A & M and m

And We're Back

2012-02-08T19:16:00.001-08:00

So we've been slacking on posting stuff about us and especially Miles. Megan and I look the same, but Miles has grown and now has a beard. He shaved for these photos though. So here's a little dose of the Rampton life. Enjoy!

Christmas!

Miles in his Jump N Go

He loves this thing so much he keeps kicking his legs as though he were still in it for hours after we've taken him out.

Enjoying some rice cereal

I don't know how, that stuff is disgusting.

Family portrait on Temple Square

You can make your own caption here

Another Johnny Jump Up N Go session

For these next three photos, please help us out and create your own caption by commenting on the Photo # (1, 2, 3 or 4) and then your caption. We will pick the winning caption, and its author gets to feed Miles some oatmeal.

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4

And here's a pretty funny YouTube video of a dude singing his order at the Sonic Drive-Thru. I think anybody who spends more than 30 bucks at Sonic has issues though.

Here's to you Blue Monday!

2012-01-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

These people in their cars will tell ya that January bites. They are now out of their cars and hiking up our hill.

Sorry if I am about to offend any of you January Birthdays out there BUT. . . January has got to be the worst month ever! From August until November you have the pretty fall leaves changing colors and Thanksgiving. I mean who doesn't love a holiday where all you do is eat and watch football?! Then you anticipate Christmas in December and the opportunities that come with it... Family,Temple Square lights, hearts and thoughts toward the Savior. There's always fun Christmas parties to go, good movies at the theater, skiing (not so much this past december), and the feeling that you have gotten fatter this year, because welp... ya did. Then you have February (which I love because I am a florist) and you sense the weather will be changing soon. I Absolutely LOVE the springtime! Then comes my birthday in June. (Go June-babies! Alec and little Miles). Then the Simmons family North Carolina beach trip in July. . . boo-yeah (if anyone says that anymore, I don't know). So. . . what does January have? . . besides Alec's mom's birthday? (Happy birthday Janice) Absolutey nothin.' Blank, dreary, nothing-to-do January. I have always disliked January because it's so depressing. I have to give it to January this year. It was in fact the most enjoyable January due to it's spring like weather and sunshine. Did you know that the fourth Monday in JANUARY is Scientifically Proven to be the most depressing day of the YEAR!!!!! That's today people! So if you have had a terrible blue day today, it's most likely that you are experiencing BLUE MONDAY.

"The most depressing day of the year is commonly termed Blue Monday, and it is a phenomenon which occurs once a year, each and every year without fail.This is not just "hear-say", or rumor, Blue Monday is a scientific fact. There is one date every year that is calculated out to be the most depressing day that will occur for that year, and Blue Monday is it. January 24 was the date of Blue Monday for 2011."

The most depressing day of the year...

The original date of "Blue Monday" was mathematically calculated in 2005 by Dr. Cliff Arnall a researcher at Cardiff University.

Mr. Arnall created his formula for the most depressing day of the year by working six distinct factors into the equation: weather conditions (Gloomy old January and its typical lack of sunshine), debt level and our ability to pay that debt, time elapsed since Christmas, time elapsed since failing our New Years resolutions, our general seasonal motivational levels, and our need to take action and to have something to look forward to( During January, and depending on where you reside, there are no statutory holidays in the fore-see-able future. Gasp!).

It was calculated that most of these events would come into play by the third week or 21st day within the month of January.

The Monday that begins the last full week in January has traditionally been calculated out to be the most depressing day of the year. "Blue Monday" fell on January 24, 2005, January 23 in 2006, January 22 in 2007, January 21 in 2008, but in 2009 it may have occurred on January 19 instead. A week earlier than it's usual appearance. Thrown into our emotional state of mind was the current economic picture...

This trend may have continued into 2010 as large numbers of individuals once again decided to celebrate Blue Monday early than it was usually calculated to return. But whether you celebrated on January 25, 2010, or January 18, 2010, rest assured that the most depressing day of 2010 is now long past. It appears though that the earlier trend for depression has also passed and January 24, 2011 was the next Blue Monday celebrated. So have all these statistics got you all excited in anticipation of January 23, 2012 which will be our next most depressing day of the year?

The good news about knowing that there is a most depressing day of the year is that Blue Monday is the one day each year when you can feel totally free to sit down, and have a really great "feel sorry for me day", and not feel guilty about it. Everyone else is doing it too, and after all, it is expected from us. So go on and feel free to celebrate this most momentous of all seasonal holidays and have a really good cry when good old Blue Monday rolls around next time.

Rick Reilly

2011-12-30T07:18:00.000-08:00

I don't really like Rick Reilly's stuff...ever, but this article gives a shout out to a good cause.

Merry Photos

2011-12-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

So there’s this Christmas game on the iPhone that’s pretty fun, but the coolest part about the game is how you can make these holiday photos with photos you have on your phone. So yeah, that explains these photos.

Spoiler alert - these may be our Christmas card photos this year.

I think if I could grow a 'stache and beard like this, I might consider not shaving.

If you weren't a Jimmy Fallon fan before. . .

2011-11-17T18:38:00.001-08:00

. . .maybe this will help. You may have seen this before, but it just got us laughing.

Best October ever!

2011-11-16T10:52:00.001-08:00

So, you would think that because I am a stay-at-home mom (with a shift or two of work on the side) that I would have all the time in the world to post our everydays (I wish that were the case). But, now that I have PNEUMONIA! that's right people, PNEUMONIA! I have nothing to do but nap with the babe, lay low and type. So prepare for a blog marathon this coming week.

I kind of pride myself on the fact that I rarely get sick. People call Alec and I germ-a-phobes (if that's how you spell it, or if it's really a word like "funner.") but really, we are just trying to spare ourselves from feeling lousy. If you know how to wash your hands, I promise you, you will be saving yourself from a couple days or week of feeling terrible.

Alright October, where did you go? and so quickly? Normally, I HATE OCTOBER! (no offense October birthdays, I still love ya). Most everyone loves when the leaves fall and when they change colors. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty for like a DAY and then the word "DEAD" always pops into my mind. The snow follows way too soon (which i love for skiing don't get me wrong), but then it all turns to gray yuckiness. Then I get asthma attacks because of the nasty Salt Lake air, and believe me when I say that this is me thinking POSITIVE.

So back to October. It actually was one of the best Octobers I have had. Lots of fun pumpkin carving with the fam, a trip to Gardner Village, our Halloween tradition of Yankee pranks on the Parks (who are Red Sock fans). . . And who could forget the best part of all?! MILES FIRST HALLOWEEN! We had to put little Mi in his first Halloween costume, therefore, we purchased a little cow costume. Mostly because it was cheap (they are like 39 bucks! we got it for 9, go us).

So we dressed him up and pridefully (or shamelessly you might call it) took him trick-or-treating at foothill village. He won his parents some fine candy! Whoop! Whoop! The best part of October though was spending nearly the whole month in AUSTRALIA with the mission president PADRE and MADRE Simmons. Thats a whole nother post! (Alec likes to make fun of the fact that I always say, "Nother," especially when I say, "the nother". . . it just flows for me. Whatever, I don't need to explain myself haha.) XoxO, Megs P.S. I looooooooveeeee these people!

This would freak me out

2011-11-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this on the world wide internet web for computers this morning. This dude has guts!

Orange Cones

2011-10-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

I try to stay positive most of the time, but I don't care for all of the road construction that never ends here in the great state of Utah (see item number 6 on "The List" in the left column below).

So, even though this photo is probably photo-shopped, it still speaks the truth.

Lunch on Capitol Hill

2011-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Since I created "The List" to vent

some of our pet peeves in a healthy way, maybe I should also create

a new "Simple Pleasures" list to let the www know

the little things that happen daily to make us happy... but, that's a lot of work.

We'll just post them randomly, maybe.

A simple pleasure we enjoyed the other day

was when Megan and Miles came and picked me up

from work for some lunch up on the lawn in front of the State Capitol.

The food was good, and the company and atmosphere were better.

Other than the bum that stared at us for awhile,

it was a perfect lunch break.

VOTE MILES RAMPTON - 2048

Megan thought this looked like a campaign photo

Speaking of simple pleasures, the Tigers just had to go with a pitching change

because the Yankees have put up six runs in the eighth inning to go up 10-1

Going back to New York!

Also, a special shout out to our cousin the amazing

Claire Hunter!

Happy Birthday!

(yesterday)

We love you Claire!

BYU v. Utah - Miles' First BYU Game

2011-09-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Miles to his first BYU football game,

and it just happened to be the BYU v. Utah rivalry game.

It really didn't feel like a rivalry game, but that's another topic for another day.

It was so fun to see how Miles reacted to the crowd and all of the noise.

The night was a good night to remember, too bad the game was LAME.

BYU lost the game, I forget the score...54 to something. It's not important.

Here's a little taste of little Miles' first night in Provo

Miles after we told him we were going to the game

The field-sized American Flag for the National Anthem. Pretty cool.

It got a little chilly... there is a baby in there

Miles with Megan right before kickoff.

He didn't like how the guy over my shoulder was looking at him, I guess.

Miles after one of the many Ute touchdowns

Thanks to Aunt Kate for this great photo with the crew

Go Cougs

Happy Anniversary To Us!

