Where, oh where to begin??? How about with a comment on all the political activity that we've heard lately: "When's it gonna be OVER?!?" Okay, so since McCain announced Palin as his running mate, and I have read/heard some of the absolutely hateful and contrived "news" about her and her family (Hel-lo-oh? You really think that's her grandson? She was in her 40's when she had Trig, and that's a huge risk-age for having a baby with Downs. Besides, she couldn't have had the baby--little Trig is 5 months old, and the little darling is 5 months pregnant. Let me get out my abacus and do the math... Let their family, at least, have some private life!!)
Speaking of political activities, I had the opportunity to be in downtown Denver last week. I wasn't going to post anything about it, but decided it would be okay--heck, you all know that I'm a born and bred Republican anyway, so you all know that I would much rather have been in St. Paul this week than Denver last week. People were for the most part pretty cool, however, I did get accosted by a couple of drag queens who thought it was funny to interrupt me while I was trying to have a serious phone conversation. I just almost turned around and kicked them both in the shins--at least then we would all have gotten a laugh, except that I would have had the last laugh. They didn't need to be rude!! So maybe this week, Denver is back to normal. But then, when in any downtown metropolis, what really is normal? Did you hear that the mayor wanted to get the homeless people out of the downtown area (presumably for security reasons), so he offered them free passes to the zoo. Stupid Democrat. There were homeless people that I saw, and zoo or no zoo, they ain't stupid!! They aren't going to leave town when such an affluent group of fresh meat is coming to town--it must have been like a Christmas bonus for them!
Okay, so have I told you all lately how WONDERFUL my husband is? He works his fingers (and feet, quite literally) to the bone every day at work, and even on his off days, he's making and taking phone calls, checking sales and emails, and sending lists off to people for what to do. All this, and he still comes home after working a terrible long day with huge stressors surrounding payroll and scheduling problems, and the big lug decides to rub my feet and legs to put me to sleep last night. *Ah, sigh.* He's awesome--I am definitely going to keep him!! He's awful cute, too, you know!
Gotta brag on another FAVE of mine. A while back, I learned (from another blog--go figure) about this website called Library Thing. It's SO COOL!!! I now know where approximately half of our books are, and more specifically what they are. Okay, so I know where most of them are, but Library Thing has helped me keep track of the half of the books that I have been able to catalog in. Another thing that Library Thing does is called "Early Reviewer," and they work with publishers and get books earmarked for, surprisingly enough, early review. I have been on the list and requested early review books for months on end, but today I got my first book! Imagine my surprise, though, to open a package with a book in it that I KNOW I didn't order from Abebooks or Ebay... and because I had asked for this and several other books to review (the more you ask for, the better your chances of being selected... supposedly, anyway) back in early August, I didn't know who it was from. There was no note about early reviewing, Library Thing--okay, there was no note!! It took me a while to figure it out, but when I did, I got really excited.
So, on that note, I have to go read a book now! I improve my chances of being selected again if I actually read the book and give it a review, so I've got some homework.
By the way, if your name is Staci, and you're reading this, START A BLOG, BABY!!!
:-)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
GREAT place to buy books, and CHEAP!
Hey all-- Wanted to share with you a great website to buy books. I have been using them for a couple of months now, and just purchased Princess #3's college textbooks from them. It's called Abebooks.com. Other resources which I'm sure you are aware of are Ebay, but also don't forget their partner website, half.com. They have managed shipping prices, so it saves you from some of those sellers that would otherwise gouge you for prices. Also, if you're a bookie, like DH and I are, then you may need a way to manage them. For that, I highly recommend LibraryThing.com, and if you have a TON of books, like we do, then a cuecat will also come in handy. On that note, we have three potential buyers coming to look at our castle tomorrow, so I gotta go primp the house!! See ya! |
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Now is as good a time as any...
So, the latest news on the the NOT Brady Bunch:
Princess #1 is changing where she works. She'll now be working for some British Security Firm... Either that, or some lingerie company. Not our first choice, but a bigger company with a stronger leg on which to stand--at least for now. Of course, the night she came over insisting that she would be dropped from her college classes if we didn't pay for them that night, she informed us that she was thinking about going to work for Starbucks, who reportedly reimburse $1000 per semester. HELLO-OH? We responded by telling her what our favorite drinks were, and that we'd expect her to be at the local location serving us our beverages before the week was out. She didn't buy that, so we're letting her buy her books. Hey, she's got to have some ownership in her edumucation, right? Really, though; we couldn't be more proud of her dedication and work ethic. Even if we are convinced that she works so hard so she can go blow her money on clothes and burritos the size of her head!
