And the journey begins...

Let me start by saying I am TERRIFIED of the dentist. So much so I think the last time I saw one was in about 2003 or 2004 to remove a cracked tooth and then to get the wisdom teeth on the right removed. They outlined a treatment plan to remove the other two on the left and to get some other things taken care of and it was just so overwhelming I panicked and just didn't go back. Mainly because my insurance allowance for the year was going to get eaten up really fast and then would have to pay the rest out of pocket. That alone was enough to scare me off in itself! We just didn't have the extra money and coupled with my fear of the dentist, I just didn't go. I have, however, taken the kids in for their cleanings every 6 months like they are supposed to. I really don't want them to have the issues I am having.

Which brings me to what has started now. Friday I had my other two wisdom teeth and an adjacent molar yanked from my head removed. (OUCH!) I opted for the goody juice and wasn't terribly lucid through the whole thing. I barely remember the drive home or even really the rest of the day. I remember thinking "Wow! When they told DH that I'd be done in about 15 to 20 minutes they weren't kidding!" and sort of giggling in my head. Seriously, the clock showed something 15 and was done at that same something 35. My appointment was at 0800 so not totally sure if my recollections are accurate, I was "on the only legal high" so for some reason I keep thinking it said 1115, but I know that can't be right because we were home by the time I needed to take my noon dose of antibiotics and the oral surgeon I went to was at least a half hour drive away. Anyway, I'm rambling *giggle*

I guess you never really and truly know how much someone loves you until they care for you while recovering from surgery of any sort. DH was just so wonderful and I know he was just as nervous for me as I was. I remember snippets of the conversation happening around me as they wheeled me out of the office and put me into DH's truck and I distinctly remember the worry in his voice. I remember when we first got home I mimed asked where my headband was (I didn't remember taking it off in the truck) and he got a confused look on his face because he didn't understand right away what I was asking. I still don't really remember how he got me upstairs to my bed, but he made sure that I wasn't laying down flat, but sort of reclined. He then left to go fill my prescription for pain meds and get some soups and things that I could eat if I were to get hungry.

I don't really remember much from that first day, just every so often he would come up to see if I needed anything and to see if I wanted something to eat. I vaguely remember hearing him tell the kids to leave me alone because I had a rough morning.

The rest of the weekend was more of the same. :) Though I did come out of my stupor and only took one of the heavy duty pain meds Saturday. Sunday I didn't take any of them and now its Monday and though my jaw still hurts, its more of a nuisance than anything else. I am able to eat solid foods now, though yesterday crunchy things really hurt. I do have another cavity on the right that needs to be filled soon. Truth be told, I have several cavities that need to be taken care of but this one particular one I want done so that I can eat pain free.

Its a really daunting road ahead because I know things are worse now than they were before, but I have found an amazing dentist who doesn't do the finger wagging, shame on you type lectures that the last dentist did. I guess that's one good thing about being in the south, people are just more gentle and friendly down here in general.

I know that we are probably going to burn through the insurance allowance *very* fast, but they are willing to work with me and figure it out.

SO the moral of the story is, take care of your teeth no matter how scared you are of the dentist! If I had just taken care of a lot of this stuff and remembered to brush my teeth on a regular basis this probably wouldn't have happened. Yes, the wisdom teeth would have had to come out, but I wouldn't have had two other molars lost to decay.

Really deep, in depth cleanings start in a couple weeks and then we go from there. I am going to push for that one cavity in the molar on my right to get filled first. Though I don't think its the worst one of the bunch so my dentist may not want to start with that one. *sigh* I guess things will work out how they work out.

Things are looking up!

WOW! What a weekend! :) Kind of spur of the moment, we bought DH a new truck. Its gorgeous and he loves it. :) Then yesterday he called to try to get a refinance loan for the Camry (which is now *mine* YAY! Though I will have to share with Goblin when he starts driving *shudder*) and I logged on this morning to check the status of the loan (it was under review last night at bedtime) and it was approved! *happydance2* I can't believe it! We are going from the INSANE amount of 29% interest down to like 11.99% or something like that! The 29% because of the repo of the van almost 2 yrs ago. MAN! I can't believe its been that long already!

Anyway, It feels good to be on the right track again! Its been a long couple of years but I think its been for the best that we dug ourselves out this time instead of going to Consumer Credit Counceling again. We did that twice and OBVIOUSLY it didn't teach us a dang thing! this way, we know how to fix it and wont ever get back there again!

