Dutch Baby

We had a really nice weekend. We headed down south to visit my parents and attend the wedding of one of Don's cousins. The weather was really nice and the drive down was pretty easy. We met up with my parents and shared lunch and then headed to the store to pick up a few things for breakfast the next day. We hung out for a little while and then headed out to the wedding. All in all it was nice to visit with everyone and be able to share in thier wedding. After the wedding we met up with my parents again and had supper out and plenty of conversation. Sunday morning we got up and had a wonderful breakie of dutch baby and strawberries. Oh man was it good!! Sunday afternoon we headed over to a friends house to watch the US soccer game and then met up with my parents for lunch before heading home. We had a quiet evening and then got back into the grind today. Work today was long-ish but not terrible...but I am glad to be home. Not really a whole lot going on and for now that is just fine.

Full Friday

Holy Mackerel! Today was a doozy. We were really busy at work and every case was complicated it seemed. I finally got done over an hour late. Argh. On the positive side we were able to get over to see our friends J and D. J seems to be doing pretty well despite her injuries. She actually broke her ankle in three places and sprained the other one. They actually thought she had broken both for a few hours after she fell. D is passable...not great. He is still really struggling to recover from being so sick. He has lost a lot of weight he didn't really have to spare, but they both are getting around ok. They have one of their sons staying with them currently and while I know they appreciate his help, I also know they will be really glad to have their house back to themselves. It was very good to see them again, it was a relief to be able to see and talk with them. We made sure they know we are around if they need anything...but also that we know enough to stay out of the way if we are not needed. I am looking forward to seeing them again next week and hope that they both are feeling better. Tomorrow we head south for one of Don's cousins wedding and to spend some time with my parents too. I am looking forward to seeing them. I hope I can start the next week with a little more in my reseves this week.

Mr. Practical

Earlier in the month Don and I were talking about our friends who are pregnant and I was talking about how excited I was for it to be our turn. He immediately starting talking about all the things that "needed to get taken care of" before having a baby. I pretty much shut down right away and felt like the prospect of having a baby had just become a frighteningly distant dream. This week, after having taken some time to really think about what he had said and how I was feeling and what I could and could not do about his concerns, we took a walk and started to talk about it again. I started out letting him know that I had truly heard what he had said, and that I agreed and understood his concerns...but that waiting until everything is "perfect" pretty much ensures that it will not happen. There is never a "perfect time" and always something that "needs taken care of". We had a good converstaion, very calm, and we both were able to say what we needed to say. We agreed on some mutually agreeable actions to assuage both of our concerns and talked more about time frame. It is sort of strange sometimes to talk about time frame for making a baby and getting us both on the same page. It seems like somehow it is just something that is supposed to happen and it seems that people often don't really think about it. But I really feel like having a baby is something that we both should be equally "ready" for. I guess I just feel like getting pregnant is such a wonderfully big deal that is shouldn't be "sprung" on anyone...not even your spouse. Not that it won't still be somewhat of a surprise when it happens...just that it will be a pleasant, expected one rather than one that brings trepidation or bad feelings. This has all been a testament to how much we have grown in our communication too. I was able to stop before going non-linear and then take time to process and respond calmly to his concerns (instead of staying shut down), while he was able to hear me and understand mine and dialog about it (instead of walling up). I am always amazed at how different our thought processes are. It is so good for me to have his perspective...even thought sometimes I initially get galled. He does have good ideas and really is much more practical than I am...it is a good thing. It was wonderful to be able to talk about it and come to an agreement that is comfortable and good for both of us. I feel so strange calling our plan to get pregnant an "agreement" but since we are a two person team and neither one of us can do it without the other, that is what it is. So we will spend some time saving and working on finances and with nature's help and a little luck (maybe) be pregnant this year! I love my husband Don very much and am so excited at the prospect of starting this next stage of our lives together!!