Princess #2 has recently started a job at a great sandwich place. She gets to make shakes and come home smelling like toasted lunchmeat & cheese. She seems to enjoy working with everyone except the manager, so we'll see if this one lasts longer than the first job... I think she quit that one as soon as they handed her a mop. She's also starting her official sophomore year in high school, and is trying to convince her dad that it's so different this year because she's not a freshie. Keep dreamin', Honey! It's the same school, the same kids, and the same teachers. And those new freshies were in the 7th grade when you were top of the local junior high!
Update on Princess #3: She did swimming over the summer (after soccer in the spring. In the SPRING, people??? Hello, it's COLD here in the spring!!), and did very well at the swim meets. She's pretty fast, and if she decides she wants to pursue this, then we may look at getting her some lessons for launching off of the blocks and making turns more effectively. She was pretty excited to watch swimming during the Olympics recently. She and one of her best friends are writing their second book, and planning a trip (not anytime soon!) to Japan to ask the creators of Naruto if they can use their characters in their books so they can publish them. We support her all the way, while also advising her that they may or may not agree to sharing their license, and so helping her come up with some alternatives in case they don't. She is starting into the 8th grade, and she's thrilled to have classes with many of her friends, and only one friend that she has neither class nor lunch with this year. It's amazing how important it is to not be the bottom idol on the totem pole.
I don't remember it being such an issue when I was in school, but then, when there are 12 people in your class, and you have essentially every class with them year in and year out, there's not really much change from year to year. The things I remember looking forward to in High School were freshman initiation, which was a week of the seniors having fun with the freshies, but it was good, clean fun, and the freshies enjoyed it as much as the rest of the school did. After that, it was the junior-senior prom, which I didn't have to deal with because we moved, and I got to go to a prom where I didn't have to spend countless hours selling concessions at the b-ball games or hanging streamers in order to go. Then of course, there's graduation, but then, I never looked down on the underclassmen. Or did I, Mom? My memory is a little foggy. I recently missed my ()#&)(%-th year reunion (hey, if you don't remember when I graduated, then I'm sure I'm younger in your mind than would be otherwise!), and Classmates is inviting me to look at all the pics from the event. Did it ever occur to them to send me an invitiation???
Anyway, as far as the family as a collective is concerned, we are going to actively try to sell the palace that required the gross domestic product of a small country to pay the mortgage. We would love to list it with a realtor, but don't have the equity it would take in the current market to be able to do so. SO, we've stuck a for sale by owner sign in the yard, and are going to try something called a 5-day sale in the next month or so if it doesn't sell before then. Hey, who wants (when there are teenagers in the house) to try to keep the whole house spotless in case an agent drops by with no warning? Maybe a better question would be "Who CAN?"
Dear Hubby and I are also working with a financial coach to help us make our dreams become reality. Hey, we've screwed it up enough without help, and if we don't have some serious accountability, we won't put into effect the knowledge that we already have. Okay, so we haven't learned anything that shattered our viewpoints on money, but we are changing our mindset about it. Such as: DH came up with a great idea of a title for a book that we're going to write together: Don't buy a house unless you're debt-free, dummy! (Say it in your best Red Fox voice, and you'll get the feel of it). Anyway, we're experiencing some great successes, and would love to share with anyone who will listen. I won't bore you here, though.
Oh, how about an update on the pooch? Well, Sweet Dog did make it through the first 30 days--in fact, she's still kickin' it in the back yard with Annoying Dog on a daily basis. She "lost" 15 pounds of water weight, thanks to the Lasix, and we quickly realized how skinny she was! We now have a dog that costs us a whole bunch of money (in medicine) each month, but there is NO trade-off: she's a great dog. At least we only have to medicate her twice per day now, and it doesn't have to be EXACTLY 12 hours apart. Good thing, too, or we'd have lost her by now--life is just too hectic to keep such a schedule!
