My Luck

My office is always closed the week between Christmas and New Years. Dr. and her husband (the office manager) are in Hawaii on vacation so that left me to take care of things at the office while they are away. I don't mind doing it, I'd probably just be sitting at home watching TV anyways and it allows me to get some hours in and not have to go with out a paycheck.

I forget however that my luck sucks and that things never go according to plan no matter how much I plan ahead. I was supposed to come into the office sometime over the weekend to pick up the mail so it wouldn't collect a huge pile by the front door (we have a mail slot). I forgot. When I got to the office today there was no mail. I didn't know what could have happened to it so I called Vic in Hawaii and asked him if he put the hold on it starting Christmas instead of starting today like he had planned. he said no so I went to the post office to investigate. Turns out that they had on file to start holding the mail today but were holding starting last anyways. Stupid!

Monday Paychex was supposed to call me at 11:30am so I could do payroll. Vic spoke to the guy several times over the last couple weeks to make sure the guy had my cell number so he could call me at home and I wouldn't have to go into the office. 12:00 and still no phone call I call the guy. I get his voice mail and it says he is at lunch from 12:00 till 1:00. I leave a message for him with my cell number and tell him to call me ASAP. 1:45 still no phone call so I call and ask to speak to anybody and the lady said that he was on the other line and would call me soon. 2:30 the guy finally calls and said that he called me at work because he didn't have my cell number. Yeah, whatever, at least I was able to get pay roll in before the end of the day so everyone could get paid.

I come into the office today so I can close out end of month/year and because the phone guy is coming to put in a whole new phone system because ours died the last week we were here. The phone people said they would be here at 10:00. I get to work at 10:03 and the guys fixing the gutter are here but no phone guy. When he still wasn't here at 10:20 I called and the lady said he had to do some service calls this morning because they got behind with all the snow but she would call me when he was on his way. I keep working get all my stuff done and at 2:10 when he was still not here I call back. She said that he was on heading my way now. I asked her about the fact that they said it would take about six hours to install the whole thing which would be 8:00/9:00 at this point that he would finish and she tells me that they will just get the basics of the system running so we can have our voicemail and then come back on Monday when we are back in the office. Whatever, as long as they get the voicemail up so our patients can know that we are out of the office and the emergency number I don't care about the rest at this point. 3:00 the guy finally shows up and now I am done with all my work and have to sit here waiting for him to finish. Bleh! The only work I have left to do is call on claims but I can't use the phone now since he's working on it.

I guess I shouldn't really complain that I'm sitting here getting paid to do nothing but it's kind of boring being here all by myself and no TV!

Snow Days

If there was one thing that made me long for the days of childhood it would be snow days. I can't believe how many of them I took for granted and now wish I could go back and do them over again. My current employer, being a small business owner, knows that if the office is closed he doesn't make money and therefore doesn't ever close the office. I understand his point of view, being paid hourly I'm in the same position, but at the same time an occasional snow day is gives us a an unexpected break from life.

On Wednesday and Thursday my boss picked me and three other girls from work up from our homes and took us to work. That way we couldn't call out because we can't drive in the snow. So while everyone else got to get to go out and play in the snow I was answering phone calls. While everyone else got to come in and warm up with a mug of hot chocolate I was checking patients in and out. While everyone else was sitting by a warm fire reading I was checking on open claims. I think I became a little more of an adult this week and I don't like it.

Some days I long to be a child again. I remember being young longing to be an adult. I never believed people when they would tell me to enjoy my youth. My entire life being the youngest child I tried to be just like my older siblings. I wanted to be on their level in every way even though they were three, five and seven years older than me. I tried so hard that I grew up before my time and now I wish I could go back and enjoy being a kid. I guess it took missing my snow day to realize it.

Bush Monkey

Last Saturday we went to the Macaroni Grill in Lynnwood with Heather and Christian. Christian commented that the busboy looked really familiar and we all agreed but couldn't place where we recognized him from. On Tuesday I went to my chiro appointment and was talking to the receptionist who I had seen at the restaurant. She asked if I had seen the American Idol guy there. I asked her what she was talking about and she said that the busboy had auditioned for American Idol but didn't make it onto the show. Immediately I realized who she was talking about. I called Heather as soon as I got out to my car and let her know that Christian was right, he did recognize the busboy but it wasn't from the movie theater or another restaurant it was from watching American Idol! We were very relieved to finally figure out why we recognized him. For all of you American Idol fans if you want to meet the "bush monkey" from the show head over the Macaroni Grill in Lynnwood. I hear he even will sing for you if you ask.

Get It Right Lifetime!

The movie White Christmas is a staple in my family. My sisters and I have probably watched it over a thousand times. We have all the lines memorized, sang along to all the songs and even memorized a couple of the dance moves (as best a my uncoordinated body could do anyways). The other day the Lifetime channel was playing the movie. I started watching it but had to turn it off because they cut so many of the scenes. Um, how could you cut out important scenes like when Bob and Phil get on the train and Bob finds out that Phil gave away their tickets to the Haynes sisters? How can you cut out the "Snow" song they sing on the train and the entire "Mandy" dance! I was so angry I kept yelling at the TV. In my opinion if you are going to run a classic movie like White Christmas you run the whole thing. You wouldn't cut out parts of "Casablanca" would you? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Therefore, give White Christmas the respect it deserves and play the movie in it's entirety!

