4 years ago today

Four years ago today was obviously leap day :). But it was also a day that almost didn't exist to me! I was travelling to Thailand for a mission trip with church. We left for Thailand on the 28th and arrived in Thailand on March 1st. Leap day was a travel day for us, so while it still existed, it was kind of a surreal experience of a lot of stale air, a lot of movies (since I don't sleep on airplanes), airplane food, and a very dark day (on long flights they close all the windows so that people can sleep so it was as if it was night all day).

Today, I am very much experiencing leap day. I am sitting at Honda getting my car worked on, avoiding paperwork, will head out to see clients when my car is done, and then will head to AWANA tonight. Because of my three days missing work for my eye infection, I am very grateful for another day to bill hours for the month of February. It won't make up for the hours I missed, but it will help.

Happy Leap Day everyone! :)

Happy 4 week Birthday! :)

I never know with babies how to count that first month. Is it his one month birthday on the 31 (which there isn't one in February)? So, I just went with four weeks ago, Michael was born! :) He is a cutie! This melts my heart. Isn't John a great big brother?!

Another client funny

I was with one of my 7 year old clients today. We were playing with Hot Wheels. Apparently, they date the bottom of Hot Wheel's and it's kind of like looking through a jar of pennies and sorting them by date. We actually found one that was dated 1979. I said to my client. "1979. That was the year I was born." He looked at me for a second and then said, "HOLY SMOKES!!!" I tried really hard not to laugh, but I did laugh a little! Gotta love the things that kids say! :)

Seek and Find

What better way to pass the time then with a good seek and find puzzle. Here is a picture of the Walgreens medicine aisle my bathroom counter with an accumulation of all the medicinal things I am currently using. Here is what you should find:
1. 2 bottles of cough syrup (I was using up an old bottle before I started the new one)
2. 3 boxes of band-aids (one was the old box that I ran out of the size I needed, one is the box that I bought that was the wrong size, and one is the box that is the right size)
3. 1 bottle of multi-vitamins (that I started using 3 weeks ago when I first started getting sick, thinking I would try to be healthier!)
4. 1 washcloth (for wiping the goop out of my eyes)
5. 1 bottle of saline solution (for rinsing the goop out of my eyes)
6. 1 bottle of antibiotics (for the newest sore throat that wasn't strep)
7. 1 box of cold medicine that I tried to use before I went to the doctor for the umpteenth time)
8. 1 bottle of salicylic acid (in the midst of all the other doctors' visits, I also went to the doctor to try to remove a wart from the bottom of my foot. That is also what the bandaids are for)
9. 2 bottles of eye drops (left overs from the first round of pink eye that I have been using this time around too)
10. 1 tube of neosporin (also for use during the day on the wart) Also note the dropper thing by the bandaids. This is what they gave me to take my cough syrup with! Good thing I had an extra cup that usually comes with the cough syrup. That makes me gag just thinking about using it!

I promise to will try my best to make this my last post about being sick. This one actually just made me laugh when I walked into my bathroom yesterday. I even made Emily come in and look at it because I was a little appalled!

Have I ever mentioned...

...that I have the sweetest nephew EVER! My mom posted this message to me on Facebook today:

Teresa, John & I were outside. He was showing a "sticker" bush and telling me to be careful so I don't get hurt. He then told me to take a picture of it and show it to you so you would know not to touch it! He said he didn't want you to get hurt! :)

I mean, really, does it get any sweeter? Mom commented that she has been using this to get more pictures, claiming she has to "show" Aunt Teresa. Poor kid doesn't know how much he's being manipulated!

PS. While I know I have two nephews now and have to be careful not to play favorites, I figured I was safe with this story since Michael doesn't talk yet and has never met me. He doesn't know he needs to protect me from sticker bushes!

Why aren't we married?

