San Diego temple

I wanted to share this picture with you of me & my Sweetheart, David. Man, it's weird what a difference 2 weeks can make. You'll have to meet him! Take care!- MOPS

dating . . .

You're suspicions are well founded. David and I are dating. We're having a lot of fun getting to know one another. I never thought anyone would be able to understand my situation, but I' have to tell you, he has no problem with it. I'll have to give you the entire explanation later. Have a wonderful day and make sure you get to be outside today! It's gonna be gorgeous!

The Car Show in La Mesa

Having grown up in La Mesa there is a tradition they have during the summers . . . the car show! It's really cool! People line the streets of downtown La Mesa with all sorts of old cars all polished and looking spiffy. It lasts for about 4 hours on Thursday evenings. It's fun to walk the street and see all the different cars and their owners.

I thought this would make a perfect date for Me & David. We had fun checking out the classics and I had fun watching David drool! It was a riot! -MOPS

Mom's Reaction

Tonight me and David went to my parents' house so he could meet them. After we left I got this email from my mom:

"After he left I went and cried. I thanked the Lord for such a nice young man to be in your life. :>)

- Mom"

I agree! There is something electrifingly comforting (does that even make sense?) about getting to know this amazing man! -MOPS

getting to know you . . . getting to know all about you!

I'd drop you a line and let you know what's happening. I went to a S.A. conference over this past weekend
and I got to hang out with some very quality people. I actually only went to Sunday & Monday's activities, but it was great. I got to sit next to a guy named Dave that I've been interested in for more than a
year, but who I rarely get to see. His parents are in my Sacrament meetings because I interpret for the Deaf Branch which meets with that ward. He is a good man. We hung out after the conference at my house
so that I could help him with a project for his dad and yesterday we went to the beach party and walked alone along the surf. Tonight he made reservations for us at a Chinese restaurant and I am peacefully
excited (how's that for an oxymoron??) to go out with him.

He understands my situation in a way that others really can't. In 1999 dr's discovered he had a brain tumor. When he told me that was put on the same anti-seizure medication that I've been on (because drs use
anti-seizures as mood regulators as well), I said, "man! That stuff is like taking an elephant tranquilzer!" He looked at me, surprised and said, "IT IS!! How do you know that?" So I told him a little (very brief, edited version . . . I know, you're surprised I can make anything brief!) about my journey and realized he was getting teary eyed, so I stopped. He just looked at me and whispered, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that." He's the youngest of 5 sisters and really knows how to treat a lady. We discussed for a bit how
demoralizing it is to have personal expectations and the expectations of others shattered because illness/meds at times make it impossible to function. Consequently, he understands why I need to go to bed early and why my medication is so important, but also understands what can happen if I ever get switched to a med that may not allow me to function at the level I am right now.

He is divorced. Evidently the cancer took the a very strong toll on his previous relationship. I get it. I mean the stress of having your spouse have an inopperable brain tumor for four years while he's on an
elephant tranquilizer, having grand mal seizures and sleeping 18 hours a day would stress a lot of people out. He was frustrated with her because she was emotionally building a wall and she was building a
wall because he had stage four cancer. They fell apart. They have four kids, ages 16, 14 and 12 (twins). He was finally placed with a new neurologist about who searched at conferences and journals to find a
surgeon for Dave. Finally, she found one. He had the tumor removed in 2004 (i think) and has been cancer and seizure free ever since. His kids still physically live with his ex-wife, but since they all live here in San Diego, he gets to see his kids at least weekly. The surgery entailed removing part of his right temporal lobe, one of the same spots that was severely effected by my own shock treatments. We understand one another in a way that not many people can when it comes to executive functioning (a huge word psychiatric and neurologists use to drape over the canopy of tasks that involve multitasking, scheduling, mathematical computations, memory and complex problem solving.) We've had the most interesting discussions and I really get the feeling that I'm liking the guy. In my conversations with him over the past year there haven't been any red flags. It's very obvious that he is an avid temple attendee and loving dad. Plus he opened my door and then looked at me and asked, "Is it okay with you that I open your doors?" I told him I preferred that he did.