I'm Heterozygous

My hematologist called today to let me know the results of my recent blood test. I have a history of Factor V Leiden in my family, which if you have means you are prone to blood clots. You can have one or two genes that are abnormal. I have one which means I am slightly more at risk than the average person. My doctor recommended that I go off any hormones (ie. birth control) as that seems to be a trigger in my family. My mom had a blood clot while pregnant with me. I'm super upset now because all the non-hormonal birth control methods suck! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Redskins Game

Last week Russ and I went to see the Redskins play against the Seahawks. Russ got us tickets in Section 108 (right behind the Redskins' bench) front row! It was amazing! I have never sat that close for any event.

Russ and I before the game started.

Clinton Portis getting worked on during the game. (He was literally right in front of us!)

Portis talking to Betts during the game

Us after the game ended. Redkins won!

Grandpa Mickey

Before heading to San Francisco Lauren and I visited my Grandpa in Sacramento who had a stroke about a month before. I know the first pick is really blurry but we could not get a good picture with the two of us in it so that's the best I have.

San Francisco

I posted about a month ago about my sister Lauren running the San Francisco Marathon. Here are some pictures from the trip.

This was down at Fisherman's Warf. Cutest fricken thing I've ever seen. It's a cat sitting on a dog while licking a mouse. Later on we saw the dog walking down the street while the cat and mouse were still laying on top of him!

Lauren and me posing like the statues on Fisherman's Warf.

(Above) Lauren and me on the boat before our tour of the bay. (Below) Pictures from the tour. Golden Gate Bridge/Alcatraz

Lauren about fifteen minutes before the race started.

Lauren at teh half way point.

Lauren and me after she finished.

After Lauren finished the marathon we went back to the hotel and took a nap. Then we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was on the top floor of Macy's. We sat outside and this seagull sat on the ledge begging for food. I thought it was funny so I took a picture.

California Trip

Back in September Russ and I went down to southern California to vist my dad and do all the touristy things.

We started off by going to a Dodger game.

The next day we were able to visit first my uncle, aunt and cousins from my dad's brother (Uncle John, Aunt Cindy, Stacy, Mike, Jill, Amy and all of their families. Then we met up with my cousin Denise (from my mom's side).

The next day we went to the Huntington Beach and then to Dave and Buster's for dinner. We always see comercials for Dave and Buster's but don't have any around us so Russ was really excited.

On Tuesday we went to Disneyland and it was so much fun. A little tip going to Disneyland on a Tuesday toward the end of September = awesome! It was great weather and all the lines were at most a five minute wait.

My Sister Is Amazing

*I have been waiting to post about a few things because I wanted to attach photos. I don't know when I will ever get around to loading them on the computer so I at least wanted to get this post on. I will add pictures later.


When I was young I was the "athlete" of the family. My swim instructor (who I think was an ex-Olympian) wanted my mom to put me in training for the Olympics. When playing tag in my cul-de-sac I could outrun the junior high neighbor boy and I won all my races on Field Day. My sister Lauren had asthma and would sometimes need to use her inhaler after recess.

Fast forward about twenty years and I was exhausted and my body ached after walking around San Francisco for twenty minutes. Lauren was exhausted and her body ached too. The only difference she had just run a marathon. That's right a fricken marathon, that's 26.2 miles. She didn't walk this marathon, no, she ran her ass off and finished in four hours and thirty eight minutes. Take away fifteen minutes she waited in line at mile six and that's under four and a half hours (I told her she should have peed before the race started).

It's safe to say that she is now the "athlete" of the family and I couldn't be more proud of her. She is seriously amazing. She put her mind to it and trained hard and it all paid off. Lauren, I love you so much. I hope you know how proud I am and maybe even a little jealous of you.

Self Reflections From Insomnia

As I laid awake last night unable to sleep (my new Sunday night ritual) I had some moments of self reflection. You always hear that the first step to solving a problem is to admit you have a problem; however, you never hear what the next step is.

I've come to realize over the last few months that I am in a sense a very selfish person. I unrealistically believe that I have had more problems/bad things happen to me in my life and at a younger age than most people. At one point I made a list of everything bad that has happened to me since I was 14 years old. The list was a page and a half long and realistically looking at it I knew that there were a lot more people with a lot longer of a list or at least a lot worse of things on it. Inside though I still want to believe that I've had a hard life.

Because of "all the horrible" things that have happened to me when things go wrong I internalize it. I feel like nobody else would understand and even if they did I don't want to bother them with my problems. It's almost like I want to keep these bad things to myself like it was a special gift for me and only me. I push everyone away, especially the ones that love me most.