Emily and I were choosing a movie to watch tonight to end our weekend. Here were the choices: The Bourne Identity, The A-Team, and SWAT. As we were deciding between them, Emily first commented on the fact that we had chosen all guy movies. And then she said, "Why aren't we married?" I laughed, of course. But then we did discuss the fact that The Bourne Identity is definitely a girly guy movie, meaning most girls have seen it and like it and probably only watched it because Matt Damon is in it. That is not the reason I saw the movie, by the way. I grew up with a brother, so I do like a lot of guy movies. We chose The Bourne Identity, by the way. I had Emily pick a number 1 to 3. Very scientific :).

Pity Party Take 2

Hot apple cider for my sore throat.
Cold compresses for my double eye infection.

Yes, you read that correctly. Double. Eye. Infection. About a week after getting over the last one. And approximately 8 hours after bragging to Emily that I did not pass on the nastiness to anyone else. But apparently my body likes to be sick. I started getting a cold again on Thursday. No biggie. I'm used to this. But if I am going to get pink eye ever couple of weeks, I quit. I'm not sure what I'm quitting or how I'm quitting, but I quit all the same!

I started using my left over medicine first thing this morning. So, so far I have been able to avoid extreme swelling and excessive eye leakage. But I still have to cancel all my plans for the weekend. And it's still uncomfortable. And I still insist on throwing myself a pity party.

Happy Saturday everyone! :)

No need for a title

I don't have anything to say. And sometimes I just feel like blogging even though I don't have anything to say. Because I guess I don't feel like I used my word quotient for the day, or something. Or I just like hearing myself talk (not that I read this out loud or anything, because I don't. But I read it in my head while I am typing it). So here are some non-profound or even remotely interesting things that happened in my week:
1. Today I was driving and I looked down. I had driven 33.3 miles and was getting 33.3 mpg. It made me smile.
2. I might have set a record of the amount of things I attempted to do so that I wouldn't have to do my paperwork. Which included looking up the email with the apparel logo for the work shorts we can order, even though I am not ordering a shirt, but because my coworkers were discussing whether they wanted to order a shirt, and I was gracious enough to look up the logo for them. Aren't I nice.
3. I have been warm at night and have debated every night whether to open the window. Except I think I am getting sick again and I don't want to purposely contribute to that occurrence.
4. I yelled at a client this week. Okay, yell might be a strong word, but I definitely raised my voice at her. And felt a little ashamed afterward.
5. I'm pretty sure at this point I can say that I managed to keep my eye infection to myself. No known cases among the people I am around on a regular basis.

Okay, I'm even boring myself. So I will stop using my words. Plus, my roommate just walked in and I can use up the rest of my quotient on her.

Being compared to a grandma

Just as I posted yesterday that I don't look so old, I recall a conversation with one of my clients.

Even in the midst of devastating me with the choices she continues to make, my 14 year old client still has the ability to make me laugh. Thursday I thought she would comment right away about my glasses. She's pretty fashion conscious after all and pretty observant. But she didn't, until we had driven to the place we normally meet. As soon as we sat down she said,"I don't think I've ever seen you in glasses." And then as I fully turned toward her, she said, "Oh my gosh, what happened to your eye?!" I told her, we moved on with the session, but then later in the session, kind of out of the blue, she says, "You look just like me grandma." I kind of sputter. How to respond to that? She clarifies, "I mean, your glasses. I think they might be the same ones my grandma has." As if that makes it all better. But really, are my glasses the same ones that grandmas where? It makes me want to get new glasses. Well, except for the fact that this pair cost me as much as my loveseat, so I'm not replacing them until I am as old as my grandma! I'm just going to keep telling myself that her grandma is really fashionable!