2011-09-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

Woo hoo! 6 years of crazy, silly, happiness. . . and each year just gets better. But honestly, how can you not love this face? haha! Hug.Hug.Kiss.Kiss.

The life on the mountainside

2011-09-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

There are many perks to living in a home on the mountain. A beautiful view, a great sledding hill in the winter time, and a front row seat to ALL of the firework shows shown across the valley. Alec and I love sitting on our balcony at night to watch the green aura the lighting makes after striking a transformer in the valley. One of our families favorite past times is turning out all of the lights in our home on a cold winter night and watch all of the cars sliding sideways down our snowy steep hill. However, it's not so fun when the tables turn and YOUR car is the car sliding down the hill playing bumper pool with all of the other cars! While I have loved my "home sweet home," lets face it, sometimes it aint so "sweet."
While its cool to see a moose walking down the middle of your street like its a fashion runway, it's not so cool knowing that it can charge you at any moment. While I love the 5-8 deer we have prancing around in our backyard all of the time, its not so fun to look up from your television show to see that the deer is staring into the window at you and into your soul. Scary! Oh and I also Love seeing and
stepping in all of the "evidence" the deer leave behind. I love waking
up in the middle of the night to the racoons fighting just outside my window. I love hearing that my cousin (who lives right down the street from us) has a mountain lion in their yard, or the fact that she stepped on a snake and a rat. I soooo love opening the front or back door at night to let my dog out just knowing that there is something creepy lurking out there. Once it was a snake, and just the other day it was a bat. Yikes! And not kidding, last week it was a tarantula! Yuck! What is going on here people?! I love that I am a girl and I don't have to do the brave stuff like checking scary noises, or collecting spiders around the house with a vacuum or toilet paper. And I sooo love that I wasn't the one outside with a broomstick drop kicking the tarantula across our yard and off into the drop off. Thanks Alec! The highlight however was seeing your hee-bee-geebie dance. Haha

Join Alec

2011-09-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

I found this website the other day, and it kinda freaked me out.

We don't endorse any political anything at all ever on this blog thanks.

Now that you've all become familiar with the American Legislative Exchange Council and know where to send your "donations" - here are some pictures of Miles from the past couple of months since we've received several complaints that nobody knows what he looks like anymore.

First day of church

After his first day of church

Just kidding! Just a random yawn

Miles love his sling time with Megan

His paranoid look

A nurse in the hospital gave us the idea of taking

his picture once a week with an object, and to use the same

object every time.

Someday we'll post the whole group of them from a few months or so.

Listening intently to his mother

The happy family on Miles' blessing day

Don't forget to Join ALEC!

Whatever that is?

The List

2011-08-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

So since complaining and pessimism don't get us anywhere beyond a bad mood, I have decided on a healthier way to vent about our pet peeves. We will follow in the footsteps of Homer Simpson, one of my heroes and mentors, by making "The List" over there on the right side of our blog. "The List" provides us a way to get our frustrations out and let the internet know that we don't approve of certain things. Please feel free to let us know what would make your "List" and we will consider adding them to ours.

"All right Econo-save, you just made the list!" - Homer Jay

One Month

2011-07-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Miles is one month and still alive, which is pretty amazing if your parents are Megan and Alec... well really just if you have Alec as a parent. Now that we are in a month, I can say something I have thought about since Megan and I were getting ready for Miles to come. We have noticed that as we grow up, we go along thinking our parents, or parents in general, have things figured out as far as parenting goes. We assume they have all the answers. Even as reckless teenagers we find some sort of comfort in believing that our parents know what the best thing to do will be in any given situation, and I am here to tell you that we were dead wrong! Parents don't have a clue! They take whatever minimal amount of knowledge television has given them, add a little personal experience, and try putting it to use on their children. Then, if it works out, they live to fight another day. If it doesn't work out, their kids rebel until they need some money. I know these things because I am a parent. He may only be one month old today, but he is still going to be placing some unholy amount of trust in me, and I have no idea what I'm going to do, I'll just guess, use a little TV know-how, and hope for the best. Miles is showing his confidence in me in the photo above - thanks Jordan and Camilla for the sweet onesie!

Of course I joke about all of these things. While it's true that parents do have to figure many things out as they go along, maybe at a child's expense here and there, they are the source of strength we need to feel comfortable in life. All of you underage readers we have, don't go yelling at your parents saying that I told you they're clueless monsters that give you pointless and unproven rules to abide by. Your parents know many things and have learned many things from you, as you have from them, and love is the best teacher and all that garbage.

Anyway, happy one month to Miles. To celebrate, we will relive a great moment from earlier this month caught on camera in Yankee Stadium by Megan's older brother Christopher and his wife Lisa.

Derek Jeter - 3,000 Hits

Miles is Home!

2011-07-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time in the NICU last week watching little Miles get better everyday. We were getting so excited for him to finally come and grace us with his presence in our home when we hit a few snags on Wednesday. A few more requirements needed to be met in order for him to come home. In all honesty it seemed like a bunch of nonsense in our minds, but when it comes to kicking off a life on the right healthy track you don't question the professionals too much. Megan and I were determined to help the little chunk get the best care he needed from us and decided to "room in" in the hospital on Thursday night in order to give him his needed feedings and make sure he was good to make it through a night without the nurses. "Roomng In" consists of staying in a hotel-like room down the hall from the NICU with the baby at our bedside, still within the hospital. It's a cool experience and was very comforting to us, knowing that if we had any issues with Miles there were nurses about twenty steps away. The Rooming In went super well and we felt very confident having Miles come home with us. When we woke up on Friday, we got ready for the day, totally thinking it was a for sure done deal that Miles would be coming home with us, until our nurse (whom we had never seen before - all of our other nurses were awesome and had spent a couple of days/nights with Miles each) told us that she didn't think he was quite ready to come home yet. This news didn't sit well with us, to say he least. Thank goodness it isn't up to the nurses to decide who is ready to be discharged from the hospital and who is not, because Miles' amazing doc (from Madison - shout out to Badger Nation) took one look at Miles and his chart and said, "Looks like you guys are going to have a road trip!". Miles was coming home! We were so happy! In your face Nurse That Knows Nothing! Just kidding, she was helpful in many ways but her bad attitude in no way reflects the IMC NICU staff as a whole. We had amazing experiences there and loved our nurses and doctors for all of the love they showed baby Miles during his extended stay vacation there. But we were ecstatic to find out that Miles' sweet spirit was finally going to be in our home!

So we are here at home and happy. We have been so blessed with this little guy. We love learning how to be parents, and frankly I'm amazed anyone could consider me a parent! My first fish died after one weekend - rest in peace Carl the fish. But we love Miles, much more than I loved Carl, and he is such a stud of a baby. Megan is doing an amazing job of keeping the little moocher fed and well rested even though he is a heavy eater. He is also a deep sleeper and we usually have to wake him up so that he will feed. He is honestly the most beautiful thing in our world right now, and he's a pretty good addition to our family.
And since he is so beautiful, we ask that you be the judge of who's beauty, mine or Megan's, he possesses more of. In other words, does Miles have more Megan, or more Alec in his blood? Or is he just a good mix?
We have included some of our baby pictures (thanks to grandmas Janice and Diane for retainig these photos) for you to compare with Miles' mug.

MEGAN

MILES

ALEC

The Latest

2011-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at Miles' bedside writing post and thanking our Heavenly Father for this gift of a son. We just past his one week of life mark, and it's amazing how much he has progressed and how happy he has made us. Since the last post, Megan was released from the hospital and Miles has been warmed from his 72 hour chill session and has responded really well. He has had several tubes taken out and several different monitors have been removed from his room. He also has a new bed as of today! It's one of those transparent Tupperware tubs on wheels, so while it looks like a downgrade it's actually a nice big step closer to bustin' out of this joint. He just sneezed seven times in a row so I'm pretty sure he's developed and allergy for this place which I guess is another step in the right direction. The docs have been very pleased with his progression and while the initial estimate of him coming home was today, he just has a few little areas where they'd like more growth before he leaves. It's difficult not having him ready to come home, but we know he's going to be just fine and will make it home soon, and that he will be strong and ready to come home when he finally does. It has been difficult to have him here in the NICU while we go home each night without him, but we are so grateful to have such amazing people watching over him and caring for him, and we won't complain about getting some much needed sleep while they take care of him. It has just been amazing to feel the love we have developed for him in such a short amount of time, and he hasn't even given me a compliment yet! We like coming to visit him and feed him. My favorite thing to do in life now is what they call kangaroo care where Miles lays bare chested on my bare chest after Megan has fed him and we just relax. My old favorite thing to do in life was golf, so this is an awesome new favorite thing...if only I could combine the two...probably not, oh well. While it has been tough to see Miles in the NICU, and hard sometimes to come home thinking he's out there at IMC without us, it has helped Megan recover from the surgery and helped me recover from whatever I've done to help the little guy get here. It's also been a blessing in disguise having Miles in the hospital as our love for him has grown stronger and we have longed for him when we are not holding him or kissing his forehead.

