Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A/C Update and I got my surgery date!

So the A/C guy came out this afternoon, and our unit just blew a capacitor. He had just taken a working one of another dead unit...so he gave it to us, and we only had to pay for the house call. SWEET! Now we're wondering if our thermostat is on the blink, too. It's definitely cool in here, but the thermostat isn't showing it. We've replaced the battery, turned it off and on...but Meh. It still says 80. Dumb thing. At least we're comfortable now.

I guess this is good news, but I'm still in the processing stage. I got a surgery date of July 27th. I really was hoping for an earlier date, so I'd be all nice and recovered before I had to report back to work. Sigh. No dice. July 27th is the earliest that both my OB and Urologist are available to do it. I need to get back into my "Yay! Hysterectomy!" frame of mind, because truly I. CANNOT. WAIT.

I'm going to have to work some stuff out with my work. I think I will go in mid-July and set up my classroom. And hopefully I can take some days off or work shorter hours at first. (The kids don't return until after Labor Day, but I have to report for pre-planning on 8/11.) I'm going to have faith that it will all work out the way it's supposed to.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Again.

EVERY year, one of our air conditioners goes out. Usually, they alternate. One year it'll be the upstairs, and the next year the downstairs will go out. Sigh. This year it's the upstairs.

Joy of joys. Everybody cross your fingers that it will be a cheap fix. If it's not, it'll have to wait until after P gets paid on the 12th. FUN!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Going green

This isn't a post about being environmentally friendly, making sound ecological choices, or reducing your carbon footprint.

Nope! It's notice that I am dying a stripe of Shannon's hair! She's REALLY wanted to do this for awhile, and I figure, hey...it's summer. Why not? I felt like I had 5 hands though, trying to do the foil, etc. Shan started singing "Beauty School Drop-Out" to me, lol. For the record, I didn't GO to beauty school, hence I cannot be a drop-out. Ha!

Anyway...I'll update with a pic, when we're done.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pulling from my bag of journal prompts....

I'm realizing that it's been a few days since my last post. We're just cruising along, with summer busy-ness. I'm in a holding pattern about my surgery...until tomorrow or Friday. I'm supposed to hear from the surgery scheduler tomorrow, and if I don't, I am supposed to call on Friday. We're dog-sitting for friends, and y'know...life is good. Not very good blog fodder though, right? LOL!

Then I remembered my post about journal prompts. While Shannon was on her trip...oh yeah! I never told you about that...she went to Washington DC and had a great time!...anyway, while she was gone I made her one of those journal jars. While I was making hers, I made a copy of the prompts for myself too, and put them in a ziploc bag. Remembering that, I pulled one out today:

"If you could have dinner with anyone currently alive, who would it be?"

Well, I'd love to have dinner with any member of my immediate family. They all live in CA, and I miss them so much.

But outside of that, I think I would love to have dinner with Jane Goodall. I met her once when I was in 7th grade. My parents let me skip school one day, to go have lunch with my aunt at some benefit thing. Ms. Goodall was the keynote speaker...and I was FASCINATED by her, and her work with chimpanzees. I think that would be a terrific meal and conversation.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

I am so blessed to have a Terrific Dad and to have married a man who became Wonderful Daddy! To me, a father provides guidance, teaching, support, and love. Both of "my men" are all of those things and more!

Patrick with Shannon, the morning after her birth.
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One of my all-time favorites...sharing applesauce.
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Shannon's first trip to Disney, Nov. 1998
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At dinner in Hawaii!
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Headed to the Father/Daughter Dance 2004:
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Lookout Mtn, July 2009
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To celebrate, we got Patrick some little gifts (a book, handheld game, and Shan got him a kite in DC), and he got to pick what we'll have for dinner.

He picked manicotti and garlic bread. I found THIS recipe on Bakerella, and thought it sounded yummy...so Shan and I made that, too.

We also bought fun-size of his two favorite candy (Twix & KitKat). We wrote little notes on scrapbook paper (what we love about him, favorite memories, etc.) and wrapped about half the candies in those. That way, when he opens one, he'll get to read something special about himself.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Getting things in order

For those not "in the know," I'm working my way toward a hysterectomy, and I'm quite happy about it, lol! I've been waiting to meet with a second doctor, to see if my symptoms warranted a second procedure...and if it could be done at the same time as the hysterectomy.

My appointment was yesterday, and after a not-so-fun procedure, the answers are yes and yes! So as bad as the procedure was, I'm glad I had it done so I have the answers I need. I should be getting a call from the surgery scheduler in the next 3-4 work days.

I went out tonight and bought two new pairs of new jammies so I'll be nice and comfy afterward. I love new jammies. It's been FOREVER since I had some!

This may be a tad bit, TMI...and if it is, I apologize. But it struck me as sorta funny, so I'll share it.

You know how even after you *know* something, it can take awhile for it to really sink down into your consciousness?