December revisited :)

I received a message on Facebook with some fabulous pictures from my visit to see Holly in December. She got them to me SO fast :). Just a slight joke. I love Holly for many reasons. And she is great at many things. Getting things out in a timely manner, not always her strong suit. But she is tenacious. For instance, I received a present from her that she had "stored" for four years. If it were me, I would never have sent it after that long. But she did. Because that is the kind of friend she is! Here we are: old roomies. I love this picture for many reasons. 1. we don't look so old! 2. She is bent down to my level. In college we developed a system for taking pictures because I hated the height difference when it showed up in pictures. Strategically placed steps and curbs became the norm. 3. Even though you can see she is bent down, I am totally taller than her! :)
Then I got to have a mini photo shoot with her two adorable kids! :) Benjamin (the younger) and Nathan (the older).
Holly's message to me today was that as she was attaching the pictures, Nathan said, "Hey, I remember that girl. She played with me at our house!" I also love that it looks like Nathan is about ready to bolt. :)

The things you over hear in junior high

I was waiting outside the office at a junior high yesterday to see one of my clients. There was a kid sitting at the other end of the chairs. As one student walked by they started a conversation:
Kid Walking By: What are you doing here?
Kid Sitting: I got suspended.
Kid Walking By: For what?
Kid Sitting: For sagging.
Kid Walking By: For how long?
Kid Sitting: I don't know.

This disturbs me on several levels. Well, actually, first it made me laugh. Then it disturbed me. First, we're suspending a kid because he's showing his underwear when he sits down (that was the further explanation that he gave). Why not just give him a length of rope to tie his pants up with? Or have really tacky belts that will be more humiliating than anything else? That would get his attention more than a suspension. Second, he doesn't even know how long he's suspended for? Seems like something I might have asked while I was in the principal's office. Third, somewhat unrelated, but it reminded me of when I was in high school and I got sent to the principal's office because my shorts were too short. When all I had to do was roll them down once (because it was stylish at that time to roll your shorts. Well, I think it was. Either way, I did it!) I guess I should be thankful that I didn't get suspended for it!

Happy Valentine's Day

I can't be outdone with all these Valentine's Day posts on Facebook and blogs. But I don't really have anything Valentines-y to share. :) Not a stitch of pink anywhere in my vicinity :)

Really, Valentine's Day has never been my favorite holiday. And not because I'm single. I just have never really cared one way or the other. I have a coworker whose birthday is today, and she says she hates it. She never gets to go out to eat for her birthday because restaurants are always crazy. Even when I was dating, I just kind of wanted to skip over the holiday. Really, if you want to show me you love me, why not two weeks before Valentine's Day when flowers are a lot cheaper and not everyone else is doing the same thing?

Today, I just happen to be wearing a red shirt :). Not planned, it's just one of my comfy shirts. Oh, and don't underestimate the power of a red eye! :) Very festive on this day. Random thought, but my shirt has paint splatters from Guatemala on it, from my mission trip a few years ago. Now that is love. Caring for orphans when they have no one else to care for them.

When I think of love, there are a lot of Scriptures that come to mind:
1. My favorite verse, 1 John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!"
2. I'm memorizing 1 John right now, and one of my most recent verses is in chapter 2: "If anyone obeys his word, God's love is made complete in him."
3. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Just a few thoughts on my mind this morning.

The good news

1. I'm not dying. (well, we have to start somewhere!)
2. Already having a really good eye doctor who could fit me in on short notice.
3. I may not have to work until Thursday. And not only do I not have to work, but I missed doing IPI file stuff that we have been doing for the last month, COA's visit to our building, an internal file review (although I'll have to do my files later), and a mandatory Medicaid meeting at team on Wednesday (although Faye wasn't sure if I was going to have to make that up or not).
4. I may get to finish the three Hunger Games books without losing a whole lot of sleep.
5. Daynah is here for 3 months.
6. The swelling has gone down.
7. I let the eye doctor twist my arm into buying glasses 3 years ago. (I can't even imagine the bigger mess this would have been if I hadn't had glasses to wear the last two days!)

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming (meaning, me moaning and groaning). I'm not even looking for sympathy. This is more my "woe is me" rant, which I must say, has taken a lot longer to hit then I thought it would. Because if you know me, you know I like to go straight to "woe is me."

First off, did I mention that Dad, Amy, and Daynah came into town Saturday night. Sunday was really the only day I was going to see Dad and Amy (Daynah is here for three months) and I spent most of it focusing on my eye, 3 hours of it at Prompt Care and the pharmacy, and more of it kind of focused on my eye. Tonight I was supposed to meet them for dinner after work before they have to go to the airport for their 8:00 flight. Now, the doctor says I should be out in public as little as possible (and I'm pretty sure the two pharmacies I went to counted for my public quota for the day). So, I think the current plan is for them to bring dinner over here, but I'm not sure.

