My Christmas Gift...

In case you were wondering...
the REAL Santa hasn't found his way to our house yet.
He decided to wait until my Dad gets out of the hospital.
That was my request.
Thanks Santa!
But Dr. Millar stepped in to play Santa for our family this year.
He fixed my Dad's heart.
And that is the BEST Christmas gift anyone could EVER give us.
Dr. Millar and his wife Valerie came to visit the cardiac floor this morning.
What an amazing couple.
We couldn't be more grateful for this man.
And doesn't my Dad look FANTASTIC
His spirits are sky high and we are hoping he can come home tomorrow.
(Crossing our fingers)
The red pillow he is hugging is named Roger.
After Dr. Roger Millar - his heart surgeon.
We thought it fit him well.
That pillow has a drawing of a heart with Dr. Millar's "blue prints" all over it.
"Roger" will be my Dad's bff for the next two months.
He has to hold it against his chest when he does pretty much anything.
It keeps him from using his arms so he doesn't split his chest open.
Lovely.
All of his nurses have signed Roger.
My Dad is the star patient of the cardiac floor.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Dixie Regional room 233.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Update...

So far so good.
We got word that he was on the heart and lung machine about 8:30 am
And we waited.
Kind of scary to think your Dad's body is running on a machine.
We got word about 11:30 that he is beating on his own again.
He is out of surgery.
We have seen the heart surgeon and the anesthesiologist.
Things are looking good.
Now we just wait to see him.
Derek, Sharisa, and Tiffany couldn't make it yet.
Sharisa comes tomorrow.
So we had them on Skype.
They were in the room for the phone call from the OR
and when the heart surgeon gave us the report.
We are SO grateful for technology today.
We've kind of taken over the ICU waiting room.
The Staples 7 has arrived.
Even if it is via Skype.
6 laptops.
9 cell phones.
7 people in person.
1 missionary grandson emailing in from Seattle.
12 people via skype.
My Dad sure is loved.

Here are some pics from last night...
We love you Daddyo!
Be strong!

The Beauty of Having 5 Sisters And a Mom.

Who needs one of my own?
And I am missing 2 beauties.
Plus Grandma's.
Which I claim as my own.
Milne cousins...
That is what you get for leaving me as the only single cousin.
Right Grandma?

The Bob.

I am just as shocked as you are.
Two hair cuts.
12 inches.
Lots of shock.
Still trying to decide what I think.
So far I think I like it.
I am no longer the long blond haired girl.
Crazy.
Change is good...right?
Sorry for the cheesy self portrait!

Please Laugh...

This is my ATTEMPT to be a reporter this semester.
This is just a little preview.
I had the opportunity to do 15 different stories.
It really is goofy.
Especially the last intro and close
It looks like I am trying so hard.
My audio on the first story is messed up.
And there aren't any "supers" or names on the bottoms of the first one.
But I got a little better as time went on.
So just have a good laugh at this.
I have LOVED doing this.
I love getting to talk to people and doing something different EVERY day.
I have LOVED not being buried in books.
Instead I have been buried with cameras,
your hair is too long,
your audio is mickey mouse,
your makeup is wrong,
your writing is passive...
etc. etc.
I am so grateful for this opportunity.
I am so grateful for my news director Chad Curtis.
He has pushed me farther than I thought imaginable.
I am grateful for Ruth Todd who has taught me how to dream big,
keep my head straight,
that I CAN do it (no matter what people say),
and how to be warm and fuzzy in a not so warm and fuzzy world.
I am grateful for my family for putting up with my cranky personality this semester.
I am grateful for my roommates who have put up with crazy hours,
lack of cleaning,
always needing help,
with EVERYTHING.
It has been a long road.
But I threw this together last week for a project.
I had to RUN out of Provo.
We're having a bit of a family crisis.
So today.
I am grateful for this experience.
But at the end of the day....
I will never forget the lessons of family, love, and frienship that I have learned this semester.
As John Mayer would say...
I am in the War of My Life.
And I couldn't be more grateful for my trials and experiences.