I was in the bathroom tonight, um...adjusting a tampon, and had the thought "Ohhh this is going to be AWFUL after my surgery." And then...the light bulb went on. Aaaahhh! No more periods!!! Finally! Thank you, God!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Mom n Me Monday

Shoot! I just went to link up for "Mom N Me Monday" and found that it's on hiatus for the summer. I had just typed up this post, so you're gonna get it anyway! LOL!

As you all know, I recently got a Droid, and I'm still LOVING playing with all it's features, etc. It was time for Shannon's yearly check-up this week, and so when our doctor was running a little late...I pulled it out and we took selfies. (Remember when your kids were babies, and you took them for "well baby" checks? It made me smile that on our insurance paper, this visit was listed as "well adolescent" check. Hahaha!) And then, I LOVE our doctor. She sat and talked to us for a HALF HOUR. Just chatting with Shannon about school, books, her summer plans, etc. And then, Shan's physical was like another 30 minutes. She spent a full hour with us, and it was fabulous. I know so many people hate Kaiser, but I have to say...I have never had a bad experience, and I'm so grateful.

On to the pictures! Normal, and then...not so much normal. :-)



Sunday, June 13, 2010

Aaaaand, it's outta here!

That didn't take long! We had 10+ inquiries about the camper, and early this afternoon a guy showed up with cash and drove it away! We LOVED the camper, and know we will have another...but for now, we're glad to see it go! We've got plans for the money, hahaha! Anyway...there it goes!



In other news, I spent time this afternoon and washed all four dogs! That was a big, tiring, and sweaty job. I have decided that each dog earned an award:

Daisy: Dirtiest of all the dogs (her nickname is Water Buffalo)
Sprocket: Most agreeable (I wasn't expecting him to be that way, lol! Yay!)
Calvin: Most annoyed (He was VERY put out that I washed him, lol)
Rosie: Sheddiest. (Yes, I just made up that word.)

Now I'm exhausted, but my dogs are clean. Yay.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Out from under

We're taking steps in our life to get "out from under." Out from under debt, out from under looming court dates (P's SS court), out from under my health concerns...stuff like that. It feels SO good to be free.

We've decided to sell our beloved pop-up camper. With my upcoming surgery this summer, we knew we wouldn't be doing much, if any camping this summer...and our house needs painting. We figure we can sell the camper now, use the money to paint the house, and save up for another (with A/C) camper by next summer. Sounds perfect to me. We just put up the ad on Craigslist...I hope it goes quick, lol!

Shannon's having a great time on her trip so far. She's seeing amazing stuff, and LOVING it! (When she gets home, I'll tell ya where she's been! If you're my friend on FB or IRL, you already know.) She got a blister on her foot yesterday, so hopefully that's not hurting her too much today.

Patrick and I went on a date last night. Just dinner and an ice cream...but it was so fun. I love that boy.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A big day for us

Thursday's an important day for our family, and I'd love if you'd keep us in your prayers.

First, Shannon and her Girl Scout troop are traveling. It's a long road-trip (10+ hour one-way), and while I'm not really worried about them being gone, I know I'll breathe a sigh of relief when I've heard they have arrived safely. She'll be gone til late, late Monday night. So if you could just keep good thoughts for these 9 girls and 4 adults...I'd really appreciate it.

Second, Patrick has a court date tomorrow for his Social Security benefits. As is common with lots of disability cases, his first application was denied, referred to an attorney, and like I said...his day in court is tomorrow. From what I understand, we are going to be OK whatever happens...we have disability insurance, so we'll continue to get paid. Tomorrow is just to determine if SS will pay any of the benefits, or if it just stays with the insurance company. But any time court is involved...I just have a bit of nerves. Please pray everything goes OK.

As for me? I'm fine, lol. Just keeping on, keeping on! Thank you for your good thoughts. I will update as I know things!

8:20 am update: Just got word that the girls JUST crossed into South Carolina, and also just got word from Patrick that he's arrived safely, and about to walk in.

Not sure I need to keep doing updates, since no one's commenting, lol...but when I look back at this post, it'll be nice to read it all together. So...

2:45 update: Patrick's court went wonderfully. I prayed that it would go well, but that God's will be done. If it couldn't go well, that at least we'd feel God's presence. Well, it could NOT have gone better! The judge suffered from migraines/trigeminal nerve damage for 15 years! He completely understood P's pain, and ruled that SS will pay P's benefits, etc. Like I said earlier, if SS wasn't to pay our benefits, we would still get paid through our disability insurance...but it is wonderful to have P feel validated, and be able to have an empathetic judge. Talk about feeling God...wow!

Oh, and for the record...the judges pain just alleviated over time, no particular treatment helped him either. So it's good news that their could be an end in sight, the bad news is...the judge's pain last 12 more YEARS than we're at right now. So...we'll just keep swimming and pursuing treatment options.

