Kirsten is Out of Surgery

Kirsten was out of surgery at noon today. That was about four and a half hours from start to finish. The doctor said he was able to do everything he planned. In other words, he cut her upper jaw and her lower jaw apart and made it so that her bite meets. She had very thin facial bone but he was still able to get the screws to stay in place in the plates. (It is too bad that Dr. Kitchen died. He kept Shawn from having to do what Kirsten is doing by giving him headgear). She will have lots of pain but they are keeping her sedated so that she can rest and heal. Tomorrow, when she comes home, our adventure will really begin. We must watch her meds so that she gets painkiller every four hours. The kids cannot sit on her lap or hug her for fear that they will jostle something loose and she will have to undergo more surgery. She cannot talk at all. She has to write what she wants on a white board. She has a doorbell buzzer in her room and it will ring downstairs. She has to sleep in a recliner so that her head is up. She will need to do that for six weeks. There will be no solid food for two weeks or more. She has a syringe that she will use to squirt juices in between her teeth (sealed together with elastics). We have to keep her locked up and away from the youngest kids for the next two weeks. I don't know how this is all going to work but I guess we will find out. Dad and I must leave at 5 a.m. to go and get her. I honestly do not know how any of you keep up with your lives. Taking kids to school, picking kids up from school, running errands, shopping, washing, ironing, fixing meals, keeping things moderately clean and having the company of wonderful little people while you do it AND staying on schedule.

SV: "Holdman Christmas Lights 2010 - Complete Show"‏

Holdman Christmas Lights 2010 - Complete Show

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Visit us at http://www.holdman.com/christmas The complete Holdman Christmas Light Display for 2010 after a fresh snow storm. Music Winter Wonderland - Alexia Phillips Yule - Amazing Grace Carol of…
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Added on 12/23/10
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Kenneth Anderson, Denmark, wrote: Glad you enjoy the display! The father of the fellow who has been making these Christmas displays is a colleague. Have been in touch with both for some years!

I watch it every year at Christmas time!

 The following link puts our (Floyd Holdman, the father) mutual involvement in perspective:

http://vimeo.com/13514540

Where We Are For Two Weeks

Melanie wrote: So,  you are at the Waite's?

We are in Colorado with the Waites. We will be here for two weeks. Kirsten has extensive jaw surgery on Wednesday. She will be home on Thursday. I hope we have planned enough time for her to heal enough that she is no longer on pain pills when we leave. We will be here until February 3.

Shawn wrote: We're glad you can be there for the recovery. We hope all goes well.

At Kirsten's and Ready to Go

We are at Kirsten's home in Colorado Springs. We will be here for at least two weeks. Kirsten has extensive jaw surgery on Wednesday. She will be home on Thursday. I hope we have planned enough time for her to heal enough that she is no longer on pain pills when we leave. We will be here until February 3. 

Jared Really Had to Work

My tooth is out. It took all morning (9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). My jaw had to be scraped clean and the bone transplant put in place. In addition, the tooth in front of it was badly decayed (under a 30-year old crown). I have a new crown there. I am still numb so I don't know if I hurt or not. It will be nice to be rid of all of that infection.

Atheism and Evolution‏

Dear All,
    I read an article the other day in which some of the tenets of those who profess to be atheists, are figuratively asking me to believe that there is no God, and no creation, and there is no Savior; but that I should believe that something came from nothing, that natural order came from chaos, that consciousness came from nonsense (or something).  And I am supposed to believe that complex DNA molecules and Protein (enzyme) molecules came into existence somehow by chance.  The fact is, as discovered by science, that DNA requires the action of enzymes to form, and that enzymes require DNA to form.  It has also been proposed by evolutionists that UV radiation provided the energy for these chemical reactions to come about; however, it has also been discovered (scientifically) that UV radiation is destructive to protein such as cell walls.
     Atheists claim that religionists, especially Christians, who have faith in God and Jesus Christ, have no valid evidence of their existence.  To me the very existence of this beautiful earth, and the whole universe, and our solar system, and the order demonstrated therein, denote a Creator and God.  The very existence of human beings, mortal men and women, who are literally children of a loving Heavenly Father, and who wants us to return to live with Him again after this mortal life is completed, also provides evidence of our Heavenly Father.
     It was because of the missionaries teaching me the Plan of Salvation of our Heavenly Father, and the idea of Eternal Families, that I came to understand what Mormonism was all about.  I learned that this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only Church that understands these things, and that only through Priesthood authority from God, and bestowed on a Prophet, we could become worthy to return to live with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  And it was only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and His taking upon himself the sins of all mankind who ever have or ever will live on this earth, that we can receive the blessings He has promised His children--and that is us. We are all literally His spirit children, and He has provided the way that we can find the way back to Heavenly Father.
     I wish I could explain fully just how much I love this Gospel of Jesus Christ as it was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the restoration of this Gospel.  It has brought to me more joy and happiness in my life since I have come to realize that if I can endure in righteousness to the end of my life, I can be with my wonderful wife and children in and for eternity.  There is an eternal existence, and we can enjoy the blessings of that life if we are willing to obey all of God's commandments, and strive to live the best that we can throughout this mortal existence.  God revealed that this life is a test designed to see if we will be obedient, and to obtain a physical body.  If we do these two things, we will literally graduate from mortality to a far more happy and joyful existence.  I came to understand that what the Savior told Nicodemus (in Matthew) was necessary; when He told him that "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God," so I realized I had to be baptized and confirmed by someone who had the Priesthood authority--so in July 1954, I was baptized, and have enjoyed the blessings of the Gospel ever since.  Come join me.
     I would like to explain one more item which is thoroughly misunderstood and mistaken; it is that Adam and Eve should not be looked down upon for their transgression in the Garden of Eden.  If you remember, the Lord did forbid them to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of  good and evil.  But He also described their punishment if they did; He told them they would "surely die" if they partook, or in other words death would come into the world.
    However, if they did not partake, mortality and the opportunity to have children would not have come to pass.   In other words, they had to partake in order for them to "multiply and replenish the Earth."  But then an angel of the Lord informed them that a Savior would be provided to perform the Atonement for their transgression.  This is a major part of the Plan of Salvation of our Father in Heaven.
     My testimony is that these things are true, and that Joseph Smith, as a fourteen year old boy had a vision and saw the Father and the Son, and was told that he would be an instrument in the hands of God to restore the Lord's Gospel to the earth.  Also, we have a Prophet on the earth right now, and his name is Thomas S. Monsen, and he really speaks for God today, just as Moses and Abraham and Isaiah, and others did centuries ago.

