16 YEARS ALREADY
And here's to fifty more.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
DREAMING OF YOU
Last night I dreamed about friends I've never met. And orange stuff.
So here I was, at the Rachael Ray show, helping her set up the cooking segment. She looked at me and said, “You’re so nicely dressed. How do you always look so put together?” I looked down at my camisole and jacket and thought, “duh, Rach, it’s all about layering.”
A few minutes later, she asked me to run out and get something she needed (what it was escapes me now). I was apparently beamed into someone’s house, where their kitchen table was set with beautiful orange dishes and a large flower arrangement in the center. I heard a noise and turned to find a blonde-headed Jax standing there. He asked me how I liked the table he had set, and I told him it was lovely. Then he asked me if I wanted to see his daddy’s car, and led me to the garage. Inside was a orange Delorean, rather beat up but still cool.
At that point, Pez (wearing a baseball jersey and jeans, and with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail) came in and asked Jax how he got home from the Mariners game by himself. He said, “I’m good at directions.”
Rachael Ray came into the kitchen then, and said that the table looked good and that she was ready to get started. She cooked up some veal and macaroni & cheese, which Jax declared “delish!” A few minutes later, the doorbell rang – Kimmer was joining us for dinner.
It was sure good to see you guys.
Last night I dreamed about friends I've never met. And orange stuff.
So here I was, at the Rachael Ray show, helping her set up the cooking segment. She looked at me and said, “You’re so nicely dressed. How do you always look so put together?” I looked down at my camisole and jacket and thought, “duh, Rach, it’s all about layering.”
A few minutes later, she asked me to run out and get something she needed (what it was escapes me now). I was apparently beamed into someone’s house, where their kitchen table was set with beautiful orange dishes and a large flower arrangement in the center. I heard a noise and turned to find a blonde-headed Jax standing there. He asked me how I liked the table he had set, and I told him it was lovely. Then he asked me if I wanted to see his daddy’s car, and led me to the garage. Inside was a orange Delorean, rather beat up but still cool.
At that point, Pez (wearing a baseball jersey and jeans, and with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail) came in and asked Jax how he got home from the Mariners game by himself. He said, “I’m good at directions.”
Rachael Ray came into the kitchen then, and said that the table looked good and that she was ready to get started. She cooked up some veal and macaroni & cheese, which Jax declared “delish!” A few minutes later, the doorbell rang – Kimmer was joining us for dinner.
It was sure good to see you guys.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
THE MODERN COLONIALIST
Yesterday was Colonial Day at K's school. If the kids dressed up in colonial-era clothing (or gave it their best shot), they got extra credit points. Here was K's choice of outfits:
K sports a pair of navy blue dress slacks, floodwater-length, tucked into twice-worn soccer socks. (On his feet are a pair of modern style ebony lace-up shoes, but the teachers let that slide.) Topping this ensemble is Dad's Old Business Shirt (DOBS), complete with ring around the collar, cinched in at the waist with Mom's Old Brown Belt (MOBB). Our model is unaware that he wore a woman's belt to school all day. Fortunately, so was the rest of the student body.
K is a very shy kid, so I was concerned all day that he'd be [gasp!]noticed! And would come home irritable and colonially grouchy and vowing never to go to school again. But that didn't happen - not only did he enjoy Colonial Day, he said it was one of the most fun times he's ever had at school.
Kids.
Yesterday was Colonial Day at K's school. If the kids dressed up in colonial-era clothing (or gave it their best shot), they got extra credit points. Here was K's choice of outfits:
K sports a pair of navy blue dress slacks, floodwater-length, tucked into twice-worn soccer socks. (On his feet are a pair of modern style ebony lace-up shoes, but the teachers let that slide.) Topping this ensemble is Dad's Old Business Shirt (DOBS), complete with ring around the collar, cinched in at the waist with Mom's Old Brown Belt (MOBB). Our model is unaware that he wore a woman's belt to school all day. Fortunately, so was the rest of the student body.
K is a very shy kid, so I was concerned all day that he'd be [gasp!]
Kids.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
WHAT'S UP
If I were my 10-year-old, I'd sarcastically say "the sky" or "the roof." Fortunately, he can no longer say "gas prices," as they have taken a nosedive lately. My favorite filling station currently has regular unleaded at $2.19 per gallon - a price I've not seen in over a year.
So here's what's been going on during my silence the past week or so...
If I were my 10-year-old, I'd sarcastically say "the sky" or "the roof." Fortunately, he can no longer say "gas prices," as they have taken a nosedive lately. My favorite filling station currently has regular unleaded at $2.19 per gallon - a price I've not seen in over a year.
So here's what's been going on during my silence the past week or so...
- Tnk is returning to full duty next Thursday. I cannot believe she has recovered from that horrible accident, nor can my mind grasp that my little sister will be back on patrol, at night, with all the bad people and drunks (not that those are mutually exclusive). This is seriously messing with my sleep patterns. It was hard enough worrying about her when she was 100%, but I worry that there may be lingering effects from her accident that may, in the right (or wrong) scenario, compromise her safety. Oh God, I just worry. She would not be happy with me for writing all this, but I don't care. This is my journal and my feelings are relevant. My feelings are relevant. They are. If I could lock her in a little box and keep her safe forever, that's exactly what I'd do.
- Of course, we all know that wouldn't solve anything. She'd just hate me then.
- K played a great soccer game today, and his team won 9-0. This was a milestone for him because it was the first time he'd been on the field since his arm was broken during a game last March. Unfortunately, I missed it because...
- ...I was at BLT all morning. No, not the sandwich; Basic Leader Training for Girl Scouts. That's right, I'm becoming a Girl Scout Leader. I am optimistic about this because I know it will be great for my daughter and me both. I foresee lots of paperwork in my future, but hopefully not lots of tantrums. (Particularly not tantrums by parents.) The reason I'm getting into this now is because Pey's current troop consists of 18 girls - 17 second graders, and Pey, who's in 3rd. What that means in layman's terms is that at the end of this school year, Pey will be the lone scout bridging into Juniors. And next year, her leaders would have fun trying to figure out things that both the Brownies and a Junior could do. Trying to nip this in the bud, I attended Rally earlier this week and was successful in forming my own troop - 6 third graders, and 2 second graders. Not ideal, but much better, as no one will be alone anymore.
- Good news - Hubby has been offered a new job. He's really excited about it as he'll finally be using the two degrees that his parents paid for. He will finally be out of the heavy-deadline business, and cannot wait to get started. Right now, it looks like October 9th will be the big First Day. I'm so proud.
- University of Texas clobbered Rice today in a total blowout. By the end, UT had put in the third string and still managed to rack up more points. I felt bad for Rice because I think Texas was blowing off some steam from their loss to Ohio State last week.