Next on the woe is me list would be that Daynah is supposed to stay with me this week. I talked to Amy and told her they might want to find another option for Daynah, but we'll see, she might still end up staying here. But I'm not very good company and I really hate the idea of exposing her to all of this.

Not to mention poor Emily, who has been here pre-Lysol wipes galore. I was bored a few minutes ago and lysolled EVERY doorknob, faucet, and light switch. Probably a little too late, but hopefully she won't get this.

I did make it into the eye doctor today. Viral conjunctivitis. Fancy words for a really gross eye infection. Plus I forgot the term she used to describe a bruise on my eye that is making some of my already beet red eye look even redder and hurt. She prescribed me an anti-inflammatory which is already working wonders. And she prescribed me a numbing medicine and a betadine solution that I have to swab my eye with. Unfortunately, they are not very common, so none of the pharmacies had them and I can't get them until tomorrow. Which prolongs my stay at home for at least one more day than I had anticipated. The doctor also told me some horror stories of when she had this same problem and she had a membrane grow from her eye to her eyelid that had to be surgically removed. But she's going to keep a really good eye on things so that doesn't happen, or so she says! :)

The so-so news. I am not a good sleeper. Which means I am operating off of about four hours of sleep from last night (I finally crashed at 3:15 and woke up at 7:00). My eye feels the best with a wet wash cloth on it, which means that I can't have my glasses on, which means that I can't watch TV or read my book. I have been reading some, because my eye doesn't feel good whether it is closed or open, so I'll read for a little while and then lay mindlessly for a little while. Maybe I could hire someone to come read to me for a while! :)

Oh, and last but not least, a sarcastic addition to my "good" news list. I can pretty much count on this spreading to my other eye, but not to the same degree as the left eye. Good, something to look forward to. Thank you Dr. Wilson!

Sympathy anyone?

I'll admit. This post is mostly to garner sympathy. Because that is the kind of person I am. :) Notice anything different between my two eyes? No? Me either. They feel the same. I can see the same out of both of them. Peachy. Yesterday I woke up with some discharge coming from my eye. No big deal. I've had a cold so I thought it was just another way for my body to get rid of the gunk. By this morning, this is what I look like. I went to Prompt Care and got an eye drop and antibiotic which hasn't done a whole lot the two times I've been able to use it. I'm posting this and then heading to the eye doctor. Hopefully she will be able to give me some relief. I just wish I knew how to do things half-way! No simple eye infection for me, just an eye the size of a golf ball and as red as an apple! So, feel free to leave your sympathetic comments here! :)

For your laughing pleasure? AKA Emily to the rescue!

I really have no earthly idea what to title this blog. Or why I am even writing it. Or how to even tell the story. The best way to tell a story is to start at the beginning. WAAAAYYYY at the beginning.

I have a coat. That I really like. I haven't had this coat for very long, just a couple of years. Well, at the end of last season, the zipper started to get stuck a little bit. No big deal, it always comes unstuck. I've made jokes about the day that I would actually get stuck in this coat. Well, folks, today was that day. I was innocently talking to Danell on the phone (it might be interesting to get her version of this story) when I got home and walked into the apartment where I immediately went to take off my coat because I was hot. Only my zipper was stuck. No big deal though, because normally I just zip it up a little more and tug a little harder and it comes undone. Ummm...not so much. So I told Danell I think I might be stuck in my coat and asked her to hold on while I set the phone down to concentrate on tugging a little harder. No such luck. So I picked up the phone to tell her my lack of progress. Was she concerned? I'm not sure because she was laughing an awful lot. I told her to hold on again, I was going to try to pull the coat off over my head because at this point I was getting VERY HOT (which is what I always thought I would do on the day that I actually got stuck in the coat--pull it over my head, that is. I never really anticipated how hot I would get.). Ummm...again no such luck. But at this point I also could not get the coat back on the way it is supposed to go, you know, with my arms in the arm holes. After discussing how this would definitely make a good blog, I told her I should probably go so I could concentrate a little better without hearing her laugh at me.
Here I am stuck.