Gray Thursday

I am glad to have made it to my day off this week. I am pretty sure I say that every Thursday...but last week and this have been particularly trying. I have not been very productive today. I did manage to get to the store for a few items that we needed and stopped by my favorite store to look around (didn't end up buying anything). I also did some laundry. Other than that I have been drinking tea, reading, and generally lumping around. I have been feeling pretty crampy since late last night and today and generally not too great. I know that my body is just getting things sorted out on it's own now, but it is not terribly enjoyable and I am ready for things to be regulated. I think I will take a nap...

...And it's Only Tuesday

This week has started out suspiciously like last week. I am having a hard time reconciling the fact that it is just the second day of the week. It feels like it should be farther along. I am feeling pretty worn out. I did have some positive progress on a "home life" task, but that was quickly overwhelmed by the majority of my "work life". Argh. I do hope tomorrow is a better day.

Tragedy Strikes

Earlier I posted about our friend D's illness while he and his wife J were on vacation at the coast and his subsequent hospitalization. He is doing somewhat better but is still in the rehab/care facility in our town. J had been going back and forth and taking care of the house until this past Friday. She fell off the back porch and broke her leg in 3 places...the same leg she recently had a total knee replacement done on. We tried to call D tonight after work to see if we could come and visit, the line just rings busy. We are thinking that J may have been moved over to the rehab/care facility now too, and D is busy contacting family and getting things taken care of. We are very worried for them and are sending our best positive thoughts and good energies their way. We hope to be able to contact them and see them soon.

!!!!!!Paper Greyson!!!!

Several years ago our clinic cat Grayson passed away after a hard fight with cancer. One of our very kind and wonderful clients requested a picture and had an artist make a paper mache replica of our beloved kitty.
It.Is.Terrible.
We were all (appropriately) very appreciative and kind, and for all this time Paper Grayson has been sitting on top of our file cabinet in the reception area...freaking people out. While it is cat shaped, it doesn't really look at all like our wonderful old guy and the eyes are actually quite weird. But we still really appreciated the gesture.
Just recently we have decided that we all have had enough of Paper Grayson staring down at us with his weird eyes and have taken him off the filing cabinet. We were sort of at a loss for what to do next. None of us really wanted to toss him out, but none of us were bonded enough to want to take him home either. So for a week or two now, we have been randomly putting him places around the clinic and scaring each other hollering out "!!!Paper Grayson!!! and laughing uproariously. Now we have decided on a solid course of action. Paper Grayson is going to become a traveling "gnome" (only he will still be a cat). Each of us can take him home, take him places, take photos and we will send them to our boss in Iraq and most likely someday make a little Paper Grayson scrap book of all the fun places he has gone!
I took him home today and since it is really nice outside, posed him on my birdbath. The picture turned out quite good I think, it looks like he is walking along hoping for a bird to land so he can eat it. I am not sure what we are up to this weekend, but I am sure I can find some fun places for Paper Grayson to get his photo!

Legal

Finally! I got my birth certificate and this morning headed to the DMV and then to a neighboring town to the Social Security office. Things went really smoothly and now I just wait for the official "real" items to show up in the mail. I am very relived to have that taken care of.
Now I am home and have been cleaning. I got some carpet cleaner today to take care of some spots. It worked pretty well and I hope that Don will be pleased. I am planning a low key rest of the day and most likely a nap and some reading. I am planning red beans and rice with pablano turkey sausage for supper tonight and I hope it turns out good.

One of Those Days...

that make me tired about my job. I get worn down by all the death.

My allergies are much better, my throat feels better, everything feels better...I am just a little worn today.

Allergies....WhooBoy...