- Fish, if you're reading this, email me because I have some puppet news for you. (Like how I buried that in the big middle of this post? Oops.)
- Pey's friend J is here right now. J called an hour ago and said, "Can I come over and spend the night?" Anyone else would have gotten a quick "uh-uh," but J is Pey's best friend, plus J's mom agreed to be my GS co-leader, and even attended BLT with me today. I kind of feel like I owe her, although in truth J is usually no trouble and Pey likes having another girl around. I guess the dog and I aren't enough femaleness.
- For the record, J's mom was mortified when she heard that J called and invited herself over. I just had to laugh. Some people are hard to get mad at.
That's about it for the rambling. I'm exhausted and will probably be heading to bed really soon. First, though, I have to make sure J and Pey (never noticed that that rhymes before) are down for the night.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
Monday, September 04, 2006
IT'S MY LIFE
A couple of days ago, we took a family drive and went out for dinner at a little restaurant called Skeeter's, then ran a couple of errands. Just for fun, I took our new digital camera with me so that I could document a day in the life of, well, me.
The picture on the right is me in the van, taking an ever-so-candid shot of myself on the way to the restaurant. You might notice the stick-straight hair. After years of stick-my-finger-in-the-light-socket frizziness, I finally gave in and paid Supercuts to straighted my tresses. Did they ever! Take that, Texas humidity! I'm including a "before" picture taken at the reunion last week (why oh why did my hair have to look like that at the reunion?!?)
Before - Chewbacca. After - Rowr.
Moving on.
Pey looks terribly surprised about something. What's in that ketchup, anyway?
At Skeeter's, you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloths. Here's Pey's drawing of Kirby, who is either quite winded or blowing a bubble. I never took Art History, so I'm at a loss.
Here are the kids acting all fly (in other words, "weird") in front of the restaurant after dinner. I had to crop out some unsuspecting hubcap-missing Toyota's license plate out of the picture, lest one of you innernet stalkers got a hankering to stalk him. You're welcome, Toyota owner. Now get a hubcap; your car looks dumb like that*:
Here's the gas pump where we filled up after dinner. Notice we're paying $2.29 around here right now. Road trip, anyone?
Here's the Kroger where I do my weekly Grocery Game (GG) shopping. I used to hate Kroger because of their stupid shopper's card. Now I know that it's a blessing sent straight from the heavens. Well, maybe straight from corporate headquarters, but who am I to quibble? Between my coupons and that card, I paid $49 Sunday morning for $110 worth of groceries. That's a savings of around 55%! Every week, I challenge myself to spend even less than the week before, and so far I've been successful. I'm totally addicted to GG'ing. It's like crack to me. (Someday I'll post a picture of my overflowing pantry and then you'll understand.)
(again, cropped out lots of license plates - all you car owners owe me for saving you from certain death)
And there you have it - a day (afternoon, really, but you probably wouldn't like the early-morning me) in the life of this Houston girl. Any questions?
*Before anyone accuses me of being a snob, a quick reminder: I drive a 1995 Saturn SL-2 with 172,000 miles on it. It recently got a new headliner, which helps somewhat with its appearance, but it still leaks some mysterious shit from underneath the passenger seat, sports a large winding crack across the windshield, has a console that vibrates more than my cell phone, and has more "doctor" appointments than I do. But hey, at least it has all four hubcaps.
A couple of days ago, we took a family drive and went out for dinner at a little restaurant called Skeeter's, then ran a couple of errands. Just for fun, I took our new digital camera with me so that I could document a day in the life of, well, me.
The picture on the right is me in the van, taking an ever-so-candid shot of myself on the way to the restaurant. You might notice the stick-straight hair. After years of stick-my-finger-in-the-light-socket frizziness, I finally gave in and paid Supercuts to straighted my tresses. Did they ever! Take that, Texas humidity! I'm including a "before" picture taken at the reunion last week (why oh why did my hair have to look like that at the reunion?!?)
Before - Chewbacca. After - Rowr.
Moving on.
Pey looks terribly surprised about something. What's in that ketchup, anyway?
At Skeeter's, you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloths. Here's Pey's drawing of Kirby, who is either quite winded or blowing a bubble. I never took Art History, so I'm at a loss.
Here are the kids acting all fly (in other words, "weird") in front of the restaurant after dinner. I had to crop out some unsuspecting hubcap-missing Toyota's license plate out of the picture, lest one of you innernet stalkers got a hankering to stalk him. You're welcome, Toyota owner. Now get a hubcap; your car looks dumb like that*:
Here's the gas pump where we filled up after dinner. Notice we're paying $2.29 around here right now. Road trip, anyone?
Here's the Kroger where I do my weekly Grocery Game (GG) shopping. I used to hate Kroger because of their stupid shopper's card. Now I know that it's a blessing sent straight from the heavens. Well, maybe straight from corporate headquarters, but who am I to quibble? Between my coupons and that card, I paid $49 Sunday morning for $110 worth of groceries. That's a savings of around 55%! Every week, I challenge myself to spend even less than the week before, and so far I've been successful. I'm totally addicted to GG'ing. It's like crack to me. (Someday I'll post a picture of my overflowing pantry and then you'll understand.)
(again, cropped out lots of license plates - all you car owners owe me for saving you from certain death)
And there you have it - a day (afternoon, really, but you probably wouldn't like the early-morning me) in the life of this Houston girl. Any questions?
*Before anyone accuses me of being a snob, a quick reminder: I drive a 1995 Saturn SL-2 with 172,000 miles on it. It recently got a new headliner, which helps somewhat with its appearance, but it still leaks some mysterious shit from underneath the passenger seat, sports a large winding crack across the windshield, has a console that vibrates more than my cell phone, and has more "doctor" appointments than I do. But hey, at least it has all four hubcaps.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
20 YEARS ALREADY?
Last weekend was our 20-year (gulp!) high school reunion. I've been on the planning committee for months, so the buildup for me was huge, lemme tell ya.
Y'all, it was wonderful. We had over a hundred of our classmates in attendance, not including spouses. Well, unless you count dh and me, who both attended the school. And maybe there were one or two other classmates who married each other...but I digress.
The big event was held at a resort just north of Houston. Hubby and I (and several others who didn't want to drive home after the party, if you know what I mean) stayed at the resort on Saturday night. It was great. The toiletries were all from Bath & Body Works, the bedding included a down comforter, and the pillows were feather. Surprisingly, the cost was not outrageous, and I'd definitely consider staying there again sometime.
Anyway, the reunion: As I said, I was on the reunion committee, and my big job was the nametags. That was a task in and of itself, as it was decided that our senior pictures should be on each nametag. So I've spent the last couple of months working on the project - scanning in pages from the yearbooks, cropping each picture down to a manageable size (and moving each into its own individual file), and typing in hundreds of names.
