january 30.2009

Today has been a full day. It was a busy day at work, in fact one of the busiest Friday's I can remember. Not necessarily customer wise or associate wise. . .just business wise. There was a lot to accomplish in a short about of time.

We were still able to make it to Friday basketball. We split games 2-2. All 4 games were hard fought battles. My shot seems to be coming back. It felt good tonight. However, I made some crazy passes down the stretch that could have been more well-advised.

This evening I went to watch the Northridge Grizzlies play Fossil Ridge High in basketball. They played well. In fact they put themselves in a good position to win. They came out with a lot of drive, played great defense and took fossil ridge off guard. In the end they ended up getting defeated, but they accomplished some good things. At times it is hard for me to sit and watch basketball. I just find myself so absorbed in the game that I forget that it is just that. A GAME. First I get squirmy, then I get loud, then I get frustrated, then I get excited. .. .The list goes on. I decided watching a basketball game that you care about, is just like riding a big, bad roller coaster that you may not want to ride the first place, but you just can't help yourself. It is certainly a roller coaster of emotions if nothing else.

Night.

hpp

posted @ 12:19am 1.31.2009

june 15.2008

So I awoke this morning with excruciating pain in my newly operated on back. I wanted to just lie there forever, but I figured it would be much better to get up and get moving. My theory proved to work for the most part.. I watched MSNBC for about an hour to catch up on the latest politics and breaking news. I then wandered to the fridge to retrieve an apple.

I am in a somber mood today .. .it is father’s day. For some odd reason I found myself at my computer , looking through all the videos I have taken over the years. . .mostly which are concert videos. Kenny Chesney cheered me up a bit with a shaky rendition of "Anything But Mine" from a concert I attended last summer. I then found a tribute video that I had made for my Grandfather some years ago to remember him. I watched the first 10 seconds and started to cry. I MISS HIM. It was weird to hear his voice , so deep and prominent, yet so soothing. It brought back so many memories, none of which are bad. How can that be? I have been thinking about life a lot lately and what it's all about. What my purpose is. . . .I don't know, but what I did realize this morning is that it's possible to live a regular, ordinary life and by doing so you can make such a difference in people’s lives. You don't have to be famous or wealthy, infact sometimes those things take away from your ability to be genuine. If I can find a way to influence just one person the way my Grandfather has influenced me, I will deem my life a success. In Honor of him and his example, I have posted my tributary video on this site. Just click the link below, or visit my PHOTOS page. Thank you for your example David Richard. You have been the difference in my life. Happy father’s day. I love you. 

(MOM, if you happen to watch the video, pay close attention to the scene with you and your dad in the back yard sitting on the lawn chairs. In that moment you were both so happy. I paused it and just cried. )

hpp

posted june 15 2008

June 17.2008

This morning I did not get up until 10:30am. That is the latest I have slept in for as long as I have been off work.   Those of you that know me are probably thinking whatever Heidi.  But no, really people, I have been getting up very early.  I don’t know why. Just can’t sleep I suppose.  Anyway, I went on a huge walk yesterday.  It was a major mental accomplishment for me following my back surgery.  There is a lake and a resevior behind my condo. Usually I will walk about a 1/4th of the way around 1 of them.  Yesterday I was determined to get around both of them.  When I reached the furthest point away from the condo (about halfway around the second lake) I didn’t think I was going to make it back and I was only half way! There were fields of weeds as far as the eye could see and I wanted to lay down and take a nap.  I think the main reason I didn’t is because: 1. I am afraid of spiders and my luck they would crawl all over me and 2. I am sure the other citizens walking by would think I were dead! Anyway, point is I kept on trucking, and although it was tough, and my back was worn out, I think it ended up really helping me.  It ended up being quite the nature walk.  
This is completely off the subject, but I think I want to get some cowboy boots for my birthday.  I have wanted them for a long time.  Not crazy ones, just some good boots I can wear to the concerts I go to.  However, if I get the boots, I may need to invest in some wranglers as well.  I just don’t think I am ready for that yet, but I really want the boots.   I will keep you posted on what happens the next few days.  IF I do get the boots, you better believe I will post a picture of them!