We had a good time at A and G's last night. I ended up making a strawberry pie and an apple crisp ( I just didn't think the pie would be enough for 10), both were a huge hit. The downer was that we were outside all evening and something in their yard really set me off big time. By the time I was ready for bed and brushing my teeth I was having some blood from my throat and my head was just aching. I went and saw my pcp today just in case it was something else...and it wasn't. No big surprise, but I did want to be sure. I have not had my throat so raw before. She recommended some things that I am already doing, but did give me an rx for a nasal steroid to try if I am not feeling better in a few days. So far today has been better and I can feel some of the pressure and swelling subsiding. My throat is still pretty scratchy, but I am just drinking tons of water and that helps. Work today was pretty ok, not too much to report. I got home a little early today and have just been taking it easy. Don will be home before too long and then it will be time for supper.

Sunday Morning

It is another cloudy day today and I am sick and tired of my allergies. My sinuses are all messed up, my throat is sore and nothing seems to be helping much. At least I am not blowing snot all over the place all the time. It is pretty uncomfortable though, feeling like my head is crammed full. Aside from that, it has been an ok weekend. We spent some time with our friends A and G and G's parents and sister (who are visiting from England) on Friday evening. It was nice to hang out with them and it is always fun. Yesterday we headed in to P-town in the early afternoon and got a little shopping done and then headed over to a cycling event. Hosted by Laughing Planet (the best burritos in the world) the Cirque Du Cycling boasts a parade, followed by a series of criterium races for the different categories of riders. It is in a pretty neat area of town and we enjoyed watching the races. The parade was pretty cool too, lots of little kids and some pretty strange bike creations. There was even a brigade of naked bike riders. I am sure that some people were scandalized, but it was mostly just sort of silly. Once we got home, my head was hurting so I went to bed not long after. Today I feel less hurty, but still pressure-ful. We are going over to A and G's again this afternoon for a BBQ and I am supposed to make a strawberry pie. I suppose I had better get myself motivated and get it going, or else it won't be done in time.

Quiet Day and Musings

I took full advantage of my day off today. I went to the library and checked out a few new books, hung out at home all day and did laundry and light cleaning. It was all in all a pretty quiet day. I really enjoyed not having to do much and being able to sit and read for as long as I liked. It was good to just be and to cuddle with my kittes. It has been a little strange at our house since we found out my friend A is pregnant. We are thrilled for them but I guess I am beginning to understand what people mean when they talk about their biological clock ticking. She is younger than me by a few years and she and G have been married for 4 years or so. I guess I sometimes feel like I am little behind the 8 ball. Nearly 30 and only married a month...I know that, just like everything else in life, things have to happen on their own time table and I can not look to other peoples lives for my own time table. It is sometimes a bit of a challenge not to feel disheartened. I think it is starting to become a little more real to Don too...that someday in the not too distant future it will be me that is pregnant...and frankly I think he finds it a little scary. He has been a little more quiet than normal these last few days. I know though, that no matter how scary and disheartening things can feel, things do have a funny way of working out...even when you least expect it.

A Sickness and A Pregnancy

The big news is that my friend A is pregnant! She and her husband have been trying for over a year and are both very excited. She is 6 weeks along and starts her regular visits in two more weeks. Since the wedding I have stopped birth control in order to let my body begin to regulate on its own again. The plan is to start trying for our own little one after my body gets back into normal...maybe later this year...we will just have to see. In the mean time I am very excited for my friend.
Today was sort of a bust for me. The day at work was pretty slow and I am not feeling well, so I ended up coming home early. I have a sore throat and headache. I don't feel terrible, but with nothing to do at work I just really wanted to be at home. Tomorrow is my day off, maybe my birth certificate will be in the mail today and I can get that taken care of. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

Please Send your Positive Energies...

Our friend D is in the hospital. He has a lower GI bleed that they have not been able to isolate, he is still hospitalized and doing ok, but not great. He already has diabetes and congestive heart failure. J is home now but will be going back and forth since they were on vacation at the coast when he got sick. Please send them your good energies and positive thoughts.