Here's an example:
Tracy
Maidenname
Marriedname
(yep, that's me in 1986)
Those people who didn't have a senior picture taken weren't spared the humiliation, though: I've got yearbooks from all four years of high school, and I found them all! Bwahahaaaa!!! Well, save one, but he was a newbie our junior year and I just couldn't get an old picture of him.
In all seriousness, the nametags were actually a hit. People came up to me all night and said how cool they thought having the pictures with the names was. That right there made all my efforts (and the high cost of printer ink) worthwhile.
Hubby, who had not particularly been looking forward to the reunion, even had a good time. He was as funny and engaging as always, and our old friends commented that he hadn't changed much over the years. (See, M? I told you.)
I know M wanted me to write all about the reunion, but I can't honestly think of much to say that wouldn't be painfully obvious. Some people had not changed at all; some had changed so much that they were virtually unrecognizable. Some were much friendlier than they were in high school, and some were still jackasses. Fortunately, the former was much more common than the latter. One example of the latter, though, came from a guy I went out with (for about five seconds) in high school: The Pussycat Dolls song "Buttons" was on, and I was sitting at the table singing along. This guy came over, knelt down, and said, "I know you think you look good singing that, but I keep picturing you in your minivan. It just doesn't work for you."
Jackass once; jackass always. I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that he'd been putting away the alcohol for awhile, but it was a mean thing to say anyway.
Overall, though, it was fantastic to see people, and in many ways I was able to close out an unpleasant chapter of my life. Not that high school was particularly bad for me - I was on drill team and had good friends and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity - but you know how you always remember the bad stuff. Anyway, I got a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers, and plan to keep in touch with old friends - and I mean it this time!
Last weekend was our 20-year (gulp!) high school reunion. I've been on the planning committee for months, so the buildup for me was huge, lemme tell ya.
Y'all, it was wonderful. We had over a hundred of our classmates in attendance, not including spouses. Well, unless you count dh and me, who both attended the school. And maybe there were one or two other classmates who married each other...but I digress.
The big event was held at a resort just north of Houston. Hubby and I (and several others who didn't want to drive home after the party, if you know what I mean) stayed at the resort on Saturday night. It was great. The toiletries were all from Bath & Body Works, the bedding included a down comforter, and the pillows were feather. Surprisingly, the cost was not outrageous, and I'd definitely consider staying there again sometime.
Anyway, the reunion: As I said, I was on the reunion committee, and my big job was the nametags. That was a task in and of itself, as it was decided that our senior pictures should be on each nametag. So I've spent the last couple of months working on the project - scanning in pages from the yearbooks, cropping each picture down to a manageable size (and moving each into its own individual file), and typing in hundreds of names.
Here's an example:
Tracy
Maidenname
Marriedname
(yep, that's me in 1986)
Those people who didn't have a senior picture taken weren't spared the humiliation, though: I've got yearbooks from all four years of high school, and I found them all! Bwahahaaaa!!! Well, save one, but he was a newbie our junior year and I just couldn't get an old picture of him.
In all seriousness, the nametags were actually a hit. People came up to me all night and said how cool they thought having the pictures with the names was. That right there made all my efforts (and the high cost of printer ink) worthwhile.
Hubby, who had not particularly been looking forward to the reunion, even had a good time. He was as funny and engaging as always, and our old friends commented that he hadn't changed much over the years. (See, M? I told you.)
I know M wanted me to write all about the reunion, but I can't honestly think of much to say that wouldn't be painfully obvious. Some people had not changed at all; some had changed so much that they were virtually unrecognizable. Some were much friendlier than they were in high school, and some were still jackasses. Fortunately, the former was much more common than the latter. One example of the latter, though, came from a guy I went out with (for about five seconds) in high school: The Pussycat Dolls song "Buttons" was on, and I was sitting at the table singing along. This guy came over, knelt down, and said, "I know you think you look good singing that, but I keep picturing you in your minivan. It just doesn't work for you."
Jackass once; jackass always. I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that he'd been putting away the alcohol for awhile, but it was a mean thing to say anyway.
Overall, though, it was fantastic to see people, and in many ways I was able to close out an unpleasant chapter of my life. Not that high school was particularly bad for me - I was on drill team and had good friends and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity - but you know how you always remember the bad stuff. Anyway, I got a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers, and plan to keep in touch with old friends - and I mean it this time!
Friday, August 11, 2006
WHERE THE HELL IS MY BLOG?
The template loads, but there are no words on it. I can edit any post I want, but I can't see it after it's published. I can even see Beth's and Pez's blogs, but not mine. Heaven knows if I'll be able to look at this post, either.
This happens all the damn time with Blogger. Where can I find a more reliable free blog site?
The template loads, but there are no words on it. I can edit any post I want, but I can't see it after it's published. I can even see Beth's and Pez's blogs, but not mine. Heaven knows if I'll be able to look at this post, either.
This happens all the damn time with Blogger. Where can I find a more reliable free blog site?
TITLE GOES HERE
First of all, "HI, BETH!" I know I've been slacking off on my blog lately, but that's because it's harder for me to blog in the summertime. Not because I have a teenager on the computer at night, but because my life has very little structure right now. Without structure, Tracy is a flighty girl who does not blog much. But never fear, school starts next week and I'll be living in structure hell.
Does anyone else dread the start of the school year like I do? I don't know what happened. When the kids were little, I couldn't wait for them to get to school so I could have some free time. Now that they're older, though, I like having them home. They are pretty much self-sufficient, plus they're fun to be around. I can even leave them here while I make quick grocery store runs by myself.
I guess what I'm dreading most is the homework. Most likely, that's what the kids are dreading, too. What I can't stand is hearing the complaining that starts the minute they get off the bus. Here are some of those all-too-common complaints, in no particular order:
(Betty/Susie/Bob/Ruie) was mean to me today!
My leg/head/stomach hurts!
I've got too much homework!
I'm hungry!
Ms. Park/Smith/Weimaraner is mean!
And the best one:
Mom, you forgot to send (money/my permission slip/cupcakes) today!
The list goes on and on.
Hopefully my fears will be mostly unrealized, but in the meantime, I'm a ball of stress. I wish I could go back to the early days when school was easier, but the grown-up in me knows that can't happen - and shouldn't. (I am not currently fond of the grown-up in me.)
I guess I was hoping I'd only have to go through growing pains once in life. The joke's on me.
---
Big news: We got a new digital camera the other day. It's really great, except the battery doesn't seem to last as long as it should. Hopefully HP will take care of that when I contact them.
With thanks and credit for this idea to Pez, here are some random pictures:
K with Bailey. A boy has never loved his dog as much as this one does; I swear.