Like almost all of our blog posts, this post has been written at different times during the day. I started it when we were a little bit discouraged about Miles' situation. We weren't sure when he'd be home or how his MRI would go today, but we found out a few hours ago that he passed his MRI perfectly and now he just needs a little but of consistency in some other areas before he comes home to us, so we are super excited and can't wait for his spirit to enter our home. He actually needed to feed while a doctor examined his ability to do so, and just like his old man he performed when the pressure was on and blew their minds with how well he did - Mr. Clutch!

So hopefully little Miles will be home soon. We will keep this blog as updated as possible.

Peace and love

The Miles Shaka

Baby Miles

2011-06-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone we love,

So after a heated battle in the OR, Miles Alec Rampton finally showed his little face to the world. Miles was born June 28, 2011 at 12:57 PM, weighing in at 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long.
Miles was originally due June 20th but was showing no signs whatsoever that he wanted to be born on the 20th, or the 21st, or even up until they dug him out yesterday. As I said in a recent blog post Megan and I like to relax and show up to casual events on our time and when we feel like it, and so does little Miles obviously.
Megan and I checked into the Women's Center at IMC on State Street and 53rd South Monday night around 7:30 to begin the induction process. Megan was made very comfortable and we had a great nurse named Heidi that talked us through everything and how the whole inducing process would go. The nurse started Megan on a drug to ripen the cervix and hopefully help it expand a little (she hadn't progressed beyond 1 cm in the past two weeks). She was also started on pitocin to try and get the little guy out of their or at least moving in the right direction. Megan dealt with the contractions like a trooper all through Monday night into Tuesday morning while I slept pretty well! She requested the epidural sometime early Tuesday morning which helped with the pain of the contractions, but Miles was just progressing too slowly (she was barely at 2 cm by noon). We are so grateful for our Tuesday nurse Ashley who knew her stuff so well and realized that with each dose of different meds and with each contraction, Miles wasn't digging whatever was being given and his heart rate would drop, but usually come back up. I walked by the nurse station once from behind and saw Ashley and other nurses just staring at their computer screens watching and monitoring their patients and the patient's babies. Just as Megan was starting to enjoy that epidural and finally get some sleep, Ashley came in around 7:30 or 8:00 AM and saw that Miles' heart rate had dropped below his base line and stayed pretty low during a five minute contraction. She asked for assistance form another nurse quickly and calmly, and they started rocking Megan's socks off, back and forth from side to side on her bed trying to get Miles' heart rate to pick up, but it just wasn't working. Megan was totally numb from the waste down through this since she had the epidural and had been pushing her self-dose button pretty regularly, but some how she was able to throw her body from side to side which was just amazing. Before I could blink I was unhooking Megan's hospital bed and she was gone out the door while I was trying to throw in my contacts, get into the OR clothes, and get in the OR with her. Before I even got to the OR one of the nurses told me that Miles' heart rate had immediately stabilized once Megan had been hooked up and shot with some "turbo" drug. So after a few more contractions, Megan was able to come back to her delivery room to resume labor.
We only lasted about another hour or so before Miles continued to struggle through another contraction, and the nurses and our AMAZING Dr. Ponder decided that we just needed to get Miles out with a C-Section. I guess it was technically an "emergency" C- Section, but it wasn't nearly as hectic as our first OR visit. We had time to call grandparents and I didn't have to stumble my way to the OR trying to put on my sterile suit, so it was a much better experience than our first visit. Megan was laid on the table and prepped for surgery. I stood back holding her left hand and once the anesthetic kicked in, Dr. Ponder and her assistant went to work, and it was seriously a work out! I felt so bad for Megan throughout the surgery, but I am so proud of her and her strength. Her pelvis is a little off, so getting Miles out was quite a bit more difficult than everyone had anticipated. Every time the docs tried to push him out from one end and pull from the incision, Miles' head would slip down beneath the incision instead of scooping up and out of it... if that makes sense? He was being really stubborn and refusing to come out. The docs tried two different vacuums to suck his little noggin out, but both failed, and everyone in the room had vocalized the fact that the vacuums being used were a new model and didn't work as well as the old ones they used to use. Nurse Ashley found an old model, and after all the pushing, pulling, cutting, jumping, stomping, and head scratching, Miles finally flew out! They're so rubbery when they come out...crazy! It was so cool to watch the whole thing! (Sorry Megs) Immediately after Miles was born, he was rushed to a nurses table in the corner of the OR to be looked at considering the fact that it was a C-Section (and a SUPER brutal C-Section). I was able to snatch a few photos as best I could, but as he came out he wasn't really wanting to breath on his own, (so he's lazy like his old man) so he was immediately given oxygen and a whole bunch of other gadgets to help his transition, which made it tough to get a picture as you can tell by the attached photo with the nurse's hand over his face. After a few quick photos I went back to give props to Megan and help her calm down because she was shaking like a leaf (she is so amazing) and watch Dr. Ponder sew her up, until I looked up to where Miles had been but saw an empty corner! Miles and all twelve of those nurses were gone down to the NICU to get him started on about a dozen procedures, and it was a little shocking at first.

After Megan was all sewn up, we all went back to our delivery room to rest up a little bit, and after about an hour we were moved to our new room on the third floor of the Women's Center.

The next few hours were pretty surreal as we sat wondering first, oh man we have a baby, but more importantly we were wondering how that baby was doing. We were really tired (Megan especially as you can imagine), and the feelings we had were all over the place. We were excited, nervous, but overall just exhausted. I felt terrible for Megan! She had carried Miles and dealt with him through all of his late night dance parties and mid-afternoon furniture moves during pregnancy, she'd been beaten nearly to death by doctors for about 45 minutes, and the little culprit was taken out and swept away before she could even see him! It didn't seem right! But we knew that it was all for the good of the little guy and in his best interests and all that, so we waited patiently.

After a few hours of waiting, I was finally able to wheel Megan down to see him in all his glory, and he is beautiful! We were told by Dr. Ponder about some of the preliminary precautions they were taking in the NICU, and how things were looking promising for him. The NICU nurses explained the different things they were doing for him as well, the main process being the chilling process. Miles' birth was so rough that he went through some fairly serious trauma on his way into this world, and since he wasn't really wanting to breath on his own right away, they placed him on a chilling bed, keeping him at 31 degrees celsius (give or take a few degrees) in order to kick his systems into their proper function. Several concerns came up considering his crazy birth, but we were just happy that he made it here with ten fingers, ten toes, and strikingly good looks. We have now visited him several times down in the NICU, and after an MRI, an ultra sound of his head (which came out with perfect results) and a bunch of other tests, he is getting better every minute of every day. He'll still be cooled for another day and a half, then warmed over a period of five hours until hopefully he gains total alertness and a desire to eat and get back to growing as he should... without tubes in every opening and on a bed at room temperature. I will say that he's no boy of mine unless he spends some time with tubes in and out of all of his openings! The best part of all came shortly after his birth when they tried to intubate Miles and he grabbed that tube and yanked it out and immediately began to breath room air. I wish I could have done that when they always did that to me, those things are the worst! But he showed us his little attitude and again how he's going to do some things on his terms.

We met with Dr. Ponder today a couple of times, and each report comes back positive, reassuring, and really just a blessing. He's getting better and looking better every time we head down to the NICU.
We are so very blessed. We appreciate all of the love and prayers on our family's behalf. It has been a bit of a shock that Miles has struggled a bit here considering how well Megan's pregnancy went, but for one reason or another he's got little trials that he can learn from and we can learn from, and learning from life's difficulties is always a beautiful thing, and this little guy is a gift from our Father in Heaven.
We are all here and happy in the hospital for now. Megan may be out in a few days, probably sooner since she's a rock star and we like to make it a habit of getting out of these places as fast as we can. Miles will have a bit longer of a stay since he's got to be warmed up after his 72 hours of chillin' are over and after he's learned a few things here and there, but he'll make it just fine, we are sure of that. We will try to keep you all posted as best we can if anything changes, but for now, we're good. Again, we thank you all for your love, your prayers, the temple prayer roll submissions, your thoughts, and every good vibe sent our way from all over the world. We feel them all and they continue to work for our benefit.

Peace and love,
Alec "I just showed up and watched" Rampton
Megan "I was just beaten up by professional physicians but still won the fight" Rampton
and
Miles "The world's youngest prize-fighter" Rampton

We will post more pictures later.

What's going on

2011-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

So for both of you that follow our blog once in a while, KJ Choi being a good philanthropist (see post below) is definitely not the coolest thing that's happened to us in the past month. We have been a little busy getting ready for a baby that was actually due yesterday. Megan and I like to live life without much of an agenda. We get places when we feel like getting to them. So I guess this kid is ours, and he's going to get here when he feels like it.

For all of you kind souls that have asked or wondered, I am doing fine. I am taking this pregnancy thing in stride. I am sleeping well and am very well taken care of.....and Megan is fine too.
I kid, I kid! Megan is doing really well and is just ready for this baby to show himself, and I'm sure all of you mothers can sympathize. We appreciate all of your love and concern, and all of the prayers offered on our behalf. I'm sure that the little dude is holding on to anything he can in there screaming, "No! Not yet! I like the cute one but not that tall one! He doesn't have a clue!"
Above all, we are excited for this great blessing in our lives. We know it will be a big change, and we have learned a lot through the many changes we have had in life, so bring it on!
We will do our best to keep everyone in the know when Megan delivers, but in the meantime, enjoy this little masterpiece that I watched for the first time last night.
Peace!

