Exciting Stuff

Its been an exciting couple of days around here. I came back from picking Rhi up from school yesterday & Troy was wanting to talk about computers. It seems he'd gone looking at memory upgrades and such for his current machine & got frustrated with our Semprom processors & went to Dell. By the end of the conversation, we had each ordered a new computer - mine with a new flat screen monitor & his with a better video card & bigger hard drive. I don't need the bigger hard drive, I already have a 160g slave on this computer that I'll add to my new one. I'm really excited about getting them, its our Christmas to each other, and we'll give our old machines to Rhi, who's needing an update too.

Other than that, Troy & I are getting ready to go to Home Depot & look at stuff for our kitchen!! I'm super-excited about that & can't wait to get started. We've also picked a venue for Rhi's wedding, and its so pretty there.

My First Video

The other day, Tiny had a playdate with Daisy. I thought they were cute & funny together, so I took some video with my digital camera:



I know its kind of goofy, but I really enjoy watching them play together & thought you might, too!

Time Travel Tuesday

How did you find out you were pregnant, how did you share the news with your hubby? How did you tell your family?

Well, I was pretty sure that I was, but my ex-husband wasn't working at the time and we didn't have any insurance either, so I went to the Women's Crises Health Clinic and told them I thought I was pregnant. They gave me a test and made me watch a pro-life movie and then told me I was. After they "counseled" and made sure the baby was wanted & I wasn't going to seek an abortion, they let me go home.

I really don't remember how I told the ex. That was over 21 years ago. I probably came in & told him I was pregnant, it wasn't like I hadn't talked to him before I went down there.

I'm pretty sure we drove to the town my parents lived in at the time, probably the next weekend & told them. We didn't do anything cute or coy or anything, I'd remember that.

Clarifying Some Points

Yes. I live in Utah. Yes. I was born in Utah.

No. I'm not LDS, nor have I ever been, or even considered becoming, LDS. I personally think its rather rude to assume that because someone lives somewhere, they must be a certain race or religion. I would never assume that just because someone lives in Boston or Chicago that they're Irish Catholic. For the record, I AM Scots-Irish. I'm not Catholic. To me, that's like saying "Oh, she plans a weekly menu & once home-schooled her kids, she must be Christian." Again, I'm not.

I had thought the name of my blog gave a HUGE clue about my religion. Apparently some people are particularly thick. Or perhaps they ran across my site searching for "Utah bloggers" or something when they should have searched for "LDS bloggers."

I don't discuss religion, my beliefs or politics on my blogs. Ever. I don't discuss them among my peers here, either, unless I am asked to voice an opinion on something or asked a question. Those things are very personal to me & very private.

But since I'm here & I'm talking, why don't you all take a couple of minutes to pray for the families of those 6 miners that are STILL trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine, 3 weeks after it collapsed. Pray that they'll be found soon and give those families some closure. Yes, imagine that, I pray. You should, too, even if you just call it wishing or sending good vibes or whatever. Do it. I'm also married into a mining family, my husband lived in that area of Utah as a boy, while his father mined coal, so believe me, all those families have to hold onto right now is the hope that they can bury their loved ones & not have them entombed in the place they were lost. Or, maybe take a minute to think about those of us in flash-flood country today, as the last remnants of Dean pass over us & unleash their rains.

Assume that because I live in Utah I care about those things. Don't assume you know my religion.

A Trip Remembered

Several years ago, way back when Erin was a baby, my parents sent me a plane ticket to visit them for Mother's Day and the week before. I flew from our tiny airport in Pueblo to Phoenix, and I was amazed when we were flying over that city. It seemed like even the smallest house had a swimming pool in the back yard. I thought they must all be wealthy, but then I saw the difference as soon as we flew over the Arizona luxury real estate areas. Wow, there were so many beautiful homes with huge yards, I couldn't believe it!