I know that logically speaking all of this is crazy. That I'm crazy and yet I can't change it. I know when I am acting stupid and being "selfish" with my pain and yet I can't stop it. I've been working on "me" for about four years now and I think I've come a long way, but these little things just won't go away. There is really few things worse than being crazy and being able to identify that you are being crazy but not being able to stop it or change it. It's a very helpless feeling.

I don't want anyone to worry about me. Nothing has changed, I've been dealing with these feelings for a while now. I just figured that my blog isn't only for the happy moments but for all moments of my life.

Going Back to Cali, Cali, Cali

I feel like I accomplished more today in four hours than I normally do all day. I woke up at 8:30 got ready and headed down to Lynnwood for my final chiro appointment before I leave tomorrow. Then I drove down to Redmond where I stopped by the bank and took a few deposits for work and dropped off mail at the post office. Then I went to my doctor so I could have a blood test done. My doctor asked me in January to have the test done for Factor V (blood clotting gene) since my family has a history of it. I finally got around to it today but then I think they may have done the wrong test. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be for Factor V-Leiden and they just did a regular Factor V. Then it was back up to Everett where I stopped by the store for some last minute supplies. Now I'm waiting for the laundry to get done so I can start packing.

We get in LAX tomorrow around three and then we'll pick up my dad at the train station before heading over to Dodger Stadium. I'm not sure what we are going to be doing on Sunday or Monday but one of those days I want to go to the beach. Tuesday it's Disneyland! I'm so excited! I think the last time I went to Disneyland was with my cousin Jill when I was fifteen. Then Wednesday we'll head back up to LAX and head home.

I guess it's back to getting ready. I need to pack, clean up the house, and put my itinerary together.

Who's An Idiot? LeAnn's An Idiot!

On Monday while driving home from work I wanted to make a phone call but my ear bud thingy was in the back seat of my car. I came up to a stop light so I tried to reach back and get it but it was a little out of reach. Instead of taking off my seat belt or just forgetting it, I kind of jumped and reached back for it. It worked but as I grabbed it I heard *pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop* my back popped a thousand times. I didn't think anything of it until the next day I woke up and was in excruciating pain. My back hurt so bad just breathing in was painful. I went to my chiropractor after work and turns out I popped like ten ribs out of place! She adjusted me and it helped a little but I have to go back in tomorrow for another adjustment. I just hope it's better before I have to sit on a plane Saturday. I really should know better than to mess around when it comes to my back. Especially after everything I've done to try and fix it.

Coffee? For Thought

I really liked to quote on my Starbucks cup today so I thought I would share it with all of you.

"I have faith. Faith in our wondrous capacity for hope and good, love and trust, healing and forgiveness. Faith in the blessing of our infinite ability to wonder, question, pray, feel, think and learn. I have faith. Faith in the infinite possibilities of the human spirit." -James Brown, Emmy-winning sportscaster and co-host of FOX NFL Sunday.

A Little Bit Of Catch Up

#1: We bought a new lap top! We probably shouldn't have spent money on it when it wasn't a necessary expense but I love it. Now I can actually use the computer when I get home. Before Russ would be on it all night (he got the computer and I got the TV). I get to watch TV and play Mahjong at the same time! Double score! When I'm done with my computer time Russ gets to actually be upstairs with me so we see each other and actually get to talk and stuff.

#2: Everybody wanted to know what my bad day was all about a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately it is work related and since we all know that blogs are not the most private of things I can't really go into detail about it all. All I can say is that there has been a lot of drama lately and I think it will continue on. I know the grass isn't always greener but I need to decide how brown my grass is getting at this point.

#3: Have you ever said something out loud that you meant to say in your head? Today a patient came in and I informed him that Dr. needed an updated health history. He gave me the typical patient response of "nothing has changed." Normally I explain that by law we have to have them fill a new one out every two years and I know its not very fun but I appreciate their willingness to comply and it's not so bad just a bunch of yes or no questions. Today though for some reason when he said that I just blurted out "well it shouldn't be that hard then huh" As soon as the words left my mouth I wished I could take them back. I pride myself on my excellent customer service and while most people don't think a comment like that is anything bad in my mind I might as well have slapped the patient in the face.

#4: I've been struggling a little bit with the two main rules in life; the golden rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and follow your gut instincts. Every once in a while we will get a scrubby looking person come into the office, use the bathroom and leave. My instinct tells me they are going to use the bathroom to shoot up drugs or something but then I think what if that was Jesus would I not let him use the bathroom? Same thing goes for dealing with people there have been several incidences lately where I want to tell somebody they are being stupid, being a brat, or I don't want to listen to them any more because I don't care what they are talking about. Instead though I think if I were them I probably wouldn't want them to say those things to me so I keep my mouth shut.

#5: Russ and I are going to visit my dad in California in a couple of weeks and I'm really excited. We are going to go to Disneyland, go to the beach, and best of all get to see my dad. Yay us!

Are You Ready For Some Football....