Pey pretending to have a broken leg. This girl is so creative. The thing on her leg is a slipper sock, but underneath that she had put a koozie around her leg. Her umbrella was brought into play as a cane. Completing the picture was the way she hobbled around the house pretending she was on crutches. It was hysterical. Oh, to be 8 again.
L-R: Me, K, and Ry at Reliant Stadium last Wednesday night watching two soccer games: Houston Dynamo (notice our t-shirts) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, then FC Barcelona vs. Club America (a Mexican national team). In one night, we got to see the great Landon Donovan plus the even-greater Ronaldinho play. Live and in person. I swear our family is addicted to soccer. We even DVR the matches we attend, although to be completely honest, we usually do so because our seats (season tickets) put us in the line of the TV cameras a lot. LOL!
Well, that's about it from here. I've got to run now and take K over to my in-laws to mow their lawn. The kid makes a pretty good chunk of change by mowing just the family's lawns. Man, he's going to hate it when school starts. [sigh]
First of all, "HI, BETH!" I know I've been slacking off on my blog lately, but that's because it's harder for me to blog in the summertime. Not because I have a teenager on the computer at night, but because my life has very little structure right now. Without structure, Tracy is a flighty girl who does not blog much. But never fear, school starts next week and I'll be living in structure hell.
Does anyone else dread the start of the school year like I do? I don't know what happened. When the kids were little, I couldn't wait for them to get to school so I could have some free time. Now that they're older, though, I like having them home. They are pretty much self-sufficient, plus they're fun to be around. I can even leave them here while I make quick grocery store runs by myself.
I guess what I'm dreading most is the homework. Most likely, that's what the kids are dreading, too. What I can't stand is hearing the complaining that starts the minute they get off the bus. Here are some of those all-too-common complaints, in no particular order:
(Betty/Susie/Bob/Ruie) was mean to me today!
My leg/head/stomach hurts!
I've got too much homework!
I'm hungry!
Ms. Park/Smith/Weimaraner is mean!
And the best one:
Mom, you forgot to send (money/my permission slip/cupcakes) today!
The list goes on and on.
Hopefully my fears will be mostly unrealized, but in the meantime, I'm a ball of stress. I wish I could go back to the early days when school was easier, but the grown-up in me knows that can't happen - and shouldn't. (I am not currently fond of the grown-up in me.)
I guess I was hoping I'd only have to go through growing pains once in life. The joke's on me.
---
Big news: We got a new digital camera the other day. It's really great, except the battery doesn't seem to last as long as it should. Hopefully HP will take care of that when I contact them.
With thanks and credit for this idea to Pez, here are some random pictures:
K with Bailey. A boy has never loved his dog as much as this one does; I swear.
Pey pretending to have a broken leg. This girl is so creative. The thing on her leg is a slipper sock, but underneath that she had put a koozie around her leg. Her umbrella was brought into play as a cane. Completing the picture was the way she hobbled around the house pretending she was on crutches. It was hysterical. Oh, to be 8 again.
L-R: Me, K, and Ry at Reliant Stadium last Wednesday night watching two soccer games: Houston Dynamo (notice our t-shirts) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, then FC Barcelona vs. Club America (a Mexican national team). In one night, we got to see the great Landon Donovan plus the even-greater Ronaldinho play. Live and in person. I swear our family is addicted to soccer. We even DVR the matches we attend, although to be completely honest, we usually do so because our seats (season tickets) put us in the line of the TV cameras a lot. LOL!
Well, that's about it from here. I've got to run now and take K over to my in-laws to mow their lawn. The kid makes a pretty good chunk of change by mowing just the family's lawns. Man, he's going to hate it when school starts. [sigh]
Thursday, July 27, 2006
10 YEARS, OR 5 FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
That's what the drunk who nearly killed my sister plea-bargained down to. He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison, but he'll most likely serve only five.
He asked the judge for permission to speak to Tnk, then apologized to her and said that he hoped God would stay with her throughout her recovery. I ... don't know what to say to that. Too little, too late, maybe?
So the saga is nearing an end. Tnk has to have another surgery on her left hand next Monday, but fortunately it's a fairly minor one. She has a new hand doctor, and he's really great. Her last doctor was ready to write her off, but this one is giving her all kinds of hope. I pray that he won't let her down.
That's what the drunk who nearly killed my sister plea-bargained down to. He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison, but he'll most likely serve only five.
He asked the judge for permission to speak to Tnk, then apologized to her and said that he hoped God would stay with her throughout her recovery. I ... don't know what to say to that. Too little, too late, maybe?
So the saga is nearing an end. Tnk has to have another surgery on her left hand next Monday, but fortunately it's a fairly minor one. She has a new hand doctor, and he's really great. Her last doctor was ready to write her off, but this one is giving her all kinds of hope. I pray that he won't let her down.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
ALLLLL BYYYY MYYYYSE-EH-EHLF
That's the way it is around here this week. The kids were all safely delivered to their respective camps on Sunday, and it's been a lovefest around here ever since.
Okay, that's not exactly accurate. Hubby and I spent the first night looking at each other and saying "what do we do now?" We haven't been childless in over 13 years, and I guess we got out of practice. So Sunday night we ordered Chinese food, brought it home, and ate in front of the TV.
Dang, when did we turn into our grandparents?
Yesterday I took hubby's old car to get the oil changed, and the guy who works there told me about a place he knew of that replaces headliners on cars. (The one on the Saturn was REALLY bad, y'all. We're talking ripped-all-to-hell and hanging-down-on-your-head bad.) So I drove the car to this place, which was nerve-wracking because it was not in the, um, best part of town. They only take cash, if that tells you anything. heh
But a couple of hours later, that old car looked almost new! They did a fantastic job, and hubby is thrilled to death. Woohoo! (Wait, is it sad that I'm so excited about a freakin' headliner?)
Last night, I picked hubby up from work (in his "new" 1995 Saturn) and we went to a local sports bar to watch and listen to a live radio broadcast about the Houston Dynamo soccer team. It was very cool. We got to see the head coach and two of the players. Plus, we got four free tickets to next Saturday's game against the New York Red Bulls. Free tickets rock.
What a great evening.
After we got home, we went online to check out pictures of the kids at camp. I don't know if all camps do this, but the ones K, R, & P are at take tons of pictures and post them online every day. It's fun trying to find your kid in a sea of faces. No, I'm not kidding; it is fun. Hubby even made a PowerPoint presentation out of the pics we have so far. If I could figure out how to post it here, I would. (Anyone? Anyone?)
So far today, I don't have any plans. I may be meeting up with an old friend for lunch. We were best friends in school, and I was even her maid of honor. But I haven't seen her in probably five years, even though we live in the same town. How does that happen?!?
Good news: My back is not spasming as much now. I am so relieved - I never want to experience that kind of pain again. Not ever. Thanks for all your comments and concerns; you guys rock almost as much as free tickets. ;)
That's the way it is around here this week. The kids were all safely delivered to their respective camps on Sunday, and it's been a lovefest around here ever since.