From there, I flew into Sacramento & mom & dad picked me up. They both looked so happy to see me, like they were afraid I had missed my flight or something. They took me for dinner down by the river & then we went to their house in Tracy. We had so much fun, we went shopping and then we took a weekend trip to Vallejo & visited Marine World Africa USA and drove up the coast and saw Fort Ross and got lost in Santa Rosa. I was really sad to leave them, because I really missed them a lot at that point. I didn't see them again until 1991, so that was three years. Two years after that, they came out to Colorado & helped us move here.

Interoffice Harmony

You all know that I don't work out of my home, or have to deal with any of the stuff most of you do, but my husband does, and he talks about most of it when he comes home. He works for a pretty large corporation (in size more than employees) and its spread all over the place. The awesome things that helps facilitate communication between the supervisors and their employees is intranet software. Today's software pretty much does it all, from business email to group scheduling, EPazz works with businesses from start to finish. Troy loves their system, it helps out so much with collaboration and really has improved the workflow from department to department out there.

If you have a business that needs intranet software, EPazz is currently offering a FREE 30-day trial of their software. Just go to website & contact them to get that setup to see how much it helps your own business every day.

Vegas Glitz

Most of my readers know that one of my favorite places for a getaway (besides camping) is Las Vegas. It's less than 3 hours from me, and quite honestly, it's the closest city of any size to me. I love to look at the casinos while we're there, especially at night. I guess I'm just a sucker for bright lights and sparkly things, which Vegas has in abundance. I do like all of the different themes that each casino has, like the Venetian hotel's flavor of Venice, Italy or Treasure Island & it's entertaining pirate show every night. I try to stay in a different resort every time we go, so I can find out the benefits of different one and maybe someday figure out which is my favorite.

So far, I've stayed at The Tropicana, The MGM Grand and Caesar's Palace, but I've been to most of them, and walked around looking at the awesome features each has inside. I'm trying to decide which one is next on my list.

What Ever Happened To...

I've been doing a pretty good job of getting back in touch with people I was friends with in high school, and I'm always amazed to find out what they ended up doing with their lives, you know? I have one friend that spent years in the Marines & now he works for NOAA, another one is a Geologist in Colorado. One of my best friends started out as a cosmetologist, did market research for awhile and the last I heard, she was an events coordinator at a hospice. Another best friend is a teacher at a Charter school & is currently working on getting her Masters in education.

One friend is a music teacher in Kentucky, another an insurance adjuster in Pennsylvania. Someone I knew all the way through school lives in St. Louis & works at a time share another is in Arizona and owns a car dealership. I just think its amazing how far flung we all are, all of us starting out in Southern Colorado & most of us aren't there anymore, or have left & come back. Of course there are those I still haven't managed to find & wonder what they did & if they're ok, and those that I don't have any desire to contact.

Stuff

Things About Me

Accent - Pretty much just the typical, flat, Western United States one. Not sure it really stands out much.

I don't drink - Milk. Ever.

Chore I hate - Anything to do with the kitchen & cleaning.

Pets - 1 dog (Tiny) and 3 cats (Lucky, Kaji & Malachite)

Essential Electronics - My computer, cell phone & camera

Perfume - Any of the BPAL fragrances that work for me.

Gold or silver - Silver. Always. I only wear one piece of gold jewelry right now & that's my wedding band. We're switching those out soon, for silver.

Insomnia - Often.

Job Title - Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Freelance Writer, Volunteer

Most Admired Trait - I love people who are just being themselves genuinely.

Kids -Three.

Phobia - Heights.

Religion - Not as religious as I am spiritual.

Siblings - Two brothers.

Time I wake up - 6:20am on school days, when I feel like it otherwise.

Unusual talent/skill - I don't think any of mine are unusual.

Vegetable I refuse to eat - Brussels Sprouts.

Worst habit - Procrastination.

X-rays - I'm sure I had several as a child, but all I remember are for my teeth.

My favorite meal - I don't think I really have a favorite. I like anything I don't have to cook.

