of us laying on the ground in our front yard on an incline...the camera was looking down at us; it was still fall time and great colors.  Anyhow...it was a hit and everyone loved it.  This year may not be as exciting, but at least they are closer shots of our faces to see how the kids have grown and, of course, how Gordon and I have aged raising 7 kids....ugh!  We took many attempts and my idea was to get a photo of all of use holding each other....showing the love we have in our home. 

Well, it was Gordon's idea to send the one where I am making an impatient look at him, Meredith is sticking out her tongue, and the other kids looks depressed...he said, "Let's show them how much love we REALLY have in our family." So funny!

Now it is hard to pick the right one as we now have the kids' commenting on the photos and you all who have teenagers know how critical they are of themselves.....Well, I will just get some of each and everyone will be happy!!! So, here is to our 2008 Family Pic....Merry Christmas! 

How Gordon and I began our eternal journey.....

Sometimes we forget the details of how we and our spouse began or the words that were said and what not....I was thinking about this the other day because I could not remember what Gordon said to me when he asked me to marry him...well, at least word for word.  Luckily, I had a journal back then and I found it!  It was so neat to open it up and see the handwriting and the memories.  I read my testimony of the Gospel during that time and saw how sweet it was too.  

Gordon and I met at Broadway Department Store.  I worked in the cash office running all the previous day's money and Gordon worked on the dock (he was home for the summertime from BYU).  I remember seeing him one time walk by the gift office where I was helping wrap presents as they were short on employees.  As he walked by, I thought to myself....WOW!  He has a nice butt!! (Excuse me, but I was single and looking for a man!!!)  I asked the girl I was working with who that was...she told me his name was Gordon and he was here for the summer and he was engaged.  I was so sad to hear that...not that it mattered, I was still out of his league as.  Men who were that good looking never looked my way......boo hoo!  Well, the next time I saw him he came in carrying a television and I was there and he lifted it so I could wrap it. Oh man, my heart was pounding so fast...I did not even say one word....BUT, neither did he; again confirming I was out of his league.  I found out he played college volleyball and that made it even worse because I LOVE volleyball and played in high school.  A few days later, I handed him his paycheck at the cash office and he actually said hi to me....woohoo!  It wasn't until the next week that a mutual friend of ours (she worked in lingerie :) ) introduced us and asked if we both would go see another mutual friend who was in the hospital.  Gordon looked at me and said, do you want to go...and I, of course, said sure...That was the beginning of a great adventure!!!  After that, we talked every day and went to the beach and drove around looking at houses around Sola Beach and just had fun.  He got me playing volleyball with some of his friends and I loved it.  What was so neat about all of this is he really wasn't engaged, but he was waiting for a girl who was soon to return off her mission..so he felt committed to that and I respected that....that gave room for a wonderful friendship with no expectations.  It was great!  He soon went back to the Y and he called me a couple times just to say hello and see if I was still playing volleyball with his friends...I told him I was and actually went on a couple dates with his friends as well!!! (I wonder if he was jealous....)  From what I understand, this girl came home from her mission and they dated seriously for a while but it just did not work out...Gordon felt she was not the right one for him (perhaps he had that sweet little red head on his mind all the time...hee!).  He called me up the beginning of December and told me he was going to be home on December 19th and was wondering if he could take me out on a date.  I told him I would love to do that! The night he came home he actually came to my apartment to see me....we kissed of course!!!  It was magical and we saw each other every day!  We were at the beach with Gordon's sister and some of her friends on New Year's Eve.  We had a bon fire and all and it was great!  I love the beach at night...that is my favorite place to be...on the beach at night and he knew it!  He asked to go for a walk and I agreed.  Soon after walking he stopped me and said to me, "Leesa, my life would be boring without you; in fact, my whole life would be boring without you.  Will you marry me?"  Oh man...I was melting...I jumped into his arms, hung on tight, and whispered in his ear, "YES!"  That was so romantic and such an original statement!  He did not have a ring at the time and he apologized....but that did not matter; I did not care one bit and it actually did not even come to my mind!  We went out shopping for one the next week...it is humble, yet sweet!  We made plans for our wedding to be held on March 7, 1992.  Wow....things were moving so fast, but it did not matter; it felt right and it was right!  Here we are today reaching our 17th year of marriage this coming March. Much has happened and many adventures have been shared!  We have been very blessed with a marriage full of love and excitement....not even one fight!!  Sure we disagree on things, but never have we fought with each other, yelled at each other, or even called one another a nasty name...that is what I call a fairy tale marriage, and I will take it any time!  I sure do love that cute guy who walked past me that one day! Come to find out, Gordon felt the same way about me when he first say me...he saw me and thought I that cute, tiny (yes I was tiny back then!) red head would never give me the time of day and that I was out of his league....he said he was so nervous when we were wrapping that TV together and he couldn't say a word because he was sooooo shy!  Believe me, he was too shy for my liking, but I have worked on him a bit. Sweet memories to come....