I know he may not be my man, who knows, only time and our Father in Heaven. But at least he gives me the hope that there are good men out there who will be able to accept me warts and all.

I've been so blessed. I look back at my life and if two years ago you or anyone else would have told me I would have finished my first year of going to grad school full-time (with a cumulative GPA of
3.9), living in an environment that was safe, secure and fun,  and truly enjoying life, I would have just burst into tears and said, "I wish!"

Spring 2011 grades!!

I just got my grades and I got 2 A's and 2 A-!!! I cannot
believe it!! If someone would have told me two years ago that I'd be
in grad school, taking more than one class at a time . . . let alone
acing them, I would have laughed them to scorn!! I can't believe it. I
am so excited!!

Fun at the Movies!

Okay, so when I was younger I liked to go to the movies. Watching the movies was always enjoyable, but I really enjoyed making the audience laugh, and my friends die of embarassment.

I used to stand up before the movie started and get the entire theater to sing Happy Birthday to one of my unsuspecting friends. I don't know if it was ever really their birthday and I honestly I don't ever remember having done it, but one of my friends and his wife like to remind me of it now and again. (You know who you are and this entry is for you!! LOL). I think I did it on more than once and to more than one friend. I'll have to take a poll among my dear readers.

Anyway, a friend today posted a video that made me smile. It's one where a man proposes to his girlfreind via the theater. It made me remember all the times I've heard stories about myself getting all the audiences to sing Happy Birthday. I thouhgt I'd share it with you. -MOPS

Reality Check :)

Okay, so this is actually something I wrote for a class . . . The topic was "why are people with mental illnesses treated so harshly?"
In my opinion, people with mental illness have been treated in such harsh ways is because, until recently, their illness cannot be explained in a way that everyday people can understand.

Mental illness is an invisible disability. As far as people are concerned, if a person doesn't act in a way that their family, friends or peers feel is appropriate . . . those groups of people try to rationalize why the person is acting in that way. Since they aren't dealing with a visible disability, the peers, family and friends have to create a context that will allow them understand how to help the person. For example, if a diabetic were acting disoriented and having trouble responding to questions, unreasonably silly or maybe quick to anger a person who is familiar with their diagnosis may ask that diabetic person it they need to test their blood, get them something to eat rectifying the situation. Whereas if that same diabetic were pulled over by a cop, the cop might submit the person to a breathalyzer test before anything else, assuming the person was drunk.

If I walked into an ER with the same symptoms and they found out about my illness, they would probably attribute it to my illness without even thinking (for whatever reason) I might have a low blood sugar. When a person with mental illness has the same problem . . . because there is no real way for their peers, family, friends or even doctors and counselors to immediately help, they feel inadequate and want to blame it on something, but can only blame it on the illness. Medically speaking, there is no immediate gratification for helping someone with a mental illness. There isn't even immediate gratification for the person with the illness to get treatment since it takes at least two weeks to a month for current medicines to BEGIN working . . . if they are on the right meds.

Because the large majority of the world is able to change their own perspective and motivation by merely thinking about it and resolving to change, they assume everyone can do it the same way. When people with chemical imbalances come into play (creating a more difficult barrier to change), those who can change their life by simply resolving to do so can't understand or explain why others without that ability don't simply resolve to do so. The person without the chemical imbalance thinks to themselves, shaking their head at the mentally ill person, “All you have to do is think positively and you’ll be happy! Focus on the positive! Focus on your gratitude! Focus on the happy things! Do that and you’ll feel better, I do!” I mean it IS difficult for nonchemically challenged people to change their thinking and at times find motivation sufficient to do things. However because it’s difficult for the nonchemically challenged to recognize and change their behavior, they assume all others live with that same level of difficulty. It isn't the same level. The chemical imbalance makes thinking positively and rationally extremely more difficult. Although thinking positively can help anyone to some degree, it takes a LOT more work than simply thinking positive thoughts to help people with a mental illness. I don't want to discredit the importance of positive thoughts alone, but they do not have the same impact for someone with a chemical imbalance and therefore cannot work as effectively as they do for people without a chemical imbalance.