Get excited

Feel Good Golf Story

2011-05-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here’s a feel-good story from the world of golf. I have enjoyed watching K.J. Choi’s golf career, he’s just such a stud of a dude, and I was stoked when he won The Player’s Championship this past Sunday. The win came with $1.71 million (or after Uncle Sam’s sticky fingers get to it, about $1 million, give or take), $200,000 of which he just gave to relief efforts for damage left by tornadoes in the southeast. He said he didn't want the people affected by the disasters to think that they'd been forgotten. I’m sure he lives comfortably considering how well he does on the PGA Tour, but that’s still a hefty chunk of change to donate. I'm also sure that several other professional athletes make their fair share of donations, it was just cool to hear about this one.
Loads of respect for this guy.

New favorite golf pro – K.J. Choi

How sweet would this be?!

2011-05-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

A shout out to my brother-in-law Danny for bringing this little gem to my attention.

(If you didn't know already I have Celiac Disease which is code for no more happiness in life when it comes to food)

Happy Liver Transplant Anniversary!

2011-04-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Alec! here's to celebrating another year of life with you! If I may be honest and very direct. . You would not be alive today if it weren't for the sweet soul that saved your life by being an organ donor. I am so grateful every time I wake up in the morning knowing that I get to have another day with you. I hope you really reflect on what you have been given, and what we have been given. We have had a wonderful time these last two years making life even more fun and meaningful. I am so excited to welcome another sweet soul into our family in June, and a part of me will always thank your organ donor for giving you more time here on earth so that we can have our family. I love you to the moon and back! Happy Liver Transplant Anniversary! xoxo Megs

Listen Up Lunchbox!

2011-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Megan and I will always have good memories during this time of year for the beautiful gift of organ donation that I received in 2009. Maybe this little number will help us have those good feelings everyday around lunch time

Hilarious!

San Jorge

2011-03-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

I don't want to dwell on BYU basketball, so now that Jimmer Mania is all over (sniffle) - life goes on.

A few weeks back we decided to get out of the snow and head down to St. George. We try to get down there at least once a year and time it so that we go there right as winter is about to drive us totally nuts. Thanks to the condo down there and whoever cleaned it up so that it looked better than we've ever seen it, and thanks to Mom and Pop Rampton who lent us their camera even though they didn't know it. We were able to get a few photos while we hung out, ate, played golf and tennis, walked around with Bode, and had fun being not in Salt Lake.

Sometimes Bode needs some encouragement

We waited on these people at every hole

Such amazing form

We had some hilarious videos of Bode going down a slide in a park near the condo and we don't know what happened to them. Oh well, just imagine how funny they were.

Good times

Sweet 16

2011-03-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well my bracket was busted from Day 1

(thanks for nothing Louisville)

I'll tell you why that bird looks so angry, because his basketball team stinks.

But at least BYU is still going strong into the

Sweet 16!

Brilliant coaching by Dave Rose and serious execution by Jimmer and the crew.

See you in N'awlins

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-03-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

Embrace it.

What ISN'T in a name?

2011-03-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

So, Megan is pregnant, in case you didn't know. She's been pregnant for about...a while now, 6 months. The kid is a boy and is due in June, and we couldn't be more excited for him to come. He is an answer to our prayers for sure.

He also happens to be on whom we are depending for our retirement. I always thought we'd bring back a kid from the Dominican Republic to become a famous major league pitcher so that we could retire early and happy, but that never panned out.

Now, this new guy is the retirement plan, and it all starts with a name. Some names for people you hear and just think, 'wow, he sounds like the heir to a small country' or something. So, please weigh in on our poll in the top right, and vote for the name that we can give our child that guarantees our early retirement.

Note: We already have some names in mind, and they aren't even close to any of the names in the poll, except maybe Cliff. We will never, ever use the name that receives the most votes in the poll.

Dose of Vitamin Ski

2011-02-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

See what I did there? Vitamin C and Ski? ...forget it.

Last week Megan was busy at work with all the Valentine's Day craziness, so I decided to go and get some energy out at The Bird.

It was a beautiful thing.

Special thanks to Pati for the pass she wasn't going to use and to Snowbird for always being there.

Jerry Sloan

2011-02-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

After 27 years with the Utah Jazz, 22 of them as Head Coach, Jerry Sloan has retired. I'm posting about this because Sloan has been the Jazz's coach since I started playing and following basketball, and I have always loved his coaching style. I wish I could have seen him play with the Bulls back in the day. While it's tough to see him leave, I wish him the best and thank him for the great coach and example of hard work he has been. Win or lose, he always saw room for improvement, which to me is a great message to all of us to never get complacent with anything we do, but to always try to be better. Sloan has always been Old School, and that style of ball has been dying for a awhile now. I honestly think it officially died today with his retirement. 40 current NBA ball players weren't even born when Sloan started coaching, and while he's been the coach of the Jazz there have been 245 head coaching changes in the NBA! The dude is a legend.

You're the man Jerry!

It's January for crying out loud!

2011-01-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I Checked our blog and realized that our last post was our “Merry Christmas” post! Holy smokes man! I mean, I know we try to keep Christmas all through the year but this is just ridiculous. If we expect people to have their Christmas trees and lights down by now (which we do – take them down, ok people?), then we should be moving on from our Christmas post by now I think.

I think to fill any huge blog gaps, I will be dedicating blog posts to the great Jack Handey from SNL by posting some of his Deep Thoughts. Megan and I have been reading some of my mission letters that I have saved, and I found a list of Deep Thoughts that I would occasionally get from friends and family. They are each a stroke of genius, so buckle up.

Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

"As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way."

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

So we've been without a camera for awhile, and we usually only post on our blog when we've got cool pictures to prove how much fun we have. We've had our fun for the past couple of months, but just no photos to show for it. But now we have a camera again! So, we thought we'd post a few festive fotos to break it in. So here's a peek at our decked out halls.

Megan working on our Charlie Brown Christmas puzzle

Merry Christmas!

A plumbing we will go

2010-10-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

So, Alec and I have been missing in action for a while, and all for a very good reason. Just recently Alec had his Colon removed. Yep! That’s right! His colon. Around the time of his transplant we learned that Alec had Ulcerative colitis. It has been controlled for about 2 years now, but after a recent colonoscopy, the results showed a potential threat for colon cancer. We are just grateful for colonoscopies! (I never thought I would utter those words in my lifetime) So, a plumbing we will go, a plumbing we will go, Hi-ho the derriere-eoh a plumbing we will go.

Anyhow, the poor kid has had to go through a lot! We are thankful for his Surgeon Dr. Brent Christensen who is just amazing. After shopping around for different docs, Dr. Christensen just seemed like the guy to do it. We completely felt comforted and guided to him and we are so happy that we listened to the promptings of the spirit. . and my grandfather for suggesting him. Thanks Grandpa!

This procedure is a two step process, therefore 2 surgeries. His first operation went well. After removing his large intestine, the Dr created a J-pouch with his small intestine. He has had to wear an illeostomoy bag for the past 6 weeks Poor Alec. He has gone through so much!

His second surgery is taking place at this moment. Step 2 is eliminating the need for an illeostomy bag by reconnecting the small intestine back to its original plumbing. Yahoo! Right now Mama and Papa Rampton and I got the news that his surgery just finished. The Doc let us know that everything worked out perfectly. Like always, Alec was a champ during surgery.

For Christmas, my parents gave us tickets to go see the Lion King. It is absolutely amazing, I was crying it was so good! Anyways, my favorite part is when puma tries to cheer up Simba and says, “at times like this, my buddy Timon here says “You gotta put your behind in your past!” Of course he quoted his own friend wrong, (something I would do) and so Timon corrects him, “It’s you gotta put your past behind you.”

(A little play on words given Alec’s recent surgery.)we both want to move forward, we expect no more health surprises but ya never know.

People always joke with Alec telling him he needs to gain some weight. A few even offer him their own love handles and saddlebags! Politely I say, “NO THANKS!” If he’s taking anyone’s “fluff,” it’s mine.

To Alec’s credit, how can you gain any weight if people are taking out all of your organs? My poor man. . .he used to be 175 when we got married, now, with all of his surgeries and gluten free livin life he is 137. YIKES! I promise I feed him!

Well, Anyways, Alec is great, I am great, we will be in the hospital for a few days until he recovers. We thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts! We love you All! D Megan

Hip Hop Halloween

2010-10-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

We don't really get in to Halloween all that much, but we love these videos you can make. A special thanks to some of the cousins for starring in the show, even though they never agreed to do it.

Happy Halloween!