The Heartbreak of Alzheimer's

When I was a girl and still living in Utah, our family had some really great friends from church, they were like another set of grandparents to me. My parents trusted them so much that I stayed with them when I was five and my parents had to keep going back & forth to California because my paternal grandmother was dying. Their names were Bertha & Monroe, they were loving, kind and generous. I never, ever heard a cross word come from either one of them. Imagine my distress, several years later, when we had moved to Colorado & we heard that Monroe had suddenly become verbally abusive to Bertha and had taken to wandering off and getting lost. Bertha was heartbroken and confused, wondering what in the world happened to the man she had loved for over 50 years. When we found out it was Alzheimer's we were all deeply saddened. Alzheimer's robbed the world of the gentle soul that had been Monroe and it robbed him of his very being, the things that made him who he was. Alzheimer's took Bertha's husband and robbed her of their golden years together, because after awhile, he didn't even remember who she was. She never stopped loving and caring for him and she did her best to remember that it was the disease talking and not her husband. I think that on the hardest & worst days, she carried a memory of who he used to be with her, because that's all she could do. I'm so thankful that we have a better understanding of this disease now, than we did in the 80s, when Monroe had it.

This fall, communities all over the United States are hosting the Memory Walk to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. I'm considering signing up for the one in St. George, Utah and trying to recruit my friends and seeing what we can do to help the cause. You, my readers, should check & see if your community is hosting a walk and check into volunteering to walk, and if they aren't, maybe you can start a team & become a Team Captain. Whatever you decide, whether its to volunteer to walk and raise funds or to start a team, you should sign up early and get a head start! Hopefully, someday we'll find a way to end Alzheimer's, but it can't be done without research, and research takes money. That's where The Memory Walk comes in, to help earn the money it takes to do all of these things, from research and education to community support for people with Alzheimer's and their families .

Listen to your heart, do what you think is right. If you can't walk, please consider a donation to someone who is.

Menu Update

The menu planning every week is working out really well for us & I'm really loving knowing what I'm fixing every day, again. Troy loves it, because we never have the "what's for dinner" argument anymore, and I'm not grouchy because no one is helping me figure it out. I don't always stick to the plan 100%, because life happens, it doesn't just stay still, you know?

Tonight, I had planned to make Crock Pot Meatloaf, but last night I realized that we had a lot of leftovers in the fridge that really needed to be eaten, so that's what Troy & I ate tonight. Rhi? Well, she won't eat them, ever, not even if they're hers, so I guess she & Kris are doing without tonight. I'm not going to feel guilty about it, though, its her choice and there's plenty in there to eat.

This morning, Dawn & I went shopping for party food, to kind of help Vicki out a bit. Her littlest is sick right now & needing a lot of extra attention, plus Vicki works nights and never gets enough sleep during the day, especially now that she's back in school. We got a bunch of chips and dips and some nice appetizers to heat up tomorrow, so that should be plenty and none of us will have to work terribly hard.

Real Reviews from a Real Person

Do you like to hear what real people say about products, TV shows and movies? I know that I do, and I've read a lot of web sites that specialize in reviews. My current favorite is Lisa Reviews. She gives no nonsense reviews about things I watch and products that I'd like to use. The website is easy to navigate, her reviews are well-written and easy to understand, and she generally provides a link so that you can get more information if you need it, or just want to read up on it a little more.

She does a lot of reviews for products for babies and young children, and since I have friends who are just starting their families, I take the time to read about them, because I love to buy things for those kids, and I want them to be happy with what I give them. I use the information on babies to share with Morgan, so my grand-daughter can benefit, too.

One review was really awesome for me. I have been looking all over the internet to try to find out what the SciFi series Eureka is about. I got a few brief overviews about it, but nothing that really persuaded me that I was missing out on anything. Until I found a review of it on Lisa Reviews. She gave a great synopsis of what the show is about, and now I'm really sad that I missed the first season. I guess I'll have to use the link in her review to pick it up!

Middle Name MeMe

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

My middle name is Elizabeth:

E: My new grand-daughter's name is Elyssabeth, after me.

