I'm a super-freakin-hero

I went to the dentist today to have a new crown seated. I had the prep a few weeks ago and have been living with the temporary one in anticipation of this glorious day. The first thing the nice hygienist woman asked me is if I wanted to be numbed up. Remember this day ? Of course, if it's not gonna hurt, I don't want the numby juice. SO...in my statistical, analytical nature, I asked her what people usually say when she asks that and she responded, "It's about 50/50." And I figure I have a higher than normal tolerance for discomfort so I'll be cool through it if really 50 whole percent of people don't die without it.

So she placed the metal forceps on my temporary crown to remove it and I broke out into a sweat. I felt a little moan of pain escape my throat...although it couldn't be a full fledged growl due to the huge metal tools in my mouth yanking my teeth out. Just as I was about to side-swipe her arm out of my mouth and DEMAND numby stuff, the temporary came out and, of course, I said, "Now that wasn't toooooo bad." Ha ha....I'm a super-hero.

Well then, the new crown had to be put in. They told me that I would have a little "cold sensitivity" once the cement hit the primed crown stump in my mouth (read-exposed nerves). After messing with it for a few minutes, they plopped that crowny-poo in my mouth and I swear I felt my forehead against the ceiling. Cold-sensitivity-my-butt! We are talking full fledged sticking an ice pick through my gums and into my brain. After I floated down from the ceiling, I was ok but... I'm a super hero.

My point: if a hygienist in cute urbane scrubs with Texas hair (in Alabama) asks you if you want to be numbed, tell her to make it a double.

Our Perfect Tulip

Spring time is my favorite time of the year for so many reasons...one of which is the gorgeous tulips blooming everywhere (see here and here for proof). Jeff planted some tulip bulbs in a little area in the front of our house (which has also been a failed butterfly garden, weed plot and more) but he thought he had pulled them all up when he cleaned out the area late last year. Nope. There are now a few tulips trying their best to reach the sun. When I pulled in to the driveway this afternoon....I saw this....
One perfect tulip. Granted it doesn't sit in the perfect place, it may not have bloomed at the perfect time since all the other tulips are yet to sprout and we know it will only stay this perfect flower for a brief moment. But that's enough 'cause it's perfect. And it's ours.

Good (and free) Fun on a Spring Day

Spring Break is over. Boo hoo. Now it's time to make the home stretch to graduation. I have just over 4 months left and really no breaks between now and the BIG DAY. I'm not complaining though. I would rather push on till the end.

But to celebrate the last little bit of Spring Break, Jeff and I had a little bubble blowing, sidewalk chalk extravaganza with Brandee and Leslie. There's nothing quite like blowing out your stress into a little bubble and watching it float away...yeah right :).

Leslie made a fantastic chalk design for us that I love....hopefully it is forecasting a true story unfolding over the next year or so.

And speaking of Jeff...even he got into it a little bit. He told me that swirling the bubble stick in the air is the RIGHT way to create bubbles...not my wimpy way of exhaling through the bubble holes. I guess I can't argue with the mass of bubbles surrounding him.

If you want to view the whole album of the day's pics...click on the picture below.

Bubbles and Chalk Day

My new hair and stuff

Jeff and I finished up with Habitat for Humanity on Tuesday by spending a torrentially rainy day inside the warehouse assembling the kitchen cabinets for two houses. It was a (frustrating at times) great experience and I think Jeff and I are better for having done it. We may just make it a habit to do this volunteering stuff together.

To celebrate both Spring Break and a successful volunteer experience...and the receipt of our tax return...I got my hairs did. Brandee took me to her awesome hair woman and I got beautified. I do love my new locks...
Can you tell?

It's auburn and blondey and streaky and stacked and all that good stuff. If I can style it like Erin did then I will be amazing.

It was worth it....hee hee.

Habitat-ing

Jeff and I are both off this week and we debated about what to do since we're #1 - broke and #2 - broke. So we decided to spend a couple days volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Jeff has wanted to do it for a while and I am all for trying to build a better community so it was a good opportunity to take care o' business. Today was our first day and we got up super early, threw on some old yucky clothes, packed the pb&j's and hammers and sped off.

We spent the day putting up siding on one of the houses. It's amazing how long it actually takes to put up a little bit of siding. It was fun though and we met some pretty neat folks.

So what the picture is upside down?!?

I even got to wear a little nail apron to hold my tape measurer, nails, hammer, pencil (you know the square-ey one that carpenters use) and siding cutter gadget.