The 2009 Ludlow Christmas Dinner Party

Drew Ludlow had an amazing dinner party for a group of friends.
I was lucky enough to be invited.
Drew definitely knows how to throw a party.
He had it in his "pent house" as I like to call it -
Overlooking the SLC temple.
It was picturesque.

Karly + James
Sable + Drew
(sable just got picked to be an anchor!
I am so excited for her.
One problem.
That hair has to go. I am here for you girl.)
Brittany + Trent
Amy + Ronnie

Harold + Melissa
The boys doing something strange.

Imitating Amy and Sable.
Drews fav. pic.

This group of friends is seriously a delight to be around.
Thanks for letting me join you for the night.
There was LOTS of eating.
Some decorating of cookies.
And even some singing around the piano.
Thanks for a great night Drew!

Pitter Patter

(Taken Christmas Eve 2008)

Currently: Sitting in the ICU waiting room with my Mom and Grandma.
It seems my Dad's heart is a little too full of love this Christmas season.

When I came home for Thanksgiving I noticed a big change in my Dad.
He looked older.
And very tired.
Over the last year he has been slowing down.
BIG TIME.
I knew something was different.
Two weeks ago I received a phone call from my Dad.
I was frosting cupcakes and had a second to talk!
My Dad isn't a phone person so when he calls - you answer!
Since that phone call life has been one crazy whirlwind.
I learned that my Dad's heart is beating twice as fast as my heart.
He says it started pitter pattering too fast when he met my Mom.
So it's her fault.
He was taken in to surgery in SLC last Wednesday and brought back out 15 minutes later.
A blood clot put an immediate halt to the procedure.
They were sent back down to STG to play the waiting game.
We were told we needed to wait for the clot to go away before the procedure could be done.
The waiting game didn't last long.
My Dad got more tired, more anxious, and more grumpy.
My Mom took him back in.
One week ago his heart was pumping about 65% of normal -
Tuesday it was pumping 35%.
Things were changing fast and not looking good.
The last week has been a rollercoaster.
But the biggest drop came last week.
We learned that my Dad would need to
have a triple bypass -
open heart surgery.
It came as a huge surprise to our family.
My Dad has fought so hard to avoid heart problems.
His infamous line is, "Your body doesn't know it is a holiday."
He does not take breaks from working out or his diet.
But sometimes it's just not enough.
Sometimes genetics just bite.
Not exactly the most exciting way to spend the holidays.
But we are blessed.
We are more than blessed.
This all came about because of some events in my Dad's life that all of us didn't really understand.
But now we know.
We know that everything has happened for a reason and our family is being watched out for.
We know that had my Dad not changed his lifestyle 10 years ago we probably wouldn't have a Dad today.
We know there are great doctors here in St. George.
We know that my Mom is a trooper and has held everyone together.
We know that we have 7 kids, 6 in-laws, 11 grandkids, 1 grandma, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends that are all praying for him.
I kind of just dropped everything and left Provo.
I couldn't help it.
I just did it.
All of my siblings are doing the same.
5 out of the 7 children will be here within the next 24 hours.
I also had a surprise visit from a stranded VA traveler.
Before my Dad was admitted yesterday we had a little family prayer.
Derek said it.
You heard me.
Derek said it from Switzerland over skype.
That meant A LOT to both of my parents.
My Grandma can hardly believe it.
We sure do miss our swissy siblings today.
Last night Jeff and Rod came to give my Dad a blessing.
It was pretty sweet to see these three great men come together.
I am so blessed to have these three men in my life.
I don't think I will ever forget the feelings in that room yesterday.
Despite our age differences and the miles in between us -
I felt all of my siblings with me last night.

This is a Christmas I will NEVER forget.
We will more than likely be spending it in the hospital
walking up and down the halls with my Dad.
Something that is still shocking to me.
Just two months ago my Dad was running 26.2 miles.
Now we will focus on getting him down a hall.
But in a few months he will be better than he's been in years.
At times I get a little sad that I haven't done my usual holiday celebrations.
It will be the first time since I was about 3 years old that we won't be attending
the progressive dinner, nativity, and talent show
with the Adams and Orton's.
It will be the first year my Dad won't close the evening with bad bad Leroy Brown.
No gingerbread houses, no friend parties, no Santa visits etc. etc.
Everything has been canceled.
But it has put everything in to perspective.
We will celebrate Christmas with our family when my Dad is out of the hospital.
And that is what matters most.
There have been SO many blessings.
And we have never been more grateful for our Savior, the gospel, and our family.