DH's job is keeping him hopping--his schedule changes weekly, and his days "off" begin by checking work emails and calling various personnel at the store. My schedule has also been pretty busy--not like DH's, but then, I'm also behind on laundry, cleaning out the closet, and repairing some holes in the bathroom wall where the towel bar got ripped out... Maybe I should try working as many hours as he does, and then it might all get done! At least we're both getting our homework done in time for our financial coaching sessions. Well, at least mostly!
On that note, I'm gonna call it a post and git on outta here. I've got some homework to do! Hey, feel free to leave comments--it lets me know that people are reading, which encourages me to post more. As in, more frequently. As in, more frequently than three times per year.
CIAO!
Princess #1 is changing where she works. She'll now be working for some British Security Firm... Either that, or some lingerie company. Not our first choice, but a bigger company with a stronger leg on which to stand--at least for now. Of course, the night she came over insisting that she would be dropped from her college classes if we didn't pay for them that night, she informed us that she was thinking about going to work for Starbucks, who reportedly reimburse $1000 per semester. HELLO-OH? We responded by telling her what our favorite drinks were, and that we'd expect her to be at the local location serving us our beverages before the week was out. She didn't buy that, so we're letting her buy her books. Hey, she's got to have some ownership in her edumucation, right? Really, though; we couldn't be more proud of her dedication and work ethic. Even if we are convinced that she works so hard so she can go blow her money on clothes and burritos the size of her head!
Princess #2 has recently started a job at a great sandwich place. She gets to make shakes and come home smelling like toasted lunchmeat & cheese. She seems to enjoy working with everyone except the manager, so we'll see if this one lasts longer than the first job... I think she quit that one as soon as they handed her a mop. She's also starting her official sophomore year in high school, and is trying to convince her dad that it's so different this year because she's not a freshie. Keep dreamin', Honey! It's the same school, the same kids, and the same teachers. And those new freshies were in the 7th grade when you were top of the local junior high!
Update on Princess #3: She did swimming over the summer (after soccer in the spring. In the SPRING, people??? Hello, it's COLD here in the spring!!), and did very well at the swim meets. She's pretty fast, and if she decides she wants to pursue this, then we may look at getting her some lessons for launching off of the blocks and making turns more effectively. She was pretty excited to watch swimming during the Olympics recently. She and one of her best friends are writing their second book, and planning a trip (not anytime soon!) to Japan to ask the creators of Naruto if they can use their characters in their books so they can publish them. We support her all the way, while also advising her that they may or may not agree to sharing their license, and so helping her come up with some alternatives in case they don't. She is starting into the 8th grade, and she's thrilled to have classes with many of her friends, and only one friend that she has neither class nor lunch with this year. It's amazing how important it is to not be the bottom idol on the totem pole.
I don't remember it being such an issue when I was in school, but then, when there are 12 people in your class, and you have essentially every class with them year in and year out, there's not really much change from year to year. The things I remember looking forward to in High School were freshman initiation, which was a week of the seniors having fun with the freshies, but it was good, clean fun, and the freshies enjoyed it as much as the rest of the school did. After that, it was the junior-senior prom, which I didn't have to deal with because we moved, and I got to go to a prom where I didn't have to spend countless hours selling concessions at the b-ball games or hanging streamers in order to go. Then of course, there's graduation, but then, I never looked down on the underclassmen. Or did I, Mom? My memory is a little foggy. I recently missed my ()#&)(%-th year reunion (hey, if you don't remember when I graduated, then I'm sure I'm younger in your mind than would be otherwise!), and Classmates is inviting me to look at all the pics from the event. Did it ever occur to them to send me an invitiation???
Anyway, as far as the family as a collective is concerned, we are going to actively try to sell the palace that required the gross domestic product of a small country to pay the mortgage. We would love to list it with a realtor, but don't have the equity it would take in the current market to be able to do so. SO, we've stuck a for sale by owner sign in the yard, and are going to try something called a 5-day sale in the next month or so if it doesn't sell before then. Hey, who wants (when there are teenagers in the house) to try to keep the whole house spotless in case an agent drops by with no warning? Maybe a better question would be "Who CAN?"
