Success has to begin somewhere...

Per popular request...

2010-08-08T16:01:00.002-04:00

I obviously took a blogging hiatus. I didn't think it was worth it in some ways. Then, on our trip to Utah, many people gave me a hard time. Also, lots of dear friends have moved from Ann Arbor. So, I will start afresh knowing that there are people outside of Ann Arbor who want to know what's going on in our lives.

Importance of writing in a journal

2010-05-25T22:46:00.002-04:00

My wife has done an excellent job of showing through her example how important it is to write in a journal. There's something about living life, then analyzing it, that give you pause and helps you to clarify what you're doing in life and where you need to go.

I've been working as an intern at Blue Care Network over the past couple weeks. I've really enjoyed it and it's given me a good opportunity to get a sense of what the insurance side of healthcare is like. I've been learning a lot about risk arrangements, physician reimbursement, and a number of novel ways to help individuals live healthier lifestyles. The more I get involved, the more everything is starting to come together that I've learned these past two years. It's difficult to put my finger on it, but one of these days I'm going to sit down and write an essay on what my views are on healthcare and what I think should be done to fix this healthcare problem that we're having. It's sad because as I learn new things, there's no centralized place for me to write my thoughts. I know that's just an excuse and I'm going to do a better job of clarifying my thoughts and opinions.

I got a forward from my Mom today about President Obama. I thought it was outrageous that she forwarded it to the rest of the family, particularly because the contents of the letter were so defaming and untrue. A transcript of the letter can be found here.

Here is what I wrote her back in response:

Hi Mom,

I just finished reading this letter and wanted to share my two cents. It's definitely thought provoking, and I haven't written this much about politics in a while. Hopefully it does an adequate job in portraying what's on my mind.

I agree that we should stand up for our ideals, Mom, but if there's one thing that I've learned in graduate school, it's that there is almost always another point of view that isn't always apparent at first blush. One thing that I find difficult when discussing politics is that pundits always paint the picture either black or white. It's not always that simple. Life is complicated, and we as citizens need to do a better job of looking at both sides of the picture before making judgments of what is right and what is wrong.

Do you remember the musical "Wicked" and what your preconceived notions of the Wicked Witch of the West were before the play? Of course, before I saw the musical I thought of her as a heartless, ugly, bitter witch who didn't care for anyone but herself. Then, after seeing the musical, you see her in a different light, trying to do what's best for everyone.

I'm not trying to say that Obama is or has been the perfect President. However, I think sometimes we need to be skeptical about the things we listen to or read on the Internet, especially when it comes to matters of politics.

I think I remember telling you that Obama came to Ann Arbor to speak during this year's U of M commencement address. I particularly liked a portion of his speech when he discussed this hot political environment that we're in. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcNXFz_QCVU#t=6m06.

Needless to say, Mom, I love you. I know you have the best of intentions. I just think before spreading incendiary allegations and "fanning the flames" to the rest of our extended family, we need to step back, get a broader perspective, and take a look at the other side for a moment before making judgments.

Love you tons,
Jonathan

You know, it actually felt good to write that letter to my mom and help her understand where I was coming from. In fact, it makes me want to make sure I understand my stance on certain positions and be able to articulate them in a way that I'm pleased with. So often I get hung up on how people view me as a person. I need to be more forthcoming and actually communicate with others on what my views are.

A new blog address

2008-04-07T17:17:00.002-04:00

Well, Jonathan decided that he wanted a blog for both of us. I only consented if he would merge all of my previous posts. He figured out how to do it, so maybe now the blog may have more postings.
Here is the new address so you can all update:

http://dunfordfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

University of Michigan

2008-03-15T19:39:00.004-04:00

It's official! Jonathan was accepted to the Ross school of Business and Health administration program at U of M. He will be starting his dual degree this Fall so we will be in Ann Arbor for the next three years. We are very excited that he has been blessed with such a great opportunity and that we will be close to both sets of grandparents!! Congratulations Jonathan!!