Football officially started tonight and to make it even better the Redskins are playing. They aren't doing so well as of right now but it's still fun for me to watch. Russ not so much, he gets very upset at every play. It's funny I never thought I would look forward to football season but I really am this year. I like waking up Sunday morning making the Thorpe favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and southern style hash browns (little squares of potatoes) then sitting down and watching football literally ALL day. Sometimes it can get a little boring but it helps that I have a fantasy team so I want to see how my guys are doing and if I'm winning. Hopefully the Redskins can pull their heads out of their butts this year and actually do something. Go Redskins!

GRRRRRRRR......

Some days just make you want to grrrrrrrrrrrr at the world. Today is one of those days.

Another Tag

TEN YEARS AGO... I had just turned 15 and was about to enter into high school (in Redmond high school is 10-12 grades). It was pretty much just me and my dad at home since Lauren was about to head off to college.

THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST... I need to call the woman in charge of my claim from my car accident and accept her offer, she's called me about five times and sent three letters already and I keep putting it off. Other than that not really anything. I guess get ready for camping this weekend.

A SNACK I ENJOY... It might be easier to list snacks I don't enjoy, LOL. I like most chips, sour candy, licorice (black and red), fruit, chocolate, bread, ice cream, cookies... the list could go on.

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE... I would by a nice house in the Lynnwood area (that would probably be around 500,000) and pay off all my debt. If we didn't have any debt we would probably be doing pretty well for ourselves already...someday...

PLACES I HAVE LIVED... From birth to age three I lived in La Puenta, CA. Three to eight was in Whittier, CA. Eight to eighteen was in Redmond, WA in two different houses. When I was eighteen I lived in Lake City, WA for about six months, then back to Redmond, WA for six months. Nineteen was Kirkland, WA for six months then Bellevue, WA for eight months. Twenty took me back to Redmond for three months then Monroe for six months. Twenty one took me back to Redmond for four months. Then it was off to Everett where I've been ever since, a year in an apartment and then my townhouse where I am now, for the last three years. All that moving around should give you a little insight into how chaotic my life was for the first three years after I turned 18.

NOW FOR TAGGING... I know most people hate these thingies so whoever wants to do it go for it.

Stupid Cops

"Is there a reason for the speed today?"
"I didn't think I was."
"How fast do you think you were going?"
"Like 67." Really I thought 70 but 67 sounded better.
"Your in a 60 zone. License and registration."
"Really?" as I hand him my license and registration.
He walks back to his car and comes back with the ticket. Didn't even really give me a chance to explain anything. He handed me the ticket, went through his little spiel about my options and started to walk off.
"It's really 60 here, cause I thought the last sign I saw said 65."
"Its 65 on the other side of Othello, this side is 60."

I was so angry, after he left I looked at the ticket and it said I was going 75mph! There is no way! If I was though it was because I had just passed somebody (for which the law states you are allowed to go 10 over the limit) and was in the process of slowing down. I don't know how he even got me on radar since he was going the opposite direction of me. I would totally go to court and explain myself since I didn't get the chance to with the cop except for Othello is like two and half/three hours away. So I'll pay the stupid ticket but you better believe I'll be sending in a letter explaining myself with it.

So now I have been pulled over three times and gotten a ticket three times. I don't know anybody else who hasn't gotten away without a ticket at least one time. I think I give off a vibe that makes cops hate me or something. I am very proud of myself though for not crying. The first time I got pulled over when I was sixteen I couldn't stop crying and the cop yelled at me to stop and that just made it worse. Then I made my dad drive all the way down to Tacoma to come get me because I didn't want to drive anymore The second time I managed to hold it together until the cop left and then I started bawling and made my boyfriend at the time come and get me and drive me to work. So this time when I didn't cry and was able to finish my long drive home I felt very mature.

Pullman or Bust

I'm getting ready to head over to Pullman to see my sister Ali and her family. I'm driving all by myself and its about a five hour drive with half of it through a whole lot of nothing. I'm a little nervous because I've never driven that far by my self before but I'm really excited to see my family. Wish me luck and keep your fingers cross that I make it there ok.

Picture Blog Tag

Picture Blog Tag

The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things and you have to do it right now. No straightening up, cleaning, or wiping your children's nose. Then tag five others.

1. The Fridge

I can't remember the last time we went actual grocery shopping. Notice its pretty much just drinks in the fridge and mostly Russ' beer.

2. The Closet

Normally there are clothes all over the floor but today was laundry day. Russ likes to say that my hamper "threw up" all over the closet.

3. Self Portrait

4. Favorite Room

TV is definitely my addiction. Typically I come home from work and start watching TV and don't turn it off until I'm asleep. My family used to joke that I was a walking TV guide and I think the nickname still works today.

5. Kitchen Sink

I take no claim to whether or not this was clean. It's Russ' job to do the dishes, and vacuum, and the toilets, and pretty much anything that has to do with cleaning....

6. Laundry Room

We don't have so much a laundry room as we do a laundry closet.