FIVE- Pound Challenge!!!

I had my first session with the trainer at Rush Fitness this morning; I decided I needed some help besides pounding the trails to lose some weight...the trails were building  my endurance, but I was losing no fat.  So, I was quite nervous, but it was so fun!!!  The trainer worked me real hard and I loved the feeling....from crunches throwing a medicine ball to a full on circulating ladder to weights, I was sweating and getting a great core workout!  So, my challenge to myself is to lose at least 5 pounds by Christmas....I think that is do-able!  So, am not making any high expectations that I cannot meet, but I feel this is realistic considering I meet with the trainer twice a week, run three times a week, and stay away from the COOKIES (oh no....)  Does anyone want to join the challenge??  Oh...I forgot....all my friends are ripped and HOT!  So, I guess I just need your rooting and cheerleading!!!  

Random holiday questions!

I saw this on Shena's blog, so I thought I would copy it from her and add it to my blog for fun....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial  9 foot prelit 
3. When do you put up the tree? Day after Thanksgiving
4. Do you like eggnog? Yes...my father loved it and I adopted the same taste for it!!!
5. Favorite gift received as a child? rollerskates
6. Hardest person to buy for? Gordon
7. Easiest person to buy for? My friends
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes...small one with a wooden stable that sits on the credenza
9. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Mail, of course!  Why ruin Christmas....
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A book
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf
12. When do you start shopping? November
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No...cannot say I have recycled any gift
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ham
15. Lights on the tree? White since last year...colored the past 16 years.
16. Favorite Christmas song? What Child is this? 
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home?  Do we dare go anywhere with 7 kids??? 
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?  Only about half of them...was never good at that
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds and rude, greedy people
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? It's all kid stuff right now...that is the season we are in!
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Honey Baked Ham
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My own iMac laptop
25. Who do I tag? Devon, Keri, Susan and Dede

We gave our kids' their names because.....

OK...here is to another great blog idea from my friend Devon!  Thanks Devon....before I know it, with your help, I will have an ongoing successful blogging site!!!  This is great journaling!

Why did we give each of our kids their names...let me see if I can remember:

Jeffrey:  It was between Jeremy and Jeffrey and he looked like a Jeffrey...strong masculine name that we both liked.  Gave him the middle name of Robert after Gordon's father.  Come to find out, we forgot Gordon has an older cousin whose name is also Jeffrey Robert.  Our Jeffrey and cousin Jeffrey met several years ago and that was a neat experience to see both of them admire their names.  

Nathaniel:  We had a list of names coming into the hospital, but none of them seemed to fit Nathaniel.  Gordon went down to the gift shop and purchased a baby name book...we searched through the whole book and after two days we found the name, Nathaniel, and we both loved it and gave him that name...Grandma Virginia said his name was bigger than him!  Gave him his middle name of Loren after my father.

Hannah:  I have always loved the name Hannah and I believe it is my great-grandmother or great, great-grandmother's name....so a family name for her.  Her middle name was kind of tough.  I wanted Marie after my Grandma Minnie Marie, but Gordon did not like that name, so we decided on Nicole as it sounded nice.

Jared:  Again, it is so hard to name boys!  It is so easy to come up with girl names....took us awhile again, but we have a thing for "j" names...we both liked the name Jared.  We gave him the middle name of Gordon after his Daddy.

Noelle:  Well, I bet you can guess why we named her Noelle.  Actually we had considered a lot of names that were very pretty and would have suited her well, but since she was due on Christmas (came on the 22nd) we were going to name her Paige Noelle....Gordon thought about it and really wanted her to be Noelle Paige, so that is what we named her.  Paige is just a pretty name I liked for a girl.