Dear Hubby and I are also working with a financial coach to help us make our dreams become reality. Hey, we've screwed it up enough without help, and if we don't have some serious accountability, we won't put into effect the knowledge that we already have. Okay, so we haven't learned anything that shattered our viewpoints on money, but we are changing our mindset about it. Such as: DH came up with a great idea of a title for a book that we're going to write together: Don't buy a house unless you're debt-free, dummy! (Say it in your best Red Fox voice, and you'll get the feel of it). Anyway, we're experiencing some great successes, and would love to share with anyone who will listen. I won't bore you here, though.
Oh, how about an update on the pooch? Well, Sweet Dog did make it through the first 30 days--in fact, she's still kickin' it in the back yard with Annoying Dog on a daily basis. She "lost" 15 pounds of water weight, thanks to the Lasix, and we quickly realized how skinny she was! We now have a dog that costs us a whole bunch of money (in medicine) each month, but there is NO trade-off: she's a great dog. At least we only have to medicate her twice per day now, and it doesn't have to be EXACTLY 12 hours apart. Good thing, too, or we'd have lost her by now--life is just too hectic to keep such a schedule!
DH's job is keeping him hopping--his schedule changes weekly, and his days "off" begin by checking work emails and calling various personnel at the store. My schedule has also been pretty busy--not like DH's, but then, I'm also behind on laundry, cleaning out the closet, and repairing some holes in the bathroom wall where the towel bar got ripped out... Maybe I should try working as many hours as he does, and then it might all get done! At least we're both getting our homework done in time for our financial coaching sessions. Well, at least mostly!
On that note, I'm gonna call it a post and git on outta here. I've got some homework to do! Hey, feel free to leave comments--it lets me know that people are reading, which encourages me to post more. As in, more frequently. As in, more frequently than three times per year.
CIAO!
SICK of political ads
Okay, I just got an email from a friend in Germany, and he tells me he's glad that they don't get all the political ads over there. He's not too excited about all the stuff he sees on TV about suicide and sex; however... And I have to ask him: Is there a difference between what we're watching, I mean, really???
Okay, back to blogging. You know, I couldn't remember the last time I had blogged until a DEAR friend asked me for the url. When I tried to log in to moderate a comment she had left, I realized (in a bit of a panic, thinking I would have to start a whole new blog, and come up with some other goofy name for it) that I had forgotten my login and password--yes, it's been that long, and I surely do apolgize. That's okay, so many of you know me that you know to expect the next post about the time you get a Christmas card from me (and if you don't remember when to expect one of those, please read my December 12 post--it's only a couple posts down!!). Does it make me feel guilty that my blog is one of Suni's favorite links on her blog page? Uh, YEP!
On that note, I just wanted to stop in and say hi, we're still alive, and we really are going to start blogging again. So, stay tuned!!
I hope to give directions in an upcoming post about how to do an RSS feed, but first, I gotta figure out how to do it!!
Ciao for now!
Okay, back to blogging. You know, I couldn't remember the last time I had blogged until a DEAR friend asked me for the url. When I tried to log in to moderate a comment she had left, I realized (in a bit of a panic, thinking I would have to start a whole new blog, and come up with some other goofy name for it) that I had forgotten my login and password--yes, it's been that long, and I surely do apolgize. That's okay, so many of you know me that you know to expect the next post about the time you get a Christmas card from me (and if you don't remember when to expect one of those, please read my December 12 post--it's only a couple posts down!!). Does it make me feel guilty that my blog is one of Suni's favorite links on her blog page? Uh, YEP!
On that note, I just wanted to stop in and say hi, we're still alive, and we really are going to start blogging again. So, stay tuned!!
I hope to give directions in an upcoming post about how to do an RSS feed, but first, I gotta figure out how to do it!!
Ciao for now!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
All you bloggers, BEWARE!
I don't blog this much (OBVIOUSLY!!), but for those of you that do, please be careful!
Peace out.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Look who's alive!
Okay, so I don't feel as bad as I did... I thought I hadn't posted since before Thanksgiving. I know, you were starting to wonder if you were ever going to hear from us again! Merry Christmas!
Well, okay, so we survived Christmas, barely.