L: I almost never learned how to write a cursive "L."

I: I had a friend in the 3rd grade named Ilia.

Z: Zoology fascinates me, I should have paid more attention in school.

A: My mom wanted to name my brother "Aaron," but didn't, because my grandfather was antisemitic. I think she should have.

B: We call Elyssabeth "Beth."

E: I named my son Erin, to honor both my mother & my heritage, which is Irish.

T: I have a dog named Tiny.

H: I drive a Chevy HHR.

Now I have to tag nine people for each letter - Leslie, Pam, Cetta, Margie, Susan, Allison, Jill, Christine and you. Yes. you.

Just Remembering

I think I had a hugely different idea of what a Las Vegas casino was like than reality before I had actually been there. I know they show a fairly realistic picture of them on TV shows, but to me, all I ever imagined was a huge room full of slot machines and video poker games. The first time we went was in 1996, for an IRC party. We mostly wanted to go to meet a couple of friends we'd been chatting with, but at any rate, it was our fist visit.

I was fascinated by the area that held all of the poker tables, it seemed like it was a totally separate casino, quite frankly. It was classy, and quiet in there, not the loud, craziness of the main area in the casino, with the flashing lights, smoke and noise. It just felt like something out of a James Bond movie and I couldn't stop looking over there. I'd be playing a slot machine and find my eyes drawn to the poker room. I have no idea why, I'm not a good poker player, and I never wanted to play while we were there. I think I just liked the idea of all of it, really.

Weight Loss Update

So, the weight is slowly coming off, but I seriously need to have fewer days like today, where all I want to do is eat stuff that's bad for me, you know? I swear, all I've wanted to eat is crap. I'm still taking the orlistat with every meal that contains fat over about 4 grams (on days when I'm eating like I'm supposed to) & I'm thinking about adding some hoodia to the mix, too, since I already have a bottle sitting in the kitchen. It can't hurt anything & it might just help.

I've lost about 15 pounds or so, not enough to really make a difference in how my clothes fit yet (not at my current size anyway), but its nice knowing that I've lost it & I'm that much closer to my eventual goal. I think I have a meltdown of sorts every time I talk to my mom about my weight, diet or whatever, because I was fine until she called me yesterday to see how it was going.. then all I could think of was how hard it was & how much I wanted to give up. I'm thinking I need to figure out why & deal with that while I'm working on my weight.

Time Travel Tuesady

You're 21.
What's going on in your life?
Who are you spending most of your time with?
What's favorite things to do? eat? hobby?

Wow. Let's see. I was married to Ron. Garrett was 4 months old and we were either living with his sister in the house on Avocado or she had just moved next door, in Pueblo, Colorado. He wasn't working, so things were really tight for us, thankfully, his stepdad owned the house we were in and didn't charge us rent. I was desperately unhappy & wanting to go to college, but he kept making up excuses as to why I couldn't go & then turned around and went himself.

I spent most of my time with Ron, his sister Kelly, her then-boyfriend Bill and my parents. I didn't really have any other friends until March or April & that was The Evil Ass, that I left Ron for later that year.

My favorite things to do were to go to the male strip club with Kelly, and watch her & her Aunt get drunk and stupid over the men, RPG, read and I did a few crafts and enjoyed that a lot. I loved Kelly's lasagne and pretty much anything that I didn't have to cook.

Gettin On Top of It

I've been trying like hell this week to get on top of the mess otherwise known as my kitchen. I got all of the counter tops scrubbed down yesterday, washed the stove and microwave & caught up on my dishes, too. Today, I plan to work on the table and the area around it, so that tomorrow, when Troy is home, we can get the floor swept & mopped. After that, the living room just needs a quick going over & we have a pretty clean house (the public parts at any rate). I plan to work on our bedroom pretty soon, but I need to go & buy some more garbage bags before I can.