7. The Toilet

Russ deleted the picture with the toilet seat up...it was clean so I don't know what he was scared to show you.

8. What your kids are doing right now

Since I don't have kids I would say that my DVR is my baby. Best thing ever invented in all of time!

9. Dream Vacation

I've always wanted to go to Greece and Italy. Right now Greece is the most prominent in my thoughts. It just seems so beautiful and all that history!

10. Favorite Shoes

I hate wearing shoes. I can't stand for my feet to be suffocating. If I had to choose a pair however it would be my basic black flip flops.

I don't have five people to tag that haven't already been tagged and who I know read my blog so, I tag Heather and Lindsay and whoever is reading this that hasn't already been tagged.

Mad Men

This is quickly becoming my new favorite show. I'd heard of it before but didn't really know what it was all about. I saw an ad On Demand for it and decided to give it a try since nothing else was on. It is AMAZING. Right now season one (13 episodes) are On Demand. I've watched 11 of the 13. Its about an ad agency in New York City in the year 1960. It's one of the those shows you can't stop thinking about all day long. Not having lived through the 60's I'm positive it is an accurate depiction of the era and will probably be devastated if I found out it wasn't. Everyone smokes and drinks (including pregnant women). All the business men have multiple affairs, the wives either truly don't know about or choose to ignore. The secretary's are treated like crap or whores. I get so angry when I watch it that I yell at the TV. I never really considered myself a feminist but I guess maybe that's because I never lived in a time when women were thought of as nothing. I think everybody should watch it and love it. The second season starts next week, the 27th I think and I can't wait.

I Own My Car!

When I was 19 years old I bought my car all by myself. I went out and found a place that would give me the loan, researched what kind of car I wanted, went to two different dealerships and filled out all the paperwork by myself. (Ok so my dad did come and help out at the dealership when the guys were being mean to me but still.) Yesterday I made my final payment on it and now it is mine all mine. I even payed off my six year loan seven months early! I'm so amazing! Now all that's left to do is wait for the title to come in the mail. I think I'm more excited about having it paid off than I am when I actually got the car.

My Grandpa

About a month ago I got a call from my sister that my grandpa had died (my dad's dad). I haven't talked to or seen him in about five years so I was surprised at how hard it hit me. My grandpa was an amazing man with an amazing heart. I was able to go down to California for the funeral that weekend and amazingly all my siblings (from my dad) were able to make it too, including my brother that lives in Australia. This was the first time that all my siblings have been together at the same time in like five or six years! The circumstances weren't the greatest but I had an amazing time visiting with all of them.

One of the highlights of the weekend was sitting around sharing stories about my grandpa. My favorite was how he handled my dad. It turns out that my dad was quite the wild child in his youth (so that's where I get it from). When he would do something stupid my grandpa would simply say, "did you learn something from this" to which my dad would answer yes. "OK then." That was it, that simple. Now if it happened again then obviously something was not learned and he would have to sit down and give one of his "famous" lectures. He understood that in order to grow and learn some mistakes would need to be made and a punishment isn't always necessary. I know that my dad learned to be a great dad because of my grandpa's example. If my dad hadn't learned about compassion and forgiveness we never would have been able to have the close relationship that we did when I was a teenager. Even though we weren't close in his last years I know my grandpa loved me and that he's helping to watch over me now. Grandpa I love you so much!

I'm Officially a Bunco Player

A few months ago Heather asked me to sub for one of the girls in her Bunco group. I was a little unsure (everyone in the group is Mormon except for Heather). The ward I grew up in was full of caddy, mean, judgemental, cliquey women and so I assumed that's how most adult Mormon women are. I was pleasantly surprised when they were all warm and welcoming to me. I had so much fun that when I was asked to sub again I said yes. I had a great time again getting to know everyone. I was surprisingly talkative and not my usual social anxiety ridden self. The only downfall was that we played outside since it was such a nice day and I got a bunch of mosquito bites. Someone mentioned that they needed someone permanently and asked if I wanted to join up. I said yes and so now I'm officially a Bunco player with a bunch of Mormons. All this after I promised my cousin Stacy that I would consider going back to church. Hmmm.... Is God trying to tell me something?

Return of the Dirty Old Man

I have a lot to catch everyone up on but don't have a lot of time right now so look for a long blog to come. I had to let everyone know that the dirty old man at my office returned today (the one that told me I was looking good in my trousers) and had another uncomfortable moment. He told the hygienist that he saw today that she needed to stop losing weight. She's been hiking and working out a lot and he thought she was getting too skinny. She said that she would cut back on the hiking and he told her she needed to really cut back on sex not hiking. Can you imagine! The man is 79 years old, its like your grandpa talking about sex, gross! I just gave him an awkward "your not funny" look and scheduled him his next appointment.