DH's Dad was still ill with the same kidney stones that had been plaguing him since October. They had scoped and stinted and all kinds of stuff; to make a short story long (don't get too excited... it's gonna be long!), the larger stone passed out of one of the kidneys but was too large to pass out of the other (scoping didn't work because it went back up inside the kidney) side. Big stone, full of yucky kidneys-clean-the-crud-out-of-your-blood stuff, with sharp crystal edges and all caused the stone to lodge as it tried to pass, but instead caused scratching and pain and more infection. ANOTHER scope, another stint, another round of antibiotics, and they decided to do the laser treatment to crush the stone on Christmas Eve. Well, all seemed to be good; PawPaw even got to go home that same afternoon. Couldn't get back to the hospital fast enough, though, and complications, internal bleeding and clots and more kept him there until earlier this year. Oh yeah, Happy New Year.
So, DH and I had made an emergency trip out to see his folks when his Dad initially had the complications in early December. You may recall, that there were some horrifically BAD ice storms in December in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri? Yeah, well, we got out there fine, but woke up the morning we were supposed to leave to a veritable winter wonderland--we felt like we were in Narnia. Yep, it seems that I recall they have no electricity in Narnia, too. Powerlines down across the road prevented us from getting out; we rented another from Enterprise (they come pick you up, you know) so we could get to the airport in time for our flight out that night. On the way to the airport, we found out that our flight had been cancelled and that we had been scheduled for the same flight out the next evening ... Didn't really want to hang out in Wichita for the night; besides, we both needed to be at work! So, DH made the executive decision that we would rent yet another car (can't take Enterprise one-way or there's a ridiculous fee--like $1000 or so), and drive thru Kansas. In the middle of the oncoming ice storm, as another storm was heading east from Colorado. A trip that normally takes 11 hours total took over 24 driving (white-knuckled, all the way), and we only stopped for about 7 hours to get some much needed rest. Do you know, our neighbor called us at 3 a.m., complaining that our dog was barking and that we needed to do something to shut her up. She didn't really seem to care that we were in another state! Argh, that dog. She didn't care that we were in another state, either.
So, got home, and Dear Wifey got sick. Just in time for Christmas... didn't get the baking, shopping, or Christmas cards done, and that's my excuse this time. I'll have to come up with another one for Christmas 2008, so stay tuned for that excuse! I was back up and vertical for Christmas Day, and we had a beautiful, albeit slightly-dangerous-if-you-were-driving day. Dad was supposed to come up, and even set out this direction, but turned back because the roads were pretty slick. I still have his gift waiting for him...
New Year's was fairly uneventful--the laziest 4 days I recall ever having. By the 4th day, I decided that if the fever that was keeping me down didn't break that I was going to go make some snow angels in my delicates. Fortunately (?), I didn't have to resort to such measures, and was able to be back at work on Thursday after working from home on Wednesday. By the next Wednesday, however, the lifelong smoker that works across the hall from me at work suggested that I go see a doctor about that lung I had just hacked up. Can you believe it? I've never had it before, but the verdict was bronchitis. And it's the hanger-on kind, you know, kinda like ... never mind!
So what else? Oh, the dog (the sweet one, that everybody loves--not the pain-in-the-neck one that wakes our neighbors) is very sick. Actually, sick isn't a good way to describe it--she will never get better; she has a condition. It's called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM for short), and by the time we figured out she was even sick, she was knocking on death's door. Okay, we didn't PLAN to spend $2000 on the dog; it just kind jumped in increments. Initial check, bloodwork, X-rays: $450. Something on the X-ray is funny... water around the heart and lungs, and the heart is enlarged. Need an echocardiogram. $400. OHMYGOSH, the diagnosis; this DCM is literally a death sentence. She can't stay on oxygen ($130) at the vets office overnight, so you have to take her to the overnight facility. If she makes it thru the night, there is some medication that helps dogs w/ DCM, and she should be okay. $450. Back to the vets office in the morning (who needs to be at work by 8:00, anyway?). More X-rays, oxygen, & the like. I've lost track now of how much we're spending... just put it on the card and we'll at least get some miles. Is she gonna live? Well, if she makes it the next 30 days, then her prognosis is good. Take her home, but get some medication (cha-CHING!) after driving all over the area to find it. Oh, and she has to have the diuretic (draws the water off the heart & lungs) at EXACTLY 8-hour intervals, and she's due in 20 minutes at 6:00 p.m. (DO THE MATH: next dosage, 2 a.m. Who needs sleep? Oh yeah, bronchitis-girl does!). Took about 10 days to adjust that so that we could medicate right before Princess #3 goes to school, right after she gets home from school and yours truly gets to stay up until Midnite. Tried the going to bed & setting the alarm. We love the dog, but we also love the snooze button... it's just easier to stay up, and it's not like I'm getting any less rest anyway!
