March 3 + One Week

One week ago my favorite sister-in-law-living-in-Provo had a birthday. I MEANT to post on Karen's birthday but I couldn't find some pictures I KNEW I had of her...so I kept searching...and well, now it's a WEEK LATER and I can't wait any longer...WHEN I find them, I'll post them up!

So what's so great about Karen? Well, Karen has always been soooo willing to help me out. She makes me laugh, and think, and has taught me A LOT about patience. Karen's fixed a dryer, a washer, other major appliances. She's finished renovation projects, changed out toilets, tiled rooms, done electrical work, figured out flooding problems; she even owns a table saw and other major power tools! Karen's motto seems to be "if someone else can fix/build/design it, why can't I?" The negative of course is once she's shown her expertise, Ross thinks she should do it ALL the time!

But her talents don't end there. She is a whiz at sewing things. Modest prom dresses, lots of baby and kids clothes....her babies had the cutest blessing outfits! And she can smock...oh can she smock! I remember all the dresses Tara had that Karen made...FABULOUS. Karen helped me make a rather ordinary gift for some friends into something EXTRAORDINARY...with her embroidery attachment...even while she was packing for a trip to Logan! By the way Karen, they LOVED the "personal touch" (see Food Fest'rs blog below...embroidered names on the aprons...yup...Karen did those).

Karen paints...walls AND landscapes! Her ability to decorate a room is another quality I admire. Karen makes the BEST clam chowder outside of a Market Street Grille. A fondue party at Karen's is a pretty FUN party!! She introduced me to Hawaiian haystacks, and holes in the wall.

Karen is a Florence Nightingale. She knows when the wound is big enough to see a doctor, or small enough to deal with at home. I have seen her fix more cuts with crazy glue than anyone I know! She was there for me when I broke my ankle, and when I re-sprained the other ankle (yes, same time). She has even eaten hospital food for me!

Which brings me to the "last for best" comment about Karen. When she says "you're being ridiculous Carol", I find myself listening to her wise words. Especially when it comes to recovery after hospital stays. I will be eternally indebted and forever grateful for those weeks I spent recovering at her home. She made me eat, take naps, and take my drugs. She let me ramble on, and do my own thing, and tried to make me laugh when I needed it. She let me take Haley for walks...and we all know how hard that would have been for MARMIE to be without her Haley!! I know the major reason I recovered so well was because of her good sense, her listening ear, and her willingness to have me stay with her and her family.

The short of the long...Karen is one of those people I feel RICHLY BLESSED having in my life. I don't see her NEARLY enough now that I've moved out of the ward but I wanted to let her know (and anyone else reading this post) what a great sister-in-law she is!