I was afraid of Jeff being on these big ole ladders...if you know his ladder history then you know why my heart skips a beat every time he climbs up on one. But he was loving it so I kept my sweet mouth shut.

We are back again tomorrow and it is supposed to pour down rain. They told us that all action proceeds as normal unless it lightnings or tornadoes (yes it's a verb) so we will pack the ponchos and head out at daybreak. What a spring break!

Baby Fever

I have some hard core baby fever this week. It seems like everyone I know has wee ones. I am so grateful that I have babies with chubby cheeks that I can pinch and can still hear baby coos and see gassy smiles but, is it wrong of me to really, really want one of my own?!? When our little Lily Faith comes home she is going to be spoiled absolutely rotten and I am going to soak up every second. I am not going to miss one minute of baby lovey-ness when I finally get the chance. After so many years of dreaming about being a mommy, I think it's about time that this happens already :). Pretty please with a cherry on top.

I Love People...

...but some times they suck. And to memorialize that sentiment I bring you a couple of quotes from David Sedaris who I will be fortunate enough to see live with my dear bro in a few weeks...

“I haven't got the slightest idea how to change people, but still I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out.”


“Maybe I'll learn a trade. I've considered taxidermy. I always thought it was a shame you couldn't do that on people.”

Hee hee. That dude is fu-hu-unny.

Ode to the lizard in my window

You frolicked in the sun while it was cold outside.

Your presence in our house made my hubby tongue-tied.

Emerging in the day and hiding out at night.

A reptile, bug eater, quite a sight.

Google says you live for 3 years

So why, now, was your passing so near?

Such a sleek, fast, pretty green mover.

Sorry I had to suck you up in my Hoover.

P.S. I didn't kill the lizard. It lived a full life in our window and died of natural causes some time this week.

Perspective

Last week I had a couple of interesting clinical days that made me ponder a few things. Before I started nursing school, I really had no clue what health care was about. In reality, I learn more every day about what it is like to care for a patient, their family and their health care experience...and I know that I will forever be learning and molding my skills and ability. Taking care of a patient/client is so much more than being able to interpret their lab work and knowing the side effects of their medications. It is about talking, showing kind eyes, encouraging without providing false hope, wrapping your literal and figurative arm around someone who is ill and their spouse, parent, child and cushioning them from the blow of a sometimes unexpected and never welcome experience. I am learning this. It isn't always easy to translate a nurturing instinct into caring for someone whom you have never met. But it is possible and I feel it happening more and more with every experience with which I am faced.

In this whole nursing school experience, I learn from so many places...from my instructors, from the nurses and doctors in the clinical setting, from my peers, my books, but mostly I learn from those I am caring for. And my lessons aren't all about nursing. Last week I learned about life and perspective, hope and inspiration, courage, optimism and tenacity. I met someone who could only teach me with smiles through pain, "tomorrows" and "next years" without knowing if they would come to be and overwhelming gratitude for every breath and every moment. These lessons are the most valuable of not just my nursing school experience but, also, of my life. I don't know if my "teacher" last week knows these lessons that I took away from our time. I do know that, in this adventure, I have the potential every day to meet people who will inspire me. So when I feel down, when I am immersed in my pity parties and grump fests, I will try to remember the perspective of a very special person who I met last week and smile through pain, talk about tomorrow and next year and be grateful for each breath and each moment. If he can do it, I can do it...right?

Drumroll please...

The number of months we have been waiting since our paperwork was logged in in China is now exactly the same number of years that I have been on this planet....

Happy 33rd Month-A-Versary to us!!

Freaky Plastic People

Not since this guy has a marketing campaign freaked me out like this. Old Navy (sorry Bran!) has these weird mannequins that have smiley evil joker looking faces that stare RIGHT-AT-Me every time I walk in to the store. Granted, they have some cute clothes on but I kinda walk away from the plastic people and toward the clothes sans mannequins just to minimize the freaky factor.

Missing the lost hour

This Daylight Savings mess is killing me I tell you. Of course, in my leisurely life I usually don't wake up till 7 or 8 and I had to get up at 5 this morning...which we all know is REALLY 4 am due to that weird person who thought up daylight savings. Who would have ever thought of messing around with our clocks like that? I'm sure it was some big ego man.