And here's a close up. At this point I'm still thinking this is pretty funny.

I googled how to get a zipper unstuck. Did you know lead (graphite pencil) acts as a lubricant? Now you know. Only it didn't work on my zipper. Neither did chapstick. At this point, I'm starting to panic a little bit and feel a little bit claustrophobic. See picture below.

And I was actually feeling even more claustrophobic because I had tried the zip-it-up-higher method and managed to get the zipper stuck at it's highest point. I had also tried to call my roommate to see when she was coming home. She didn't answer. And I was formulating a diplomatic way to explain to her that she needed to come home because I was stuck in my coat. Good luck with that one.

So, then I got my arms back in the coat and immediately started getting hot again, but still couldn't tug the darn thing down. So I decided to see if I could pull it loose from the top. Here is the result:

Nice cape, I know. But still very much stuck. And still a little claustrophobic around my neck. But much cooler everywhere else.

Here's a close-up. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Did I mention I have a miserable cold and really just wanted to crawl into bed when I got home? Just thought I'd throw that in. So, I again tried to call my roommate. No answer. So I decided to text her, but how do you word that text? Here is what I said: "I really could use your help at home if you could get home soon. Not quite an emergency. Okay I'll just say it. I'm stuck in my coat." The funniest part about that might be that if I hadn't edited it, the text would have said "I'm stuck in my boat." I was just about to hit send when she called me back. So I told her that I needed some help at home. She was just leaving the church parking lot. As soon as she walked in the door I said, "Emily. I'm stuck in my coat." She laughed. A lot. So much that I couldn't tell her the story about how I got stuck in my coat. After I let her laugh it out, she saved me. She got the coat unstuck. And I was FREE!

Okay, now that you're done laughing at me...

Oh, you're not done yet? In that case, I'll just leave you with your laughter.

Smell Association

I'm going to let you in on a little secret :)...I'm quirky. And I don't mean I just have one quirk. Let's face it, you're all making a list in your head right now of my quirks. Here's a new quirk for the list...I have a body wash in my shower that I really only use after I exercise and have to take a shower (which is most of the time when I exercise). I don't really know why. I did not buy it intentionally for this purpose. I think it actually came about because I bought the body wash and then did not really like the smell, but I didn't want to throw it away. So, since I exercise at night, if I use it, I don't have to smell it all day. Granted, it's not a bad smell. Just not my favorite.

So, now for my story. It's 5:45 and I just got around to showering for the day. I've just been home reading and putzing around so I didn't feel a need for a shower, but then all of a sudden I couldn't stand it anymore. So, while in the shower, I used my "exercise body wash." Only I hadn't exercised. But after using it, I kind of feel like I exercised. So, the question is, do you think the body wash seeping into my pores can also convince my body that I exercised. Because I would use this body wash ALL THE TIME if it produced the same results as exercise!

Heehee...just a bit of randomness to brighten your weekend!

Comparison

Ann and baby Michael went home today. Oh, I guess if you aren't friends with me on Facebook, I should say, I'M AN AUNT AGAIN! :) Michael James was born Tuesday morning. The few pictures I've been able to see, with no bias, are of an adorable cutie! I've been texting back and forth with my brother and he said that they think that Michael looks a lot like John. Here are some pictures for everyone else to decide.
Michael
John
And the two of them together :)

What a difference a year makes!

Last year we were in the midst of the "Blizzard of 2011." I was going to say we were enjoying the blizzard, but I realized that some people didn't enjoy the blizzard :). I, however, enjoyed it! This year, different story. This week, I have been sleeping with my window open, wearing short sleeves, and not wearing a coat. And sometimes driving with my windows down. One night when I went to bed around 11:00, the thermometer said it was still 50 degrees outside. CRAZY!!!