Family expansion

2008-03-10T08:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I think it is safe to announce that Jonathan and I will be having a baby at the end of the summer! We are very excited! I will post the first ultra sound picture. It looks like a peanut in the picture; however, when I was there it had little circles for arms and legs. It was really cute. When I saw it it all sunk in that this was real and that I really was pregnant. I wasn't just imagining all the sickness and whatnot. The second set will have to be another post because I think I need Jonathan's help to scan them and upload them into the computer.

The second set will have to be another post because I think I need Jonathan's help to scan them and upload them into the computer. They are much better than this one. The second ultra sound was for a genetic "first screen" where they determine early if the baby has Down Syndrome or another congenital defect. I agreed to go but I wouldn't do further testing if they found something wrong. They are some really cool pictures. We got some 3D pictures and the baby has everything! It opened and closed it's mouth, had shoulders, ears, eyes, fingers, toes and a little something that made the sonographer ask us if we wanted to know the gender. I didn't think she would tell us so I said, " why not" and she turned the screen around and showed us three different angles of the BIG possibility to have a little boy as our first baby. I of course took the news with a grain of salt considering the baby was only 15 weeks old and they can't be sure until 18-20 weeks or so. However, until they prove otherwise we are going to plan on having a baby boy. I think I need to follow Alicia's footsteps and find a blue background for my blog. I am going to try and document all that I can about the pregnancy. I need to take more pictures and talk about it. I haven't been a big talker. I just figure I still have 5-1/2 to 6 months left. (Actually, I don't really know...everytime I go to the doctor they tell me the baby is bigger than what I tell them. my EDD is Sept 4th but I think it will come sometime in August since I obviously miscalculated my LMP.) It makes me crazy not knowing exact details!

The school quest

2008-03-10T08:46:00.002-04:00

Well, I may need to be changing the name of my blog because we are in the final stages of hearing back from the graduate schools Jonathan applied to. He has been accepted so far to UNC and U of M's Master's of Health Administration programs. He has even received some scholarship offers which is very exciting! We are still waiting to here back from business schools and will hopefully have made a decision by the end of March. It has been exciting to see all of the opportunities that has led Jonathan down this path. I feel that he will be very successful at this career and will enjoy finally going back to school!

Boring Blog

2008-01-13T19:19:00.000-05:00

So, I am officially finished with school. I say official because I don't have to go to class anymore and hopefully don't have to retake any qualifying exams. All i have left is a semester of working with little kids at the Detroit Children's hospital. I am starting tomorrow and am very excited. I have realized for some time now that my blog was boring. I never have anything interesting to write...however, although my posts may be pictureless or boring I am going to try and be better this year. There is no reason not to post...I check Google reader every day to see what everyone else has to say. I can take a minute to say something. Wish me luck!

My roommate from BYU-Idaho

2007-11-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

I was in Boston this weekend for a convention and as I was walking around the exposition center I saw someone that I recognized. I immediately knew her name was Erin, I just didn't know how I knew her. As I was scrolling through all of the options she looked at me and said, "Is your name Abby?" She was my roommate at Ricks from 2001 to 2002. She was there with me when I was applying to be a YPM in Nauvoo. She asked about Phil and I told her that he and Roxy got married and have two kids now. It was very exciting to see her. She is such a great girl. I hate losing contact with people so hopefully more people will randomly come back into my life again!!!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

A month ago was Halloween and I wanted to post some pictures of the event. First, a word of caution. Never leave a carved pumpkin on your mantel over a long weekend. You may just come home to a sea of mold dripping out of its mouth. Not to mention the pumpkin had collapsed on itself. GROSS! Second, our Halloween party was a huge success. We invited the Bartlett's and the Adamson's over for dinner in a pumpkin. We also had dry ice creating a misty effect with our root beer. It was a lot of fun. I can't find a picture of all of us... We hang out with the Bartlett's and Adamson's all of the time. It has been a lot of fun living here in Detroit with such great friends!

A little too much pink!

2007-11-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I had been trying for a long time to change my blog's background. I found a cute template online but never figured out how to apply it. So I have officially gotten rid of the pink and hopefully this will be better until Erin teaches me how to make my background cute and have songs play when people come read it!! Help please!! Suggestions are welcome...