Okay, so are you sick of me griping yet?
Dear Husband and I just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary. Actually, he had to work ALL DAY on our anniversary, but we knew it was coming so we celebrated the day before. Late lunch at this great little tea house not far from home (they have GREAT mac & cheese!), then to explore the local Michael's. My husband is the BEST--he can walk around stores (and even malls, when so challenged) and not get "antsy" like so many men do. I credit that to the fact that he works in retail and always wants to see how things are merchandised, what's sold, etc. I got to show him all kinds of crafty stuff that he never knew that I enjoyed (it's been so long...), and I also got to explain to him why it's not a good idea to cross-sell too many items at a craft store. I'm still not sure that he buys it, but we had a good time. Then we went to see a great anniversary movie (okay, there were some somewhat inappropriate scenes and innuendos, but nothing too over the top, and certainly not as bad as you see on TV these days), 27 Dresses. I tell you what, I almost lost Dear Hubby within the first five minutes--brides peeing is just TMI for him! Well, we got past that, and the movie kinda gets you thinking about what your favorite part of weddings is, and so that's why it's a great anniversary movie. We had already talked and reminisced about our wedding that day, but we did a lot more of it after seeing the movie.
Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY HUSBAND!?!!!!! More and more every day--I didn't know that it was possible, but I credit Jesus Christ with teaching me how to love, and showing me daily how to do so.
Okay, so before this BOOK needs CHAPTERS, I'm gonna sign off. I have a really great post coming tomorrow, so (now that you haven't tuned into my blog in weeks), STAY TUNED!!!
Well, okay, so we survived Christmas, barely.
DH's Dad was still ill with the same kidney stones that had been plaguing him since October. They had scoped and stinted and all kinds of stuff; to make a short story long (don't get too excited... it's gonna be long!), the larger stone passed out of one of the kidneys but was too large to pass out of the other (scoping didn't work because it went back up inside the kidney) side. Big stone, full of yucky kidneys-clean-the-crud-out-of-your-blood stuff, with sharp crystal edges and all caused the stone to lodge as it tried to pass, but instead caused scratching and pain and more infection. ANOTHER scope, another stint, another round of antibiotics, and they decided to do the laser treatment to crush the stone on Christmas Eve. Well, all seemed to be good; PawPaw even got to go home that same afternoon. Couldn't get back to the hospital fast enough, though, and complications, internal bleeding and clots and more kept him there until earlier this year. Oh yeah, Happy New Year.
So, DH and I had made an emergency trip out to see his folks when his Dad initially had the complications in early December. You may recall, that there were some horrifically BAD ice storms in December in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri? Yeah, well, we got out there fine, but woke up the morning we were supposed to leave to a veritable winter wonderland--we felt like we were in Narnia. Yep, it seems that I recall they have no electricity in Narnia, too. Powerlines down across the road prevented us from getting out; we rented another from Enterprise (they come pick you up, you know) so we could get to the airport in time for our flight out that night. On the way to the airport, we found out that our flight had been cancelled and that we had been scheduled for the same flight out the next evening ... Didn't really want to hang out in Wichita for the night; besides, we both needed to be at work! So, DH made the executive decision that we would rent yet another car (can't take Enterprise one-way or there's a ridiculous fee--like $1000 or so), and drive thru Kansas. In the middle of the oncoming ice storm, as another storm was heading east from Colorado. A trip that normally takes 11 hours total took over 24 driving (white-knuckled, all the way), and we only stopped for about 7 hours to get some much needed rest. Do you know, our neighbor called us at 3 a.m., complaining that our dog was barking and that we needed to do something to shut her up. She didn't really seem to care that we were in another state! Argh, that dog. She didn't care that we were in another state, either.