Cutting My Husbands Hair

Over this weekend we went out and got a clipper set for cutting hair. Don has decided that he doesn't want to pay at the hair place anymore and wants me to cut his hair at home. We both thought, a two guard on the top and a one on the sides, that sounds simple enough. I had gotten a few tips from the lady who does my hair and felt pretty ok about doing it at home. "We can always just do it all one short length if it gets messed up" he reminded me. He then went on to admit that it wouldn't matter too much since...."it's getting thin anyway". So we get the clipper set up, lay an old plastic table cover out on the floor and off we go. I get through, thinking that it wasn't so bad and then we really started to look at it. Argh. It was...patchy. By this time we have already cleaned things up and he has taken a shower and we are getting ready to go run a few errands. Good thing he usually wears a hat. So this evening we were at it again taking it all down to a one, which I think is like 1/4 inch. It looks better to me, at least not patchy and he seems ok with it. He is showering now, and we will have a final look once he gets done.

Storms and Allergies

We have had some crazy weather towards the end of this week. Thursday a huge storm blew in and made it night time dark at 4p. Then the rain and wind started. It was crazy, tons of lightning and thunder, torrential rain, 75 mph gusts of wind. There were power outages and even road closures. Very bizarre. Friday and yesterday were just cloudy and much cooler than the earlier part of the week. Today it is pretty cloudy again and cooler. It seems with all the wind, lots of allergens have gotten stirred up and I am just miserable. My head is stuff and runny....I know it is weird to have both, but I do...and my sinuses are just achy today. Blargh. I have taken my allergy stuff and have also taken some dimeatap to help too. I will be glad once things settle down again and I can be less allergic. Don is out on a ride this morning and I am working on house chores. Not sure what the rest of the day holds, maybe a nap from the allergy meds.

Food Allergies

Today I finally broke down and took Barley, our female kitty, into the office. I actually brought Rye, our male, in too, just for moral support and a weight check. Barley has had diarrhea on going for several months. I know that I waited for a while, longer than I feel good about, but she has had no other symptoms. No vomiting, no lethargy, no change in attitude or appetite, her body condition is good too. She seems otherwise totally fine and she still has no other symptoms. I know that part of it was I was scared that it would be something terrible. I just am tired of her having it. So today she got an exam, no masses or thickening of her bowels (excellent), and blood work, nothing abnormal...a high amylase but that is normal considering the chronic diarrhea(double excellent). It was a relief to know that it was not something liver related, or a mal-absorbtion issue since those were ruled out by the labwork. So now we think it is either a food allergy (likely) or IBD (somewhat likely). The way we start to find out is a food trial. Barley now gets a venison and pea canned food for one month. If the diarrhea goes away...great!...she just gets to eat that food for the rest of her life. If the diarrhea doesn't go away...not good...she will then most likely need an endoscopy to get biopsies to confirm IBD and then a different special diet. So far she seems to really like the new food, which is good since she is kind of picky and while we are mixing the old with the new for a few days, she has not thrown it up or anything so I think we are in good shape. Now we will just have to wait and see if her stool will firm up. On the Rye front, he has not lost any weight (argh!) so now he gets to have only wet food and no dry. This is better since it is more protien and way less carbs, more like what a wild cat would eat. It works out well since he will feel more full and his body will get all its needs met too. I hope that he can loose a little bit of weight too. I feel relieved now that I finally took Barley in and I know it is nothing terrible. I think I will sleep better tonight and I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I am getting my hair cut tomorrow and plan on having a quiet day.

Workee

Life is pretty well back to the normal routine at this point. Work has been work-ish, but not terrible so far this week. We did have a pretty downer euth this afternoon, that even though the owner thought they were ready...they totally were not. It is always hard and never really gets easier. In reality it was really really time for the animal to go and it was the right thing to do.The weather has taken a strange turn too and it is still hot but really humid. It was super humid yesterday and today and I feel like I am back in the midwest again. Ugh. I hope that it decides what it wants to do and gets through with this humid stuff. There really is not much else going on...I need to go to the library and the bead store...we have quasi-plans to meet up with A and G this week for supper...I don't work this weekend...just life.