Dimple's Discoveries

Schmidt is my favorite TV character in a show called New Girl. In one of their best episodes he sees something he wants, and in his limited view of the world he's furious that he can't have it and throws a tantrum. Later on he gains the proper perspective to move forward, but not before fixating on it and getting seriously injured in his pursuit of it.  (Click the link below to watch a clip) Why can't I have the things that I want?!   I feel like Schmidt. I've had some recent setbacks that have really thrown me for a loop. Tyler has had to install nanny cams throughout the house to film any seizure activity I have so the neurologist can see exactly what's going on. I have new meds that make me sleep like a narcoleptic goat. I want things right now that I can't have: I want my seizures to stop, and I want my seizures to stop so I can have a baby. I want these health problems to stop interfering with my job performance. I want my body to calm down...

I’m sure you’ve all seen the newest addition to our family, Miss Cassie Jo is our 2-year-old German Shepherd. Here’s a little bio on her: She is a rescue who most recently has come from Missouri. She has also gone by the names of Java and Luna Mae, she has an incredibly smart mind and absolutely uses that to her advantage. She is spoiled beyond belief, and loves to whine if she feels neglected (even if we petted her 34 seconds prior). She is learning and working on several new tricks, her favorite is to sit, and her least favorite is the command to focus. That being said, she will do every trick in her book for hot dogs! She is also my new service dog in training, or SDIT for short. Day 1: She sniffed around a lot. She stared at us and we stared at her.  We started looking for her at the end of November (ish). I have three main triggers for seizures: Low amounts of sleep, low blood sugar, and stress (an ugly cycle of stressing=seizure=more stressing about another seizure...

        Four years ago I went on my first emergency call with police to a domestic violence scene. One call was all it took, and I knew I was made for advocacy. At 18 years old I had already seen my first case of domestic violence at my job in a geriatric center where I literally jumped between the victim and her abuser (do not try this at home!), and knew deep in my soul that I could do this for the rest of my life. I have seen some of the darkest horrors human beings can inflict on each other. I have cried with victims as they've shared their stories from hell and fought PTSD as a result. I've held clients as they shake after a night terror or assessed injuries to determine medical care. For years I've mediated conflicts, counseled endlessly, and encouraged and empowered women to rise from the ashes. Looking back makes me wish that the 24 year old woman I am could write a letter to the 18 year old girl I was, so here are the five lessons I've learned as an advocate...

           As a teenager I used to love to read LDS romance novels. My parents would drive us to the library once a week and I would leave with a stack of eight or nine books tucked under my chin, and I would lose myself in a world of heroines who were carefree, laid back, and breezy with a problem or two, but she would eventually triumph after a seemingly short five or six chapters, and it always wrapped up so very neatly (and of course, with her on the arm of a handsome new beau)! I imagined that life would go like that, and that I was indeed that heroine. I would never have dreamt that I would be the 24 year old that would scrub her bathtub when she was stressing over something, or carefully packing two weeks ahead of an upcoming event (yes, I have done that!) I know that I am a control freak, and I'm actually proud of it. It's part of why the events on and since May 13th have been so difficult for me.      ...

Tyler and I have been married for just over seven months now, and it's the comments of those around us who have driven me to write this post. Lest any of you cringe, it wasn't negative comments but rather the casual or slightly surprised "You guys are so happy" remarks that have started the cogs turning for me. Each one has caught me off guard, because why shouldn't we be happy? These thoughts might come across jumbled, but here are a few reasons why Tyler and I are "so happy": 1. We have an eternal marriage--  We knelt across an altar in the Ogden temple on April 25th and covenanted to each other and to our God for time and for all eternity that we would heed and follow His commandments, and that if we do so, we will be blessed to be together forever. I get to keep Tyler for the rest of eternity if I do my best here on earth. It is my covenanted responsibility to cherish him. That's bigger than any argument we could have about if we should p...

Friday was a very controversial and life-changing day for a lot of Americans. While I am not the first (and most assuredly not the last) to post on the Supreme Court ruling, I would like to offer a few thoughts on the situation. First, let me explain my thoughts and actions since hearing of the Supreme Court's decision: I am against gay marriage, and when I heard the ruling you can imagine my feelings on the subject. Suffice to say I was frustrated, and started reading many articles, blog posts, and news stories on the ramifications of this event, many of which I shared so that those who believe as I do could see what was coming, or understand as I now do how this can alter marriage, adoption, religious freedoms, and society in general both now and in the future. I have studied (and almost have a Bachelor's degree in) Marriage and Family Studies. This is not only a moral debate, but career-altering information for me. I was definitely undergoing some heated scrutiny for doi...