It's kind of like in that previous example with the diabetic. I cannot walk up to a diabetic and tell them to think "raise my blood sugar" over and over again with any medically significant change. If anything, telling them to do that is wasting precious time where I really should be looking for some juice or sugar to help before they get into worse trouble.

It's difficult internal battle for a person experiencing symptoms of mental illness. Frequently people with a diagnosable mental illness don't seek treatment because they grew up learning the enitre "mind over matter" concept. Believing that if they changed their perspective and worked harder they could accomplish anything on their own.

For example, when I started becoming more clear in thought, my parents said they recognized a huge change in my level of gratitude. They’ve told me on more than one occasion that the reason I am better is because I started having an attitude of gratitude, instead of focusing so much on what I didn’t have. Really, I had made lists and lists of things that I was grateful for throughout the 12 years of my intense illness. I could make lists all day and all night of the things for which I was grateful. In an effort to believe it, I could make (and did make) lists of why I should not kill myself. However, no matter how long those lists grew, it didn’t turn off the woman’s voice in my head telling me nothing on that list outweighed or even remotely offset the level of my burden to those around me who would be much happier, better off and relieved if I were gone. I had a chemical imbalance. Rationality didn’t work.
When rational thought doesn't work, people around who have no problem with rational thought are baffled and ultimately scared.

If you were out for an evening run and glanced at a person farther the street, you would have no way to know if that person had a mental illness. Let's say they were well dressed and groomed pacing, appeared agitated and talking aloud to no one you could see. You would probably just assume they had a bad day and were talking to someone on their bluetooth phone about it. However, if the person wasn't well kept and in the same situation, you would assume they are mentally ill and quickly cross the street to avoid them. Forget the fact that in either case the person really is upset and talking to a real someone. Maybe the well dressed person is talking to a very real hallucination and the unkept person missed his flight, had to sleep over at the airport the night before and is angry at the prospect of doing it again while trying to schedule his next flight . . . on his bluetooth!

People treat others harshly because they don't take the time to understand them. Plain and simple.
What do you think?

-MOPS

p.s. I really like bluetooth ear buds because now it's completely acceptable for people to talk aloud when no one is around them. Unconsciously, I do it all the time. LOL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Greetings all!

Here it is the day before my 36th birthday! Oh gosh! You know, for years my illness really seemed to take over around my birthday. I could have been because of my getting older, or it could have been because I think both of my fiance's broke it off in March. Or it could have been a combination of knowing I was getting a year older and yet I still hadn't found that special someone. It wasn't ever a conscious effort. I mean who wants to spend their birthday in the hospital??? Seriously. Yet, from 1998-2007 every single year I found myself locked away on or around my birthday. I am happy to announce this is my third year free from birthday hospitalizations!! WAHOOOO! As you know I've come a LONG way in my journey with schizoaffective disorder.


This semester has been an interesting one. About a month ago I decided to help my professor, Marj, with her presentation on schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorder. She knew of my illness because I'd told her about it. I'd told her about it because she is the professor who is in charge of the psych emphasis for the Rehabilitation Program I'm in at SDSU. She did the academic presentation, during which she mentioned how many people have these illnesses, but you'd never know because they function great in society. She said, "One out of 100 people have schizophrenia. We always hear about the people who are homeless, or the people who act weird, but really many people live with these illnesses successfully. They could be the person sitting next to you at work or school, and you'd never know it. It's for that reason I asked Sarah if she'd be willing to talk about her experience." Some of the students looked over at me just baffled. I got up, walked to the front of the room, took a deep breath, turned around and smiled. My colleagues actually looked confused. They had no idea.

It felt good. It felt good because for so many years people have discounted my opinion as though it was irrelevant. People who knew I had an illness, would get up and move when I sat down next to them in environments which should have been loving. (Honestly, I always thought they were getting up to use the bathroom and then not coming back to the same spot until one day the girl I sat down next to, got up and moved to the row immediately behind me. When she sat down the person she next to asked her why she'd moved. The girl said, 'That's Sarah. she's schizophrenic and bipolar! She's even having shock treatments!' The person said, 'Oh, I get it.' As though my illness were something contagious and for whatever reason my ears didn't work.) Doctors even overlooked intense flu symptoms because they saw my label on the chart and figured I was forcing myself to be sick because obviously the flu symptoms had to be explained by some sort of psychological disorder and not a virus or food poisoning. I mean seriously. The stigma is pervasive.