The Air Force Relay Marathon

2007-10-08T23:18:00.001-04:00

Well, We did it. Jonathan, Laura, my mother, and I all ran our relay marathon. We ran it in 4 hours and 30 minutes. It was such a blast!! We trained for a couple of months together. Mom was the anchor in keeping us going and preparing for it. We were so proud of her. She ran 5 miles!! She hasn't been able to walk that far let alone run in years and years due to her heart complications. I ran the second shortest length 6.3 miles. However, that was alos no small feat. I had to train a lot to do that since grad school has sucked me dry of all energy and opportunity to work out. Since the marathon that has changed. I work out 2-3 times a week and am feeling really good right now. It has actually helped me in school and keep priorities where they need to be. back to the marathon.... The best thing about it was since that since I was the third leg of the race and had to wait two hours or so to start. While I was waiting I was able to see my Dad, Eliza, and Mary all running together and run with them for a little bit. It was motivating to see how happy they were. They all ran the full length marathon. Maybe one day I will be able to run one with Dad. I don't want to be the only kid who doesn't do it. I learned that if you train consistently you can prepare yourself. That is what happened with me.
Hopefully, one of these days, I will find a picture of just me and Jonathan. Until then, the picture of all of us will have to do!!

Jackson's here

2007-10-08T23:08:00.001-04:00

What a sweet boy. It was very humbling being in Minnesota and seeing what a great mom Roxann is. She has so much love for her kids and is so good with them. I loved being there. I especially loved being around Jackson. He was still only a week and a half old so he was quite sleepy. However, he was starting to be more alert and would open his big blue eyes and just watch everyone. It wasn't always easy but it was a good learning experience. I think by the end of the week I realized, "hey, I could do this" which was monumental in and of itself. I don't have to be terrified any longer of the memory of Charlotte screaming in pain when I broke the cardinal "don't let them stand in the tub" rule a year ago. I successfully gave her two baths. The image of my own clumsiness affecting my children has softened. Maybe I could be a good mom someday. Besides...who wouldn't want something this cute and cuddly to play with every day. Isn't he adorable!!!! What a sweet nephew.

Charlotte Time

2007-10-08T22:50:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I went to Minnesota to help Roxann with the new baby, play with Charlotte, and hang out. I posted pictures of my trip. I spent a lot of time with Charlotte. She let me share her room with her. I slept on the trundel bed and she woke me up in the morning. It was a lot better to have her as an alarm clock. She is such a sweetheart. She loves reading books, coloring, singing, playing outside, swinging, bathing, etc... She does a little bit of everything and has so much energy and love. I loved being with her. I think I wouldn't mind skipping the newborn baby thing and going straight to the toddler stage.

Picture #1 Charlotte hanging from the playground
Picture #2 Charlotte and I were sharing the stand up teeter-totter while Phil was on the other side... I think that is why she has a scared face on. He can be quite intimidating on that thing.

2007-08-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here are some picture of my neice Charlotte. She went to the state fair in Minnesota and had a blast. These are two of my favorite pictures. Roxy, my sister-in-law, is expecting her second baby in a couple weeks. They are going to have a baby boy.

Tag your it!

2007-07-21T13:40:00.002-04:00

Thanks for inviting me to play a long.

Four jobs I have had:
1. Graduate Student Assistant
-Research assistant in Neurogenic Disorders lab
-In charge of the material's lab and receptionist
2. MTC Spanish teacher
3. Translator for PEEP
4. Worked in flower shops

Movies I could watch over and over again:
The original Parent Trap
Return to Me
What about Bob?

Four places I have lived:
Detroit, MI
Provo, UT
Venezuela
Aruba

Favorite TV shows
The Closer
Law and Order (Erin got my addicted)
Without a trace
Anything on TLC

I've been to:
London
Minnesota
Florida
The Bahamas

Four websites I check daily
yahoo.com
google.reader.com
google.com
asha.org

Places I would rather be:
On a beach
Reading a book
Walking home from my last final
California (I have never been)

People I want to tag...
Not many people know about my blog...

Go Tigers!!