Meredith:  Another beautiful name I have always loved for a girl!  I choose this one before she was even born which is unusual because we never decided until after the baby was born.  We did not know she was a girl though but had not decided on a boy's name.  Funny thing is our OB's name was Mary and nurse who helped delivered was Marilyn, so they both got a kick out of us naming her Meredith...similar in name.  We gave her Amelia for her middle name because that is also a name I found in my geneology.

Levi:  It was between Broch, Broden or Levi....Gordon really liked Broch, but I held my ground in the end and said I wanted to name him Levi and since this was our last baby I kind of asked if I could name him.  If Levi was a girl the name would have been Annalise after me...Gordon wanted a baby named after me...so Leesa Ann backwards would have been Annalise.   We gave him the middle name of Jacob at first (another J name...) but Gordon came back the next morning and said he wanted to make sure this baby was named after me and we gave him the middle name of Bogart which is my maiden name.  

So, there you have it....how our kids received their names!!!

Gordon's Surgery Date

So....after like sitting in the doctor's office for what seemed like an eternity...(I was home waiting for Gordon to get here...his appt was at 2:15 and he did not get home until 5)....his surgery date is scheduled for December 22nd.  Go Figure????  Why  so long...man, is there a lack of surgeons who take out gallbladders or has our diet today caused all these gallbladder attacks - something to think about!!!  AND....this will take place on Noelle's birthday which I am sure will not be a pretty day...I mean, anyone who knows Noelle and her beautiful, sassy, stubborn, independent personality.....she may have a few words to say.  SO, we are celebrating her birthday early.  OK...back to Gordon - he is not in much pain anymore...I think the stone dislodged itself and is now floating around with the other stones.  I guess the only thing that would get him to have the surgery earlier would be for him to have another attack which I am sure he does not want EVER AGAIN.  We will keep you posted...to those who actually read my blog!!!

Update:  Surgery is scheduled for December 22nd.

Party Time with the Plummers!

Party!!! Saturday night we had some friends over, Dede and Ed, who were visiting from Jersey along with other mutual friends.  They had come down to NC for Thanksgiving and wanted to get together with old friends and just PARTY!  It was great...lots of visiting and laughing and what not.  The kids were so excited to see one another again as well.  It is so nice to know friendships last and last...it is so nice to know there are true friends out there as well who do not forget you just because they move.  I took some pictures of us ladies!  I love pictures and posting fun ones that bring out people's true personality.  We definitely had fun!