Yet, by not disclosing my illness to the students around me, they looked at me as a peer, one with valid and even insightful perspective. Other students have told me they are honored to work with me because they love my quality of work. And there I stood, in front of them, disclosing I have schizoaffective disorder---a combination of aspects of both schizophrenia and bipolar. Yes. It was a huge leap of faith. I was amazed at their response. They were fascinated and shocked all at the same time.

The only reason I did it was because when I was so ill for SO long, I only had a handful of people who recognized my illness was something that could be dealt while still encouraging me that I could live successfully with it. I wanted to give my peers that perspective so that when they go and work with people who have a serious mental illness, they can see their clients' potential.

Almost the entire class has pulled me aside since then and told me they had never seen someone who's been through what I've experienced and functioning at the level that I am. They thought it was only possible in Hollywood and  . . . in an ideal world. Each of them said that it gave them a completely different perspective on the potential of their future clients. One student asked me to come to her work and talk to her clients and coworkers because she wanted to help them think beyond the stigma. I've had two people ask me if they can interview me further for school projects. One of those students interviewed me yesterday and said she was titling her project 'The Girl Next Door," because she would have never dreamed in a million years I'd gone through what I have or that I was diagnosed with an acute psychiatric illness. In essence she told me I'd shattered her negative perspective on a schizophrenic's potential. In other words, I achieved my goal. It feels good.

So, this is the deal. This coming month, on April 16th, I am walking in the NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) Walk. It's a 5k. It's kind of like those amazing walks to cure cancer or autism, only people just don't feel comfortable talking about mental illness and so curing it really doesn't get the attention it it really needs and deserves. However statistics show that 100% of people in the world will experience a mental illness at some point in their life. Maybe it will be anxiety, clinical depression, insomnia, narcolepsy, chronic nightmares, PTSD, psychological problems related to abuse of any nature . . . it effects us all. Just think, if they say schizophrenia isn't very common and yet 1 out of 100 people have it . . . that makes it more prevalent than current Autism statistics!

In any case, I love NAMI  because I've participated in their peer-to-peer program. It was created as a way for people with mental illness to support one another. Until I started going to the peer-to-peer program, I always thought people like me, with Mental Illness, could never really live an enjoyable, successful life because I'd only been exposed to people who were stuck in partial hospitalization programs, institutions and hospitals. I'd only been educated about my own illness by some doctors & nurses, but was mostly influenced by what I'd heard---all the negative news reports. I'd been falsely educated by stereotypes created by TV shows and movies. It really tore me apart to think that I was going to be a burden on society and my family for the rest of my life. The peer-to-peer program brought me close to people who were moms, executives, dads, teachers members of every walk of life who lived successfully with their illness and it taught me I could be successful too.

NAMI helped me develop the strength & coping skills which drove me to where I am today: Happy, healthy, going to grad school and feeling like a productive member of society!

Of course I could have never done any of it without your emotional support as well!

Now I have the opportunity to make a difference for NAMI by participating in this walk. I'll be walking with a group of students from my grad program, SDSU Rehabilitation Counseling. I decided to participate this year in the NAMI walk because (as you know) my illness effects every aspect of my life in some way or another and given the statistics I know it effects yours as well. NAMI's work is important to me because they provide me (and people like me) with opportunities to spread our wings and soar!

Supporting me in my 5k will make a difference not only for me but for all those needing the emotional support to cope with either their illness or the illness of a loved one. You can access my page by clicking this link: http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?section=NAMIWALKS&template=/customsource/namiwalks/walkerpage.cfm&walkerID=159417 It's easy, fast and secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me. Anything, no matter how small, will make a difference in the life of someone like me who's on the road to remission of symptoms. Hey, If you live in the San Diego area, come join me!!

Both NAMI and I appreciate your donation. It will be the best birthday gift ever!!

Here's to a new year!!
Love ya! -MOPS

p.s. I challenge you to get all your friends involved! It's a national cause so it doesn't matter where they live, their donation will help NAMI help others all over the country, not just here in San Diego.