Anyway...on to something more meaty. I have had multiple different types of clinicals this semester and, so far, I have really only determined areas that I DON'T want to work in...not found something that I loved yet. I had pediatrics. I am too much of a worry wart for that one. I had some serious Psych stuff. I am too paranoid myself for that one. I have had a little oncology. My patient rejected me. SO...now what?? Maybe I should sleep for a few days so that I can clear my head. :)

EKG - LMNOP

This is what we're studying in nursing school right now - EKG interpretation. It's hard to really realize that each little bump and spike and the correlating little boxes on the graph-type paper can actually tell you an enormous amount of information about someone. I am finding it pretty interesting to try and interpret these funny things. Fortunately Jeff can read them basically with his eyes closed.

This afternoon I am actually going to sit in a telemetry monitoring room for a few hours and try to interpret what's going on with people's hearts. If you have ever been in a hospital with a bunch of sticky things on your chest attached to wires, attached to a box that you had to carry with you, often in the pocket of your awkward hospital gown, then you may know about telemetry. That little box sends your continuous EKG pattern to a special room in the hospital where someone stares at it on a TV screen, waiting for it to do something funny. If the bumps or spikes don't behave as they should then they call the nurse taking care of you or just go ahead and send the crash team to shock you if need be. Kinda scary. But also kinda neat, huh?

My Butterfly

My sweet baby girl,

One day you will be born into this world. It's scary here some times and I worry that this world won't be good enough for you. I promise that I will protect you from electric sockets, mean people and sharp table corners. You will cry and I will hold you and sing you lullabies.

One day you will be a toddler. I worry that you may get sick or that there will be mean people who cross your path. I promise that I will protect you from unkind words and icky germs. You will cry and I will hold you and rub your head and tell you that everything will be ok.

One day you will be a child. I worry that you will feel insecure, that you won't see the gifts inside of you. I promise that I will be your biggest fan and protect you from sadness. You will cry and I will hold you and remind you of how special you are.

One day you will be a teenager. I am worried that someone will break your heart, that you will want to grow up and not be my baby anymore. I promise that I will be here to encourage you through heartache, to teach you all I know about life and let go just enough. You will cry and I will hold you, wipe away your tears and listen to your dreams.

One day you will be a woman. It's scary here and some times I am worried that this world will not be good enough for you. I promise to prepare you for what lies ahead and to show you how beautiful it can be. You will cry and I will hold you and smile. You are my butterfly. I can't wait to see you soar.

Love,

Your Mommy

Horrible Flashback

I had to go to the dentist yesterday and had a couple of teeth worked on. That horrible bruxism is really affecting my poor teeth. Anyway...the dentist decided to empty all of her numby medicine into my cheek and face. I swear, I was numb from my chin to the middle of my scalp for at least 6 hours. It sucked. Of course I was thankful I didn't feel all the drilling and grinding away of my teeth but still...I am a little sensitive about having a dead face.

Me yesterday trying to smile:

Me in 1994 with Bell's Palsy and my loving sister mocking me:

Eventually last night the feeling came back but not after I had had a mini panic attack.

Brain Rotting Television

The television is really a star in our household. One of Jeff's most noticeable traits is just how completely and utterly zoned out he gets when the television is on. He is really unreachable. I could really stand on my head dressed like Abby from NCIS and he wouldn't even see me when the TV is on. (I still love you honey) Although it really doesn't take any special show to make him enter the TV trance, there are a few shows that I think are just brain rotters but I watch them anyway.
The Bachelor: Jason edition : We have not watched this all season but watched the finale last night along with the "After the Final Rose" special. I was completely mesmerized. This dude is one confused puppy.
The City: Jeff doesn't watch this one but I LOVE it. I have to DVR it on Monday nights so I can watch it during my "alone time". There is just something fascinating about young rich people who have neat-o jobs, hottie boyfriends and go partying every night. They could leave out the eating disorders and cheating partners though.
Sober House: Not my favorite but it entertains me nonetheless. This is a bunch of has-beens who have some substance abuse issues. It happens to be on my TV right this moment and I just heard some reference to Swing-Fest. Trash. Gotta love it.

You're the One That I Want...Oooh ooh ooh honey

What child of the 80's does not remember sitting in her bedroom with her brand new boombox, listening to pop music while serenading to her care bear or cabbage patch doll? Am I really the only one? Well? So I have issues, sue me. But really, I have always loved Olivia Newton-John...even her early country music. Seeing her in concert this weekend was a once in a lifetime experience for me. The concert was fantastic and, of course, she still looks gorgeous. We had TERRIFIC seats...6th row just off center. She sang songs from both Xanadu (my favorite) and Grease along with some oldies and newer selections. Jeff loved it also and was the self-appointed photographer/videographer for the event.