High Five

2010-09-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

So this morning I was sitting outside eating some breakfast and enjoying how warm it was for a mid-September day. The temperature, breeze and feeling took me back five years ago to the day when Megan and I were married. It was a beautiful almost summer-like day then as well, and I remember waking up in our apartment (I was staying there because we were already paying rent and I didn't want to feel like I was wasting that rent money, because, I'm cheap) around ten in the a.m. and heading down to the temple to meet Megan. It was one of the most amazing feelings I've ever had. I draw on this memory when others ask me how I knew that Megan was the one I was supposed to marry. I always tell people that "it just felt right, and never felt wrong." I was so calm that day. I am guilty of being a complete under-thinker, meaning I never invest too much thought into things in life. Call it a strength or a weakness, I just don't think things through, so as to not psyche myself out I guess. Megan, on the other hand, can be a little more analytical, which is a definite strength of hers. It helps us out of sticky situations I get us into by under-thinking. Anyway, I also ramble on excessively. I still love to dwell on the feeling I had on our wedding day, because Megan and I getting married seemed so natural. I could say that I was under-thinking, but I'd be lying. We both knew exactly what we were doing. I remember dating her and praying about our relationship and taking all of those steps I thought important, but when it came down to it, Megan and I being together was just right, period. So when I think about how calm we both were that morning and entire day, and how natural everything felt, and has felt since, I am reassured of our love and happiness together.

Now, after five years, Megan and I have been through enough to prove those sound feelings to be true. We have had our ups and downs, but overall we keep moving up, and I owe so much of that to Megan and her happy, positive attitude and just the way that she makes life so fun.

So here's to the last five sweet years, and to many more. Love you Megs. Happy Fifth.

OBX - The Greatest Place On Earth

2010-08-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we got back from the greatest place on earth - the Outer Banks.

The transition back to life has been so difficult that it's taken those full two weeks to write about our awesome vacation.

Every other year the Simmons family takes two weeks away from work, school and responsibility in general to travel to "The Beach" in North Carolina.

Whenever we tell people back here in Utah about our vacation at the beaches in North Carolina, we often get the "oh, North Carolina, huh?" look, because the NC beaches are the world's best kept secret.

California and Hawaii are great and all, but we know that the East Coast is the money coast. So I say, let the world stay on their west coast.

But if you ever get the chance and time to travel east to Nags Head, or Kitty Hawk, or, in our case this year, Salvo, NC, make it happen!

The beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks are beautiful!

Our daily routine at the beach goes like this: wake up whenever, eat breakfast, hit the beach for swimming, reading, games or just sitting, lunch, hit the beach again for more of the same with a nap as well, dinner, games, bed, repeat.

There is absolutely nothing at all like the beach.

The combination of the beach and the family being together makes for the best vacation.

It's amazing how we can go to the beach, and all troubles and cares drift away, like nothing can go wrong there.

That's why coming back home is always so difficult, but the good times and memories made are amazing, and the two years of waiting between beach trips are always worth the wait.

We'll post more photos later, but here's a few more to give to a taste of the beach.

Happy Birthday Megan and happy late Birthday Alec!

2010-06-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to have to sneak this in with Alec's post because I can't not mention him and HIS BIRTHDAY. . .LAST WEEK! I just don't think that I was supposed to be born for this generation. I mean, not to be mean, but I kind of feel like I was supposed to have been born in my parents generation. They don't know ANYTHING about computers. I'd like to give myself a little more credit, but, I have never tweeted, I don't have face book (and I am pretty sure I never will) and basically my brother puts me and my parents in the same category as "techno- tards." Whatevs. My little nephew Jeffrey, at 2 years old surprised us all when he told his dad he created a file to put all of his computer games on the web in!!!! YIKES! Kind of scary. Kids are born with little computer chips in their brains these days. Anyways, I was just trying to say that sometimes it is difficult for me to get to a computer and write when I should. So, a little late but never too late to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a friend named FERD or my husband name ALEC! Sorry it's late babe, but thanks for the good times. Everyday is a laugh with you! I love you!!

We have had an amazing day celebrating the birth of Megan. She started the day by finishing a few flower arrangements for a wedding and taking them down to the temple. When she got back we took off to Soldier Hollow (which was the wrong location for the tour we had booked a reservation for, but it worked out) for some horseback riding! It was such a good time and we will post some pictures of our adventures with our guide Joe and our trusty steeds Chubbs (Megan's horse) and Poncho (my horse).

For now, I will just say that I love you Megan and I love that we have birthdays right next to each other so we just get to go out and party during the month of June.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Long Overdue Post

2010-06-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Life has been a little hectic lately with... stuff. So hectic I can't think of everything, but there's been a lot of it. The reason we are posting now, and the reason this is a "Long Overdue Post" on our blog, is because it's dedicated to another "Megan Milestone" (or so they should be called)! This "Megan Milestone" was Megan's first Triathalon back on May 19th. While our marathon experience in April left me dead for awhile, it lit Megan's competitive fire. She signed up almost immediately for the first Triathalon she could, which took place out at the new Daybreak development out woop woop in South Jordan. Daybreak was a great venue for the event, and Megan did so well! It was such an awesome experience out there for both of us. Megan competed in every event with a big smile on her face, and I had a big smile while watching and not having to compete at all. It was pretty chilly outside also, but that didn't phase her. Megan tore up the lake, the bike course and the run, then she just started planning away for more triathalons! She plans to do the Bear Lake Brawl at the end of August, and will do more after that for sure.

It's Go Time!

Orange Heads Getting Ready To Swim

What Incredible Form - Michael Phelps Who?

Transition Action

Megan Won This Bike!

No, not really. But that would be pretty cool. This her bike, the "Baby Blue That Got Her Through."

Good job Megan! I am so, so, so proud of you and can't wait to see you tear up your next event!

One Year and Still Here

2010-04-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to give a shout out 'thank you' to everyone in my life. I have been so amazingly blessed to have such an incredible support system around me that includes friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and people that I don't even know but still pray for and support me. I don't know what I have done to receive such love, but I guess that's a good thing because I also don't know how to screw it all up and lose all of that support. Today marks my one year anniversary since I was operated on to receive a new liver, and I think about this miracle every day. I haven't totally figured out why Megan and I have been tested so much recently, but we thank God every day for all of the people we have in our lives that make life so good. I am especially grateful for Megan and her unbelievable heart. Megan blesses the lives of others everywhere she goes and leaves joy and happiness with everyone when she leaves. I am so lucky to have her in my life forever, and her support has blessed me and strengthened me greatly. It's too bad for the rest of you that you don't get to have her as much as I do, but I got her first so deal with that! Anyway, I just want to thank everyone who has helped me be me - not only during this past year, but always. It feels good to look back on where I was a year ago and think about all of the events that have taken me to where I am today. This last year has given Megan and I some difficult times, but we've loved it... I guess I shouldn't speak for Megan - I've loved it. Actually just today I mentioned to Megan how I thought our first trip to the hospital back in mid-April last year was "fun" and she just said, "Fun?" It was fun though, for me. I guess my bed was more comfortable than hers. It was a good learning experience, just as this whole past couple of years have been, and learning is fun, even when it's hard. It also feels good to read back through these blogs and emails and letters and everything that you've all sent us, and realize just how good the people in our lives are. I love you all. I just hope that The Lord will bless everyone who has helped me to know that prayers work, that God is real, and I'm walking proof of that today, and will be for a long, long time. So here's to many more years!
Peace and love.
Alec

Just Keep Running!

2010-04-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

We did it! What did we do you ask?! Alec and I ran the marathon and 1/2 marathon together! It all started with a once in a lifetime achievement of me waking up @ 5:00 a.m.! (those who know me are probably shocked and extremely proud of this accomplishment in and of itself, I know I am!).

April has become a very special month for us. We started dating in April, Alec recieved his Liver Transplant in April, and now we finished our first big race in April. The marathon was on April 17th, 2010, which was a significant date since Alec was first called into the Hospital for a possible transplant, on that day a year ago. We REALLY had something to run for, the gift of life that Alec's organ donor gave us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We just wanted to document a few things about this wonderful experience. Our favorite part of this process was being among the 11,000 runners (all of whom I know had a special reason to run). We were smack dab in the middle and it was a beautiful and overwhelming site to look ahead and behind us at all of the runners.

We turned down 21st south and glanced back to notice the morning sun creating a little halo over all of the runner's heads. We both got a little emotional looking at this site, and after holding hands for a brief moment we seperated at mile 5 when the half marathon and marathon split. I have to admit it was a little difficult at first not running side by side with my sweetheart but it gave me strength knowing that I was the one running the 13 miles and not 26! What a relief!

Alec enjoyed the whole experience but also admits that the uphill stretch from 900 S to South Temple (mile 12 for half, mile 25 for full) along State Street is more of a death march than a section of marathon. I often refer to that section as "the beast." We both ran about an 8'13" mile for the first 9 miles, both got a little slower in the middle, and finished strong. I loved finishing strong with a 6'10" mile (believe me, this time surprised me!) and Alec finished with a 7'20 mile only to be greeted by my loving and supportive in-laws at the finish line.

After a brief celebration of my finish I was able to go back with the fam to find and run along side Alec for about a mile. A little later in the race his sweet lil sis Micah sprinted to give him a banana. Alec is absolutely amazing!! He considers mile 22 "the wall" and it was the perfect time for us to greet him and cheer him along. His motivation and strength came from the amazing support from friends, family and loved ones, especially his DONOR. As soon as he finished "the beast" it was all adrenaline from there. I waited right before the gateway entrance to run along side of him to sort of finish our little journey together, snapping pictures and filming his finish. After a quick flashing of his scar, he said to me, "I'm outta here." He bolted to the finish line not once looking back. I was teary-eyed watching him step over the finish line. What an accomplishment for the both of us, but especially him. The events of the past year all came together in a second as it donned on me that we accomplished so many things together in our young married life. The Rampton family hugged and congratulated him and I just started to bawl. "I'm so proud of you, I'm so proud of you!" were the words I muttered over and over while nestled into his shoulder.