I Have a Need.. a Need to Read

Yeah, I know, stupid pun for a title, but true nonetheless. I'm an avid reader, to the point that I can't sleep at night unless I'm able to read awhile first. I'll read just about anything when I'm bored, from food packages to instruction manuals and everything in between. I try very hard to never let myself get that desperate and to always have plenty of books in my "to-be-read" pile, but I really am close to that point, right now. I'm more than half done with the one I'm reading & I don't have anything else. I did order "Lisey's Story" the other day, but it hasn't even been sent yet. I may end up going back and re-reading an old favorite while I'm waiting, or I could borrow the next book in the series I'm working on now.. not sure how much I can handle of that at one time, though.

Back to the Grind

Well, this is the first full week of school & Rhi is already staying up too late & getting up grumpy and tired. I got up at 3am to use the bathroom & her bedroom light was on. When I came out, it was off. She claimed that it wasn't on & that she went to bed at around 12 or 1, which, in my opinion, is way too late when she has to get up at 6:20. She comes home after school with Kris, they do their home work & then have to take a nap. I think if she skips the nap, she ought to be ready to go to bed before 11, I know I am.

We had a really good summer and we did some fun things, but it always seems like we didn't do anything or go anywhere when I look back on it. Yeah, we went camping and cooked out a lot, Faire was fun and so were the other things we did, but its not like we actually went anywhere, or that we have a mountain cabin or an Orlando vacation home to go to (not that I'd vacation anywhere hot in the summer!) or anything like that.

Do normal, run-of-the-mill people like us do the same types of things in the summer? Camping, barbecuing and hanging out? Or are we sub-par? We do have one last fun thing we're doing next weekend. We're going to go to the Iron County Fair, which we've never done in all of the years we've been here, so I'm looking forward to that. We're also going to a party this Friday night at Vicki's house, which should be a lot of fun.

I can't believe that Garrett will be 21 in a month. Wow. Where did all of the years go?

Updating the Bedroom

Last Summer, I bought a new comforter set, in Moroccan style stripes - it has burnt orange, plum, deep red & beige in it. I really love it & it brightened up the room so much. In December, my grandmother gave me her four-post bed, and it has a cinnamon colored stain & a nutmeg one, with inlays and such, its a gorgeous bed. Recently, I ordered a beautiful set of wooden blinds for the window near our bed. The ordering process is super easy, they have pointers for measuring everything and links explaining almost every step of the process. Today I received them, I got them in a nutmeg stain that matches my bed perfectly, and the cloth tapes are a mulberry color that's really close to the plum in my comforter.

This is what my window looked like before we installed them:


Pretty ghastly, wasn't it? We had no privacy right there because the mini-blinds that were here when we moved in were broken, and we just never got around to doing anything about it until today. So, we set about updating the way it looked. Troy brought in his cordless screwdriver, we measured where the mounting brackets went, marked it & Troy started to work. Less than 10 minutes later, the blinds were securely in place & he was mounting the beautiful matching valance.

Even with them up, its a huge improvement to that area. They were so easy for Troy to install, and he was really impressed with the way everything went together and how easy it was to figure out. They have instructions for installation on the web site, but by the time I started reading them, he already had it figured out & was ready to start.

I am so pleased with my new blinds, I just can't say that enough! They made my whole bedroom look so much better and we even have privacy now. Troy works nights part of the month, and now he'll be able to sleep better in the day, because we can close the blinds and block out the sunlight. Thank you so much Blinds Chalet! I can't wait to show them off to everyone I know!

The Last First Day

Well, we've started the countdown. 179 school days to graduation. Today was Rhi's last first day of public school. She's already starting to feel the bittersweetness that is Senior year, knowing its the end, knowing that after this, she's grown & needs to figure out what she's doing. She is, at the same time, very excited & determined to have a great & fun year.

And yes, her hair is bright pink in the picture, but its just the front, she has it in a pony tail. She bought it, and it was what she wanted to do, so why not? Its certainly not the first time one of the kids have had oddly colored hair (Mine had blue streaks last summer).