As for Shannon, I haven't heard from her since 11am, but I assume they're doing fine!

7:30...Shannon has arrived safe and sound!

Writer's Block

Do you ever wonder what to write about? I do all the time.

I love having a journal, and a written account of our life. However, there are times when I just can't think of what to say. Today I saw a neat idea over at Make and Takes about making a Journal Jar for kids. She talks about the importance of journaling and how it can benefit our lives. She filled cute jars with journaling prompts and gave the jars to her Sunday School class. Isn't that a neat gift?

Anyway, she credited Abundance Blog as the source for the prompts, so I went to check it out. Wow. Such great conversation starters, food for thought, etc. I'm bookmarking it for the times that I need a nudge to get writing.

Take a look!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Big Stuff

We got Shannon's end-of-year report card and her CRCT scores in the mail today. She got all A's (again, lol) and tested nearly perfectly! She missed two questions in the math section, but NOTHING else. Oh my gosh! She just truly amazes me. She had told us that her science teacher mentioned that Shannon had gotten a perfect score in the science section...but we hadn't heard about any of the other subjects. That girl is just astounding.

I'm going to do a brief recap here, because this blog relatively new.

We relocated to Atlanta almost 11 years ago. We were born and raised there, and our families still live there. My parents are in their mid-70's and my dad's health is beginning to deteriorate. They live off a dirt road, WAY out in the woods. They have a solar powered house, with a well, and propane appliances. Let's put it this way, their entire COUNTY has no stoplights! Yes, in California! I bet you didn't know places like that still exist in CA! They do!

Anyway, after my dad's scary blacking out while driving accident last fall, I have been planting the seed for them to move out here. Their doctor in CA is FIVE HOURS from their house. That's just not OK. My brother and sister are five hours from their house. I've been working on them for several years, actually...but since the accident, it's been easy for them to see why it would be a good idea.

Today? My parents listed their home for sale. They are definitely coming! Let the fun begin, lol!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Easily confused

This has been the first full week of our summer vacation, and twice I've had to be reminded what day it was. Wow, that was quick, lol!

Shannon and I are babysitting today, and Patrick is off to the tattoo convention in Atlanta. He's never been to one, and thought it would be fun. He took his camera...if he finds anything awesome, I'll be sure to share!

I'm wanting to go into my surgery as healthy as possible, so this week I've been making better food choices, and getting more exercise. I've had plantar fasciitis flare-ups a few times in my adult life...but after my workout on Wednesday, my foot told me in NO uncertain terms that jogging is NOT the sport for me. Dang. I was all excited with my new C25K app on the Droid and everything! I immediately started doing my foot stretching exercises and icing it etc, and thankfully it's letting up. But I've switched to our elliptical machine and swimming for the cardio workouts.

I'm super excited that we have NO plans for this weekend. You know how it goes at the end of school? Every single weeknight and weekend is crammed with activities? So tiring! I'm planning to veg out and LOVE every minute of it!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Rabbit, rabbit!

June, already? How in the world does time continue to speed up? I swear, it moves at double the time it used to!

I had a "stellar" evening last night...no sleep whatsoever. Literally...I did not sleep. Finally at 6:20 I got up and took my shower. No sense laying there trying to go to sleep when it's already light out!

I've had a few things I've needed to update on my blog, so I figured I'd sit here in my quiet house and do that! It's either that, or exercise...so yeah. I think I'll update my blog, lol!

Back in April, Patrick and I got new tattoos. I got a beautiful piece on my foot that I just love. Wanna see?



Isn't it pretty? Now that I've finally shown it to you, guess what? I went Sunday afternoon and got it touched up, and changed a little bit! So argh! I still don't have a good up to date photo of it! Give me a week and I'll take another one. Foot tattoos, and all-black tattoos can have a tendency to heal a bit patchy (you can even see a bit of that in the picture of mine)...so I went and had it re-filled. There was also one part of it that bothered me a little bit, that I had the artist change. It's just more aesthetically appealing to me now. Yay!

Next order of business: Last night we went to an Alice in Wonderland Midnight Tea Party! It was a lot smaller than we'd been led to believe it would be...but Shannon and her friend dressed up and still had a good time. Plus, we got the movie at midnight, and they served cake...what else could we possibly need?

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And finally...I mentioned last week that I had a doctor appointment coming up, and that I was hoping for good news. I got good news! It may not sound like good news to hear that I'll be having a hysterectomy this summer, but to me? Music to my ears. I'm getting some other issues taken care of too, so I have one other doctor to see, but then I can get on the surgery schedule. Woot! I hope to be able to hear from the scheduler today...tomorrow at the latest.

I think that's it for now. Shannon and I are both off school for the summer now. Woohoo! I'll still be babysitting on Mondays and Fridays throughout the summer, but by and large...I'm a free bear!