Today I am grateful for my Dad.
My Dad is one of those quiet good men.
He kind of goes unnoticed sometimes.
He calls himself Mr. Cellophane.
But what you may not know is how full my Dad's heart is.
He never ever judges others.
We like to call him "the wise owl"
He has great advice
He has one liners that would knock your socks off.
He quietly gives to more people than you can even imagine.
Today I want to be a little more like my Dad.
I want to be a little more giving, less judgmental, and a little more full of love.

Please pray for my Dad.
He is having a triple bypass, plus the removal of a clot, plus a maze surgery to slow his heart to a normal heart rate.
It will be a long recovery.

I pray my Dad's heart will pitter patter a little better after today.

Blogger Break

Finals are looming over my head!
I have SO much to do.
I am hoping to finish Tuesday night and head to STG by Thursday.
Wish me luck on that one.
With each semester I take a "finals hiatus" from the blog.
That way I don't have to tack "update blog" to the lengthy to do list.
Crazy as it sounds - one item can make all the difference.
But I have LOTS of updating to do.
COMING SOON
pictures of "the bob"
I'll let the suspense kill you.

I hope you have all seen this...



Over the next 11 days I am striving to live a little more in The Spirit of Christ.
I had the opportunity to narrate our Christmas program in our ward today.
I love the Christmas season.
I was so filled with the Christmas spirit I could hardly stand it.
And then tonight I had the opportunity to go sing at a retirement home in town with a big group of kids.
Our friends used to do this every Sunday in St. George.
We have just started doing it the last two weeks.
What a wonderful blessing it is to be able to sing and make a few people smile.
Despite all of the heartache and troubles we all may have -
nothing can make you feel better than making a few cute ladies smiling and sing along.

I hope you all have a little more love in your hearts this holiday season!
Merry Christmas to everyone!

Talent!

Meet Javier.
He just got accepted to the Broadcast Program.
I will be producing his news cast next semester.
He is one of the MANY talented people in my program.
And he is from Spain.
Which makes him that much cooler.
He got free books for a year -
Just for making this movie.
I love my program!

Dear New York CIty

SEE YOU IN APRIL

When I was 12 years old I went to the city.
Not just any city.
THEE city.
I can remember looking at my Mom
and promising
(on just about everything imaginable)
that I would live in NYC.
I just learned my dream is coming true.

ACCEPTED
BYU BROADCASTING NEW YORK INTERNSHIP PROGRAM


I will travel with 5 other Broadcast students to the Big Apple.
We are not placed at our "network station" until January.
I am still crossing my fingers for The Today Show.

We will live at Columbia University
In their I. House

We will be poor.
VERY poor.
We will not be paid.
We will get coffee.
We will work long hours.
We will take class.
We will live in close quarters.

But the
BOTTOM LINE:
WE WILL LIVE IN NYC FOR 2 MONTHS
WE WILL WORK FOR A NETWORK STATION
AND WE WILL HAVE THE TIME OF OUR LIVES.

5 Months and Counting...

ZERO DEGREES

The cold was much more fun when I was 5!
Dear Santa,
Please bring me two digit temperatures.
Love,
Karly

Amazing Women.

This past semester I have gotten to know some amazing women.
My two bosses.
Even though I may not interact with them on a daily basis - I watch them from afar.
They may not know it.
But I do.
While they are both completely different - they both inspire me.

You can check out Megan Faulkner Brown
http://utahvalleybusinessq.com/winter2009/cover.html
As one of the top 10 coolest entrepreneurs in Utah County.
If you are in the area this weekend you should come check out our new hours and DATE NIGHT.