2007-07-21T13:31:00.001-04:00

This was when Jonathan and I went to a Tigers game in June I think. It just happened to be the night Justin Verlander pitched his no-hitter. Jonathan was ecstatic throughout the game and had to explain what was going on. However, Emily and I didn't quite understand the magnitude of it until he was standing up at the end of the eighth inning when he refused to sit down and was as giddy as a school boy. Supposedly it was history was made that night and we were able to be a part of it. We love the Tigers!! Especially now that they are good and we live about a fifteen minute walk from their stadium. There are some bonuses to living in downtown Detroit.

The relay marathon

2007-07-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

I found out last weekend that my Dad, Emily, Eliza, and Mary are all running a marathon together at the middle of September. I was sad when I first hear about it because I wasn't participating. Even though deep down I know I will probably never run a marathon. I just don't have a love for running like the rest of the Joneses. Then my mom called me to see if I wanted to go down to Ohio and watch them run. I told her I didn't because it would be too depressing. Then I said, if they have a 5K or something I will come and run. Then I won't feel like such a slacker. (Last marathon I watched was my Dad and Eliza in St. George. My mom made special t-shirts thats said "Slacker Chicks" on the back.) So then I found out there was a relay marathon you could divide between four people. So with some coercion I talked my mother into running the 5 miles, margie the 8 mile, Jonathan the 6.7 mile, and I would run the 6.3 mile.
Since then I have worked out twice. An hour and a half of Thursday (cardio and weight training) and today I went out and ran around Detroit for 25 minutes!! This is quite an accomplishment since I think the last time I ran was with Jonathan when we were dating. I could have run longer except my ears hurt from all the wind blowing in them. My body would have still kept going!! I am very excited about that since I thought I was in horrible shape. I guess walking to school and work everyday has been good for me.
So that is my big accomplishment for the week. The relay is on September 14th so I will keep everyone posted on how I am doing and how my trooper of a mother is doing...

Going Public

2007-07-21T13:22:00.001-04:00

Due to popular demand I have officially gone public with my blog. This may encourage me to post more often and not only read about everybody else's lives.

Father's Day 2007

2007-06-20T21:21:00.000-04:00

Jonathan and I decided to go home for Father's Day last minute. We dropped off people from church and then while we were on the highway decided to drive to midland and surprise the Dunford Family. Everyone was there and it was Pam and John's 30th wedding anniversary. When we pulled into the driveway Jonathan called his dad to wish him happy Father's Day. Then as he was about to say I wish I could give you a hug right now, he walked into the front door and over to his dad to give him a hug. It was a big surprise and we were just in the knick of time for dinner. They were just about to sit down and eat. It was so good to be with them. We ate dinner, played games (the WII), and watched John and Pam open anniversary presents. Then as we were leaving we decided to try and stuff their old chairs into our car. They had gotten a new table and said we could have their old chairs and stools. I have been so excited to get them and have real dinning chairs instead of our card table chairs. They are a light wooden color and we were planning on painting them black. However, they don't look that bad being a natural wood color so we will leave them be until I have time to do something about it. after we filled the car we headed towards my house so I could give my dad a hug as well. We walked in the front door and he seemed pretty surprised to see us. To our surprise, Emily was there as well. It was a lot of fun being home and although it was 10:00 at night we ended staying until like 11:30. We got home at 1:00 and I had therapy early the next morning but it was worth it. I have loved being so close to home while we can. We are far enough away that we are not dependent on them, however, we are close enough to go home during important life events and just see each other. It has been a blessing. I love John and I love my daddy.

School and life ...

2007-06-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

So I haven't kept this up to date everyday...but ten days is better than 8 months! Life has been very good. I interviewed and got an internship with the Children's Hospital of Michigan. I am really excited about it. They mainly work with children ranging in ages from 3-5 but also work with older and younger children. They are in the hospital setting so they get a lot of severe cases with cleft palate, syndromes, disorders etc... They are also have combined offices with the Audiology department so I will get to work with children who have cochlear implants and hearing aids. It should be very interesting to work there. It is only a 15 minute walk from my house and will be a very well rounded experience for me.
Therapy was very successful today. I was so excited because one of my clients J.G., who has Broca's aphasia, was able ot communicate a desire he had by mastering the phrase "I want ____" The most exciting thing about it was that he found confidence in himself to do it. Also it will be very functional for him. It was so awesome sitting there in therapy and taking him the extra mile to see what he could do. I am very excited for him.
This semester has been the hardest one. There are so many projects, papers, and clinic is very time consuming. I also am swamped with family obligations. We have the Witt family reunion, Eliza's wedding, Grandparents coming to town, and church responsibilities. Jonathan and I are going to chaperon youth conference and are planning the branch picnic for next weekend.