He is my hero! I am excited to say that there is a little news column about his transplant and marathon experience in the Deseret News today. I am thrilled to have this experience documented in the paper because I wish we had known a little bit more about the transplant process and success stories. Hopefully this article can provide peace, comfort and education to those who need it. I am also eager to one day show our little kids that article and tell them that their daddy is superman. We are fortunate for such a positive outcome and realize that it isn't always so. We feel a deeper sense of compassion towards others and their own personal trials no matter how big or small. All in all, Alec just wants everyone to know how important Organ donation is. He is a walking miracle today, and ONLY accomplished this marathon because of someone's decision to be an organ donor. We have never met the donor family, but sincerely pray that they are aware that their loss wasn't in vain. We will eternally be grateful for this gift. To Alec's donor: I will always love you. I can't ever look at Alec without thinking of you. We have many years to look forward to together because of you. We will think of you always, but especially in the springtime, when everything comes to life . . again.

xoxo Megan and Alec

Before in April of '09 and now after April '10

Alec's race to the finish

G'Day from Woop Woop

2010-02-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

Thought we'd give a little shout out to our people back in the land of the free from Sydney! We are here to visit my parents who are serving as Mission Presidents in the Sydney South (soon to be just "Sydney") Australia Mission. We have had so much fun so far touring Sydney and getting a taste of the mission my parents have been serving. We flew standby out of Salt Lake on Thursday afternoon and after a seven hour layover in Los Angeles boarded our fifteen hour flight to Sydney around 11:00 pm. It was a crazy long trip, but so far it has been totally worth it!

We weren't looking forward to a long seven hour layover in the Los Angeles airport, so we decided to take off in a cab to eat on the harbor at Redondo Beach and walk around to pass the time.

We eventually made it on our plane to Sydney though. The flight was loooooooooonnnnnnnnggggggg. Alec took an ambien and dozed in and out of sleep for most of the trip. I managed to curl up in a small ball and sleep under the seats (I have been feeling the effects on my back ever since). Oh well, at least I slept. Then, after 14 and a half hours or so we could see famous Sydney Harbor out our window. It was beautiful!

We passed through customs (after 40 minutes in line) and found my mom and dad at the bottom of the ramp waiting for us. There was a red line that was painted on the airport floor to separate the passengers from the people waiting for their family and friends. You are not allowed to cross it. Apparently my mom was impatient (surprise, surprise) and crossed the red line a couple times hoping she could see us. We finally came down the ramp and saw my parents! I was so happy to see them! I've missed them so much and it was so great to get a hug from my mom and a big bear hug from my dad! My mom said, "I'm glad you are finally here! I crossed the red line 2 times and I was told if I crossed it one more time I'd be arrested!" (It's so comforting to know she is still "Diane.") They are incredible parents and I am so lucky to have them.

We first met some of the many friends my mom has made with the people that live in her neighborhood. We met Manny the Greek chicken man, Jimmy the fruit man with all of the beautifully-colored fruits in the picture above, Matt the butcher, Lisa, Emerson and Michelle who make our seafood and chips with chicken salt (so good!), and others.

My parents live in a little town called Oatley and are in the the Mortdale ward. There are more trains that leave from the Mortdale train station than the Oatley station, so after a quick run to get our legs moving, we boarded a train from Mortdale to Circular Quay where Sydney Harbor is. That's where you can see the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, and take Ferries to different parts of the Sydney area and different ports and beaches. We headed to Manly beach on a ferry that gives such an amazing view of everything!

Alec was trying to look like a pirate but left his eye patch in another pair of pants.

We had to strike a "manly" pose on Manly Beach.

We had to do it.

On our second day in Australia we went to Stake Conference for the Mortdale Stake in the morning. It was such a spiritual meeting! It was so cool to sit there in the stake center on the front row and look up at my parents sitting on the stand with their missionary name tags and watch the happiness you can see in their soul for the love of their mission and the Australian people. I love this place! It is so beautiful! The people are so friendly and no matter what they say, whether it is a hello or directions to a bathroom, it sounds so cool! Later we went with my mom to Sydney's Botanical Gardens with beautiful grounds, statues, amazing harbor views, bats and Mrs. McQuarie's chair. Mrs. McQuarie was the wife of a Sydney Governor who loved to view the harbor from a certain spot, so her "chair" is huge for some reason, but there it is.

The Chair

A deodorant check immortalized in stone, and another young boy who is extracting a thorn from his foot but ignoring the fact that his left arm is missing.

Our third day was bittersweet. We went to a transfer meeting in the morning and met all of the Elders and Sisters who were getting new companions or going home. After the meeting we went to see the new home my parents will be living in after the North and South missions merge which was near the Sydney Temple.

That night we had the departing missionaries dinner and testimony meeting. This was the part that was bittersweet. Their testimonies brought such a strong spirit, and in the short time we got to know them, it was already hard to say goodbye to them. They will be such strong members and we see now why these transfer times are so hard for my parents.

Well that's it for now, plus some videos. We'll post more as we do more.

Bye for now from Australia!

Megan "The Southern Cross" Rampton

and

Alec "What's a Rumpus Room?" Rampton

An Aborigine Show

Singing by the Missionaries

Life is Good!

2010-02-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Whenever I tell people that I am 25 years old they can't believe it. The average age people have me at is 16 years old. I am in the Young Women's presidency in my ward, and even the kids forget that I am a leader. One girl who didn't know my name yet said, "Hey! The leader that looks like she's a young woman come here!"

Someone even wanted to set me up with their grandson as soon as I turned 18. I told the lady that I was 25 and already married. She thought that I was 14 years old. Why she thought to set me up with her grandson I am not sure?! I have been driving for almost 10 years people!
I don't know if it's my chubby cheeks or my playful and probably oh so immature behavior. Or, it could be my husband too. He's a lot like me only he's serious when he says he wants to go doorbell ditching!
I was looking through these pictures and I maybe can see why people think I am so young. Hopefully when I am 40 or something I will still look like I'm 20! I guess 16 is ok for now, atleast people won't have high expectations for me! haha

The Yurt - January 8-9, 2010

2010-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

We'd like to thank our friends Spencer, Amy, Kat, Haynie, Bill and Lucy for an awesome weekend at "The Yurt." Alec and I started the day last Friday with a nice hot chocolate and oatmeal from Starbuck's and then headed over to the Tingey's to pick everyone up. We drove about 2 or so hours into Wyoming and back into Utah and then cross-country skied 3 miles up the mountain until we reached "Da Yurt." For those of you who don't know what a Yurt is (because I had never heard of it until now) it is "a portable, felt-covered, wood latticed-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by the nomads in the steppes of Central Asia."

Thank you Wikipedia!

We had an awesome time skiing in, hanging out in the yurt, skiing to and across Lily Lake where we had a race (Bill won after he gave Lucy the forearm shiv), playing games and singing John Denver songs. We loved it!

Here are some more photos of our awesome trip... and a coyote head that we found.

Yikes

The Yurt - 2010

Muppet Christmas

2009-12-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

Nobody says 'Merry Christmas' like The Muppets!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

We have been super busy this Christmas season, but it's been fun. We decked out our house a couple of days after Thanksgiving and have been loving coming home to it ever since. We haven't really had a Christmas with just the two of us for awhile, so we're pretty excited to start up some traditions.

We capped the tree with our "R"

And then we trained Bode to stand in front of the tree. He hasn't move since Thanksgiving.

Megan's awesome mantle decoration.

Merry Christmas from The Ramptons!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is definitely one of our favorite holidays of the year. Thanksgiving brings family together, provides a bunch of good food, kicks off the Christmas season, and gives us the chance to all reflect on all of the blessings we have. Here is our top 25 things that we are thankful for in no particular order.

1. An amazing family on both sides of the Simmons-Rampton household that cares for us and helps us realize how blessed we are

2. A house in which to live that President and Sister Simmons have trusted us to care for while the are in Australia

3. Food to eat, and food allergies that we are aware of so that we get the most out of what we eat

4. Health insurance and good health care professionals, who have literally saved our lives this year and many, many ways

5. Music to play and listen to

6. Crafts to create and further develop our creativity and love for our beautiful creations

7. Sunshine. There is nothing better than a sunny day ending with a beautiful sunset

8. The mountains and the beauty that they provide our home. We always look at them and realize that we would struggle to live without them

9. Skiing in those mountains

10. The Beach

11. Humor. We can't imagine a day without laughter

12. Good books

13. Bed

14. Athletics, exercise, and the outdoors. Activity in the fresh air is a sweet natural mood booster

15. Golf

16. Sleeping in

17. Cars that make travel much easier

18. Sufficient monetary means

19. Bode - the dog that makes us laugh

20. Freedoms, opportunities, and liberties that America provides

21. Those who fight to protect those freedoms

22. Friends that lift us up and inspire

23. Each other

24. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and all that it provides

25. Our Heavenly Father

Alec? Really?

2009-11-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

After going through some past emails the other day, I came across quite a few that had made sure that we got this story from last July. All of those that sent us the story agreed that it spoke the truth. Who knew?