I'm a quarter of the way through my life

On Sunday (June 1st) I turned 25. Sometimes I feel old when I find out people I remember as like seven year olds are graduating high school but most of the time I still feel young. My birthday stuff started out on Thursday when I got a beautiful fruit bouquet from my sister Lauren delivered to me at work. Friday I received the movie "Dragonfly" and the book "Eat, Pray, Love" in the mail from Lauren. I'm a third of the way through the book and it is amazing so far. Saturday Russ and I went over to Heather and Christian's and had a Board/Video Game Olympics. It was a lot of fun playing games like Operation, Twister, MarioKart, Life, Pass the Pigs, etc. I (of course *wink*wink*) was the ultimate champion of our first ever Game Olympics! I got a small trophy and everything! We went to dinner at Azteca and we were all wearting are bright green dealer visor's because one of the rules was you couldn't take it off or you would lose points. Everyone was looking at us like we were crazy especially me with my big blue feather boa. Russ made sure to mention a few times that they needed to bring out the big sombrero and sing to me, which they did as soon as Russ got up to go to the bathroom =). Heather and Christian got me a pair of Victoria Secret Pink sweats (so soft and comfy) and a slushy maker with syrup and an extra cup. Russ gave me my present on Saturday, a beatiful sliver dragonfly with diamonds for the tail and in the wings. Sunday I went over to my mom's for dinner. She barbequed steak, chicken and hamburgers. She got me two shirts, lots of my favorite candies and some really cute beachy looking candles. The last stop on my birthday stuff will be tomorrow (June 5th) when I finally get my dragonfly tattoo! I'm super excited but also super nervous. More on how that goes later.

Friday Nights Just Got a Little More Interesting

Russ and Christian joined an all male softball team. They play Friday nights and play two games against the same opponent. Heather and I went to cheer on our husbands and were not disappointed on being entertained.

The first game went well with the guys team winning. Nothing too excited happened, a couple of the players on the opposite team were a little whiny but nothing big. Heather and I left about five minutes before the second game started to go and get some coffee and returned around the third inning. One of the wives who is the score keeper told us that we missed an almost fight between the two teams apparently the guys started mouthing off to each other. A few minutes after we got there the other teams pitcher and catcher kept complaining to the ump and making up rules and whatnot. Heather and I started to mouth off to them a little to just play the game and stop complaining. Apparently the catcher didn't like that very much because he told us to "shut the F*** up" and that he was "going to kick our a**" and so on. I said "oh that's great you're really going to cuss out a girl" and he got pretty upset and started to yell even more. Eventually the ump threw him out of the game. A minute later he started to head over in our direction so Heather got her phone out in case she needed to call 9-1-1. The dude was really scary. Fortunately he was only trying to talk to the ump and explain his case. Still, I don't think I've ever been as frightened by a man in my life as I was at that moment.

On a funnier note, Heather and I were talking and not paying attention when all of a sudden I hear "heads!" I look up and the ball is coming right for me. I leaned over on Heather and tried to push her over so I could get over but ended more on top off her so she couldn't move. The ball missed us by inches! It was pretty intense...Of course off all the spectators the ball would find it's way over to me and Heather.

Sicky Sick Girl

Monday morning I woke up and uvula (the little bally thingy that hangs down in the back of your mouth) was swollen. It was a little irritating but not to bad. Tuesday the pain and swelling extended down to my non-tonsils (the place my tonsils used to be until I had them out five years ago). Still not too bad until I got home Tuesday night. I asked Russ what he wanted for dinner and he said he wanted Sheppard's pie (my family's version is mashed potatoes, hamburger meat and corn all mixed together) which is my favorite. Normally I don't have enough energy to make that kind of a meal on a weekday but I felt up to it so I stopped at the store to get the ingredients and went to work making it. After mixing up the mashed potatoes I took a scoop to see if it needed more butter or anything. My throat felt like it was on fire! Tears started welling up in my eyes and I took a sip of water to try and clear out the burning only the water made it burn too! So I just sat and watched as Russ ate his delicious mashed potatoes.

When I got to work on Wednesday feeling miserable everyone told me that I HAD to go and see the Dr. I finally gave in and called and they could see me in about two hours. I left work and told everyone I would be back around 1:00. The Dr. took one look at my non-tonsils and thought I had strep. She did a test and it came back negative but she didn't believe it was really negative. So she took another sample to send off to a lab and said we wouldn't find out for two more days. She said that if it is strep she didn't want me to be working with the public (since I'm kind of in a medical field) and so I couldn't go back to work today and I would have to continue missing work until we found out what it was. If it was strep I would have to take an antibiotic for 24 hours before I could return to work. Since she thought it was strep she said I could start taking the antibiotics now and be able to come to work Thursday. I chose that option. When I called work back to let them know I couldn't return I didn't get a very warm reception which frustrated me. The same people that insisted that I go see the Dr. were upset when I let them know the Dr. said I couldn't come back to work. My office manager spoke to my Dr. and they decided I shouldn't come back in, so I went home and slept for two hours.