• You can print one of my flyers (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B970RafuSBYuYWQwMTJlYTAtYTFmNS00ZWMyLTg0ZDEtMmMwNGE3NjgyMDQ3&hl=en&authkey=CNKuldYF) Post them at your local library, movie rental, classroom, grocerystore, little league, high school swim or track meets . . .
• Skip starbucks or brown bag it once a week and use the money to support me & NAMI.
• Remember all NAMI donations are TAX deductable!  
• Post my link http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?section=NAMIWALKS&template=/customsource/namiwalks/walkerpage.cfm&walkerID=159417 your Facebook/LinkedIn status . . . then at lease it will drum up awareness, right?
• Email your local  scouts, kiwanas, lion's club, rotary, Mommy 'n Me groups, schools, church leaders and educate them on the statistics. Mental illness may even effect them right now---you never know.
• Drop off prescriptions, drop off a flyer.
• Post a flyer at your favorite restaurant!
• Have a lemonade stand, car wash, service project!!
• Put together a texting chain on your phone it can read "Mark your calendars for April 16th" Then when people text you to ask why, you can respond with a text that reads "NAMI WALK! http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?section=NAMIWALKS&template=/customsource/namiwalks/walkerpage.cfm&walkerID=159417
• The easiest one of all, forward my blog and or the NAMI walk link above.
• Remind others that when they support you in supporting NAMI they are supporting your loved one.

THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!! THANK YOU!!

falling apart . . .

 "We can never know what would have happened, but we can know what will happen."

 -Aslan, Prince Caspian (C.S. Lewis)

Really I don't know what that has to say about things that are going on in my l
ife right now. Things aren't falling apart, except for the fact that I'm way behind in classes and have two mid-terms coming up. I just really like this picture and I like the ensuing quote. It probably goes with my last post a lot better.

Last night I had a date with a really nice man. I think he's awesome and I was attracted to him and everything, but I don't think he sees me in the same light. At the end of the date he said he'd see me at my birthday party (which isn't until the very end of the month). Bummer. I have to say, I really haven't felt as alive as I did last night, in a very long time. It's great to know I'm still alive!

I got to thinking about it and I really have no memory of  ever being in a relationship with anyone I've ever dated. Which in a way is good---no sad memories of anyone and when it comes down to it, I'll have my first kiss someday. I say first, because I can't remember ever being kissed! It's like I'm that teenager again who can't wait to be asked out by a cute boy! Last night I was and it felt great!!

Well, I had better get back to studying for these midterms. Blech! Take care all! -MOPS

Doing the Impossible

This year I began my second semester of graduate school at San Diego State. Outside of the shock that I am attending the very school I loathed growing up, I'm really enjoying it!

This semester I began my Psych emphasis. It is very interesting to be on the otherside of the coin and watching how professionals view my illness and the illnesses of those I've come to love. I am grateful my program is focused on the rehabilitation of others. I think that is what makes the perspective so different rom that of my own and that of others, even that of medical professionals. For the majority of people in the program, they are there because they genuinely want to help others. There are a couple of people who genuinely want to help, but who haven't had much experience dealing with people who have disabilities, let alone working with people who are diagnosed with a mental illness. I can tell by the thoughtless comments they make, comments which are just plain clueless.

Gratefully we have come far enough in this society that we no longer use the "N-word" when talking about African Americans, don't refer to Native Americans and Mexicans as as lazy or drunkards, no longer refer to Japanese as Japs, use other racial slurs. I am interested to see how long it takes for people to stop using  crazy, mental, psycho, loony and schizo to describe the behaviour of someone because we don't understand the motives behind someone's behavior. I mean, hey, I use those terms one in a while even refering to myself! But I think I use them in the same way that my Aftrican American friends use the "N-word"  with their African American friends. It's okay for one of them to say it to the other, but if I were to utter it, I think they would all stare at me in disgust, and rightly so.

The other day I was trying to describe something that I saw to some loved ones. It was a video presented by a man who is a very sucessful clinical psychologist. He is also schizophrenic. It's not often you hear about people with Schizophrenia who are living sucessfull lives. Unfortunately, you only hear about the ones who aren't, just like you only hear about Mormons in the news, when they've done something wrong. (ie: So and so, a Mormon, was caught in . . .. Where as you'd never hear, "so and so, a Jew, was caught in . . .. Well, you get my point.)