YAY!

OOO Here's a pic of it!

IMVU

Some friends of mine and I used to use software called "the Palace" years ago and we had so much fun chatting and building our rooms and things there. Not sure what happened but I think it went web-based and it just wasn't the same and we sort of stopped using it. Anywho... a few weeks ago one of the ladies posted about IMVU which is actually quite similar and I downloaded it yesterday. Its kind of confusing but I think I'm getting the hang of it. *giggle* its quite fun actually. :) Though I haven't really chatted with anyone for any length of time, I can't wait till we can have our group chats again! I really miss those!

Anyway, if you wanna check it out, its:

IMVU - The World's Greatest 3D Chat

Shelfari

Most of the people that know me, know that I just LOVE reading! Books are just the best thing in the world, next to chocolate! LOL Recently a friend of mine on one of the mailing lists I belong to sent me an invite to join this website that's all about books. YAY! Something I adore mixed with this wonderful thing called the internet! WOOHOO! So I signed up. You can see my "book shelf" over there to the left. I have that view set up as the last books I've read. I added a bunch but its by no means a complete listing of what I've read even over the last year or so. So starting with Lisey's Story its pretty much the order in which I've read them, but its not till you get to about The Golden Compass that its really in the exact order in which I've read them. Though to be fair Playing for Pizza was an audio book we listened to in the car the last day we were driving to SC so that might not count as having "read" the book. But I know the story! "I'll buy ya an atlas!" has worked its way into our Spouse Speak somehow.

So there you have it... my Shelfari saga. :) I know, I lead a boring life, but what can you do? Other than getting a new bike and actually RIDING the thing a few times last week, nothing really exciting has happened for me so bugger off if you don't like! :-p

Knitting blog added

I have my blog linked to my account over at Ravelry.com and thought to myself this morning that there are probably quite a few people who *wouldn't* want to read about some of the things I have posted recently in my regular blog, so I created a new one! LOL

So here it is! :) I think I am going to post this one on both blogs... I'm still trying to figure it all out...

http://knittinglzrd.blogspot.com/

It's been awhile!

I didn't realize how long its been till I checked my blog the other day. *giggle* I guess life is just getting in the way, huh? I have good reasons though... I guess... sorta...

November I was still trying to get settled into some sort of routine and I was almost there. Then I decided that the pain in my wrist I was having should probably get checked out and I should probably get that annual exam done that I haven't had since 2005. So I called to make an appointment, thinking it would be weeks before I could get in about either. I mean I was trying the last year to get in for my annual at our last duty assignment, so I thought they were all like that. (In NY we saw civilian docs so it was a totally different process) Well, I called first thing in the morning on a Monday and it was busy. OK, no big, I'll try again later. I try again an hour or so later and still busy. Hmm... guess it will be the same as in WA. Great. So I try calling every hour or so and my hopes are dwindling with each call. Finally I am about to give up and tell myself just one more call before I call it quits for the day. Its picked up on the second ring! WOW! That was neat! Then I explain what I need the appointments for and she says something like "well let me see what we have available, can I put you on hold for a second?" and I just sort of deflate a little. I think surely its going to take awhile for her to look so I decide let's go potty while being on hold! TMI, I know lol No sooner had I started to go did she come back! YIKES! Then she tells me there is one the next day for my wrist. For reals? I'll take it! Then she starts looking for my other appointment and they have one for that Thursday! HOLY COW! That's crazy! You mean I can be seen in the same week as the phone call to make the appointent? That's unheard of! So I book both appointments and think I am good to go! It wasn't till later that I realized the one the next day was the same time that Boober usually gets home from school! DOH! By this time DH is walking in the door from work and I tell him I have my appointments set so I need to keep the car those two days and the usual "how was work" stuff happens.

THEN I realize I have to figure out the whole Boober coming home thing. She has her own key, but she's my baby so I am a little more leery of leaving her home alone than I ever was with Goblin. I hope that the appointment goes fast enough that I can jet outta there and be home shortly after her, but I know that isn't gonna happen. Lucky for me, DH was still pretty much doing his own thing with studying and such so he was able to leave early and be home when she got here. PHEW!