So, got home, and Dear Wifey got sick. Just in time for Christmas... didn't get the baking, shopping, or Christmas cards done, and that's my excuse this time. I'll have to come up with another one for Christmas 2008, so stay tuned for that excuse! I was back up and vertical for Christmas Day, and we had a beautiful, albeit slightly-dangerous-if-you-were-driving day. Dad was supposed to come up, and even set out this direction, but turned back because the roads were pretty slick. I still have his gift waiting for him...
New Year's was fairly uneventful--the laziest 4 days I recall ever having. By the 4th day, I decided that if the fever that was keeping me down didn't break that I was going to go make some snow angels in my delicates. Fortunately (?), I didn't have to resort to such measures, and was able to be back at work on Thursday after working from home on Wednesday. By the next Wednesday, however, the lifelong smoker that works across the hall from me at work suggested that I go see a doctor about that lung I had just hacked up. Can you believe it? I've never had it before, but the verdict was bronchitis. And it's the hanger-on kind, you know, kinda like ... never mind!
So what else? Oh, the dog (the sweet one, that everybody loves--not the pain-in-the-neck one that wakes our neighbors) is very sick. Actually, sick isn't a good way to describe it--she will never get better; she has a condition. It's called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM for short), and by the time we figured out she was even sick, she was knocking on death's door. Okay, we didn't PLAN to spend $2000 on the dog; it just kind jumped in increments. Initial check, bloodwork, X-rays: $450. Something on the X-ray is funny... water around the heart and lungs, and the heart is enlarged. Need an echocardiogram. $400. OHMYGOSH, the diagnosis; this DCM is literally a death sentence. She can't stay on oxygen ($130) at the vets office overnight, so you have to take her to the overnight facility. If she makes it thru the night, there is some medication that helps dogs w/ DCM, and she should be okay. $450. Back to the vets office in the morning (who needs to be at work by 8:00, anyway?). More X-rays, oxygen, & the like. I've lost track now of how much we're spending... just put it on the card and we'll at least get some miles. Is she gonna live? Well, if she makes it the next 30 days, then her prognosis is good. Take her home, but get some medication (cha-CHING!) after driving all over the area to find it. Oh, and she has to have the diuretic (draws the water off the heart & lungs) at EXACTLY 8-hour intervals, and she's due in 20 minutes at 6:00 p.m. (DO THE MATH: next dosage, 2 a.m. Who needs sleep? Oh yeah, bronchitis-girl does!). Took about 10 days to adjust that so that we could medicate right before Princess #3 goes to school, right after she gets home from school and yours truly gets to stay up until Midnite. Tried the going to bed & setting the alarm. We love the dog, but we also love the snooze button... it's just easier to stay up, and it's not like I'm getting any less rest anyway!
Okay, so are you sick of me griping yet?
Dear Husband and I just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary. Actually, he had to work ALL DAY on our anniversary, but we knew it was coming so we celebrated the day before. Late lunch at this great little tea house not far from home (they have GREAT mac & cheese!), then to explore the local Michael's. My husband is the BEST--he can walk around stores (and even malls, when so challenged) and not get "antsy" like so many men do. I credit that to the fact that he works in retail and always wants to see how things are merchandised, what's sold, etc. I got to show him all kinds of crafty stuff that he never knew that I enjoyed (it's been so long...), and I also got to explain to him why it's not a good idea to cross-sell too many items at a craft store. I'm still not sure that he buys it, but we had a good time. Then we went to see a great anniversary movie (okay, there were some somewhat inappropriate scenes and innuendos, but nothing too over the top, and certainly not as bad as you see on TV these days), 27 Dresses. I tell you what, I almost lost Dear Hubby within the first five minutes--brides peeing is just TMI for him! Well, we got past that, and the movie kinda gets you thinking about what your favorite part of weddings is, and so that's why it's a great anniversary movie. We had already talked and reminisced about our wedding that day, but we did a lot more of it after seeing the movie.
Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY HUSBAND!?!!!!! More and more every day--I didn't know that it was possible, but I credit Jesus Christ with teaching me how to love, and showing me daily how to do so.
Okay, so before this BOOK needs CHAPTERS, I'm gonna sign off. I have a really great post coming tomorrow, so (now that you haven't tuned into my blog in weeks), STAY TUNED!!!
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