Anyway, this man made some very interesting observations about some of the characteristics often seen in people with a schizophrenic diagnosis. It was so insightful that I just couldn't get over it and had to share it with some loved ones. He was describing what he refered to as non-linear, paleo-logic, or poetic logic. Evidently people without schizophrenic characteristics have a linear or logial train of thought (A+B=C), where as a person with Schizophrenia has non-linear thought process (A+ B . . . I got an A once! A stands for airy!). Kinda like those commercials they have right now comparing one search engine to another.
 (http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/bing-search-engine-commercial/12814g0m4?q=TV+commercials+for+Bing+search+engine or http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/bing-search-engine-commercial/12814g0m4?q=TV+commercials+for+Bing+search+engine)

So when you think about it, what are some of the things that come to your mind having to do with Mental illness. I know that before I was diagnosed I had this idea in my mind of people rocking in the corner strapped into a straight jacket, drooling, mumbling insessantly to themselves or to their imaginary friend, acting out violently, wearing dark clothing, obsessed with death, drugies . . . unsafe . . . the list goes on and on. I made fun of them, never thinking I'd be one of them. When I asked those people here with me this afternoon some of there words that come to mind when thinking about people with mental illnesses they came up with a list including diseased, slow, disturbed, handicaped or crazy. After I had lived with my illness for a while I discovered the stigma of mental illness is actually stronger than that. It's kind of like that smoking campfire. Somehow that smoke penetrates every inch of your clothes, hair, skin . . . and just becomes part of you. Where mental illness is concerned it indirectly creates this belief that the ill person is unbalanced, deceitful, incompetant, forever ill, degenerate, worthless and a waste of space.

If a person walks into an emergency room with violent vomiting, a doctor would assume they have the flu. Perhaps the Dr would ask how long they've been experienceing those symptoms, what they've had to eat in the last couple of hours, asked them how long they can keep the food down, taken some blood samples, asked them for some other samples, asked them if they had any exposure to poisons . . . maybe give them a shot for their nausea and hook them up to a saline solution to rehydrate them. If that same person is a known person with mental illness and walks in to the ER with violent vomiting, the doctor assumes they are forcing themselves to be sick and skips questions of symptom duration, exposure to poisons, blood tests, rehydration and helpful nasea shot, instead sending them to the mental ward. I know it's happened to me. I made the entire ICU unit at the mental hospital ill---you do NOT want another acutely ill patient mad at you because you made them sick!

Things like that happen because of the pervasive stigma of mental illness. In this extreem example, the doctor relied on his ability to read a chart and ignored the obvious symptoms assuming I was lying, wanting attention because . . . who knows why? Why would anyone fake flu symptoms? Stomach ache to get out of school when you're nine, I get that. Forcing yourself to throw up every 15-20 minutes? Unless they person is a bulimic, it just doesn't happen---and if the person is Bulimic, they aren't going to go to the ER and tell the doctor they have the flu!

What is my point? Being MOPS, by definition I don't need a point! However in this case I have one!

My point is we make assumptions about people all the time. Perhaps we are judging them by what they're wearing, the color of their skin, job, religion, gossip we've heard from others . . . their labled illness . . .  you name it. It is intrinctly part of our innate human nature. We all have to do that little something to break down stereotypes and stigma.

As far as mental illness is concerned. If you had looked at my life three years ago you would have never believed I was capable of  contributing to society, serving others, attending church, wanting to have a full-time job, searching for that love of my life, skilled . . . etc, etc . . . let alone one day have a full-ride, three year scholarship to graduate school, living independantly, paying taxes, and all that other important stuff. Yet, I am the same person. Its funny becasue even some people who knew me then are incapable of believieving I no longer regularly go to the hospital, have experienced acute symptoms once in the past two years (lasting only 36 hours). The interesting thing is, people who've met me during the past two years would never guess I have EVER lived in a group home, was inpatient at a mental hospital, had over 100 shock treatments, experienced psychosis, depression, delusions or institutionalized for months at a time. Nope. Infact I've had fellow class members ask me how I come up with such good questions in class or how I come up with such good senarios for role playing in class. The odd thng is, I still have the same illness. I'm not denying my illness, nor am I denying the symptoms I've experienced or situations I've been in. They are part of me. However, regardless of my situation, I always knew somewhere in my being that I would be sucessfull and I would be an active contributing member of society, even when, for years I was told otherwise. It took a lot of love, hard work, patience, using selective hearing when communicating with others unwilling to think outside of my labled box and a passion to work with what I knew I had.

