New goal, get heat exhaustion less than last summer.

So remember how just a few weeks ago I put up a post about how to avoid heat exhaustion?

Well, it really is all good advice, but sometimes, it is just to deathly hot outside.

I was working the livery on Thursday, ya know, with the animals. Pony ride and petting zoo, that kind of thing. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until we broke 100 degrees.

I had been drinking water all day AND taking in sodium. After lunch I went to Smoot Hall and put some ice in my handkerchief to tie around my neck. I stayed in the shade as much as possible. I did everything I could to avoid heat exhaustion.

It wasn't quite enough though. I was doing okay until about 3:30, and I was completely hydrated. But all of the sudden my head felt like it was trying to split in two and I felt like I couldn't see straight.

I knew I needed to get cooled down NOW.

I was in charge of pony rides at that current moment, and we had guests coming, and the vignette team was also coming on down the road. As the people come up I apologize to them and say "It is going to be just a moment on your pony rides, I need to go grab a co-worker. The heat is getting to me a little bit". And considering everyone wanted to be dead from the heat, they understood.

I walk (stumble) over to the petting corral and yell to Isaiah, "Can you grab Brent to run pony rides? I have got to get cooled off, I do NOT feel good." As soon as I see Brent walking over, I apologize again and originally was going to head to the hospital (not a working one, it's a replica of the Desseret Hospital and the basement is the employee lounge. It's air conditioned.) But I quickly realize I am not going to make it that far.

As I'm walking past the Vignette team April mouths to me, "Are you okay?" I shake my head and say no.

I make it to the bathrooms behind the school house, just across and down a little from the livery. I make it to the last stall and I start taking clothes off. I NEEDED to get cooled off. I manage to get my boots, (You wouldn't believe how much heat shoes can hold in.) socks and shirt off before wave one of throwing up came around. There goes all my lunch.

After a few minutes of that, I stop long enough to get my pants off. (Which also hold in a lot of heat) and lie against the wall, which was fairly cool.

I hear someone come in, and I think it was a co-worker mostly because I glanced under the walls and saw that they had a basket and a bonnet, and not to many guests walk around with those.

However, I lacked the energy to say anything. So she left, and I feel wave two of throwing up coming, which sucks because everything in my stomach was already gone.

So sure enough, round two hits, and as I'm in the middle of throwing up again, some guests walk in and I hear "Are you okay?" I manage to moan "No" in between heaves. Then these wonderful guests ask "Can I do anything for you?" and between heaves again, I manage to say I need someone to go to the livery. (I knew thats where the closest co-workers were) and was able to inform them that I was an employee. The one lady asked my name, and then left. Her daughter stayed in the bathroom. "Do you need anything?" I had finally finished round two by this point. I pretty much said that I needed to get cooled off, that I had heat exhaustion.

Around this point I hear Isaiah come in. (Yes, that was a girl.) And she told me that someone had called Holly and she was on her way. (My boss)

Isaiah stays until Holly gets there, but then she has to get back to the Livery, we were a little short handed. Holly comes in and after first making sure that I wasn't dead asks what happened. I said "I don't know, it's never hit me like this. Usually I can tell it's coming and I can keep it under control. It just came out of no where." That's when I was forgiven for not telling her sooner. Because I didn't know until it was happening.

She tells me she is going to go grab a dress to cover me and grab the golf cart to take me to Smoot, (another blessed air conditioned building) and April was going to wait outside the stall while she was gone.

As April is waiting, round three of throwing up hits. I keep apologizing because I know it sounds gross. She just wanted to make sure that I didn't pass out. I've been lucky and I've never actually passed out from heat exhaustion before. I just get sick and want to be dead. That headache is pretty much the worst thing ever.

Holly gets back just as round three finished, they get me into a dress so I'm in something besides underwear and an undershirt to travel. She takes me to Smoot Hall, and I go to Cliff's office to lie down on his couch (best couch in the world, I want it for my bed) Cliff had already left for the day. Holly comes back with two bags of ice. She puts one under my head and one on my stomach, so we can get my core cooled down. And then I lie there for 45 ish minutes before Holly decides I am good enough to stand up.

Also, the vignette team brought me a powerade while I was down in Cliff's office. Because they are awesome like that. They also offered to drive me home, except no one knew how to drive stick and thats what my car is.

Then Holly came back and she gave me a ride to my car, I then came home and did nothing on my couch all day, it was great.

And since my goal of not getting heat exhaustion at all this summer is no longer happening, the new goal is to get it less than last year. It was three times last year. So hopefully no more this year.

Baby Sis Mission Call

So, if you haven't noticed, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly referred to as "mormons."