One thing I noticed is that I was probably the youngest person in the audience. And I had the cutest shoes ;).

Laptop-less

I enjoy surfing the web too much. Way too much. And I have the DT's. I have been without my laptop now for over a week. Granted we also have a desktop and Jeff has ownership of Dad's hand-me-down laptop but still...anyone who is an avid surfer extraordinaire like me needs their own laptop with the favorites, bookmarks, picture files, the keys that are indented with their very own fingertips.

Anyway, I digress. I am awaiting delivery of a new power cord because mine is frayed to bits. Jeff tried taping it, soldering it (thanks Jason for my spelling correction) all for naught. It is dead. Moment of silence, please.

Since I can't surf the web, blog comfortably or work on clinical paperwork I might as well go out of town, right?!? So tomorrow Olivia Newton-John awaits Jeff and I in MS. Wish me foofy hair and leg-warmers. Tata for now. :)

Shopping Cart Klepto

Obviously I don't have much going on lately because I am about to blog about another Wal-Mart incident. Seriously sad, isn't it? So this week I was shopping as usual and loaded a few things into my cart - some veggies, bread, yarn, yada yada. I don't know how many people do this but often when I am in Wal-Mart, I leave my cart at the end of a crowded aisle when I only need one thing in said aisle because the huges masses of people prevent me from maneuvering my cart without seriously wanting to ram someone head on. So I parked my cart at the end of the shampoo aisle...innocently going to grab some Herbal Essences and return toot-sweet to continue my shopping adventure. When I returned to my cart, shampoo in hand, I found a glassy eyed woman steering it away from me. What do I do? Did I say, "Excuse me, I believe you have my cart."? That would have been the reaction that would make the most sense, right? Well...no I didn't. I proceeded to follow the woman with my cart up and down 3 aisles of Wal-Mart until she left it to go look at something and then I snuck behind her and stole my cart back. The strange thing is that I passed right by her with said cart and she didn't even give me an awkward glance. Instead, she maintained the glassy eyed visage.
You know what the real stinker is? Out of the 30 check-out lines at the Super Wal-Mart, she chose to get in line right behind me to pay for her goods. But were they really her goods or had she stolen someone else's cart too?? Hmmm....

Nascar, Nursing School and 25 Things

I took a little bloggy vacation. I actually made a post then quickly took it down cause it was very pity party like and I never get good feedback on those kind of rants so I thought I would spare all 3 people who follow me. Suffice it to say I have been way way down in the dumps these past few days. It's hard to find a blog topic when your head is stuffed underneath a pillow, right?!?

So...I will return to one of my favorite topics...Jeff and his goofiness. He was all a-grin this past weekend cause his favorite past-time has returned to television. Strange how one person's joy is another person's eye-rolling extravaganza.

No mas Sundays of sports free bliss in this household. Poop.

On another topic, I am really on the countdown to nursing school graduation now...not so much excited (although it is there) as so, so ready to get back to work. Although school is mostly enough to keep me occupied, it doesn't bring in any bucks...and my hair needs a new do. So there is now less than 6 months on the nursing school countdown. The last official day of school should be August 7th. Dude sweet.

And finally...since I spent a long time writing it, I am going to post my "25 Random Things" here. It was a Facebook thing but it is blog-worthy too.