Okay, that's not exactly accurate. Hubby and I spent the first night looking at each other and saying "what do we do now?" We haven't been childless in over 13 years, and I guess we got out of practice. So Sunday night we ordered Chinese food, brought it home, and ate in front of the TV.
Dang, when did we turn into our grandparents?
Yesterday I took hubby's old car to get the oil changed, and the guy who works there told me about a place he knew of that replaces headliners on cars. (The one on the Saturn was REALLY bad, y'all. We're talking ripped-all-to-hell and hanging-down-on-your-head bad.) So I drove the car to this place, which was nerve-wracking because it was not in the, um, best part of town. They only take cash, if that tells you anything. heh
But a couple of hours later, that old car looked almost new! They did a fantastic job, and hubby is thrilled to death. Woohoo! (Wait, is it sad that I'm so excited about a freakin' headliner?)
Last night, I picked hubby up from work (in his "new" 1995 Saturn) and we went to a local sports bar to watch and listen to a live radio broadcast about the Houston Dynamo soccer team. It was very cool. We got to see the head coach and two of the players. Plus, we got four free tickets to next Saturday's game against the New York Red Bulls. Free tickets rock.
What a great evening.
After we got home, we went online to check out pictures of the kids at camp. I don't know if all camps do this, but the ones K, R, & P are at take tons of pictures and post them online every day. It's fun trying to find your kid in a sea of faces. No, I'm not kidding; it is fun. Hubby even made a PowerPoint presentation out of the pics we have so far. If I could figure out how to post it here, I would. (Anyone? Anyone?)
So far today, I don't have any plans. I may be meeting up with an old friend for lunch. We were best friends in school, and I was even her maid of honor. But I haven't seen her in probably five years, even though we live in the same town. How does that happen?!?
Good news: My back is not spasming as much now. I am so relieved - I never want to experience that kind of pain again. Not ever. Thanks for all your comments and concerns; you guys rock almost as much as free tickets. ;)
Friday, July 21, 2006
CRAPOLA
My back is starting to have those painful little spasms again. (See the April 24th part of this post; also this one.)
As the song goes, I haven't got time for the pain. I have SO much to do in order to get the kids ready for camp. They leave Sunday for a whole week. Being bedridden while I have the house all to myself would be just freakin' perfect.
Praying that these spasms don't develop into a full-blown attack...
Thursday, July 20, 2006
AND WE'RE BAAAAAAAACK! (Complete with a pictorial!)
We just spent a week at a gorgeous house on Lake Conroe in a home rented from a friend of the family. This place was amazing - it had a pool, a boathouse (complete with brand-new pontoon boat), a guesthouse, a jetski, and oh, did I mention the elevator?!?
To your left is a picture of the view from the kitchen. Or the living room. Or the sitting room. Or any bedroom. Seriously, amazing doesn't even begin to cover it.
(Ah, how lovely to be friends with rich people.)
Here's a picture looking over the balcony inside the house:
Here's us on the boat, docked at the boathouse:
Here's a picture of hubby, K, and me on the jetski:
Sadly, all good things come to an end, and as of last Tuesday, we're back to reality. Reality bites. The kids miss having a pool that they can just jump into at any time, and hubby and I miss the jetski. It was SO nice being able to tool around the lake on a whim. I also miss the boat because...well, it's a boat.
K turned 13 last Friday, and his birthday party was "the best EVER" because we got to have it at the lakehouse. We even took everyone on a dinner (pizza) cruise out to this little island that sits in the middle-ish of the lake. The kids and I and my friend Jen (who had brought her kids up for the party) played around in the water, while the in-laws and hubby made sure the boat didn't float away. That sounds funny, but it was a legitimate concern: "docking" on the island means "run the boat aground and hang on tight to the rope."
After we left the island, we were promptly pulled over by what I like to call the "boat police." Actually, he'd pulled over my sister-in-law, who had K on the back of her jetski, because she'd jumped the boat's wake. When we floated up to investigate, the officer became perturbed at what he saw as interference (we weren't doing anything - just hanging around to make sure K was okay). He yelled for us to stop right there because we were now being pulled over, too. He performed safety inspections on both watercraft, then told us a truly unexciting story about his radar, then finally let us all go.
A couple of days later, we decided to take a nighttime cruise just for fun. While tooling around the lake, who should come screaming down on us but the same boat police again - only this time, he used lights AND sirens. Wooooo, scary. After lighting us up to see if we had on life jackets, he then said he'd come to tell us to turn off our docking lights or else "we'd have every law enforcement officer in the area on our back." Basically, that means, um, him?
Overall, the week was great. We all took turns cooking, and my brother-in-law kept our drinks well filled. The biggest problem was that the temperatures were blazing hot all week - so much so that even the pool wasn't refreshing. Swimming was like taking a bath. Even the lake was warm. Bleh. I am very glad I took a heap of sunscreen, though, as we'd all be lobsters right now if it weren't for that.
I've got tons more pictures, but the film is not developed yet. (Yes, I'm archaic with my 35mm that I love.) I'll post more later.
Hope you have a great vacation this year, too.
We just spent a week at a gorgeous house on Lake Conroe in a home rented from a friend of the family. This place was amazing - it had a pool, a boathouse (complete with brand-new pontoon boat), a guesthouse, a jetski, and oh, did I mention the elevator?!?To your left is a picture of the view from the kitchen. Or the living room. Or the sitting room. Or any bedroom. Seriously, amazing doesn't even begin to cover it.
(Ah, how lovely to be friends with rich people.)
Here's a picture looking over the balcony inside the house:
Here's us on the boat, docked at the boathouse:
Here's a picture of hubby, K, and me on the jetski:
Sadly, all good things come to an end, and as of last Tuesday, we're back to reality. Reality bites. The kids miss having a pool that they can just jump into at any time, and hubby and I miss the jetski. It was SO nice being able to tool around the lake on a whim. I also miss the boat because...well, it's a boat.
K turned 13 last Friday, and his birthday party was "the best EVER" because we got to have it at the lakehouse. We even took everyone on a dinner (pizza) cruise out to this little island that sits in the middle-ish of the lake. The kids and I and my friend Jen (who had brought her kids up for the party) played around in the water, while the in-laws and hubby made sure the boat didn't float away. That sounds funny, but it was a legitimate concern: "docking" on the island means "run the boat aground and hang on tight to the rope."
After we left the island, we were promptly pulled over by what I like to call the "boat police." Actually, he'd pulled over my sister-in-law, who had K on the back of her jetski, because she'd jumped the boat's wake. When we floated up to investigate, the officer became perturbed at what he saw as interference (we weren't doing anything - just hanging around to make sure K was okay). He yelled for us to stop right there because we were now being pulled over, too. He performed safety inspections on both watercraft, then told us a truly unexciting story about his radar, then finally let us all go.