Start Spreadin' The News

2009-11-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

World Champs

Yanks beat the Phillies

Took them down 4 games to 2

So, who's yer daddy?

I thought it would be appropriate to write a little Yankee Haiku to honor our Japanese slugger Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui who drove in six runs with a home run, a single and a double as he and the Yankees won their 27th World Series title tonight against the Phillies. "Matsu-eet" also won the World Series MVP.

It's been awhile since the Yanks have won the championship, so it feels awesome as a fan to see them win it again, especially against the defending champs. The last line in the Haiku is dedicated to Pedro Martinez who started the game pitching for the Phillies and has a rough history against the Yankees.

So hip-hip, Jorge, and much thanks to Pettitte, A.J., C.C., Joba, Cano, A-Rod, Teixeira, Damon, and of course Godzilla, Jeter, Mo and the rest of the Bronx Bombers for an awesome year. Ima sleep easy tonight.

GO YANKS!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

So, call me crazy, but I really don't like Halloween. I think when you are little, it is really fun. In elementary school you get to design your own pumpkin sugar cookie, drink red punch, play Halloween bingo and walk from class to class showing off your costume. Those were the days!
I have had a couple really awesome Halloween memories though. When my brother Ryan was little, he dressed up as a cute little pirate. He wore the striped leggings, the pirate hat and of course the eye patch. When Ry wore his pirate eye patch he seemed to be really clumsy. . .falling down, running into anything and everything. . .doors, walls, etc. It was that Halloween that my parents found out that Ryan had vision problems in one eye (and of course the eye patch was worn on the one good eye) It was pretty funny.
I dislike the monster/blood/goblin part of Halloween. There is nothing worse than changing the T.V. channels and getting an eye full of some nasty alien thing. I really don't like scary movies. I am 25 years old, and I still get nightmares from Goosebumps on the cartoon network. Pathetic!
So, Alec and I have learned to enjoy the holiday in a completely different fashion. We have some neighbors who are die hard Red Sox fans, and both Alec and I have been Yankee fans since we were young. For quite some time, even before I married Alec, my family and my neighbors had a friendly rivalry going on. The last couple of years Alec and I have carved these detailed Yankee-themed pumpkins and leave them on our Red Sox Lover's porch through out the night. Last year, we put a sign on their door on Halloween night for the kids to read when they rang the doorbell. It read, "Instead of saying 'trick or treat', say 'Yankees rule' and we will give you more candy!" We were hiding in the bushes just dying when the kids yelled, "Yankees Rule!" Then of course our friend would yell out into the night, "Ramptons!..." It was awesome. Each time they took a sign down we had at least 30 or more to put up. Early into the trick or treating process they ran out of candy and drove down to the store to get more. We watched them leave, it was the best!

Both Alec and I are in the Young Women and Young Men's programs in our ward, and this last week we had an awesome activity called the "Mall Brawl" that Alec used to do with his ward when he was younger. We had some of the leaders from our group (Alec and I included) dress in disguise and go to Fashion Place Mall, while the the other leaders took the youth in groups to to find as many of the disguised leaders as they could within half an hour.

Alec was in a wheel chair and I dressed like a guy with a goatee and dreds and everything! Alec stayed in the food court and kept his head down in a book, and I walked around the mall. People kept passing by us without recognizing us! It was so fun! Hopefully we will do it again next year!

"When it Rains, It pours!"

2009-10-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

So don't call me an ingrate, (because Alec & I are squatting in my parents lovely home while they are on their mission in Australia for the next three years), BUT. . .does everything have to fall apart at once?
First, it was us getting robbed while my parents were still here, and we had to put a security system in AND build a garage.
Then when my parents had left on their mission, we got a leak in the roof. I am a new home owner (well, sort of. . if you can call what Alec and I are doing as "home ownership", which you can't) but I do know that the elements of the outside are supposed to stay outside!
Next, I get home from work only to step into a puddle of water from our flooding pipes on the basement floor. It was dark when I entered, so I couldn't see the water. You know when you see a stranger who's about to cross the street and is about to step into the deepest sink hole of water ever? And they don't know it! That is the best! (Well, maybe you don't think it's funny either because YOU are the person I am talking about, OR it is because you are a nice, decent human being). I am neither! haha! Anyway, initially we thought we would have to replace the water heater, but it turns out we just needed a new part. Thank Goodness!
Well, this week our furnace had to be shut off after a safety inspection that we failed. . .badly. The carbon monoxide our furnace was producing was extremely high and dangerous. So here I am, in slippers, sweats, and a sweatshirt struggling to type due to my frozen fingers.

So, that's life up here in our home. Can't wait to see what will happen next week!
xoxo

Life is Precious

2009-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Alec and I were touched by a funeral service for a very dear and beautiful person. All through out the meeting, she was often referred to by family members and friends as a "beautiful person inside and out," and she truly was. I can't think of a better word to describe one's self or one's life. She brought sunshine and light to all she met, and I feel very privileged to have known her. How saddened I am to think how young she was when she passed, but how impressed I am by the way she lived her life. Adventurous Lisa, delightful Lisa, and Beautiful Lisa-we love you.

Crazy Bode

2009-10-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

I was just going through our photos and videos and found this. Bode is crazy!

4 Years and Still Rockin'

2009-09-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Four year's ago today we was hitched, and it's been a sweet ride...

We've had good times

We've had rough times

And pets.

But even when life has been scary

We've found the light in life

And we've been able to smile

Relax

And enjoy the sunsets

Much love

Summer time, and the livin's easy

2009-08-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

This summer has been kind to us. Here's some of the stuff we've been doing.

Slip and slide at Shriner's Hospital with the youth

Mandarin birthday dinner

Boating at Jordanelle

Fun with the camera late at night

Fun with the cousins

Biking

Nothing like a game of golf

We have had to make up for a rough first part of the year by playing hard. Here's to good times.

Peg Leg Bode

2009-07-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

So we were hanging out with Megan's grandparents in Alpine the other day and our dog Bode got a little carried away playing out in the yard. Bode was chasing Megan and twisted his body in mid-air while jumping at her and landed on his right hind leg on the concrete of the back patio, the poor sucker. At first Bode seemed fine, and he would only whine a little bit when you would touch his leg, but other than that he didn't make a sound. I thought it was just a sprain, and Megan thought it was worse, but we decided to let it sit overnight. When Bode was still favoring that leg the next day, we took him to the vet, and the vet called me back later that day to tell me that Bode had busted his fibula! Megan was right! So they put this funny-looking cast on him and he's been humiliated ever since.

The good news is that we have been trying to train Bode not to jump up on us all of the time, so hopefully this time with a cast and a busted leg will learn him. He also always used to be so quiet and sneak up behind you, and we would always trip on him, but not anymore thanks to his new peg leg!

The 4th of Joo-Ly

2009-07-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July weekend with family and loved every minute of it. We started the weekend up in Park City with our cousins and ended it at the Rampton 4th of July Barbeque Spectacular featuring the Sugarhouse Park fireworks. Here are some of the photos of our patriotic weekend which included nothing patriotic other than the fireworks now that I think of it... but it was all done in America.

We hit a few buckets at the range up in Park City. Those range mats were hot on my bare feet, and the driver shaft didn't taste as good as I had hoped.

We put those buckets on our heads for a photo. I actually hit the ball better with the bucket on.

Megan posing with her bike and matching jacket. Don't let her smile deceive you, on the bike she's all business.

Killer Spoons

We played a bunch of games with our cousins. This video shows a round of us playing Spoons, but instead of leaving the spoons in the middle of the table to grab, we put them about fifty yards away from the table and had to hurdle the deck fence and run and grab them. It was awesome! Enjoy the video - especially the part where Megan eats it!

Good times.

Hey Megan - It's Your Birthday!

2009-06-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

My Megs! Happy birthday!

I never really thought much of my birthdays until this year's crazy events helped me see life a little differently, but you've always loved celebrating your birthday. And why not, am I right people?! You're a person that God has placed on this earth to make life better and more enjoyable for the rest of us. You're selfless attitude and desire to serve have always been an example to me, and an inspiration to look beyond myself and to love others despite differences. I love you, and I love you more everyday.

You have saved my life on so many levels - not only as you stood by my side every step of the way throughout my liver dealy, but as you have shown me how beautiful life can be as we overcome tough times and come out on top. We have many more of those tough times ahead of us in our lives, but because of you I don't have to worry about them. We've already made it through some crazy stuff during our brief time together, so we can handle much more and still find ways to laugh everyday throughout it. I love the way that you not only make me feel, but also the way that you make others feel. You have the unmatched ability to make everyone feel comfortable and happy, and what else do we need in life? Like you, I don't know if we have ever laughed so hard as we have recently, and isn't that crazy considering what "recently" has been?

I love you so much Megan, and even though these days are bittersweet (sorry) I hope that you can enjoy this birthday, and understand how much you mean to me, your family and friends, and every other person you come in contact with.

You muddabin someone special before you came to this world, because, like I said, God gave us people like you to make this crazy world a sweet place to be.

Love you much Megan!

Alec

2009-06-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 26th Birthday Alec! From now on we will have to celebrate two birthdays for you! June 14th, the actual day you were born, and April 28th, the day you were granted a new life from your transplant success.