Jonathan helped me figure it out...

2007-06-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

Like always, I have had to turn to Jonathan's expertise to help me get my blog started. It has been 8 months since I last made an entry. Eliza is has now been married for almost a month and I have started my food storage. Let's see maybe I should do a little summary of each month.

November 2006: This is when I was deep into my first semester of graduate school. Jonathan and I took a vacation and went to Megan's wedding. It was in Nauvoo of course!! She looked beautiful and it was a lot of fun to see everyone. It was a Japanese theme and they even had goldfish swimming in the centerpieces. It was really neat to see how calm and collected Megan was. She was so happy and had prepared everything. This is also when we found out that Jonathan's med school application was incomplete. That AMCAS had found an error with his A.P. credits on his transcript. It was scary to think that this may influence whether his applications would go through. Thanksgiving was the weekend before Megan's wedding and we had it at my mom's house. Then on the way to Nauvoo we went to Aunt Merilee's house for Thanksgiving dinner and unfortunately were only there for a couple hours. We had to leave to meet Emily and carpool to Nauvoo.

December 2006: I finished my first semester of graduate school with a 4.0. I was very proud of myself and had worked my butt off. Jonathan, found out that the application would not go through in time to meet the deadlines of the 5 schools he had selected. We found out the day after Christmas and he spent the rest of our vacation emailing and calling people for extensions. We spent Christmas at my house. I hadn't been home for 3 Christmas's because of my mission and the wedding. It was so good being at home. Then Christmas night we went to the Dunford's for dinner and to spend time with them. We spent at least a week and a half of Christmas break with family.

January 2007: School started again and I had been assigned my second clinical placement at Renaissance Head Start with Mrs. O'Leary as my supervisor. Everyone had talked about how hard she was but I learned a lot from her and was grateful for all the advice that she gave me. I also realized during this experience that I was good at working with kids. I loved working with them and seeing their eyes light up when I came to get them. I had 4 clients. The boys were very severe. A.J. was always sick and had severe expressive and moderate receptive language delays. B.N. was even more severe. He was 5 and had maybe 20 single words he produced. He had behavioral issues and yet was one of the sweetest little boys I worked with. He had been diagnosed as being cognitively impaired but I still think he was just smart and didn't want to talk yet. The girls were a lot higher functioning then the boys. I had a mild receptive language delay and a developmental stutterer. The girl who stuttered had a little attitude. She was just barely four and a little bossy. She was adorable and after the first session didn't really stutter with me. We had to put her in a group since she felt so comfortable with me. Having the two girls paired together for therapy was a lot of work. It was during this time that I realized that I didn't want to work with adults any more. That I had fallen in love with litte African American preschoolers. It was really hard working with the kids. I found out that it would always be a challenge and very rewarding.

Feburary 2007: School is a blur...Jonathan got an interview at Wayne State...I sent in my scholarship applications....

March 2007: I went to my first MSHA conference. It was interesting going to the kids classes. I figured that I should work in the schools since they only had to work 9 months out of the year and got really good money. However, I was discouraged by all of the paper work that would have to be done. Not to mention the caseload of 50-60 kids. I didn't feel like i could take the responsibility of all those little ones. Jonathan had his medical school interview at Wayne State. Jonathan's interview went very well and his birthday was not so great. I didn't do anything special for it since I was so busy with school. I am still feeling bad about it.