With love, Dad and Russ Bender

Lucy Jones' Nephew Joe (Houston) is making his own video game!‏

Lucy Jones wrote: Hi Everyone!
     This is my sister who has sent this e-mail to me, and I'm forwarding it on to all of you.  Some of you may have already gotten it from another source.  I think it's pretty neat, and I'm very proud of my nephew.  He's a very intelligent boy with a lot of ambition.  
     Enjoy the beginning of the ride with him!

Hi,
   I don't know if I have already told you about Joe (my son) and his latest exciting adventure!  He and his team are striking out on their own to put out their own video game.  They do this with the approval of Arkane Studios, Joe's former employer.  They have been very supportive of his effort.  Shana (my daughter-in-law), has also been very supportive of this venture, and she describes her feelings about it so well below that I am forwarding excerpts from her email in the body of this one.  
   If you could forward this email to any video game-lovers you know, Joe would really appreciate it.  NO pressure to contribute, by the way, but you might be interested in looking at what he has put together so far.  I'm not a video-gamer myself, but I am proud of Joe and how hard he has been working on this project.
Estella

From: Shana Lanzetta <lanzetts@gmail.com>
Subject: Joe is making his own video game!

Hi everyone!

Okay, so I'm not sure if everyone knows but Joe quit his job two months ago to pursue making his own games.  He's spent the last two months getting his kickstarter campaign together in the hopes that he will get to finish making this game.  He's got 30 days to raise the money he needs in order to do this. 

It's been hard on us all with a toddler and with him pulling extra hours - meaning I'm also pulling extra hours.  But all of that seems worth it for what he stands for and what he wants to do.  Check out his game and his company Roxlou Games.

For $15 of support you get a copy of the game when it's finished and all the tools he used so if you are so inclined you can make your own mod (and a note about kickstarter, you only have to pay if the total goal is reached).

I'm so proud of him and excited!  Please check out his campaign and share with all your friends.

Thanks!
Shana

From Joe:

Friends & Family,

The Kickstarter campaign for our indie game "Unwritten" has just launched.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1599677835/unwritten-that-which-happened

I won't distract you with the project details since they're all there in the link above. I will say that if you got this email you're in our "first tier" of friends and supporters. This means that we care an awful lot about you and want you to see what we've been working on the past few months.

It also means that you sharing this link is vitally important to our success. No matter how you share, (e.g. Facebook, Reddit, email, tip submissions to gaming sites, plain old word of mouth), it's all good stuff. Getting exposure will be our biggest challenge, and you can help us get started.

Also be sure to "like" our project page on Kickstarter, and back us with a contribution. If possible this is best done early in the campaign. A strong initial showing increases our chances of being noticed as a "staff pick" or "popular" project, further increasing our chances for the future.

Thank you. I've already asked for a bunch of stuff, but you might also wish us luck!

Joe
   

The Latest on Factor V

Julie also has Factor V Leiden. David's doctor told him that he had it just a few months ago. That makes all of you except for Shawn and Kirsten. AnnMarie hasn't been tested. Only 50 percent of the kids in a family (where there is a single zygote) should get it. Julie's doctor had to be funny--he said that I was most likely supposed to have had two more kids. There were probably two angels in heaven who would have come to the family and not had it. ;)

About the musical‏

When is the date? Dad needs to have his shoulder operated on--the other side. I only hope they can fix this one, not like the other. At any rate, he couldn't remember when the musical was so was not sure if he could schedule the surgery when they wanted him to or not.

Madilyn's Winter Guard Competition Dates

Here are all of the competitions, dates and addresses for you. Sorry it took me so long to get them to you. Competitions usually start around 4:00 pm. Except for State is usually an all day thing.

Evaluation Show January 19 (Parents are no allowed to come. Sorry)
Mountain Ridge Junior High
5525 west 10400 north st
Highland, Utah 84003

North Ridge High School February 2nd
2430 north hill field rd.
Layton, Utah 84041

West Lake High School February 16th
99 north Thunder Blvd
Saratoga Springs Utah 84045

Bear River High School March 2nd
1450 south main street
Garland, Utah 84312

American Fork High School March 16th
510 north 600 east
American Fork, Utah 84003

Lone Peak High School March 30th
10189 north 4800 west
Highland, Utah 84003

State Competition  April 6th
Davis High School    
325 south main street
Kaysville, Utah 84037

Myrna wrote: Thank you. We will attend one of them for certain. We cannot be to all because they are on Saturdays while we are at the temple. We will make arrangements to be at one of them and we will let you know in advance which one.