A couple of days later, we decided to take a nighttime cruise just for fun. While tooling around the lake, who should come screaming down on us but the same boat police again - only this time, he used lights AND sirens. Wooooo, scary. After lighting us up to see if we had on life jackets, he then said he'd come to tell us to turn off our docking lights or else "we'd have every law enforcement officer in the area on our back." Basically, that means, um, him?
Overall, the week was great. We all took turns cooking, and my brother-in-law kept our drinks well filled. The biggest problem was that the temperatures were blazing hot all week - so much so that even the pool wasn't refreshing. Swimming was like taking a bath. Even the lake was warm. Bleh. I am very glad I took a heap of sunscreen, though, as we'd all be lobsters right now if it weren't for that.
I've got tons more pictures, but the film is not developed yet. (Yes, I'm archaic with my 35mm that I love.) I'll post more later.
Hope you have a great vacation this year, too.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
AND SO IT GOES
Hubby and I spent the weekend in the greater Austin area with some friends of ours. We were childless, which rocked, but our friends weren't, even though they thought they would be (plans with grandma fell through). Their kids are really good, but sometimes when you're around fun old friends, you just wanna have some obnoxious, grown-up, drunk-enough-that-everything's-funny-okay-not-really (maybe just a little) free time. Alas, that kind of fun is not so easily had with a 9- and 3-year old around.
I know, I know; I sound like an obnoxious lush. I promise I'm not. I just wanted to play one on TV, as the saying goes. Anyway.
So the reason we went to Austin was for a wedding. K's old soccer trainer - a 26-year-old Scotsman - was getting married to the mom of one of P's former teammates. The bride is easily a dozen years older than the groom, and we'd known them both long enough to go "hmm...????" at the relationship, so whispers abounded about a potential green card in the nuptials. However, at the ceremony they seemed pretty happy, so we put our judgmental-ness away.
The ceremony was cool: the groom and the junior groomsman (the bride's 10-year-old son) wore kilts. A bagpiper played the music. UBER cool, that. But - and you knew there'd be a but - some people were better dressed to go to the beach than to a wedding. Some guests were in halter tops, complete with exposed bra straps, mini skirts, and flip flops. Even the woman who sang a solo during the wedding was sadly underdressed: she had on a floppy, oversized black button-up shirt, tan capri pants, and old flip flops. Eww, and eww. Come on, if you are scheduled to sing at a wedding, DRESS THE PART.
This was a formal evening wedding, y'all. I was ... well, I want to say appalled, but "surprised" would be more gracious, I guess.
Here's how hubby and I were dressed for the wedding:
After the wedding, we went back to our friends' house because they'd graciously offered up their guest room for us. We ended up having a few Chrismos (their version of Cosmopolitans - Cosmos - but friend's name is Chris; ergo, Chrismos...see how clever our friends are? And how fun they'd be to drink with?) and talking for awhile. It was really good to see them, as it's been nearly a year since our last visit. Hopefully the next visit won't be quite so far in the future.
Hubby and I spent the weekend in the greater Austin area with some friends of ours. We were childless, which rocked, but our friends weren't, even though they thought they would be (plans with grandma fell through). Their kids are really good, but sometimes when you're around fun old friends, you just wanna have some obnoxious, grown-up, drunk-enough-that-everything's-funny-okay-not-really (maybe just a little) free time. Alas, that kind of fun is not so easily had with a 9- and 3-year old around.
I know, I know; I sound like an obnoxious lush. I promise I'm not. I just wanted to play one on TV, as the saying goes. Anyway.
So the reason we went to Austin was for a wedding. K's old soccer trainer - a 26-year-old Scotsman - was getting married to the mom of one of P's former teammates. The bride is easily a dozen years older than the groom, and we'd known them both long enough to go "hmm...????" at the relationship, so whispers abounded about a potential green card in the nuptials. However, at the ceremony they seemed pretty happy, so we put our judgmental-ness away.
The ceremony was cool: the groom and the junior groomsman (the bride's 10-year-old son) wore kilts. A bagpiper played the music. UBER cool, that. But - and you knew there'd be a but - some people were better dressed to go to the beach than to a wedding. Some guests were in halter tops, complete with exposed bra straps, mini skirts, and flip flops. Even the woman who sang a solo during the wedding was sadly underdressed: she had on a floppy, oversized black button-up shirt, tan capri pants, and old flip flops. Eww, and eww. Come on, if you are scheduled to sing at a wedding, DRESS THE PART.
This was a formal evening wedding, y'all. I was ... well, I want to say appalled, but "surprised" would be more gracious, I guess.
Here's how hubby and I were dressed for the wedding:
After the wedding, we went back to our friends' house because they'd graciously offered up their guest room for us. We ended up having a few Chrismos (their version of Cosmopolitans - Cosmos - but friend's name is Chris; ergo, Chrismos...see how clever our friends are? And how fun they'd be to drink with?) and talking for awhile. It was really good to see them, as it's been nearly a year since our last visit. Hopefully the next visit won't be quite so far in the future.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
CLOSING OUT FLORIDA
As promised, here are some pictures from the Alan Parsons concert, which was held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on April 15, 2006. Be warned - not all rock stars are glamorous when they're sweaty. Case in point: Mr. Parsons himself, who could use a good barber. What's up with the biblical facial hair, anyway? Also, it probably wouldn't hurt him to make nice with the Right Guard can...I'm just saying.
Anyway, here's hubby standing next to his childhood musical and lyrical hero. Hubby's the cute one on the left, as if that needed to be said...
Good thing Alan is a musical genius.
And here's a picture of me at the concert. Woohoo, exciting. At least I was having a good hair day.
Aside to Fishie: Sorry you've never seen the Sunshine State. Like most other states, it has some really beautiful parts. Maybe one day, a dozen years from now, (IOW, when the kids are grown), we can take a road trip to visit Her Evilness. Maybe even catch Steve Burns on his "Get A Clue" Reunion Concert.
As promised, here are some pictures from the Alan Parsons concert, which was held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on April 15, 2006. Be warned - not all rock stars are glamorous when they're sweaty. Case in point: Mr. Parsons himself, who could use a good barber. What's up with the biblical facial hair, anyway? Also, it probably wouldn't hurt him to make nice with the Right Guard can...I'm just saying.
Anyway, here's hubby standing next to his childhood musical and lyrical hero. Hubby's the cute one on the left, as if that needed to be said...
Good thing Alan is a musical genius.
And here's a picture of me at the concert. Woohoo, exciting. At least I was having a good hair day.