Well...here's to another post!  Our Thanksgiving was very eventful....OK, it is always eventful in the Lundrigan family.  Wednesday, Gordon took a few kids to the movies while I stayed home making stuffing and pies for the next day.  I did not want to do so much cooking the next morning, so I was being smart and doing half Wednesday.  When they got home, Gordon fixed himself a couple hot dogs and then continued to the couch to watch X-Men....he started not feeling very well and I asked him what he had for lunch...well, Big Mack at McDonalds...I said, "Duh!!1  Who in their right mind would eat there..."  I told him perhaps e.coli poisoning, but there were no symptoms other than severe pain in the right side.  There was no vomiting or diarrhea which would accomany food poisoning.  It was not his appendex as there was no pain in the lower abdomen on the right side...his pain was right below his right rib cage and it did not wax and wane...it was constant and sharp.  After awhile he came to me and ask me not to leave his sight...I thought, "Oh boy...is he being a baby!"  Once I realized he was putting his head in my lap and complaining, I decided to get on the computer and figure out what he had...I thought to myself, perhaps you are passing a stone, honey!  He did have pain wrapping around his back, so I immediately thought kidney stones.  But, the pain was relentless in the right side....that is exactly where the gallbladder is!! BINGO!!  We both agreed with the symptoms!  See, I should have gone to medical school like I wanted too...oh, well, I can pretend I am a doctor here at home until it is my turn to go back to school (I will be like the oldest doctor there and everyone will be calling me, "Mommy!")  So, after a couple hours and after all the kids except Jeffrey were asleep, Gordon told me he could not handle the pain anymore.  I said, "Ok, let's go...get in the car."  He thought the car ride was an eternity...it is when you are in pain...remember labor pains....???!!!  When we got there, I dropped him off at the door and I went to go park.  As I entered the emergency room area, they waved me back and I find him sitting in a chair waiting to be admitted...I thought, "Oh come on people...this man is in pain and you are telling me he has to wait to get admitted."  STUPID!!!  Well, it did not take too long and then they stick us in a room until an admitting nurse asks what is wrong and takers vitals.  (I wonder if he hated his job...would be kind of mundane....I would rather be where all the action is!)  They took us straight back into room #6.  The doctor came in and asked what brought us here and started pushing on his stomach and you should have seen his face when he pushed on the gallbladder...poor guy.  Gordon's face was very pale and yellow...he looked weird!  Gordon asked if it was the gallbladder and the doctor said, "I am thinking so!"  Now, Gordon has never been sick nor has he ever been admitted to the hospital.  The only time he has ever stepped foot in the hospital is to watch me deliver our babies or when one of the kids needed stitches....(that is another long novel!).  The nurse came in and told Gordon she was going to start an IV so she can give him some medication to ease the pain.  Gordon said, "What?  You are going to put in an IV?"  Poor little boy!!!  He said, "I have seen my wife go through this and I do not want one."  (I have very little...ok NO fat on top of my hands whenever I had to get an IV for delivering, I screamed...it feels like they are ripping my hand off...I would rather birth 100 babies than have an IV stuck in the top of my hand).  It was not so bad after all...the Dilaudid made him feel great....sleepy yes, doppy yes!!  So, while he slept and felt constant pain, I sat in the chair next to him starring at everyone walking by....we ended up being taken to get an ultrasound done and that was COOL!!!  I could see the stones in his gallbladder and while he was kind of out of it, I was enjoying the sonography. (If I do not go back to med school or become a PA, I will head for sonography!)  Sure enough, the doctor came to us and said he had several stones and he will need to have the gallbladder removed.  He told us few try other alternatives, but within a year end up having surgery in the end.  He said it was not an emergency so we were to call after Thanksgiving to schedule surgery.  Well, Friday morning, I called the surgery center and asked to talk to a nurse because Gordon was still in a lot of pain and drugged up in bed.  She said, they should have done the surgery then and that there was a surgeon on call...how stupid of that ER doctor to NOT bother him just because it was Thanksgiving.  So, we are getting in tomorrow morning to see the doctor on call and be evaluated as to when he should have surgery.  He is doing well...Thanksgiving night, he had been in so much pain, his father and another great friend gave him a priesthood blessing and abouty 50% of his pain left him immediately.  He was able to sleep all night without waking up every 4 hours in relentless pain needing more pain meds.  He is very tender at the site, but does not throw up every time he stands up anymore...he is tolerating a NON FAT diet and has been quick the trooper not being able to enjoy of the Thanksgiving's trimmings!  So...until tomorrow it is:

This morning was very cold...27 degrees that is...Gordon and I decided to go on a run down at the Piedmont Trail.  I have been running a little bit on the treadmill and once in the morning in our neighborhood trying to slowly get back to running after my injuries.  Well, I have always out ran Gordon...I loved the feeling, honestly!  I ran faster and further than him :).  Today, it was the complete opposite.  I feel like I lost my "mojo".  How fast your endurance is gone once you stop running.  It has been four weeks and I feel like I am starting from phase 1 again.  I do not want phase 1;  I hated phase 1 and I complained about it and it hurt and i never thought I would outgrow that phase.  My legs felt heavy, I had a side ache that would not go away, and Gordon ran faster than me and I could not keep up.....DARN HIM!  Gordon doesn't know, but secretly I wanted to cry on the trail.  OK...I shed a couple tears...  BUT, you know me...I am a fighter and stubborn, so I will come back again running the trails and hating it until I outgrow phase 1 again.  I am a lot smarter this time around with extra stretching and not pushing it.  I also know I need to whack 15 pounds off of me to prevent more injuries to my knees and hips.  Anyone offering FREE liposuction?  Well...sob story, I know...but I needed to add another blog to our site that I created and have not maintained very well.  

Our first blog....

I cannot believe I am actually starting a family blog...isn't facebook enough??? Actually, this will enable us to be a bit more intimate with what is happening to those who really want to know...

It seems like it will take a bit to get this up and running, but I am up for any challenge.  I love to show off our family and will take any and every opportunity to have to do so!!!  So, be patient for more pics and details...

To be continued....