April 2007: Jonathan was forgiving and threw me a surprise birthday party at the Adamson's. They are a young couple in our branch that we hang out with all of the time. It is a lot of fun since they live right down the street. They will come over and ring our bell and we end up playing through the night. We taught them how to play Euchre, Shrek Super Party, and Mario baseball. I finished my second semester with flying colors. I had gotten another 4.0 and was sure that I would get the full ride scholarship for another year. This month was very hard for me. We found out that Jonathan was wait listed again after all of the hard work and sacrifice he had put in to making his application more competitive. We didn't understand how he wasn't accepted. I was very disappointed. I felt like Heavenly Father had let me Jonathan down. I couldn't fathom it and was angry for a week or two. I had never felt so angry before, at any degree. I hated feeling that way and kept telling myself to stop. I soon realized that the peace and comfort I had been feeling the months prior to Jonathan getting his answer were a blessing from my Heavenly Father. He was telling me and preparing for that moment and I still let him down. However, I learned that he has Jonathan in mind and that he didn't disregard my prayers. I had been praying for him to open doors for Jonathan. I had been very vague and always said, "if it be thy will" after requesting for Jonathan to get into med school. It was a good growing experience for me.

May 2007: The scholarship didn't work out the way I planned it. I was baffled when I got the news. I figured I had deserved it. Then a week later I was given another half scholarship and the department was going to pay for another 2 credits each semester. So instead of a full-ride I got a 3/4's ride. I also became a lot stronger in my personal scripture study. I started reading the Book of Mormon again and studying the April Conference talks. I have fallen in love with the scriptures and have noticed a great difference in my attitude and happiness levels. Jonathan, despite everything, has been a rock. He is so optimistic and keeps plugging away at his research and business pursuits. He really likes business and is not burning any bridges this Fall. He is going to apply to lots of programs in Health Management and Med School. Eliza and Christopher had their wedding. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. We went to Nauvoo of course. She had a really fun bridal shower. Everyone was supposed to bring shoes along with their gift. Emily, Roxy, and I did "a romantic evening in" and got her pretty red shoes and lots of romantic evening things like placemats, music, candles, and what not...

June 2007: Eliza had a huge reception in Michigan. Roxann and Phil came with Charlotte. Roxy is prego. Charlotte knows all of our names now and was so cute!!! I am barely staying afloat in school and therapy. I had a internship interview with the Children's Hospital here at the DMC and got it. I will start that next winter. It is hard to believe that there are only 5 more months of school classes left and then I will be done forever!!! It is very exciting. I love what I am learning but I can't wait to accomplish my goal.

Important note: Before I end my updated blog, I just want to mention that although the past year has been very difficult and we aren't exactly where I thought we would be at this point. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have come so close to Jonathan. He is my best friend, and treats me like gold. I know that we have both grown so much and have needed this time to realize that no matter what happens in life, as long as we are together and striving hard to live the commandments and establish a righteous home that nothing else matters. We will be able to make it through whatever trial and become stronger for it. I love him with all of my heart and pray that I can become more like him.

Previous blog entries

2007-06-10T22:40:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 30, 2006

Food Storage

I had a stake leadership meeting on Saturday. The speaker taught about emergency preparedness and food storage. It was very motivating to here how we need to be prepared and helped me have ideas on how Jonathan and I can be self-sufficient and prepared. I want to go to the food store house and get one of those food storage for two. It will be a year supply of the neccesities we need. I remembered the enrichment activity I went to in Utah. All the sisters were invited to bring a dish where everything was made out of food storage items. It was a lot of fun and I was amazed at what the sisters were able to contirbute. I think it is important to use what we have and cycle through it. Also, to save recipes that will be useful in those emergency situations. If we don't live that way when there is turmoil how are we going to be able to survive on our food storage. I think my kids would hate me if dinner was disgusting every night. I need to plan for that.
Solar paneling. I need to research this. Hermana Rider and I would talk about it in Venezuela. I really want it then I won't hae to worry about heat and cooking if we are unable to have electricity.

Eliza's Engagement

Eliza got engaged this weekend. I was very excited for her. Christopher has loved her longer than they have been dating I think. He is perfect for her and she is in love. Chris is great and our family will not have to pretend he is our brother anymore!! They are going to get maried sometime in May 2007.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

A Computerized Journal

This blog will hopefully be the solution to a long lost art of journal writing. I know it is important, but this will definitely make it more fun!! I will begin my journey now. Abby