Aside to Fishie: Sorry you've never seen the Sunshine State. Like most other states, it has some really beautiful parts. Maybe one day, a dozen years from now, (IOW, when the kids are grown), we can take a road trip to visit Her Evilness. Maybe even catch Steve Burns on his "Get A Clue" Reunion Concert.
Friday, June 16, 2006
MORE ON FT. LAUDERDALE
As promised, here is some non-sad stuff about our trip to Ft. Lauderdale. First off, here's the hotel we stayed at (Holiday Inn Ft. Lauderdale Beach, in case you're wondering):
And here are two beautiful views from our room (one looking slightly left; one looking slightly right). I swear these aren't postcards, although in my opinion they should be. How cool would it be to wake up to that view every day? [sigh]
Here are a couple of pictures - one of hubby; one of me - with the Ft. Lauderdale beach and the Atlantic ocean as a backdrop:
While in Florida, we took in a lot of the local flavor - most meals were eaten in little dives, (although we did hit Bennigan's once...hey, I had a gift card!). And the food was great. Hubby finally got to gorge himself on the conch fritters he's been missing out on for 14 years. It wasn't pretty...;)
Overall, we had a wonderful trip, just the two of us. It was so nice to reconnect with each other. The only drawback was that we missed having Easter Sunday with the kids, but fortunately they have fantastic grandparents who took care of everything.
Now I just need to update about the Alan Parsons concert, and I think we can put Florida to rest.
As promised, here is some non-sad stuff about our trip to Ft. Lauderdale. First off, here's the hotel we stayed at (Holiday Inn Ft. Lauderdale Beach, in case you're wondering):
And here are two beautiful views from our room (one looking slightly left; one looking slightly right). I swear these aren't postcards, although in my opinion they should be. How cool would it be to wake up to that view every day? [sigh]
Here are a couple of pictures - one of hubby; one of me - with the Ft. Lauderdale beach and the Atlantic ocean as a backdrop:
While in Florida, we took in a lot of the local flavor - most meals were eaten in little dives, (although we did hit Bennigan's once...hey, I had a gift card!). And the food was great. Hubby finally got to gorge himself on the conch fritters he's been missing out on for 14 years. It wasn't pretty...;)
Overall, we had a wonderful trip, just the two of us. It was so nice to reconnect with each other. The only drawback was that we missed having Easter Sunday with the kids, but fortunately they have fantastic grandparents who took care of everything.
Now I just need to update about the Alan Parsons concert, and I think we can put Florida to rest.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
FEELING BLUE
This was taken five days after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. (That's me walking toward the house, in search of anything salvageable.)
This was taken five days after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. (That's me walking toward the house, in search of anything salvageable.)
As you may recall, hubby and I recently took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale. While there, we made the two-hour drive down to Homestead to see how things have changed. Have they ever. This picture was taken on the street facing our former home. The little patches of concrete (to the right in the foreground) are part of what used to be our driveway.
I know that razing the base housing was really all the government could do, considering their unlivable condition in the aftermath of Andrew. I just didn't realize how painful the sight would be. We had some wonderful memories in that little house, and Homestead will always hold a special place in my heart.
More on the Florida trip in a later post. Don't worry; it wasn't all sad. :)
Thursday, June 01, 2006
THURSDAY THINGS
Hey, all. How's it going? Things are just peachy here.
Summer has officially arrived in the Vichyness household. The kids didn't make a peep this morning until 9:30, and even then they didn't come downstairs for awhile after that. P, who is having a couple of girls over for an "art party" (read: slumber party with crafts) vacuumed her own room this morning. I love how eight year olds think vacuuming is cool.
After cleaning, we lit a couple of candles in her bathroom so it would smell "girly." That was my idea, and apparently it made me the coolest mom ever.
So far this morning, I've accomplished the following:
- fed my husband
- drank my breakfast (I'm not a breakfast eater, so I have a Carnation Instant Breakfast nearly every day)
- cleaned the breakfast dishes
- dusted the downstairs
- vacuumed the house (sans Peyton's room)
- lit a bunch of candles
- bathed the dog
And it's only 10:39. Go me! ;)
Now I can't decide if I want to take a shower or wait and take the kids to the pool first. Pool sounds fun, but P's guests will start arriving shortly after lunch, so I don't know what to do.
Darn, I guess I'll just hit the shower.
Later, if I have time, I'll post about our mini-vacation, which included the trip to Oklahoma last weekend. It's been a great few days.
Hey, all. How's it going? Things are just peachy here.
Summer has officially arrived in the Vichyness household. The kids didn't make a peep this morning until 9:30, and even then they didn't come downstairs for awhile after that. P, who is having a couple of girls over for an "art party" (read: slumber party with crafts) vacuumed her own room this morning. I love how eight year olds think vacuuming is cool.
After cleaning, we lit a couple of candles in her bathroom so it would smell "girly." That was my idea, and apparently it made me the coolest mom ever.
So far this morning, I've accomplished the following:
- fed my husband
- drank my breakfast (I'm not a breakfast eater, so I have a Carnation Instant Breakfast nearly every day)
- cleaned the breakfast dishes
- dusted the downstairs
- vacuumed the house (sans Peyton's room)
- lit a bunch of candles
- bathed the dog
And it's only 10:39. Go me! ;)
Now I can't decide if I want to take a shower or wait and take the kids to the pool first. Pool sounds fun, but P's guests will start arriving shortly after lunch, so I don't know what to do.
Darn, I guess I'll just hit the shower.
Later, if I have time, I'll post about our mini-vacation, which included the trip to Oklahoma last weekend. It's been a great few days.
Friday, May 26, 2006
SLACKER, AND OTHER FOND DESCRIPTIVES OF MYSELF
Ever since I moved my blog, I’ve been the laziest blogger in town. What’s up with that? It’s not like it’s harder to blog now; I just got out of the habit. My new summer’s resolution is to write more.
That said, however, we’re heading out of town for the weekend so I won’t be back until Monday night. [sheepish grin]
So anyway, happenings of late include … um … gee, I don’t remember. Oh wait, yes I do. Last Saturday the five of us went to see the Houston Dynamo soccer team play the Chicago Fire. Despite the fact that Houston outplayed Chicago, we fell in a heartbreaking 1-0 game. Phooey.
That night I came down with a sore throat. I remember thinking, “that’s not good.” And it wasn’t. Sunday I was sick with a runny nose and sore throat; by Monday it was extremely hard to even get out of bed. I pretty much slept on the couch all day. Today I’m still congested and a little cough-y, but I’m definitely better. I’ll just say this: summer colds suck big ones.
The kidlets are out of school for the summer now. They actually got out yesterday, but today was so busy with errand-running (getting ready for our trip) that the day just flew by. Then this evening we all went to watch hubby play soccer. After a year of dreaming about it, he finally joined an indoor soccer team a few weeks ago. He seems to be enjoying the exercise. At least, I think he is. He looked pretty winded out there. But his soccer skills are still excellent and it was great to watch him play again. Time and exercise will build up his endurance, and I'm sure that eventually he’ll be just like Brian Ching.