I returned to work today going on 48 hours of not being able to eat or drink anything and completely drained. I just knew today was going to be a horrible day. I got a little worried when a patient who was mean to me last week came through the door. I was upset that I told him we needed to update his health history and threw a fit insisting he wasn't going to do it and throwing the clipboard down on the chair. So imagine my shock when he came bearing a dozen yellow roses with my name on them. He wanted to apologize for his behavior, he had a hard day that morning (a close friend had just passed away) and was taking it out on the wrong person. Of course I forgave him, I haven't gotten flowers from anyone but Russ in a long time. Then one of the assistants brought to my attention that we have a topical anesthetic spray that I could use. That stuff was sent from heaven. It tasted disgusting but with just a few sprays I was completely numb for two hours. I could now drink water!!!! I was never more grateful for something so simple.

Hopefully in a few more days I'll be able to eat some actual solid foods. I decided my first meal then will be a hot dog from Costco, a doughnut or churro, and warm chocolate chip cookies.

Meany Head

I saw Dr. Oh about four months ago regarding the numbness, tingling, and twitches going on in my left leg and he told me I needed to stretch six times a day and it would get better but to have an MRI done on my neck to be sure. When nothing showed up in the MRI and four months later nothing was better my Chiro sent me back to him to re-eval the situation.

I saw him today and he asked me if I had been stretching, I told him not as much as he had asked me to but some. Then he told me to try and touch my toes and bend this way and that way, etc. He had me sit down and put my leg up on a chair (just doing that hurt) and then reach and try to touch my toes. I didnt get very far before I welled up with tears because it hurt so bad. He measured with a ruler and I was ten inches away from my toe. He had me sit there stretching for five minutes while we talked. I told him that a lot of times at night when I stretched before bed it made the symptoms worse. He explained that I was stretching to hard, to go slow at first. He said that my muscles are wound way to tight and began to demonstrate (I really think he was just showing off) how most of the population can touch their toes with ease. He told me he wanted me to take at least five minutes at least three times a day (morning, noon, and night) and stretch,stretch,stretch. My eyes were welling up with tears the entire time he was talking and I finally broke down at this point and started crying. I asked him if he really thought it was realistic for me to do this. I have trouble waking up in the morning as is (thats a whole other problem I've been overwhelmed with lately) and have about ten minutes to get ready. It's not realistic to say while at work I can sit in the break room doing stretches in front of everyone. Which only leaves the night which I realistically could do while watching TV. I don't think he knew how to respond to me tears. He asked why I was crying and I told him its because I've been having this pain for almost five years now and I was tired of it. Being told to stretch all the time and the pain "should" go away wasn't something I really wanted to hear. I wanted a concrete this is why you hurt do this and you'll be better. He said that if I really wanted he could refer me to get another MRI done on my lower back this time and if nothing showed up we would know that he was right (what an ass!)

At the end of the five minutes he explained that after that much time of stretching you should have at least a three inch improvement in your reach. We tried again and I was at nine inches, I gained one inch. He kind of laughed at me and said well, just keep stretching. Again, not what I wanted to hear and especially didnt want to be laughed at about it. I started to cry again, he handed me a tissue and said he would meet me up front. I walked out into a waiting room full of people with red, puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. I was humiliated. It's Dr.'s like that that make me want to purposely not stretch because I dont want him to be right. He was so arrogant and uncaring, not the type of Dr. I need or want in my life.

I will stretch as much as I can and I do hope that it will help, that its all that simple but I will not give him any credit for it....butt hole.

Yay for Surprises!

A month or so ago I heard that the musical Mama Mia was coming to town and got really excited. I was going to get tickets for Heather and I to go as a birthday present to her but they were only in town 3-18 through 3-23 and she was going to Spokane this weekend for Easter. I was pretty bummed because I didn't have anyone else to go with so I knew I wasn't going to see it. That is until Sunday morning Russ gave me two tickets to last nights show as an Easter present! I was so flippin excited!

It wasn't my favorite musical and the second half was a little slow, but it was really fun. It was interesting how they made all the Abba songs fit into the story line so easily. I didn't know Abba even had that many songs. Poor Russ suffered through it all (thank goodness they serve beer before the show and at intermission) and didn't even complain.

Catching Up...

Its been a while since I've had a chance to blog so a short list of events the past few weeks:

1. Got my own new shiny super cool bowling ball! Its red, white and black and the holes were drilled especially for my tiny little fingers and its ten pounds which you may think isn't very heavy but for this scrawny weakling it is. I love it though!

2. My ribs keep popping out of place! For about six weeks now I've been battling them to go back in with chiro and massage. It was getting better until Tuesday when I sneezed really hard and out they came again. It hurt so bad! I saw chiro that night and they adjusted me but it still didn't feel quite right. Yesterday the pain was tolerable but this morning I woke up and thought I was going to die. I couldn't even hook my bra myself and it hurt really bad trying to put my shirt on. I took 800mg of ibuprofen when I got to work and iced it. I have another appointment with chiro tonight. Hopefully they fix me this time.