We're all pretty excited though, we got tickets to go see the Goo Goo Dolls on September 21. Troy & I bought our tickets & one for Dawn, and Rhi & Kris each bought their own, now Rhi's trying to get one for her friend, Nicole. It should be pretty awesome, its been a long, long time since I was at a concert & I'm really excited.

Ready to Go

Well, Rhi's all registered, her yearbook picture taken & she's ready to go. She's really excited about school starting and super nervous, knowing this is her last year. Of course, we couldn't get through the whole registration & taking pictures process without getting into an argument or two, because that's the way she is.

She called Kris right after we got there, to tell him that unless he wanted to stand in line a long time, he should come soon. Well, almost 2 hours later, he finally showed up, right as we were getting ready to leave. So. Yeah, Rhi wanted to stay, to "get Kris to smile" for his pictures. That's all fine & good, but we kept telling him he needed to go get in the picture line to cut down the wait. First, he just didn't go, then when he went in, he didn't actually get in line, he stood around talking with his friends until we got in there, then he decided he should actually get in line. By this time, I was starting to get pissed off. It was almost 2:00, I was hungry & starting to get sick to my stomach from not eating since 8:30, and then Rhi got mad at me, because I wanted to go home. I finally ended up leaving her there.

She finally got home more than an hour & a half later, because they had to stay & get his schedule situated, too. I'm glad I decided to come home when I did, I'd have been sick if I waited that long. I also told her that he had to go home by 9:30 0n school nights & that there was no more sleeping over until they're both 18. She was angry, and she probably still is, but I need my home back, at least for awhile.

Stuff I Need to Take Care Of

My love seat now has a tear in the front & in the back, I need to get a slipcover for it before it gets worse. I also need to take the lint brush to all of the furniture in the living room, now that Tiny is done shedding for a bit. I wish there was another way to arrange the living room, but there isn't, so I'll stop dreaming.

There's a bunch of stuff in the kitchen left there from Faire that needs to be put away and probably other crap, too. I'm so terrible about getting things back to where they belong anymore. I desperately need to defrost my deep freeze & clean out the stuff that's been in there too long, too. Both of the light fixtures in there have issues.. the one over the sink is just kind of hanging there, and the other one is a big, ugly fluorescent fixture.

The hall.. omg. I need to get all of the dust and cobwebs off the wall & get the furnace cleaned out & a new filter put on it. Rhi also put her night stand out there & that needs to go somewhere. The craft room needs a good cleaning, as does the bathroom & my bedroom. Now, if I could just find an extra 3 or 4 hours in a day, I'd be set!

Regrets

I'm starting to regret a few decisions that I've made in the past couple of months, regarding Rhi's fiance, Kris. After we went camping the first time, and they had spent 2 night sleeping in the same space, I didn't see any justification to telling them he couldn't spend the night at the house. Now they both (mostly him, it seems) seem to think he can stay here any time he wants to.

Take tonight, for instance, today was he & Rhi's 6 month anniversary. He kept telling her he could come over at some point today. Then he told he he could leave his house by 6.. then he claimed he couldn't leave at all. Of course, this caused them to get into a huge argument (and I didn't blame Rhi for it at all) and after they settled things and she got him to see how much he was hurting her, he called her back & wanted me to drive out to his house at 9:30 at night to get him. I asked what time he was planning to go home, so Rhi called him back & his answer was, "Well, my thought was, I could just spend the night & my dad could get me in the morning to go register for school & that would give me plenty of time to make up for hurting you." Ok, well, my thought was. "What time does he plan to leave?" I didn't ask if he planned to spend the night. I didn't want him spending the night. I think they've spent far too much time together over the past week to begin with & that they never get a chance to miss each other & as a consequence, are both starting to treat each other badly.

And school starts this week. I really think they both need to worry about their grades and such, and keep focused so they can graduate. I have other issues with him, but there isn't much I can do about them, quite frankly, and if those things don't bother her, then I won't even bring them up.