1. I know that writing this will take me hours and I have a million other things to do but I am gonna do it anyway.
2. I played the viola when I was in the 6th grade. I loved it and remember vividly holding a "concert" for my family at my grandmother's house in Orlando and playing Oh Susanna.
3. I am a horrible communicator. Some of that comes from my aversion to talking on the phone. Text messaging and e-mail are my friends. My horrible communication does not correlate at all to how much I love my friends and family...it's just a flaw in my otherwise perfect personality (ha ha!).
4. I actually did wear leg-warmers over my jeans for the entire year that I was in 4th grade. I also had kinda feathered hair and LOVED Olivia Newton-John. Thus, I am going to see her in concert on Feb. 28th and will continue my obsession by doing the "Physical" dance from my 6th row seat.
5. I worked in non-profit for 10 years. I liked having a job with a heart but I ALWAYS wanted to work in health care. SO...I left it all behind and am almost finished with nursing school. This is one dream that I am proud to have pursued.
6. I am a picture fanatic. I carry my digital camera in my purse and document EVERYTHING with a picture. I also do lots of self-pictures (solo and group) to memorialize occasions. My family has reflexive eye rolling every time I reach into my purse.
7. I love to read and write poetry. I started writing when I was a wee kid and still enjoy it when something inspires me. I find that it really is the best way to express myself. My favorite modern day poet is Maya Angelou.
8. I am insanely close to my family. My parents and siblings are really my best friends. We talk to each other at least once a day and they are always the first people I want to call when I'm happy, sad or just peeved. I am so extremely lucky.
9. I complain about my husband. Who doesn't, right?!? That doesn't mean that I don't count the minutes until he gets home every night.
10. I am a closet foodie. Well...maybe not so closet. I love food, love trying new restaurants, am always on the lookout for new, healthy (low point) snacks. I have Birmingham and Atlanta restaurant review websites saved in my favorites and I check them often to see if there is some place new I should be visiting to feed this obsession. One of the most recent places I've tried was LottaFrutta in Atlanta...I highly recommend it for a "hole in the wall" treat.
11. I taught myself to knit and crochet via YouTube. My great grandmother taught me a basic chain stitch in crochet when I was like 6 but I never made it further. Since my YouTube lessons in December, I have knitted a scarf and crocheted a baby afghan, skinny scarf and 3 hats. It has become my stress reliever so high stress = hats for everyone :).
12. I hate sports. I know...hate is a strong word. As unpopular as it is here in Alabama, I don't like college football but I make myself suffer through just to placate my husband. I really, really wanna like it but I just can't. I even try wearing the attire, ask questions to try to understand it better and search the cable guide for the SEC teams. It doesn't help. I also hate Nascar. I hate golf. I hate basketball. I hate baseball. I like to watch the Olympics but that is only every 2-4 years, right?
13. I have a closet full of professional clothes that I KNOW I will never wear again. I haven't worked in an office in over a year but I haven't cleaned out my closet yet "just in case". I am happy that my future holds lots of scrub-wearing and sneakers but I just can't let it go quite yet.
14. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. Over 2 years, I lost 199.6 lbs and made my goal. I constantly struggle with my weight and right now have about 20 lbs (well...maybe 25) to lose but I am extremely proud of myself nonetheless. If given the chance to tell someone about Weight Watchers and my story, I seize the moment.
15. I am bossy. For some people this is aquired over time but I was truthfully born bossy. My parents have a tape of us kids when I was about 4 and I was bossing my siblings and talking over them even then. I hate to hear that tape but I know I am STILL that way. My excuse is that I can't control it...it is written in my genes.
16. I am a coffee addict. One of my "heavens" is my Dad's coffee station with his Keurig, Tassimo and cappucino maker with every flavor of coffee and creamer within arms reach. I could spend $100 a week at Starbucks on skinny caramel lattes in the winter and caramel frappucino lights in the summer.
17. I DVR Judge Judy and Divorce Court for my husband every day. Watching these mindless shows at the end of a long work day is his guilty pleasure and I love to see him laugh out loud when Judge Judy chews out some clueless defendant.
18. I blog, therefore I am. I am also trying to figure out Twitter. Jeff says I put myself "out there" too much but I just say WHATEVER. If you don't like it, don't read it, right?!?
19. Some times I zone out. I know I'm doing this when Jeff taps me and says, "Whatcha thinking?". My answer is mostly that I'm thinking about one of four things...being somewhere warm with the sun shining on me, what I'm going to fix for dinner, school and what I need to be studying or my baby girl in China and when I will hold her.
20. Jeff and I decided to adopt a child from China 1,203 days ago. This decision has defined my life since that moment.
21. I sing in the car. Some times I am singing folksy songs with the Indigo Girls, rapping with Jay-Z or head banging with Linkin Park. If you pass me on the road, just ignore my party please. 22. Sometimes I go to the greeting card aisle at Wal-Mart and just read the cards. So - I have too much time on my hands. I just like to read them...sue me.
23. I want to be a perpetual student. Really, I want to continue my education and become a nurse practitioner specializing in some kind of critical care area or oncology. I believe, fully in my heart, that this career is part of my purpose.
24. I can't sit through an entire movie. If I go to the movie theater, I have to take a self-imposed intermission. I just can't manage to sit still long enough to enjoy a whole 2-3 hour movie.
25. I am a dreamer. Always have been, always will be.