3. I finally got my hair cut after like six months of letting it get gross and icky. I only cut a few inches (it falls right below my shoulders). I decided I look like Monica from friends around the time of Ross' wedding (to Emily).

4. I recently started helping out at Gentle Dental on Fridays. This has been really hard since I don't get my Friday play time in with Heather anymore.

5. I have recently been offered a job at two different dental offices. I'm not really sure to do about this, I have a lot of soul searching to do about this.

6. Heather's birthday is coming up and I'm not sure what to get her. I have some ideas but I'm not quite sure about what to do. Again, a lot of soul searching to do about this.

7. I almost talked myself into getting a puppy. It was the cutes little puggle that I ever did see. Thankfully Russ stood strong and wouldn't give me a "Yes" answer which I knew meant "No." It was the right decision. We do not need to be spending $600 on a dog right now.

8. It recently came to my attention that this September will be ten years that Heather and I have been friends. I decided that people go all out for anniversaries of relationships with boyfriends and husbands but never celebrate friendships. I decided that Heather and I need to something big to celebrate our ten year anniversary cause I think its a big deal. The only other people that have been in my life that long are family members and I think that says a lot. I'm not sure she's completely on board yet but I'm trying to convince her to go to California with me.

That about sums up my life right now. Hopefully I'll be more diligent about writing so I don't have to play "catch up" anymore.

In Sickness And In Health....

For a while now I've been dealing with a variety of symptoms with no explanation. I have had severe fatigue (to the point where I am literally falling asleep at my desk or I feel like I can't lift my arm up to answer the phone), my left arm and leg go numb and tingly, I have muscle twitches in my left leg (kind of like a spasm), I've had little to no appetite, and I've been very forgetful. I've been going to chiro for over a year now and it has helped some but not completely. They referred me to a nerve specialist guy who said I just need to stretch more, my muscles are wound up too tight. I had an MRI on my neck but nothing looked wrong. I finally told my GP that I think I have a sleeping disorder or something. She did some blood work and it appears that I am deficient in B12. It is very rare for a young person to have this unless they are vegan (which I am definitely not) because you get B12 from animal products like eggs, milk, and meat. It also stores in your body for years at a time so it's hard to deplete the storage.

I did some research on the internet and it explains pretty much all of my symptoms. I also found that if gone untreated for too long it can effect your nervous system and become other diseases such as Alzheimer's (which runs in my family, both my great grandma and grandma had it). I'm supposed to take 1000 mcg a day (normal is 6mcg daily) for eight weeks and then have my blood retested to see if my body is absorbing it. I've been taking it for a week now and no sign of improvement but I think it will take a while to see results.

I just want to thank my husband and family and friends for putting up with me lately. I am a very cranky girl when I am tired which is all the time lately. My husband has picked up a lot of slack around the house when I can't force myself to get up and make dinner or clean up. He never gets frustrated with me. Just makes me a frozen pizza and gives me a kiss. I love him very much and can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for finding him. He really is amazing.

Dirty Old Man

Yesterday at work one of my favorite patients came in. He's a 76 year old man. He's always really nice to me and tells me funny stories of his past, and I'm always really nice to him and make him coffee and whatnot. He brought his wife in and she went back to the op to get worked on he went and sat in the waiting area. I brought his coffee out to him and as I handed it to him he said, "Can I ask you something?" I said sure and he replied, "You look really good in those trousers....you fill them out nicely" I was in shock! He asked if he had embarrased me and I said a little. I started to walk back to my desk when he added, "Do you spray them on?" I didnt know what to say so I just walked away and said nothing.

Now if this was a guy my age or even a little older I would have told him how inappropriate he was being but how do you say that to someone who could be my grandpa? When I told Russ the story he just laughed and said "that's funny." I was like it's not funny its disturbing!

Tax Time

So after the horror of finding out last year that Russ and I owed $1300 in taxes, I rushed right into my employer and changed my filing status from one to zero so they would take more taxes out. That way this year we could hopefully get a refund instead. That did not happen. No, no, no, yet again we end up owing $1300! How the heck does that work out! I am so frustrated right now. It just seems like any time we start to get our heads above water we sink right back down. Now congress is talking about giving us back $1200 of the $1300 we paid last year. Well are they going to account for the 12.9% intrest I've been having to accrue since I had to put my taxes on my credit card? Yeah, didn't think so. Meh. Taxes suck.

Squirrels

So I haven't felt like I had any thing really special to write about until just now. At work we have a tree out back and Dr. has a little feeder on one of the branches that she fills with hazelnuts for all the squirrels in the area. On the deck she keeps a tupperware container that has a flip up lid to hold the hazelnuts so its easy to pour into the feeder. Today I met what very well could be the smartest squirrel in the world. He decided that the hazelnuts in the tree weren't fresh enough for him so he hopped over to the deck and climbed ontop of the tupperware container. It took him a minute or so of scratching and biting at the lid but he got it open! Then he just sat on the container for a good five minutes reaching in, grabbing a handfull of nuts and eating them. It was so so so funny and so cute! I love my squirrels!