It use to be that when Young Men in the church turned 19, they were able to serve a full-time mission. Where they would give up 2 years of their lives and serve a mission for the church spreading the Gosple. Young Women could go when the were 21 to serve an 18 month mission.

Last October, the Church changed it's policy where Young men can now serve at age 18 (after they have graduated high school) And Young Women can go at 19.

With this change, my little sister decided that she wanted to serve a mission. Last week, she received her mission call. Now, for those of you who don't know, filling out papers for a mission is a very long process. You have to have medical and dental appointments, fill out a bajillion pages of paperwork and have interviews with your Bishop and Stake Presidents. (Leadership for the congregation where you meet) After all that is completed, you submit your papers to Church Headquarters.

Then the waiting game, my little sister was lucky, she only had to wait (I think) 2 weeks. I had a roommate who had to wait six. At church headquarters they decide where to assign you to serve.

After your call has been assigned they send you a big white envelope. The envelope you watch the mailbox for, the mailman probably thinks he has stalkers. When Rachel (the baby sis) was expecting her call, dad stayed home from work, and it came. (2 days later than expected...she wasn't sleeping. I told mom to slip zquil into her dinner...I don't think she did.)

Of course I was at work when all of this happened, and I'm dressed up as a pioneer. I can't really answer my cell phone. I had to wait to go on break, and so the whole family was waiting for me for her to open her call.

So after we had everyone on Skype and cell phones she opened her call. I am proud to announce that my baby sister has been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She has been been assigned to labor in the St. George, Utah mission. She will serve for 18 months.

I am so proud of her. Being able to serve a mission in not an easy thing and she will learn so much and grow so much. And While I'll only get to talk to her I think...3 times...She can call home on Christmas and Mothers day. I can send her e-mails, and once a week she can read them.

So congrats Rachel, can't wait to see how much you'll grow on your mission.

Middle of the night adventures.

Who doesn't love waking up to a car horn honking and racing around your street at 1:30 in the morning?

So I hear what sounds like a car crash outside my window this morning, except the person keeps circling the block honking their horn.

I'm thinking...a lot of mean things and not nice names in my head...but also "great, someone had a party and got mad and now feels like ticking off the entire block."

Then I hear people yelling outside. I'm now thinking "great, I'm going to hear someone get shot." ...I sometimes wonder if I have drug dealers that live on my street, but I don't really want to find out for sure.

I can't remember what came first me smelling smoke or someone yelling "CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!" Now I'm awake.

I first check my room, make sure I'm not the one on fire. (I was still waking up) I look out my window and see people running up the street. I run outside, and there is smoke everywhere, but I can't see the flames. So I start running up the street where I see people running. Then I hear someone say "It's in the alley!"

My car is parked in the alley.

So I run back inside to grab shoes, then I run to the alley, in time to see the fire engine pull in. I run behind it, thankfully, it was further up the alley. I see more people closer to it and ask them what is on fire. It was someones garage. "So no people are hurt or in danger?" No. Thank goodness for that.

However, there are a lot of trees and there are dry wooden fences, grass...all in the alleyway leading towards my apartment complex with a lot of houses in between.

Bottom line, I'm not leaving until I see the fire is completely contained. In case I need to run home, wake up my roommate (who is somehow still sleeping), and get our cars moved.

We are out there and a fireman asks if he can get through someones yard, we have no idea, they were looking for a fire hydrant.

I don't know where fire hydrants are, I only check for them when I am looking for a parking spot.

The fire was contained enough that I felt safe to go to bed by about 2:15. But I still didn't didn't fall asleep till about 3-3:30.

I also felt sick all day because I didn't get sleep and I was breathing a ton of smoke. (I sleep with my window cracked open.)

So sorry to the person who drone around and woke all of us up, I thought some really mean things about you, I take them back now.

The only pet I had growing up.

So my parents could have dogs or cats in the house growing up, something about allergies and wanting to be able to breathe, weird.

So because of that, the only pets we had growing up were...drum roll....fish. My dad loved them, my sister loves them. I didn't. But that's what I had to do.

I also had this weird talent as a child, I could catch flies in the window. I was really good at it. And one time I was sick of being petless. So I caught a fly and I put it in a jar.

I took one of the jars mom would use to bottle fruit, and I put a knee high on top and screwed on the lid. I also put a piece of a sucker in the jar. And I had a pet fly for a week.

He lived for about a week, and the sucker was red. Looking back I should have found a way to put water in the jar. Poor fly.

But that was the pet I had growing up.

What is the most interesting pet you've ever had?

Sunday in the Park with George

I love this musical. Sondheim is awesome.

I've not been able to pin point exactly why, but for whatever reason, the music captivates me. I love how Sondheim plays with the music in this show.

I also love his lyrics.

"We do not belong together, and we should have belonged together."

"I chose and my world was shaken, so what? The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not."