With all that has gone on this last little while, we have still managed to have a lot of fun. We have taken a couple of trips up to the Park City Condo, enjoyed a hike and chairlift ride,

watched Bode swim in the water (I mean pushed Bode in the water to see if he could swim haha! Good news, he can). We have taken bike rides, walks, and made Dinner that didn't burn. (Amazing, I can't believe it). I beat you playing SORRY, we have put together puzzles, made trips to Five Guys, and who can forget the Yogurt Stop?! The best part, just chillin on our balcony and watching the thunderstorms and sunsets.

It seems we both have a new outlook on life. We love and appreciate our families and friends more, enjoy the little things each day, and look for the simple pleasures in life and live them. One of the things I have always loved about you is how much you make me laugh. You were always pretty funny, but now it seems like your jokes are even funnier! (I don't know if it is the fact that your new liver has a better sense of humor than your old one or that I just appreciate and love you more. Probably the second one)

We never went a day with out laughing before your transplant, but now it seems like our laughs have changed. They are deeper, harder, more frequent and just gut wrenching painful. I love it!

Thank you for always being my goodest buddy and for staying alive! I am so grateful that God placed you in my life. To many more birthdays and future laughs!

xoxo Megs

Alec's Liver Story

2009-05-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've got plenty of time to tell my liver story, so what the heck? In May of 2008, I was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, or PSC, a rare liver disease that is caused by the inflammation and scarring of the liver's bile ducts. PSC is an autoimmune disease that is only cured by liver transplant. We took the above photo just weeks before my health started to deteriorate, and my diagnosis came. I underwent several endoscopies, a colonoscopy (fun stuff) and a liver biopsy to finally determine that I had PSC. We don't and will probably never know what caused my disease. My G.I. at LDS Hospital told me that, given the good shape I was in physically and my young age, I wouldn't need a transplant for about five to ten years, but that was just a ballpark guess.

The great Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, a.k.a. "Sweetness" was killed by PSC when his liver had developed cancers beyond repair. I was very blessed to receive a liver so quickly after having been listed a recipient candidate for only two weeks, giving any potential cancers little or no time to set in.

From my diagnosis in 2008 to late March of 2009, I was able, with the aid of a dozen pills a day, to control my disease's progression and to go about life as usual: working, hanging out with Megan, playing golf and basketball, vacations, all that stuff. I felt great, but now that I look back I was always more fatigued than normal, and couldn't sleep like a rock like I used to. Then in late March, I started to get terrible headaches. I was super tired all of the time. Even though I knew that I had this liver disease, I had felt no effects from it whatsoever during the past ten months, and so I didn't link these new problems to the liver. I began losing a ton of weight, and since I have so much of that to go around, Megan and I were alarmed, especially when

I started turning yellow again. (See photo at right)

Basically, the whole month of April of 2009 is now a blur to me. I was in and out of endoscopies and another colonoscopy at LDS with my diligent G.I., and he had no idea why I was so sick and why it had come on so suddenly. So he decided that I should go and "get acquainted" with the liver transplant team at the new Intermountain Medical Center on 53rd and State. We had an appointment for the 9th of April, but Megan (she's so awesome) said on the 1st, "Why don't you call and see if they can see you tomorrow?" So I did, and they said they had an opening, which proved to be just one miracle among many. We met that day with my liver coordinator/lifesaver/our new best friend Rosemary. She basically quarterbacks the whole process of listing a new patient to be a recipient to seeing them through months to years after the transplant surgery. When we first met, she explained this whole process quickly, and told us to come back later that day to meet with the physician assigned to me, and the surgeon who performs all of the liver (and kidney) transplants for IMC. When we met the surgeon we were somewhat blown away when he told us that, given my drastic jump in liver levels and how sick I'd been, I would need a new liver as soon as possible. I was stunned for a second that this day had come so much sooner than was expected, but then I figured "well, I've known for awhile that I'd need a new liver sometime, so it might as well be now." After hundreds of tubes of blood drawn and a dozen other tests, I was officially listed as a candidate to receive a liver transplant on Tuesday, April 14th, and I was told that a call could come from Rosemary at any time to get to the hospital if a liver that fit my criteria became available. I was told that it could be anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks, to a few months before this would happen. I prepared for a six month wait to not get my hopes too high, so I was surprised the following Friday when I was helping Megan haul some flowers into a church for a wedding she was doing when I got a call from Rosemary. She said I needed to be at the hospital within an hour, and that I

would be a backup (something she had warned me could happen) which means that someone else is the primary candidate, but if the liver doesn't work for them, it would go to me. Megan and I quickly finished up, and went straight to the hospital arriving at 6:30 pm. This photo is of me that evening, hoping above all that the liver would work out for the best candidate. We were admitted overnight, and Megan spent the night with me in the hospital. The surgeons had trouble working out the logistics of where each organ from the donor would go, so it wasn't until 9:30 on Saturday night (28 hours after being admitted) that we got a call from Rosemary in my hospital room, surrounded by family, saying that the liver was going to go to the other candidate and not to me. Overall, that first run was an amazing experience. We learned a lot about how the process would go, and grew spiritually more than we could have ever imagined, as we both cried in gratitude that the other person's life would be saved, and knowing that my chance would come soon.

The next week was pretty brutal. I had to get another endoscopy to finish up every detail of the listing process (even though I could have received a new liver without it), and it turned out to be a pretty rough endoscopy. I was nauseous every day that week, and had no appetite. The most nerve racking symptom I ever experienced was when my mind started to slip. A common symptom of liver failure is called encephalopathy, and it occurs when your body isn't releasing toxins properly, and your mind is affected. I was always dizzy, I couldn't construct sentences well, and I was totally dependent on Megan and others to help me with everything. I can handle nausea and other physical pains, but when my mind started to go, I started to get a little nervous.

It was on the night of Monday the 27th of April when I was at my worst. I was nauseous and curled up in the fetal position watching some movie with Megan just hoping that I could get to sleep somehow. I took some Maalox (which Megan's mom Diane went to pick up from the store at 12:30 in the morning) and it worked like a charm. Megan said, "Maybe you'll get a call tonight for a new liver." Then I fell asleep.

At about 5:30 am the following morning my phone rang, and it was a number I didn't recognize. When I answered there was nobody on the other line. I laid my head back down, and about three minutes later, Diane came through our door and said, "Alec, Rosemary is on the phone, and you need to get to the hospital within the hour." Megan and I immediately got ready and were at the hospital by 6:30 am. I was so delirious, I just had to follow Megan and try to keep up. This picture is me showing that this was attempt number two at a liver transplant. I barely knew where I was, what I was doing, or if the liver would actually be mine. I was admitted, prepped for surgery, and left to wait again on Rosemary's word whether or not the liver would work out for me. After napping with Megan and waiting with family, Rosemary entered my room at

1:30 in the afternoon and said, "It's a go!" We were all ecstatic! I was still so dizzy, but three words had never sounded so good. I was taken down to the operating floor with Megan, her parents and brother, and my parents. I said my goodbyes to them in the elevator lobby, and after crying with Megan for a minute, I said to her, "See you on the other side," (what a stupid thing to say) and she immediately responded, "Of the hospital!" "Yeah," I said, "sorry." I was taken to the OR, and was sleeping within fifteen minutes.

My surgery took nine and a half hours. The surgeons told me that they thought it would go much more quickly since I'm a skinny guy, but that my skin was so thick it was hard to get in and get out, so it took a little longer than expected. I remember waking up in the ICU and could hear the voices of family members. I guess I shot out of bed when I heard Megan's voice. I was in ICU for one day, and then taken up to the hospital's tenth floor to room 1024.

My day-to-day progression until I busted out of the hospital - The view of Mt. Olympus from Room 1024

The doctors would visit me daily and check on my progress. I progressed more each day until on Tuesday the 5th of May the head surgeon asked me if I wanted to get out of the hospital, to which I said, "Yeah! Can I go?" He said yes and that I was doing really well. Megan and I were so excited, so we took a long walk around the IMC hospital campus talking with family on the phone and sharing the good news. I was released from the hospital around 1:30 in the afternoon, and the rest is history.

I still get better everyday, and I owe it all to all of the people who have prayed and fasted for me and Megan throughout this whole process. It's been hard, fun, spiritual and a miracle all at once. Now, I can get on with my life with Megan, and I have never been happier. So that's my liver story, and here are some more photos of the whole thing. Thanks for tuning in.

Easter Sunday - "Wicked" the Saturday before transplant

(I looked like a Wicked groupie)

"Egged" by the Hunters

Staples/Stiches out - Bubble contest at the clinic - All my drugs

Relaxing at home

Thank You!

2009-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

So we have a blog! We have gone back and forth about doing the blog thing for awhile now. It's kept Alec up many nights... well that and his old failing liver. But now we don't have to worry about either! We have a blog to keep friends and family far and wide updated on how we are doing and what our favorite music is, and Alec received a new liver on April 28th, 2009! We are so grateful to everyone that has kept us in their fasts, thoughts and prayers during these past few difficult weeks, and are happy to report that Alec is doing amazingly well and gets stronger everyday. We love you all (as seen in the above photos) and invite you to check back with us on the blog to see how things are going. Peace and love.