Wedding Planning

I've been thinking about making Rhi & Kris' wedding invitations myself, to save some money. I usually make all of the party invitations for anything we host at our house & everyone always talks about how nice they are, so she & I have been discussing that. I'm thinking of doing scrolls or the pocket fold type, but I'm not sure yet, it all depends on which ends up being the most economically reasonable, really & what she prefers. She has no problems with handmade, thankfully, since Vicki is making her bouquets & helping me do the ones for her bridesmaids, too.. and I'll probably do the bouttinaires, too. I'm sure we'll be making a lot of things for this wedding, I just don't have a budget for anything else.

Much Better

I ended up reverting to my classic template & then going from there. I like it better & its a lot more personal now, at any rate. The photo is one I took while we were camping of the are right behind us, behind a row of trees. Rhi & I walked down to where there was a break in the line so she could show me & I couldn't resist taking a picture.

I also figured out what was wrong with my camera, it was the batteries, so I went & bought some rechargeable batteries & a charger, and everything is working great now. I also bought a really cute little camera case, with a shoulder strap (my other one didn't have one) in pink (I know.. what's getting into me with the pink lately?) that I just love! Now I just need to make a wrist strap for the camera & I'll be set.

Sickness isn't Sweet

My good friend Vicki has been really sick off & on over the past month & we're all starting to get really worried about her. First she & Dawn went up the canyon a bit to spend some time with the kids and get out and walk awhile. She went home & got violently ill and ended up spending about 7 hours in the ER, and I guess she never really got better after that. She's been in and out of the ER, InstaCare & her doctor, having countless tests done to try to find out what's wrong with her, the last being a CT scan on her lungs, that ended up with her having an allergic reaction to the dyes they used and her being covered in horrible hives. I'm so thankful that they have great family insurance, because its racking up quite the bill at this point. She said that so far, its been more than it was to have her kids, and that was just the first ER visit. And we still aren't sure exactly what's wrong with her.. they think its a lung infection at this point & I'm praying its nothing worse.

Blech.

I really, really wish I could find a template that I actually like instead of what blogger has available. I'm no good at writing code anymore & was never any good and making blog layouts, but I think I'm gonna have to try, because this is just bland & so not me. I'm trying to find something that will do in the meantime at least, I'm not having a lot of luck unfortunately.

I think we're finally done buying things for Rhi for school, I had to go today & get her a new curling iron, I guess she stepped on her old one & she has pictures for the yearbook tomorrow & ended up getting her another t-shirt just because it was cute & all. We have registration and all of that tomorrow, too. They finally got smart & gave the seniors & freshman a day each to themselves, instead of jamming it all into 2 days. School starts Thursday & Rhi is really excited to get back.

I guess Dawn, Jason & Ryan are looking to move before the weather gets cold, to try to save money on the gas bill this winter, and I'm really not looking forward to moving them, because Dawn & her kids have so. much. crap. but yeah.. at least its not like they're buying Wilmington NC real estate and moving out of state, so I imagine we'll all get through it again. At least its not right before Renne Faire!!!

Is it Really News?

Do ya'll remember when celebrities were fairly quiet about their drug rehab visits? There might be a discreet little blurb in an entertainment paper or magazine, mentioning that they were visiting this rehab center or that one, but it was really never front-page news or something we had to hear about all the time. I have to wonder if entertainment news is so slow that this really is the only news they can find to talk about. Its not a big surprise, pretty much everyone realizes that drugs and alcohol come with the celebrity lifestyle, and that people who engage in that lifestyle end up in rehab fairly often.. its not news, or at least not in my definition of what news is. Its not even entertainment, because being entertained by someone else's misfortune is just wrong. Let them take care of their addiction in private, with a little dignity, for pete's sake!

Confidence?