I guess the true question for you is . . . which do you want do believe? Who do YOU want to see? I want to see me. I am eternally grateful to all you who are willing to do likewise.
-MOPS

Rear View Mirror

Greetings and Salutations!

Oh my gosh is it really the begining of the year? Seriously, I can't even remember most of last year but I can tell you I'm definately ready to dive into 2011.

That's right,

2011!

So . . . let me think for a moment and let you know all about this year!

January

Started work at H & R Block as a receptionist. They told me I was a CSP and since I could never remember what CSP stood for, I just started telling people it meant the Celebrated Sarah Price. (HA!)

Now I can remember it stands for Customer Service Professional, a glorified name for a receptionist.

Started at Cuyamacca College in their ASL 4 class at the invitation of the teacher, Vadja.

February

Transferred to the H&R Block San Diego East District office and put in charge of all Client Service calls.

Had bucket loads of fun in my ASL class with Vadja.

March 

Kicked out of the ASL 4 class because they wouldn’t allow me to test out of the earlier classes.

I love bureaucracy!

Me & Myrna having fun at the new Mormon Battalion Visitor's center in Old Town.
It's like Disneyland meets the Spirit! Not even a shadow of what it used to be! You can even pan for gold!

My neice, Kristen, came out to San Diego and discovered bananas and roller coasters!! 

Me & Kristen

Celebrated my 35th birthday! Had a fabulous party hosted by a long time friend, Deanna, with heaps of people attending and loads of fun!

My favorite trees exploded in color! I love Jacarandas!

April

Partied at the end of tax season! Yeah!!

Called to serve in the University 3rd (Deaf) Branch to interpret in the Young Women’s Program.

Janea & me

The Moyes family came and visited me!!

I'd put their picture on here, but I can't find one! AHHHH!

May

Received word of my acceptance into the SDSU graduate program for Rehabilitation Counseling. I have a three year, full ride scholarship!

Welcomed my friends David & Judy back to San Diego from Madagascar.

David, Me, Cat, & Judy

June

Went to Sea World



Greatful the jaws behind me didn't swallow me alive. (no pun intended)

July

Returned to a family treature!

Burning Butt Bridge!

Had a tooth extracted.

 

Drill bit in my mouth



The infamous tooth!

The Drill Bit!

August

Retired from H&R Block. HA! Started Graduate School!

But no worries, I am a BYU Cougar wearing an Aztec headress

Moved in with my new roommate Marky! She is awesome! I actually look forward to coming home for the first time since . . . college. I think.

September

  

Me & Taylor

 

Me & Katie







Taylor put makeup on one side of my face and Katie put it on the other!



Went to Arizona to visit Klint & Heather and their family for Kristin's baptism.

Hung out with the other girls.

October

Dressed up as a starving student for Halloween!

November

Amy Palmer & Me

the Sunderson family came to San Diego. I think the last time they were all here was  . . . when I was 14.

 I think.

Heather, Libby, Amy and Me

Me & Amy having fun at the Mormon Battalion Visitor's center

Had a great Thanksgiving with the family!

Me, DeAnna & Rhea (served in San Diego when I was 15) at the Pt. Loma Light House

December

Enjoyed the visit with a friend from my childhood.

Had a great Christmas with the family!

The Nerenberg family and me at Gma & Gma Price's house.

Discovered I got straight A's my first semester at SDSU!

Then I went to a dance in Irving, CA for New Year's and had a blast. I even met a nice man, too!

Hope you all had a great year! Happy New Year!

2011 is going to be the

BEST YEAR YET!!

(AND AFTER THIS ONE, I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER!)