hpp

posted june 17.2008

april 27.2009

On April 16 after work I flew back to my home state of Utah for a long overdue visit. The last 6 months have been extremely fast-paced. At times I feel I am hanging on by the seat of my pants and holding on for dear life, as I fumble through Life as I know it. Between work and home I feel my time is consistently overbooked. This in turn causes me to be on my toes continuously, juggling the fine balance of work, play, health, friends, family and exploration. I will be the first to admit that unfortunately the thing I neglect the most is my family. As much as I try I can't seem to keep up with everyone. At least not to the extent that I would like to. I have to admit that this creates a massive amount of guilt that I tend to carry around. I know for a fact that I don't get out to see my family enough. The only redemption I have, is for them to understand how much I think of them each and every day, and how much I truly care for each and every one of them.

For the most part it was a good and productive visit. Keywords "most part". Jennifer and Kamran were able to come with me. I love traveling with those 2. I was excited because Kam hadn't seen much of Utah and I wanted to show it off a bit. We landed in Salt Lake at about 11:15pm. We successfully met up with my Mom and Grandma in the passenger pick-up area shortly after. We were all fairly tired from working all day and layering travel, so we went to my Grandma's house and set up camp. We stayed there the duration of our visit.

The next morning we got ready and headed up to see my Mom teach school. She was having a Wizard of Oz day with her kids and asked if we would stop and get Nike (my shitzu) for the purpose of playing Toto. After visiting with her and her class we had lunch in Bountiful. We then headed down town and took a mini tour of Temple Square. Kami had never been there. She wanted to see the Temple and the "big Jesus" as she calls it! After seeing as many of the sights as we had time for, we proceeded to Utah University to pick up my sister Angela so we could hang out. We picked her up at the school Library and then decided to hit the Gateway Mall for a bit of shopping. After we had enough we went to Red Rock for dinner. My Grandma is amazing! She lasted all day long with us and was such a lady about it!

I had reserved Saturday for the sole purpose of hanging out with my nephews Logan, London and Liam. They were booked in the morning so we took our time getting ready. I went for a morning run through the old neighborhoods of West Jordan to try and stay on track with my lack luster workout program. It ended up being a good and rewarding run as I revisited paths that I had wondered many times growing up. After sprucing up we picked Angela up at tracks so she could spend the day with us. We stopped and ate at a cafe on State Street. We still had time to kill, so we headed up to Snowbird Ski Resort to check out the view and give Kami a feel for the Utah Mountains. It ended up being one of my favorite stops this time around. Angela was insistent upon riding the Tram to the top of the mountain. We all fought it, but I am really happy we ended up doing it. The views and vistas proved worthy of the $12 price tag for transportation up and down the mountain. After sneaking into the gift shop on the way out, we slowly made the trek down the mountain to finally meet up with Breana and the boys for the night. We all agreed on going to a movie and having dinner at the Myan restaurant (very similar the Casa Bonita for those of you from CO) in Sandy, UT. We ended up viewing Hanna Montana at the request of Logan and London. Quite surprisingly, it ended up being a decent movie for the adults involved. We then enjoyed some grub at the Myan where we had a chance to play with the boys and hang out a bit.

Sunday was the last day of the trip. Jennifer and Kamran met some friends and went to Park City for the day. My Grandma and I picked up Angela for Breakfast. It was an absolutely Gorgeous day in the Salt Lake Valley. The Mountains were huge and snowcapped, the air was clean and not a cloud cluttered the sky. After brunch, we dropped Angela off at the Library so she could catch up on her studies for the week. I said goodbye to her, which is always hard. Although, it was good to see her focused and doing what she loves. We then drove around until it was time to pick up Jennifer and Kamran in the parking lot of the Fashion Place Mall. We made a quick trip back to my Grandma's house where we did the final sweep to ensure we hadn't left anything behind. We ventured out a few blocks to stop and see if My Dad and his family were home. Unfortunately they were not. My Grandma was kind enough to hang out with us nearly the whole time and offered to take us to the airport. It is always hard to say goodbye to her sweet, sweet spirit.