Apparently, while we were gone, Dawn took Morgan to the doctor because she had a mouth full of canker sores (yeah, I know, I wouldn't have taken one of my kids to the doctor for that, but she takes hers for every sniffle & sneeze, too). First off, the nurse told her, "Oh, he'll probably prescribe Valtrex, since that's for herpes & canker sores are just another version of herpes." Dawn looked at her & said, "Ummm no. Cold sores are oral herpes. Not canker sores." The nurse argued a bit, went & talked to someone, found out Dawn was right & did come back & apologize, but still.

The PA comes in & tells her that there's nothing he can do but give her a recipe for "magic mouthwash" consisting of Maalox & benadryl & that she ought to take ibuprofen for the pain. (yes, I know that a pharmacist will mix up a variety of this, but it contains a pain reliever and an anti-fungal as well) So, Dawn asked him if it was ok for her to use Campho-Phenique (which is what I'd have done instead of going to the doctor) and he looked at her & said, "What?" She was as shocked as I am that he has no clue what it even is. I swear it really does make you almost want to hire a medical malpractice attorney New York quick, doesn't it? It didn't instill a great deal of confidence in our local medical community in me, at any rate. Its not so much that I think he's a quack, but between him & the nurse, it does make you wonder a bit.

Relaxation

Our little mini-vacation actually felt like one for a change. I didn't come home totally exhausted & go right back to bed this time. We spent time resting, reading, talking, doing puzzles & wandering around. We didn't worry about the time, or our busy schedules or anything else. Well, except that we might get a visit by a bear, but we didn't see any sign, so we felt pretty safe.

We were camped about a quarter of a mile or less from a beautiful mountain lake, surrounded by tall pine & aspen trees, pretty much off by ourselves, what with it being in the middle of the week and all. Our campsite was free, because we had to pack in our own water & had no picnic table, but that's ok, we managed & really didn't care. You only really need a table to prepare food anyway, and we used the back of the XTerra or the hood for that & since everything has to be packed away when you're done anyway (because of bears), we didn't miss it.

I didn't get to take as many pictures as I'd have liked, because my camera started acting really strange at the end of the first evening, but at least I remembered it & took some pictures, unlike times in the past. I have more that I'll share later on, right now, I'm having a hard time focusing on them & think I need to make a cup of tea or something.

Busy Day

I've been surprisingly productive today. I got up, did my dishes, prepped my sauce for the pork loin & got it started cooking, fed the animals, came back here, started my laundry, got my camping blankets washed & switched to the dryer & them started my clothes I'm taking with me. Its just about time for those to go in the dryer, as soon as the comforter is totally dry. As soon as Troy gets up, we need to go & pay our car payments, because I forgot about it yesterday, and they were due. Eeek.

I also need to have Troy gather up what he wants to take camping in the way of clothing, so I can get those washed & packed while he's at work tonight and anything he wants to take. He has to sleep a bit in the morning, so while he's doing that, I'll get all of the food ready to go, clean out the cooler & pack what I can in the car, then we can go to the storage unit, pick up the tents & sleeping bags & be on our way. I'm really excited about this camping trip, its the first time we've ever just gone on our own, without extended family or friends. I think Erin is planning to come with us, too, if he remembers by the time Wednesday rolls around.

Good Weekend

We've had a pretty good weekend, so far. Friday, Rhi & I went & bought her school supplies & underwear (got socks for Troy & I, too), later on, Troy & I went to get the oil changed in my car, and we bought new pots & pans & a new tea kettle, too. When we came home, we threw away all of the old ones, except for my cast iron skillet.

Yesterday, we left town & went shopping for school clothes, which was actually really fun for a change, especially since I finally got it through Rhi's head that we were choosing to spend money on her & she didn't need to feel guilty about it. I also told her that I didn't want her buying anything that she didn't absolutely love, not even to make us happy. She got some really cute things & new shoes, too. We got her some Nike Hypnotize boots (hers are plain black, though) and some camouflage skimmers. I got some flip flops from Old Navy & some Nike Air Prestige in black & pink & Troy got some new shoes, too. We had lunch, we went to the mall (Kris had never been to one before) and we had fun. I'm going to miss that, next year.

My Meez

Just a little bored...