Also - to all the STG Peeps...
The Sweet Tooth Fairy is flapping her wings in my favorite town in the world.
Be ready for the shop to open early next year by Pine View Stadium 10.
Meg has three kids under the age of three.
Started her own business this year.
And is opening two shops next year.
And still has time to be the most heart felt person you have ever met.
I adore her.


Jacey Walker Reynolds is my other boss.
Although she hates that title.
She prefers to be called Princess Jacey.
So I do.
She helps connect the comms department with alumni, current students, and prospective students.
She writes an amazing blog.
You can see it on my favorites.
It's called "She Writes Like A Girl"
And it is hilarious.
We laugh at this:
http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/dating/item_Y0u0iCffzc4P2qXVJT3RLM
(note: material slightly explicit - read with a sense of humor)
She is a single Mom and seriously rocks this world.
She inspires me.
She makes me laugh.
She makes me laugh so hard I cry!
And she tells me I am going to be the next Katie Couric.
So of course, I lalalove her!

Great Moms, Great Women in the workforce!
Just two women who inspire me on a daily basis.
Thanks ladies.

Thanksgiving Break!

It was the first and ONLY time I will go home this semester.
I truly cannot believe that.
But boy was I excited to go home!
I was so excited to see my own bed.
To see my parents.
And to sit at the kitchen counter and discuss the things of life.
I miss that.
It was the big weekend.
A big group of us went down to Las Vegas.Elise and Dustin got married.

You may remember their engagement post.
Despite the groom having a head on collision which resulted in
having 13 screws and a plate put in his face
1 week before the wedding...
It was a great day!

We danced...a lot!

Kourtney caught the bouquet.
She fought hard for that baby.

Love little miss Kelsey.Then it was off to Dallas Texas!
My two sisters Tiffany and Sharisa live in Plano.
I'll let you guess whose suit case is whose.

First stop...
An amazing grocery store.
My Mom and I have a slight obsession with great grocery stores.
We spent the holiday at Tiffany's lake house.
It was incredible.
The lake was absolutely beautiful.
The homes were amazing.
I want one!
Is that too much to ask Santa?
My nephew Harrison is so great with my nephew Dylan.
Dylan has no fear of fish!
Put anything with a mouth in front of Mark... and he will kiss it.
No offense Tiff.
My niece Ella wanted to catch a fish SO bad.
That was all she wanted all weekend.
Friday morning she was out with her little Barbie fishing pole.
She and little 8 year old Harrison were just out by themselves playing.
Suddenly she had a bite.
A BIG bite.
Harrion reeled the whole thing in.


This was the picture of the weekend.
My Mom is turning in to quite the outdoorsy woman.
Mark reaming people over Skype.
Thanksgiving dinner!
Aren't my parents the cutest?
The Lewis fam.
I can't believe how fast kids change.
Ella loved me this time.
Last time she would cry if I looked at her.
Dylan is making HUGE strides.
He has the funniest personality.
He is the most loving little boy in the world!

I was so proud that when we got in the boat my sister automatically takes the wheel.
Staples girl at heart.
We are boaters through and through.


Harrison is such a little cuddle bug!
He did not leave my side the whole weekend.
Since I am the single one in the fam I didn't mind.


Saturday was a big deal for me.
It was my first Texas Tech game.
My brother-in-law Mark was the center for Texas Tech "back in the day"
You have NEVER met someone who loves a team this much.
EVER.
We did the whole tailgating thing.
It was quite different than a BYU tailgating party.
But I loved it.
The game was in the Dallas cowboys stadium!
It was INCREDIBLE!
I sat with the little's the whole game.
I didn't mind.
I love these munchkins!



The guy behind us kept trying to get Harrison to do the Baylor claw sign.
Harrison was NOT happy about it.
It was a crack up.

It was a great Thanksgiving.
I absolutely LOVED being home.
More than anything I realized there is one MAJOR thing I am thankful for.
My family!
Love my parents.
Love my sisters.
Miss my brother.
We may be nuts...
And we may not live close to each other.
But I love them.
I wouldn't change them for the world.

Thanks to my Dad for flying back with me.
Having hours of good chat and advice time.
Playing Mr. Mom.
Packing my car.
Packing me a lunch.
And sending me on my way.
Love you Dad!