posted @ 10:19pm 4.27.2009

july 15.2008

It has been exactly 1 month since I have typed a blog.  I apologize for my lack of typing.  However, I have had plenty of material to write about.  My mind has been racing a million thoughts per minute it seems.  I feel as if I have been on the most challenging personal rollercoaster these past few months.  I am happy to report; I believe I am going to be able to finish the ride. 
My back is slowly and I mean S…L…O….W….L….Y getting better, but the point is, it is improving.   I met with the doctor on 6.30.2008 for my 4 week visit after surgery.  He gave me hope that I will someday return to the activities that previously occupied my life. One being basketball.  This is how it sounded in his words “from what I recall you are very passionate about basketball” my response “yes” Dr. Coaster “Well I believe it is important that you engage in such activities if you love it.  There is going to be a risk regardless of the activity that you can injure your back again, but if you love it, I think it is ok that you participate in it, and I want you to play.”  I still have mixed feelings on the subject.  For all that I love the sport, especially playing it, I just can’t imagine re-injuring my back and having to cycle through the mental torment, not to mention the physical limitations it brings along.  Time will tell what I decide to do I suppose. I do know that I am going to pick up the game of golf.  It is an extremely mentally challenging sport and if you think about it, you can play until you are very old ;-)
I have been able to return to work part time.  It has been good to go out and at least talk to my people.  I have realized that work is a big part of my life.  Sometimes it is not the easiest, funest or most widely recognized work, but I love my job.  I have always said that the one reason I have chosen to stay at Wal-Mart was because of the people that work there.  The older I get, the more I realize what life is all about.  It’s about the people that you share it with.  I have had numerous opportunities to do something different, to move up the so called ladder a bit faster.  But every day I thank the man above that I have been blessed with the clarity of recognizing what is right in front of me.   It may mean I move a bit slower up that ladder or get paid a little less than the alternatives, but not all that is good comes in the form of success and money.  I believe it comes in the form of the people I work with and work for and the difference I can be in their lives.
I took an impromptu trip to Utah on July 3, 2008. It ended up that I did not have to work that weekend, so I decided I better get home and see the latest addition to our family; Liam Lincoln Palmer.  Jennifer was able to come with me and we arrived in Utah via my Honda civic at midnight the morning of July 4th.  We crashed at my grandma’s house in WJ as we usually do.  The morning of the 4th we took my grandma to breakfast to meet my mom, her boyfriend and my sister Angela.  It was nice to catch up over a good meal.  My mom had previous plans, so Jennifer, Angela and I went to the gateway downtown for some shopping.   Angela was able to get some good shirts for herself.  My favorite purchase of the day was a pack of Nike belts.  Everyone in my family had previous plans for the 4th and since my trip was unannounced, I wasn’t a part of those plans.  Jennifer and I ended up having a great meal at the Market Street Grill near the University of Utah.  We then went up the canyon to Park City to catch the fireworks.  It was a very interesting experience.  They have their annual firework show take place on the golf course.  We had a blanket and we walked down about a 300 yard fairway and picked a great spot right under an aged oak tree.  It ended up being one of my favorite memories of Independence Day.
On Saturday we finally got to see Lincoln’s family.   We went to a matinee showing of Wall.E. London sat with me most of the film and was actually pretty good throughout.  After the movie Jennifer and I went to dinner with Linc and his family.  It was fun to see the boys interact with each other.  They are so full of life.  It’s amazing to me how each child starts to develop their own personality at such early ages.
One of the fondest memories I brought back from my latest trip to Utah was the time I spent playing Wii with my Grandma.  Yes, my 82 year old grandmother has a Wii. Don’t let the age mistake you; she is damn good at it! Check out all my pictures relating to this blog on my PHOTOS page. 
Thanks for Reading,
HPP

posted july 15.2008

october.11.2009

I wanted to portray my recent vacation somehow. What better way to do so than with a classic mix of words and visual elements combined on a website that any of you reading can experience. Click the surfer below to enter my own little San Diego - California journal!

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