SO I go in and doc thinks its a Ganglion cyst. A WHAT?!?! He orders some x-rays on my wrist to be sure there isn't some sort of fracture or anything. (I'm a clutz so its entirely possible I have a fracture and don't realize it! LOL) He then suggests I see an orthopedist to be sure its a cyst and not something more serious. I'm given a lovely brown brace that goes almost all the way to my elbow. Can we saw overkill? I tough it out that night, trying to figure out how to wear the dang thing. If I had my palm resting on the plate at the front then my thumb goes numb and tingly. Hmm... don't think that's a good thing so I end up wearing it kinda weird and its doing nothing for my wrist pain and actually causing some in my fingers! UGH No worries, I will talk to my doc on Thursday when I go in for the other stuff. Did I mention I had to do some fasting blood work at that appointment as well? YUP! Silly me though I could wait till after my noon appointment to eat. Who knew I would actually wake up hungry for a change!

So I make it to my appointment with plenty of time to spare. Turns out a guy who had the day off came in and the doc thought it best that he go to the ER so they could better treat him. No big, shit happens! He has the gal that is going to assist with my wonderful exam (I am sure the ladies know which one I refer too) and she tells me what's going on and he should be in soon. No worries, I get it. about 5 minutes later she comes in AGAIN to apologize. Did I mention that this whole time I am sitting on the exam table with the sheet on my lap and the gown that was OBVIOUSLY made for a woman of a much smaller stature than myself? Hmm... good thing it was warm in the exam room, huh? He comes in and we chat the whole time the exam is happening. The usual stuff, how many kids? any surgeries? periods normal and regular?

After the exam I am informed that I might have to have it redone. HUH? I've never been told that before so it was cause for concern. Guess a week before you are due to have a period is an iffy time to do it. GREAT! Oh well... haven't had it done in 2 yrs so why not! Then he asks about the wrist pain and if the brace is helping. Not really, but I am making do. He asks the gal that was assisting to hunt down another, smaller one to see if that makes a difference. While she is looking we talk in his office about what we could do about the wrist pain and he orders the blood work. He then says he will send in a referral for an appointment with the orthopedist. At this point I am thinking I will just take a wait and see approach to the pain. See if I can get it under control with just the brace and some Advil. Weekend comes and I forget all about it all. Then Monday I get a phone call from the hospital to set up an appointment. Talk about service! I expected a letter in the mail in a couple weeks and here I have them calling me to make an appointment! I like the system here already!

End up having the appointment for the next day and get my choice of times. I go in, he orders more x-rays because I didn't bring the others with me and they didn't have time to order my records to be sent across town and we chat about my options. I want to take the wait and see approach and avoid all needles! Besides, the stats I've read about aspirations weren't that great. I don't really have a noticeable lump, just mostly the pain.

So for the next month or so I have a brace and am taking Mobic. The second brace I got at the clinic was better, but I still couldn't use my thumb. So DH and I head to the drug store to see what we can find. End up with a THIRD brace but this one seems to work much better for me. Now I get to figure out the typing! LOL I'm doing much better now with it so am actually able to work again. I took most of that one week off because I was making so many more typos than usual and I can't afford to do that in my line of work.

Which brings me to now... I can't believe its already the second week of December! WHERE has the time gone? December 10th sort of snuck up on me this year. Can you believe its been 22 yrs already? I told DH Sunday night that if I could I would make him and the children all stay home on the 10th. Shorty ended up staying him sick though. For those reading that wonder the significance, lets just say bad things happen on the 10th of December for me... I'm sure most will say its all just coincidental, but I'm one of those that thinks, there really are no coincidences in life. So 22 yrs ago, my father died. He was 39. I can't remember how many years ago it was now, but DH had a really bad accident at work and had it gone just slightly different, I would have been widowed that day. Thank the gods he was just really bruised and beat up looking!

OK, I'm rambled enough and you probably know WAY more about me than you ever wanted to by now. So I will end with this...

I want a nap! LMAO

Officially homeless!

OK, so we've really been homeless a few days, but I've not really felt like posting! *giggle* We checked out of the house on Sunday afternoon, spent Sunday and Monday nights with MIL, then headed to Yakima Tuesday night. Wednesday night we stayed at DH's Uncle's house in Spokane and now we are in Columbus, MT! We didn't get as far as we wanted today, but that's because Billings was booked up! Guess they have some sort of rodeo going on this weekend. No worries, though. Tomorrow we will get an earlier start than we did this morning and should be able to make up some time.

Anyway, that's about it outta me for now. I am gonna go lay down! Driving in the wind is tiring!