Love you, hubby.
Not too much else to report, and I've got to get to bed. We're planning to leave at the crack of dawn.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone. Don't forget to fly your flags with pride. :)
Ever since I moved my blog, I’ve been the laziest blogger in town. What’s up with that? It’s not like it’s harder to blog now; I just got out of the habit. My new summer’s resolution is to write more.
That said, however, we’re heading out of town for the weekend so I won’t be back until Monday night. [sheepish grin]
So anyway, happenings of late include … um … gee, I don’t remember. Oh wait, yes I do. Last Saturday the five of us went to see the Houston Dynamo soccer team play the Chicago Fire. Despite the fact that Houston outplayed Chicago, we fell in a heartbreaking 1-0 game. Phooey.
That night I came down with a sore throat. I remember thinking, “that’s not good.” And it wasn’t. Sunday I was sick with a runny nose and sore throat; by Monday it was extremely hard to even get out of bed. I pretty much slept on the couch all day. Today I’m still congested and a little cough-y, but I’m definitely better. I’ll just say this: summer colds suck big ones.
The kidlets are out of school for the summer now. They actually got out yesterday, but today was so busy with errand-running (getting ready for our trip) that the day just flew by. Then this evening we all went to watch hubby play soccer. After a year of dreaming about it, he finally joined an indoor soccer team a few weeks ago. He seems to be enjoying the exercise. At least, I think he is. He looked pretty winded out there. But his soccer skills are still excellent and it was great to watch him play again. Time and exercise will build up his endurance, and I'm sure that eventually he’ll be just like Brian Ching.
Love you, hubby.
Not too much else to report, and I've got to get to bed. We're planning to leave at the crack of dawn.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone. Don't forget to fly your flags with pride. :)
Thursday, May 18, 2006
IN MY INBOX
Got this email from my sister this morning. This is amazing because in order to write this email, she had to type. And to type, she most likely used her actual thumbs - neither of which are 100%, by the way. Or hell, 20%.
Anyway, for those who wonder how a 4'10", 100-lb-soaking-wet girl managed to survive such a horrific accident, maybe now you can see just how tough she is.
Background: One of Tnk's injuries was a crushed right thumb. The doctor had to basically rebuild the joint, then he put three pins in it - one horizontal and two vertical. The thumb has been stuck in a "thumbs up" position for two months. This past week, however, the remaining two pins were finally removed.
And now, her words:
Howdy All!!!
I hope you all are having a great week. I apologize for not writing sooner. I thought I'd send an update.
Tuesday, I got the last 2 pins out. YEAH! When they took the first one out a few weeks ago, it didn't hurt all that bad. So, I decided to skip the pain medications this time. In this decision, I forgot three very important factors. One, I took pain meds the first time. Two, there was only one pin to remove the first time. Three, the first pin was less than 1/2 the length of these two. This was not a shining moment in the making. It went something like this...
Doc: Well, the X-rays look good. Let's get those pins out.
T: Great!
Doc: Did you take a full dose of Vicodin?
T: Nah, I hate being high on those things for 6 hours when it's only going to take 10 minutes to remove the pins.
Doc: Umm...I think we should reschedule this for a time when you can take the meds. It's really going to hurt.
T: I'll be fine, go ahead.
Doc: I really don't want to hurt you.
T: Doc, I survived a direct hit by a Chevy. I'll make it through this.
Doc: OK, then.
Do you see what's coming? Pain, lots and lots and lots of it. The pins came out one at a time and the doc congratulated me on my ability to sit through it. The truth is that I'm pretty sure that he could tell that I was eating my words and asking the Vicodin gods to spare their wrath at my abandonment of them. After the doc's office, sis [not me, by the way; our other sis] took me to lunch where I humbly and gratefully took 1/2 of a tablet.
On the bright side, at hand therapy yesterday, my thumb did bend ever so slightly. YIPPEE!
Smiles from the road to recovery,
Tnk
You guys have no idea how good this email made me feel. Her thumb is still mostly stuck (thus the "ever so slightly" comment), and she still has a considerable amount of pain in both hands, but her attitude is amazing. I am convinced that she will eventually be able to return to work just because she's so motivated.
That's the big news from here. Hope you all had a good week!
Got this email from my sister this morning. This is amazing because in order to write this email, she had to type. And to type, she most likely used her actual thumbs - neither of which are 100%, by the way. Or hell, 20%.
Anyway, for those who wonder how a 4'10", 100-lb-soaking-wet girl managed to survive such a horrific accident, maybe now you can see just how tough she is.
Background: One of Tnk's injuries was a crushed right thumb. The doctor had to basically rebuild the joint, then he put three pins in it - one horizontal and two vertical. The thumb has been stuck in a "thumbs up" position for two months. This past week, however, the remaining two pins were finally removed.
And now, her words:
Howdy All!!!
I hope you all are having a great week. I apologize for not writing sooner. I thought I'd send an update.
Tuesday, I got the last 2 pins out. YEAH! When they took the first one out a few weeks ago, it didn't hurt all that bad. So, I decided to skip the pain medications this time. In this decision, I forgot three very important factors. One, I took pain meds the first time. Two, there was only one pin to remove the first time. Three, the first pin was less than 1/2 the length of these two. This was not a shining moment in the making. It went something like this...
Doc: Well, the X-rays look good. Let's get those pins out.
T: Great!
Doc: Did you take a full dose of Vicodin?
T: Nah, I hate being high on those things for 6 hours when it's only going to take 10 minutes to remove the pins.
Doc: Umm...I think we should reschedule this for a time when you can take the meds. It's really going to hurt.
T: I'll be fine, go ahead.
Doc: I really don't want to hurt you.
T: Doc, I survived a direct hit by a Chevy. I'll make it through this.
Doc: OK, then.
Do you see what's coming? Pain, lots and lots and lots of it. The pins came out one at a time and the doc congratulated me on my ability to sit through it. The truth is that I'm pretty sure that he could tell that I was eating my words and asking the Vicodin gods to spare their wrath at my abandonment of them. After the doc's office, sis [not me, by the way; our other sis] took me to lunch where I humbly and gratefully took 1/2 of a tablet.
On the bright side, at hand therapy yesterday, my thumb did bend ever so slightly. YIPPEE!
Smiles from the road to recovery,
Tnk
You guys have no idea how good this email made me feel. Her thumb is still mostly stuck (thus the "ever so slightly" comment), and she still has a considerable amount of pain in both hands, but her attitude is amazing. I am convinced that she will eventually be able to return to work just because she's so motivated.
That's the big news from here. Hope you all had a good week!
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