"The art of making art is putting it together."

"There are really only two thing worth while that we leave behind; children and art."

And there are so many more.

If you are not a musical person, I don't suggest this for your first. It is very different from any musical you've ever seen. It doesn't follow a clear plot line. It is based of the painting "A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and is also based on what little is known about the painter George Seurat.

It really just is great.

Helpful advice for not dying of heat this summer.

Since I've had at least three friends have a problem with heat and such the like in the last 24 hours. Here is Mandy's summer advice to avoiding heat exhaustion.

My credibility? I am extremely prone to heat exhaustion and have had it several time in my life, hence, I learned how to avoid it at all costs, because it sucks. (Also, be aware that there is a different between heat stroke and heat exhaustion.)

1- WATER!!!!! DRINK IT!!!!! And I don't mean just when you are thirsty, I mean constantly throughout the day. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. If you are working hard, drink more, don't worry about having to use the restroom to much, you will sweat out the water.

2. Which brings me to number two. Make sure that you are also are taking in sodium and other things your body loses when you sweat. Gatorade and such the like is good to drink IN ADDITION to water. Also eating a good meal, and small snacks throughout the day.

3. Plan your clothing accordingly. If you are going to be out in the hot sun, try to wear lighter colors and lighter fabrics. Light colors will reflect heat while dark colors absorb it. Lighter fabric will also hold less heat in. If possible, try to make your clothing more...flowy? Is that the word I want? Poofy? Don't make it really tight, that makes it hard to breezes to get through, and I don't know if this is true or not, but I feel like they hold more heat in too.

4. Pay attention to your body. If you start getting short of breath or a headache that makes you want to kill yourself, or you are just starting to get really tired, get in the shade, get in air conditioning, take a rest. If you catch it at the early stages, just slowing down and resting will help a lot. If you start getting dizzy or lightheaded GET COOLED OFF AND GET OUT OF THE SUN!!

5. If this starts to happen, try putting water on fabric of some kind and getting the cool liquid on your face, neck, behind your ears, your back, wherever. (These are just the ones I find most helpful) If you have a friend around, have them help fan you to get a breeze going. Chances are, you are pretty dehydrated so you don't have your sweat evaporating off your body to help keep you cool. *Something worth noting, if you are somewhere that is humid and the sweat doesn't evaporate, I suggest a small towel or handkerchief to wipe sweat away.

6. If this still isn't helping get to a private place and take off as many layers as you can. I'm serious. I got heat exhaustion 3 times last summer (and considering how often I get it and how much I was outside last summer, this was actually a pretty low number) Once in China, twice at the park. Now, in China, I couldn't take a ton off in public and that is where I started getting it, but I did take off my t-shirt and got down to my tank top, where my friends were awesome enough to help me get cooled off enough to make it back to the hotel. The part only my roommate knows is that once we were back in the room, the air was turned as cold as it could go and while she was in the bathroom I asked her to turn on a luke cold shower (we'll get to the importance of that in a second) Meanwhile I was in the main part of the room taking off everything but bra and underwear. As soon as she was done using the restroom I just sat in the shower in my underclothing. After a few minutes, I came back out, she headed to a concert I changed into dry underclothing and collapsed on the bed. I am a decently shy person and the idea of being wet in a white bra was not appealing to me, but I felt like not dying was even more important. So basically, if you are really bad, take off as much clothing as is socially acceptable for your current location.

7. The importance of the water temperature. If your body has over heated, do not dump a ton of ice cold water all over it, chances are you will shock your system and make things even worse. Even if you put just a little ice cold water on your face, it is not going to feel good that first second, and probably not until you start cooling down.

8. Now, recognizing it in other I don't really know how to explain, I just know how to recognize it because I know what it feels like. But some key things to watch for, look at their faces. Chances are they are either really red or really pale. A trick for helping someone, "If it's red, raise the head, if it's pale, raise the tail". If someone is really white, it is probably a good idea to get there feet up and their heads down. I tend to get more red, so I usually try to say more upright. but it does go both ways.

In conclusion, 1-3 are more along the lines of prevention. 4-7 are more if you start getting/full out get it here's how to get it under control. And 8 is meant to be helpful if someone needs your help.

Now, if you can't get it under control and it starts getting worse, seek medical attention. Heat exhaustion can turn into heat stroke and heat stroke can kill you.

This is also not all the information out there on this, this is just a little helpful advice from a girl who has had a lot of heat problems in her life.

Also, if you do get it, even after you get it under control and start to feel better, it's called heat exhaustion, you are going to be tired the rest of the day, make sure you get a lot of sleep that night and KEEP DRINKING FLUIDS!!!!

Hope this was helpful, make sure you have so much fun during the summer, and don't let it get spoiled by heat exhaustion.